A Peek at the Upcoming 2015 Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog

Here it is!  What do you think of the cover?  I am so excited for this year's Holiday catalog.  Stampin' Up! has put together a wonderful group of products -- something for everyone!  Have you received yours in the mail yet?  If you are one of my customers who has purchased from me within the past year, yours should be in the mail to you.  If you are interested in receiving one, just contact me and I will get one to you.  Stampin' Up!'s policies will not let me show you the inside of the catalog but I can show you the actual products.  So sit back and get a preview of some of the wonderful product Stampin' Up! is offering this season.  Sorry it is so long - there's just so much to show you!

Forever Stampin',

    Cathy Williams

Stampin' Up!'s Holiday Sale is here!!!!

Dates: November 20-December 2, 2013

Details

You can get incredible discounts-up to 50 percent-on some of your favorite products! This is the perfect time to stock up on some of your favorite items.  Here is a FLYER listing all items available at a discount, including some never before seen bundles!

Make sure you don't miss out on our 24-hour-only doorbusters happening on the first day of the sale (TOMORROW) -30 percent off the Stampin' Trimmer (I love this trimmer!), Simply Scored Diagonal Plate, and Many Marvelous Markers! The 24-hour sales period on these three products ends at 11:50 PM (MT), November 20.  You can place your order at my Online Store and have it ship directly to your home.

The Fine Print - of course!

• Discounts range between 20 and 50 percent.  Awesome!
• There's no minimum purchase required to participate in this promotion.  Sale on!
• For product bundles, you need to use the bundle item numbers provided. If you use individual item numbers, you won't get the discount.  Bummer!
• You can buy additional products from any of our current catalogs  on the same order.  Sweet!

       

Forever Stampin',

    Cathy Williams

It Has Been A Busy Summer!

Boy, has this been a busy summer!  In June I was in Bodega Bay, California, on vacation.  We timed it perfectly - we missed the 110-115 degree heat wave that the Sacramento area went through at the end of June.  We had sunny skies and 70 degrees - perfect beach weather!

On July 6, my nephew was married at a private vineyard in Napa Valley.  The wedding was beautiful and the bride was just gorgeous!  Here's a picture of some of my contribution to the wedding.  I made 25 bridal shower invitations, 50 thank you cards, 40 rehearsal dinner invitations, 8 bridesmaids' gift bags, 190 welcome cards, 190 wedding favor tags and 190 wedding programs!  Phew!!!  Thank goodness for MDS - a life saver.

We got home from the wedding on Monday and I had a week at home before jetting off again to Stampin' Up!'s convention in Salt Lake City, Utah.  What a fun-filled four days that was!  New products announced, lots of demonstrations and a ton of creative inspiration.  This year, Stampin' Up! celebrated its' 25 year anniversary so it was big this year - there were over 5,800 demonstrators from everywhere in the world where Stampin' Up! does business.  What an awesome company to work with -- I can't tell you how much loot I came home with!  About 7 stamp sets, designer papers, new product (an upcoming post will highlight it), a kit from the holiday catalog and a gorgeous silver and white backpack!  Come join me next year - you will love it!

Forever Stampin',

    Cathy Williams

Just a Few Days Left!!!

There are just a few days left to get those retiring stamp sets and accessories from Stampin' Up!  You know you will kick yourself if you let them go away without stocking up.  How about that favorite color that they have removed from the color families?  Brads?  There's got to be something that you need.  To see the retiring items, click here.  Remember that the accessories are only while supplies last. 

Finally, did you realize that Stampin' Up! has done something new?  You can order from BOTH the new catalog and the retiring products beginning at noon (MST) at May 31, 2013 through 11:00 pm (MST) on June 4, 2013. 

Forever Stampin',

    Cathy Williams

Happy New Year!!!

Wow, did the holiday season get away from me!  What a month we had in December - both the good and the bad.  A loss, an illness, an adoption and the holidays themselves and their accompanying commitments meant I didn't get a chance to blog at all!  It's a new year and I am back to blogging.

REST IN PEACE JAKE

 

On December 6, we lost our sweet Jake to Valley Fever, a fungal infection that he got in all of his organs.  He was only 6 years old.  We only had him for 14 months but he was just the best dog ever!  Thanks to American Brittany Rescue for rescuing Jake and allowing us to adopt him.  We hit the "Jake-pot" with him and miss him terribly.

WELCOME RYLEE!

 



If you know  me, you knew I couldn't be without a fur baby for very long!  On December 28, we adopted Rylee through American Brittany Rescue.  This little love bug came all the way from Salt Lake City, Utah!  If it had been in July, I would have just picked her up while being there for Stampin' Up! convention but I certainly couldn't wait that long.  She was put on a transport to Reno and then another volunteer took her to Truckee where we picked her up.  Isn't she a doll?

Another reason I am glad to have my fur baby is that Cassidy (yeah, that's her in the picture with Rylee) headed back up to Bozeman, Montana, for college so she only got to play with Rylee for a week.

Just wanted to bring you up to date on the goings on at my place.  Back to cards tomorrow!

Forever Stampin',

    Cathy Williams

I Have Been Having Fun...

This year for my birthday, we headed to Bodega Bay for a couple of weeks of hanging out by the ocean - my favorite place to be!  Oh, and there is another reason for the trip.....

That's right - it is Dungeness crab season here in California!  You are looking at one limit of crab.  So far, we have had crab cocktails, crab salads, crab sandwiches and crab dipped in butter & lemon.  Yum!  Yes, I will need to diet when I get home but for the next two weeks, bring on the crab!

Too Hot to Handle!

Back on August 21, I sat down for several hours and put together blog entries for several weeks so I wouldn't get behind and here I am ..... totally behind.  But I have an excuse and I think it is a good one!  Here's one of our houses on August 22!

Yep, that inferno that you are looking at is my house - fortunately no one was injured.  It wasn't our house but a rental and the renters lost everything which is so sad.  She has great friends, co-workers and family who have helped her out so hopefully she can begin to rebuild her life and I need to rebuild a house.

So I have been busy meeting with insurance adjusters and contractors.  I am learning alot about the insurance process (not fun) and about what you have to go through before you can rebuild.  It is a month since the fire and it is still a charred mess sitting there.  The house has asbestos so an asbestos removal company has to come and remove all the walls, ceiling and anything that the sheetrock touched when the fire department pulled the ceilings down.  Basically, they will have to gut what is left of the house.  Before we can do that, we have to get temporary electrical service to the property and settle on the preliminary scope of the damage with the insurance company.  I am hopeful that we can get started in about a week.

I am hoping to continue to keep you inspired with cards over the next couple of months but Technique Tuesdays will be hit and miss.  They will be totally dependent on my house-building schedule.  Hopefully you will stick with me during the rebuild.  I will take pictures of the house as we rebuild and post them here so you can follow my progress as well.

Have a great day!

New Feature on My Blog...

I cannot believe that I started blogging back in January of 2010!  While trying to make a list of upcoming tips and techniques to show you, I realized that the number of techniques I have already done has become large and I wasn't exactly sure how to keep track so I didn't duplicate.  Then it hit me - create additional pages on my blog and list all of them there! 

So here's what I have done.  Just below my header, you should see "Techniques", "How To's, Tips and Tricks" and "Specialty Cards".  Just click on each one of those and you can see all of instructional posts that I have done under each of those subjects.  One stop shopping!!!  I hope you enjoy this new feature.  Let me know what you think.....

I am a bit behind on things I want to blog about.  I definitely wanted to share this video with you from last month's convention.  Every convention, Stampin' Up! releases and performs a new song to go with our theme. This year's convention theme was "I Am". This is the BEST convention song I've ever heard but what's even more cool is that it's a lip dub shot at our Riverton, Utah corporate office.

The song highlights that we're all independent and the "I Am" theme just speaks to our all being able to run our demonstratorships in the way that suits us best (as a hobby, as a business with lots of events, something in between... whatever!). They want us to be do it our own way whatever that may be to fit our life.



Jim Pitt opens the number on guitar. He helps run the Business Development Program. Opening the door on the left is our VP of Global Operations Dave Baugh. The lady in the black halter dress and white cardigan at the very beginning who starts the singing is Amy Swartz who is the VP in charge of the new annual and Holiday catalogs (my new favorite person after how awesome the catalogs now are). You'll see other Vice Presidents, warehouse staff, Shelli's family, CFO (former New York Yankee), President (he shoots the confetti), demo support agents, etc... Did you  see Shellli?  She pops up against the orange backdrop after the three gals wearing the Designer Fabric.  The video ends up at convention when we see everyone on stage for the first time.  Did you see me?  Five rows back on the left side!  Ha ha!!!
Watch it several times so you can get a feel for this company.  Look at the beautiful office, their decor, window decals in the entry way, etc.... You can even see the area where our orders are fulfilled in the warehouse.  Everywhere you look you can see an inviting place where people are happy to work.  They even have an air hockey table in one of the rooms!


On the opening day of convention, they close the entire corporate office plus the manufacturing plant which is about 4 hours south of Salt Lake and bring everyone who works for Stampin' Up! in the USA to greet us at convention. EVERYONE. Every employee lines the entryway all cheering and screaming and high-fiveing as we walk in. Can you imagine how that feels to see and feel?  Are ya getting a picture of how fun this company is and how much they care about their demonstrators?   Do you want to be a part of it and attend convention with me next year?  All you need to do is sign up!  At $99 for a fully customizable $125 worth of product, how can you refuse?  Click on Shop Now at the top and you will be directed to my online storefront.  Then click on Join Now and sign up!  It's that easy.  If you have any questions, just let me know.  See you at convention next year!

June 1st is here and that means a new Stampin' Up! catalog!

I have been so busy and June 1st just snuck up on me!  There is so much new stuff to tell you about so let's get started!

First, the new catalog is here!  I love, love, love the new layout.  I hope that you do too!  It is simply stunning in its' simplicity.  The stamp sets stand out now as do the accessories.   Start compiling your wish list!  Click on the catalog to the right side of my blog to view it.  Email me if you need a catalog too!

So now that you have compiled that long wish list, here's a new promotion during the months of June and July that will help put a dent in that list!
          Dates: June 1 - July 31, 2012
          Details: During June and July, hostesses who hold a minimum $450* workshop will receive an additional $50 in hostess FREE merchandise dollars--that's in addition to the $65 they already receive for a $450 workshop!  Plus, at that level you get to choose one item for 50% off so during these two months, you will receive $115 in FREE merchandise dollars plus 1 item at 50% off.  *Excluding shipping & tax.
          Contact me today to book your workshop!

To further excite you, Stampin' Up! has a new promotion for signing up as a demonstrator!  If you have been thinking about becoming a demonstrator and having fun like I do, here's an awesome deal.  Contact me for information on signing up!
            Dates: June 1-30, 2012
            Details: During June, new demonstrators not only get to choose the products for their fully customizable Starter Kit, they'll also get products from the brand-new Patio Party Suite for FREE, including the Make a Cake Set on page 44 (wood or clear), Patio Party Designer Series Paper (page 165), and the Patio Party Digital Collection DVD (page 199)! That's up to $48 in additional FREE products!

The new standard Starter Kit is here! Now, every new Stampin' Up! demonstrator can create a customized Starter Kit for just $99. This is just one of the ways Stampin' Up! is demonstrating the My Way philosophy of doing business-by making the Starter Kit completely customizable.
With the new, flexible Starter Kit, you can customize your creativity-your way. Each kit contains a business supplies pack (valued at $65)-things that every demonstrator needs to start her business. After that, the choice is yours to put together a kit with any of Stampin' Up!'s high-quality products. You can choose $125 worth of any traditional or digital supplies to create a kit valued at over $190 that still ships for free!
So why wouldn't you want to sign up?  Have lots of stamps and inks already - then choose to get the Big Shot and some dies instead.  That's what is go great about the new starter kit, you get to choose what you want!

With the introduction of the 2012-2013 annual catalog, Stampin' Up! has made a very big change to the Stampin’ Pads.  Introducing firm foam pads! They change your stamping experience for the better.  You’re going to love these new Stampin’ Pads—just look at all the exciting benefits:
           •Provide better ink coverage for your stamps!
           •Light-tap stamping produces flawless images!
           •Create wonderfully solid images. The Firm Foam releases more ink onto your rubber stamp than the felt pads. When using the Firm Foam pad, your stamp will get an even, solid covering of ink that you may not have been able to achieve with the felt pads. Please note: if you are using the ink pad frequently you may need to re-ink your Firm Foam pad more often.
           •Have a crisply printed, glossy label on the top of the pad that is easier to read and that will not fade or chip off!
           •Come with color name labels in all four languages (English, Spanish, French, and German)--just choose your language, peel it off the back, and add it to the side of the pad for easy identification!
           •Use the same patented flip-top case design that stores the inking surface upside down, so the pad surface stays moist!
           •Are available in all colors, including our exclusive In Colors!
Please note: Five ink colors have undergone formula changes to improve functionality and color stability with the new firm foam pads. These colors are Basic Black, Basic Gray, Marina Mist, Perfect Plum and Tempting Turquoise.  All five colors of the reformulated inks have been fully tested and approved. While using the new ink formula in the old Stampin’ Pads is fine, we do not recommend using the old ink formula for these five colors in the new firm foam pads. Any refills purchased after April 30, 2012, will contain the new formulated ink.

Retiring Accessories List is Here!!!

Stampin' Up! just released the Retiring Accessories and Definitely Decorative lists and they are long!!! Remember, these items are only available while supplies last - several are discounted so they will probably go real fast.  Lots of changes for this year!  To see the lists in .pdf format, click on the links to to the right of this post.  If you wish to see the sortable Excel file, click HERE.   They also released the following news about the items on the list:

When you look at the retired accessories list, you'll note that all of our Stampin' Pads are listed. This is for two reasons:
            (1) Craft Stampin' Pads will now only be available in black and white; and
            (2) we are introducing a new Firm Foam pad in our Classic Stampin' Pads with the 2012-2013 annual catalog.  The Firm Foam pads offer better ink coverage and, in turn, better stamped images.
In addition, please note the following about the new catalog:
          • Only select Stampin' Write Markers will be available individually (Stampin' Write Markers in color collections will continue to be offered)
          • 12" x 12" Textured Card Stock will no longer be offered
          • 12" x 12" Smooth Card Stock will only be available in select individual colors and color collections

Stampin' Up!'s Retiring Stamps List is here!

Stampin' Up! has released the list of stamp sets that will retire on May 31, 2012 and it is definitely a long one.  As you already know, Stampin' Up! is changing their catalog strategy and this is what brought about such a long list of stamps and accessories on the retiring list.  However, there is one announcement as part of the catalog transition that is exciting - ALL stamp sets - with the exception of A La Carte and a few background stamps - will be offered in clear mount.

Click here to see the retiring stamp sets now!

Retiring Accessories and Definitely Decorative lists will be posted on April 25.

Check Out the Clearance Rack!!!!

Stampin' Up! just announced they have placed 55 new items on the Clearance Rack including punches and embellishments.  Head over to my Stampin' Up! website and shop now while supplies last!

My Evolving Craft Room...

Today's post is a bit different but I thought I would share what I have been up to this week.  I got tired of my craft room being a mess so I decided to fix it up.  I purchased a new desk, hutch and shelf unit to go along with the other pieces I already had.  Here's some pictures of my room.

 This is to the left when you walk in the door.  It is my Big Shot station.  All of my dies are in the wall unit and scrapbooking supplies and various totes are in the new shelf unit.  The two drawer file cabinet holds all my cardstock and business supplies.  The Big Shot sits on top and my embossing folders are in the box that we made at convention.

Here's my new desk.  The online reviews on the desk said most people took two days to put the desk and hutch together but I managed to do it in under 6 hours by myself.  Of course, I love doing these types of things.  Don't ask about how my fingers faired the assembly process though!

These are the two shelf units that I have had for a long time.  My mom gave them to my daughter but I took them over when we purchased a new bedroom set for her about 6 years ago.  All my current stamps are on the left side. 

This is the area that I am still working on organizing.  Hopefully I can get that done next week.  I plan on repainting the room and we are putting hardwood floors in which I cannot wait for!  Much easier for cleanup!  Let me know what you think and if you have any great storage ideas.

Stampin' Up!'s Best Event - Sale-A-Bration

Stampin' Up!'s annual Sale-A-Bration event begins tomorrow! It is a great time to buy and an even better time to host a workshop! For every $50 in merchandise that you spend, you receive one item from the Sale-A-Bration mini catalog for FREE.... that's right, free. Stampin' Up! even pays your shipping on the free item. When you host a $150 workshop, you receive a free tote - host a $400 workshop and you receive a special hostess bundle which includes a stamp set, designer series paper, ribbon and brads!

This year there are lots of great items to choose from - exclusive stamp sets that you cannot get any other way, select sets from the main catalog, a ribbon and brad bundle, an exclusive designer series paper group, embossing folders, My Digital Studio content and more!

What are you waiting for? Contact me to book a workshop or place your online order beginning tomorrow.


Click on SHOP NOW to order any of the items used in this card.

New Holiday Items on Clearance Rack!

Stampin' Up! just announced that some items from last year's Holiday Mini catalog have been added to the Clearance Rack, including rub-ons and ribbon.  Make sure that you visit the Clearance Rack by selecting my Shop Now! button on the right and that my  name shows up in the top right of the Stampin' Up! website.

While Supplies Last - so Shop Now!

Happy Birthday Cassidy!!!!

Our sweet little Cassidy turns 18 today!  It seems like just a few years ago we took this picture of her with her favorite hat!  Now, we are literally up in Bozeman, Montana, celebrating her 18th birthday and saying good bye as she starts college at Montana State University, studying architecture.  How she has changed over the years!

Now, a card story about Cassidy.  I couldn't go without a cardmaking post now could I?  I have told Cassidy for years that any time she needed a card for a friend's birthday or a thank you card for a gift, she could go into my craft room and either make one herself or get one out of my boxes of cards.  For the first few years, she would go in and make one but as she got older, she would just go in and take one of mine.  Well, this year at Mother's Day, I opened my Mother's Day card and found a card that I had made!  Cassidy said "you said I could use them when I needed one!"  We all got a great laugh out of how I received my own card on Mother's Day but the special sentiment she wrote inside makes that card very special!

Every Last Detail Class....

Some of you may wonder "what do they do at Convention?"  Well, besides making friends with some of the coolest people, like the ones in this picture, we attend classes pertaining to marketing and using the resources provided for our business as well as taking some cool classes and getting lots of ideas and stuff!

 Pictured from left to right:  Me, Rose Ellen Eastman (from West Virginia), Stella (my upline), Dina Anker (from Toronto), Carolyn Dobie (from NY) and Carolyn's friend.

Here's a picture of a project that we were to do in a class on Friday night.  Each section is 4x6 so it was like making six very detailed cards in 2 hours!  Needless to say, I didn't finish it.  In fact, you would have to say, I barely got started!  First we had to unpackage all of the supplies and mount the stamp sets so by the time we got started, I was already on overload and ended up only making the first section!  I then gave up and just sat and socialized with my friends.  I am not sure if I will ever finish this project - I may just use the frame for something else!

The Legacy Room at Stampin' Up!

On Monday, I posted a picture of me sitting at a desk in the Legacy Room at Stampin' Up!'s Riverton home office. Here are a couple more pictures from the Legacy Room. Every year, they change some things and display different projects so it is fun to see what they do each year.

 Take a look at this little girl's room - isn't it adorable?  Did you notice the chandelier?  Isn't that something!?

 I am sitting by the "fireplace" for the Christmas display.  Again, Stella talked me into sitting down to take the picture.  Wouldn't your home look gorgeous at Christmas if you did the decorations like this?

Finally, what a festive table for a party!  Check out the centerpiece.  Wouldn't it be fun to have little gifts in each of those boxes for the birthday boy/girl? 

Do these pictures inspire you to use your Stampin' Up! supplies to decorate your home?  I always have great intentions of making decorations but never seem to get there.....

A Sneak Peek (Kind of) For You!

If you are following other blogs, you may already know this but since I am still playing catch up, I wanted to let everyone know that Stampin' Up! announced a new product which will debut in this year's Holiday Mini Catalog.  It is so cool and something I can't wait to get my hands on!  Several demonstrators were even lucky enough to win one at convention!  Are you wondering what it is?  Well, here's a clue:  "You'd SIMPLY be a "pal" if you SCORED one of these!"  Figure it out?  Need another clue:  Here's a project that was on one of the desks at Stampin' Up! which would be easier to make if you used this product:

Did you guess yet?  The already available product is called the ScorPal but Stampin' Up!'s version is called SIMPLY SCORED but there is nothing simple about this product!  It is very cool.  Unfortunately I can't show you a picture of it but I can certainly describe it for you.  There is an ergonomic stylus (similar to the dry embossing stylus) as opposed to a plastic bone folder.  The stylus snaps into its' own resting place at the bottom of the product so you never need to wonder where it disappeared to.  There is a storage area on the back side to hold a bone folder or, if you are like Donna who demonstrated it, a chocolate bar!  Finally there are pegs that you can use to mark the positions that you wish to score at - no more measuring each and every time you want to score at a particular place!  Finally, it is going to retail for $29.95 which is LESS than the ScorPal!  I can't wait to get my hands on it!  How about you?  It will be available for ordering on September 1.