Double Duty

If you get involved in Stampin' Up! you will quickly be exposed to the SU jargon. Some of these terms include the phrase Hobby Demonstrator or Hobbyist. My interpretation of this phrase is one who is a Stampin' Up! demonstrator that does it for the discount, the resources, and the fun, not necessarily for the business or money-making aspect of the demonstratorship.

I am a Hobby Demonstrator, and I am quick to admit that the number one reason I joined Stampin' Up! was for the discount. How can you say no to 20% off all your Stampin' Up! orders? I'm a sucker for discounts, especially discounts of 20% and greater. And then there are all the added benefits, such as incentive rewards (free stamp sets, greater discounts, cruises, etc.), resources (monthly magazine, tutorials, gallery, etc.), demonstrator exclusive events (group meetings, convention, regionals), and the relationships (I have met so many new people through Stampin' Up!). There hasn't been a day that I have regretted signing up to be a demonstrator.

Since I am a hobby demonstrator, I also have another job. It's that thing I call a career that I went to college and got a degree for. Fortunately, I have a fantastic job that I tend to enjoy; however, I do tell my husband that the only reason I have this job is to support my stamping habit. :) Generally, this job is pretty calm and mild, but this week, it's going to take all my time and probably most of my energy as they sent me across the country to work. So, this week, I am going to excuse myself from all efforts of even trying to post and will post some more Christmas examples this weekend. So stay tuned.

If you are interested in learning more about the demonstratorship, contact me (stampincita@gmail.com) or visit my website. I would love to share with you about all the great aspects and perks of being a SU! demo, and even more so, I would love for you to join my stampin' team!

Till I return to my side of the country, Happy Stampin'.

~Cita

Have Yourself a SIMPLE Little Christmas

Many times, simplicity can go a long way. I don't know how many times in my life that I have been told that I make things too difficult, and I believe that oftentimes when designing scrapbook pages or cards that I make things more difficult than what they should be. I like elaborate pages and cards, and I LOVE to cut things out (which can be time consuming). However, there is always a time and place for simple designs, and these simple designs can still have a strong and loving impact on the recipient or viewer of your creation.

As I was prepping for my Christmas Card Stamp-a-Stack last week, I needed one more card design, and I knew I needed it to be a simple design. So I did what almost every demonstrator probably does when they need inspirations, I started to surf the internert; more specifically, I started to browse through other SU! demonstrators' blogs. That was when I found Kween Bee Kreations and her awesome take on this Clean and Simple layout . I loved her ideas and decided to CASE one for the stamp-a-stack.

CASEd Simple Christmas Card

• Use Garden Green CS (102584, $5.50) for your card base.
• Layer a strip of Christmas Cocoa DSP (116770, $11.95) on top a slightly bigger strip of Real Red CS (102482, $5.50).
• Adhere a strip of Whisper White Organza Ribbon (114319, $5.95) in the middle of the DSP.
• Stamp the Merry Christmas bird from the Holiday Best stamp set (Hostess Level1, 115364) in Real Red ink (103133, $5.95) on Whisper White CS (100730, $7.50). Use the 1-3/8" Circle punch (104401, $15.95) to punch out the image.
• Sponge the outside of the punched out image with Real Red ink. Adhere to middle of card using Stampin' Dimensionals (104430, $3.95).
• Use the 3/16" Corner Rounder (109047, $7.95) to round the right corners of your card. Remember to do this in the front and back.
• Don't forget your sentiment in the inside of the card.

~Cita

New My Digital Studio Images

I haven't said much about My Digital Studio, and I apologize for not promoting this awesome program. So, now I'm going to talk about it. My Digital Studio (MDS) is a digital crafting program. You can use it to make all sorts of awesome things, including scrapbooks, cards, calendars, interactive albums, and DVDs. One of my favorite features is the the fact that MDS features all Stampin' Up! artwork and accessories and you can print your projects using either your personal printer or SU's professional print services.

Recently, I went through and successfully completed the Stampin' Up! MDS Certification program, so I'm considered to be well-versed in MDS now. :) Ask me a question! Part of the certification required me to make several digital projects using MDS. Below is my digital card. I also went ahead and used the professional print services to print it, and I was impressed and amazed at how pretty it turned out. I'm liking MDS.





Periodically, Stampin' Up! releases new images for download for MDS. Here are the latest releases.

Berry Christmas Stamp Brush Set (118117, $5.95)

Friend by Definition Stamp Brush Set (118118, $1.95)

Just Perfect Alphabet Stamp Brush Set (118119, $9.95)

Christmas Cocoa II Digital Kit (120880, $9.95)

Write Stuff II Digital Kit (120881, $3.95)

Icicle Digital Photo Card Kit (120882, $3.95)
Merry Moments Digital Photo Card Kit (120883, $3.95)

To purchase, head on over to my website, click on "Shop Now" in the upper right-hand corner. Next, click on "Digital Crafting" in the left column and then click "My Digital Downloads."

~Cita

Loungin' Dasher

I have moved on from Bermuda Bay and discovered Taken with Teal. In this card, I had the opportunity to play with the oh-so-popular Dasher stamp. Dasher is one of the stamps that you can by as a single. It's such a fun and versatile stamp.

Loungin' Dasher Card Details

• Use Basic Gray Cardstock (108692, $7.95) for the card base.
• Emboss Dasher (116816, $8.95) with White Stampin' Emboss Powder (109132, $4.75) on Brushed Silver CS (100712, $7.95).
• Layer the Brushed Silver CS on top of Real Red CS (102482, $5.50).
  
• Use the Stampin' Up! Joyful Sizzlit Die (115973, $5.50) and the Big Shot Die-Cut Machine (113439, $99.95) to cut out the "Joy". Use a 2-Way Glue Pen (100425, $3.50) to adhere to the card. You'll probably end up getting glue on your fingers. :)
• Use the Holiday Lounge DSP (115676, $9.95) on the bottom of the card and line it with 1/4" Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon (109034, $4.95).
• Don't forget your greeting inside the card and to decorate your envelope.

~Cita

All I Want for Christmas....

If you are an avid stamper like I am, there are several stamping-related items that are going on my Christmas wish list. A lot of these items are Stampin' Up! items that I will probably hint at my husband to buy through my website. I know several of you out there may have items on your Christmas List from Stampin' Up! and I would like to make it easier on your friends, family, and, most importantly, signficant others, to make sure they order the right Stampin' Up! products for you! So here's how I'm going to do this:

Email me (Stampincita@gmail.com) your Stampin' Up! wish list and I will keep it on file and have it handy. Next, tell all your gift buyers that I have your wish list, give them my contact information, and I will work with them on making sure that they select the perfect gift for you. Sounds easy and fun, right?

This is also a good time to remind you about the Holiday Gift Giving Guide. There's some great ideas in there, and if you buy $5o worth of product from the guide, you get a free Decor Elements ($16.95 and below) for free! Merry Christmas!

Looking forward to receiving your wish list!

~Cita

Bermuda Pines

I'm a bit hooked on the Bermuda Bay/Soft Suede color combination. As in my previous post, I used the Cocoa Christmas Specialty Paper and Bermuda Bay to create this beautiful Christmas
card. I decided I needed to add a third color and ending up choosing Rose Red, which I think works out beautifully. We made this card at my Christmas Stamp-a-Stack. If you missed the Stamp-a-Stack and would like to learn how to make this card, I can always come over and demo this card at a workshop. Contact me to find out how to host a workshop.

Bermuda Pines Christmas Card Details:

• The base of the card is a 4.25" x 5.5" in tent orientation. Use Bermuda Bay cardstock (115317, $5.50) and then adhere the snowflake paper from the Christmas Cocoa Specialty paper (116770, $11.95). Make sure the Christmas Cocoa paper is not 4.25" wide. Cut it about a 1/4" shorter to leave a border on the edges.
• Use the Eyelet Border Punch (113692, $15.95) to punch the border on the bottom of a 1" strip of Whisper White cardstock. Adhere the border at the bottom of the Christmas Cocoa paper.
• Stamp the pine trees from Patterned Pines (Holiday Mini, Hostess Level 1) on Whisper White cardstock in Bermuda Bay (115655, $5.95), Rose Red(101778, $5.95), and Soft Suede (115657, $5.95) Classic ink. Make sure to use the Stampin' Scrub (115657, $16.95) with the Stampin' Mist (102394, $4.95) to clean off the stamp before switching inks.
• Use your Paper Snips (103579, $9.95) to cut out the trees. To add a decorative element to the trees, leave a little white as a border (e.g., do not cute on the "lines").
• Adhere the pine trees to the card. I used Snail to adhere the Bermuda Bay tree directly to the card. I then used one Stampin' Dimensional (104430, $3.95) to adhere the Soft Suede tree to the card, and then I used two Stampin' Dimensionals stacked on top of each other to adhere the Ruby Red tree. Doing this gives the tress a genuine layered look.
• Stamp the sentiment in Whisper White Craft Ink (101731, $7.50) in the lower right-hand corner
• Don't forget to stamp your sentiment inside the card.
• Remember that envelopes are a blank canvas! Stamp a few things on the envelope. Also personalized stamps are a great way to quickly add your address to all your envelopes!

~Cita

Snowflakes in Bermuda

I love finding different color schemes for Christmas that go beyond green and red. So I was extremely excited with a fellow Ladybug Stamper, Karen, showed off a Christmas Card using Bermuda Bay and Soft Suede with the Holiday Mini Catalog's Christmas Cocoa Specialty Paper. On top of that, as I was preparing for the Christmas Stampin Series Gift Tag class, I came across a gift tag holder idea from Andrea Walford.

Gift tag holder details:

• I used Andrea Walford's idea, but changed the dimensions a little bit. Sign up for my newsletter to get a tutorial for this exact gift tag holder.
• The base of the holder is Bermuda Bay and the snowflake paper is from the Christmas Cocoa Specialty paper (116770, $11.95)
• I punched the bottom of the lid with the eyelet border punch (113692, $15.95) and then tied a "fake" bow with Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon (109070, $6.95)
• The sentiment is from Christmas Greetings (115448, $10.95), and has become one of my favorite stamps of the season. I stamped the sentiment in Basic Black.
• Use a Small Flat Cellophane Bag (103104, $3.95) to hold the gift tags. Adhere to the base, but don't deal shut.
  

Gift tags details:

• I used the Scallop Circle punch (109043, $15.95) to punch the scallop bases using the snowflake paper once again.
  
• The Bermuda Bay outline is punched with the 1-3/8" Circle punch (104401, $15.95).
  
• The two snowflake stamps are from two different stamp sets - Snow Swirled (111690, $24.95) and Patterned Pines (Level 1 Hostess Set from the Holiday Mini). These snowflakes are punched out using the 1-1/4" Circle Punch (104404, $15.95).

~Cita