My Paper Pumpkin!

On my "Facebook Friday" live stream I caused a lot of excitement with my customers when I talked about My Paper Pumpkin from Stampin' Up! 

I guess I just didn't realize that maybe you didn't know what it was- just as I mentioned, on Friday, that my husband didn't know what it was -  even though I had been receiving it for two years.

They guess the old saying about the adage "don't assume" is really true. (I don't need to go there, do I?) LOL

So, I'll begin with what it is, show you some pictures, and show you how to get it! 

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MPP is a crafting subscription program from Stampin' Up!

Each month this fun red box is delivered right to your mailbox! It contains everything (well, maybe with the exception of scissors) you need to create that month's project.  Precut and ready to go !

You will always get a stamp set and all of the paper supplies, embellishments, glue dots/Dimensionals, and an ink spot( a mini ink pad). You will get a clear block, size D, with your first kit.

Each month is a surprise - we never know what we're going to get, but we always love it!

Sometimes it's cards and envelopes…

Other times it's gift packaging or home decor...

(For more examples, watch my "Facebook Friday" video.)

I mentioned on that video that the Halloween treat bags (witche's brooms? ) this year were so darn cute, but since I gave them all away I didn't even have one left over to show you... Well I found a picture that I uploaded to my Pinterest board "SU-my paper pumpkin"!

I ended up using my own brown paper lunch bags because the caramel apples that I bought were a little too large for the ones that came with the kit. The bags that came with the kit were shredded almost completely down to the bottom -way cuter than my own, but you get the idea! I'll use the bags that originally came with the kit this year.

When my kit arrives I immediately send messages to some other friends that also receive it. We schedule a day to get together to put the kits together and chat. Usually there's food involved, if Patty D attends! 

( we missed you, Marcia!)

… And sometimes we even have a birthday celebration!

I tend to follow the kit instructions, others think out of the box and come up with some designs that are a little different. I see a lot of these on Pinterest and I pin them to my board, usually leading to my purchase of a "refill kit"!

One of the perks of being a subscriber, is that you are eligible to purchase a past kits for refill kits as they become available

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I know, I know!

Now you want it!

How do you get it?

There are two ways to subscribe, really.

I.  Monthly subscription:

 Pay as you go for just $19.95 a month (shipping included).

Visit https://mypaperpumpkin.com/en-us/ to sign up.

I would greatly appreciate you putting in my name when it asks you for a demonstrator name!

By entering your credit card on file it's simply gets charged and sent to you each month until you decide to stop it.

You can even pause it for a month, (skip it) if you need to! The cut off for any subscriptions/changes are always the 10th of the month, because they are sent out on the 15th. 

So… If you sign up online before June 10, for example, you will get June's kit!

II.  Pre-paid subscription:

Pay ahead or give it it's a gift!

You would order these as you would any  other product, in fact you may have other product on your order. You simply visit my website at:

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/dandyspandy/ and go to the online store link, and enter the code specified.

(shipping is included in the following prices):

I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do!

It is a way to get creative without any prep work!

Join me and my friends as we enjoy some "girly time" and put our kits together, or gather your own friends together to do the kit! Of course, they are a great way to relax on your own, or I'm thinking of even bringing a kit on vacation for my hotel "downtime".

You can't go wrong!

Last call for retiring list items!

This past Friday night, May 20, I did another Facebook Friday live stream presentation about my favorite retiring stamp sets from Stampin' Up!

I also held a class that afternoon/evening, so I just held up the cards that we had made that night, featuring some of my favorites.

Card #1

From "World of Dreams" (Below), stamped on washi tape.

Card #2

This colorful card from "Bravo":

Dots were made with sponge daubers! Colors are Blackberry bliss (retiring), Mossy Meadow (retiring), and Calypso Coral.

Card #3

We used a clear block as a stamp on this card from "Serene Silhouettes":

Tap the clear block on an ink pad (you can also use markers to do this), spritz lightly with water so the colors blend a little, and then stamp!

Card #4

This masculine card was made with the  "Going Global" set:

If you act quickly, there is a Designer Series Paper stack that coordinates with the set along with the awesome "World Traveler" embossing folder (shown here). They are all in the Occasions mini catalog.

Card #5( and final card that we made) was from the popular retiring set "Giggle Greetings"- so popular that it must already be sold out, because I can't find a picture of it anywhere on the website!

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Just a reminder, that the last day to order anything from the retired list is May 31.

Everything on that retired list is "while supplies last", but actually I'm surprised with the excess supplies that they have this year. I have not really run into any major problems with items selling out!

This week only (May 21 through May 28), I am offering a special offer for last-minute orders!

Any order placed through my website that has a sub-total of $50 or more will be entered in a prize drawing!

I'm giving away some stamping "loot" to one lucky winner!

If you are placing an order, please visit my website:

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/dandyspandy/

Orders under $150 should also use this hostess code: GG4U4SZQ

If you have an order over $150 you should NOT use this code, as you  will earn your own free hostess benefits!

As always, THANK YOU!

My favorite retiring stamps!

Last time I posted I mentioned that I am now doing "Facebook Friday" - a live stream presentation about 30 minutes long.

I am using this new social media venue to reach all of my stamp customers/friends, both near and far. 

So far, it's been wonderful! Not only is it giving my business a much-needed boost, but I've been hearing from people I haven't heard from in a long time, and maybe even exposing some new people to stamping. I love that!

For the month of May, I am focusing on a few of my favorite retiring stamp sets.

Last week, it was a set called "Bordering Blooms". As promised, those who ordered this featured set will be receiving three cards that I have made with that set:

This week, I featured one of many retiring nature-themed sets, "An Open Heart".

An Open Heart Clear-Mount Stamp Set	135002
Price: $18.00

An Open Heart Wood-Mount Stamp Set	134999
Price: $24.00

These are the cards I showed:

The background was made with an Aqua Painter dipped in Marina Mist ink refill and applied to watercolor paper.

For this card, The bird was stamped twice – once on the main card and then again on a piece of scrap paper. I cut out all of this body except for his legs/feet. I glued him on the main piece, that is how his tail feathers are able to hang off the paper.

 Next, I used my stamping blocks as stamps! I simply inked up block C, "stamped off" onto some scrap paper (to get rid of some ink) and pressed down on the white square.

The colors on this card are: Sahara Sand, Old Olive, Smoky Slate, and Basic Grey The ribbon is Early Espresso. 

Easy-peasy with no coloring on those last two cards!

...But the images in this set look terrific when they are colored in!

Look at these two that I copied from Pinterest:

When I saw this card, I fell in love with just about everything!

The card, made with a piece of Bordering Blue card stock (retired), is embossed with the Woodgrain embossing folder for the Big Shot.

The greenery image was stamped directly onto a white paper doily, colored in with a blender pen and various green inks, and then finished off with some Cherry Cobbler candy dots for the berries.

The bird was stamped, colored, cut out and glued on. The sentiment was stamped and cut out, using the word window punch, before being glued. 

The final touch was adding some linen thread to the piece.

And, this card is a exact copy of a card made by LeeAnn Johnson (also found on Pinterest):

The In Colors Mint Macaron and Tip Top Taupe, as well as some good old Real Red were used in creating this Christmas card. Also featured is my favorite retiring greeting set (which I mentioned last week) Sassy Salutations!

I showed one other card made with the retiring stamp Swallowtail just to show that images/sentiments from stamp sets are interchangeable! 

I colored the butterfly image by swiping it with sponge daubers in various yellow/orange tones:

Swallowtail Clear-Mount Background Stamp Set	129216
Price: $15.00

Swallowtail Wood-Mount Background Stamp Set

131943

Price: $20.00 -------- I also showed a couple more of my favorite retiring nature-themed stamp set, but I did not show any cards: World Of Dreams Clear-Mount Stamp Set 134186 Price: $20.00 World Of Dreams Wood-Mount Stamp Set 134183 Price: $28.00 And also this gem: Serene Silhouettes Clear-Mount Stamp Set 127324 Price: $18.00 Wood-Mount Stamp Set 132073 Price: $25.00 You can find loads of samples to help inspire you made with all of these wonderful stamp sets from sites like splitcoaststampers.com and Pinterest. ------ Don't forget my free giveaways! * place an order of $50 or more and receive some free bakers twine! * purchase "An Open Heart" in your order and I will provide you with three card samples made with the set! Please visit my website for 24/7 ordering: http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/dandyspandy/ If your order is $150 or less, please  use the following hostess code: G9YRYZGP This hostess code will be in use until Friday, May 20. See you on Facebook next Friday at 8 PM!

January paper pumpkin!

Paper Pumpkin for this month is a Valentine's Day project, of course!

The "Cute Conversations" kit is marvelous!

If you haven't seen it yet, you can follow this link to the Stampin' Up! Blog to view a few alternative project ideas:

http://www.stampinup.com/home/en-US/blog-post/corporate-blog/2016/01/25/january-paper-pumpkin-cute-conversations

You get 30 double-sided cut out hearts, plus all the trimmings (complete with stamps and an ink spot) to make both treat holders and a banner! I used 12 to make a banner and 18 to make nine treat pouches. 

I have only made a few treat pouches so far. But, after seeing my friend Nancy's completed kit, I decided that I would embellish the banner hearts a little more.

Here are some of her treat holders:

And here's one packaged up, all ready to be given:

Aren't they just darling? 

You can see that she used some of her own stock of embellishments, as well as more SU product that she had on hand to fancy them up.

As I said before, I followed her lead and dug out anything I could find that could pertained to Valentine's Day.... I had leftovers from last year's January paper pumpkin ("Filled with Love"), as well as last year's Artisan Embellishment kit, and some fun candy-heart stickers that I bought at Michael's.

Here is the banner I made:

And here are some close-ups:

 I am loving paper pumpkin!

And, did you know that right now during Sale-a-bration there is a sale on Paper Pumpkin?

That's right! A three month pre-paid subscription to this awesome monthly craft kit is only $55! This, of course would qualify you for a free SAB set as well!

A three month pre-paid subscription is a perfect way to try the monthly kit! It also makes a great gift for someone else!

Follow this link for more details on this tremendous deal! 

http://www.stampinup.com/ECWeb/CategoryPage.aspx?categoryid=102100

You want to be sure that you place this order on my demonstrator website, with me, or on a workshop order- not on the paper pumpkin website- in order to use the item code you need!

My website for 24/7 shopping is:

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/dandyspandy/

April stamp classes "to go" STILL AVAILABLE!

These are my two classes that I offered in April. 

 I've been remiss about blogging about them, however.

Both classes are still available as "classes to go", if you are interested!

April punch class "For the Ladies"

This class is available as an un-assembled kit.

All stamping is done, and all shapes have been punched for you! You just follow the example card to assemble.

Kit cost is $10 and includes three envelopes.

On the third card, I did no stamping except on punched ovals, so you have options if you don't need a "mother" card. (I used this card for Mother's Day!) 

These are beautiful cards to send to the females in your life!

Need masculine cards? The next punch class will focus on the men! 

The class is scheduled for Wednesday, June 2 at 6:30 PM. 

Punch class is $8 for those who attend.

$10 is the "to go" price.

I hope you can join me, or purchase the kit to go. These cards will be ready just in time for Father's Day!

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 April 2/5/15 Class 

2/5/15 classes cost $15 for 10 cards (two each of five designs).  Envelopes are available optionally (10/$2 dollars).

If you missed the class (or cannot attend) and would like the class "to go", the cost is $20 for all cards made for you, including envelopes.

The April class, as well is this month's 2/5/15 class feature retiring stamp sets and accessories on all cards. (The May class is scheduled for this coming Friday, May 29, at 1 PM and 4 PM)

I will be placing one final order from the current catalog on Friday night!

If you know there is something you have to have and it's retiring please let me know before then. 

The new catalog goes live June 3.

Here are the cards we did last month and I will be posting the May cards soon!

Retiring items featured: Stippled Blossoms stamp set, Beautiful Wings embosslit die

The greeting used on this card is not retiring it's from the butterfly basics set.

Card #2

Retiring items featured: Mosaic Madness stamp set, Mosaic punch, Back to Black DSP, Four You stamp set, Coastal Cabana ink and card stock (this is one of the five retiring In-Colors this year).

Card #3

Retiring items featured: Blooming with Kindness stamp set

Card #4

Retiring items featured: Chalk Talk stamp set (the framelits that match are still in the new catalog), Tape It stamp set

And, card #5:

Retiring items featured: For the Birds stamp set, Hello Honey stitched satin ribbon (Hello Honey is in the 2014–2015 In Colors and they are still available - they just have different ribbon options this year!)

Stay tuned for this week's class featuring more items to retire. Get them before they're gone!

If interested in placing an order, please contact me through this blog or by email before this Friday.