Sympathy Butterfly

This is one of those cards that you never want to have to make, but unfortunately life happens and sympathy cards are needed. With my limited supplies I felt that Garden Whimsy provided the most appropriate stamps for the card. I think butterflies are a beautiful symbol of remembrance. I stamped the butterfly with So Saffron on Whisper White and punched it out with my 1 3/8” Circle Punch. I then punched a 1 3/8” Circle in a scrap of Rose Red and then punched it out with my Scallop Circle Punch. I then found a scrap of So Saffron Prints DSP and distressed the edges with my distressing tool from the Cutter Kit. I then adhered my butterfly circle to it and adhered the Scallop Circle over it with Stampin’ Dimensionals. I then took a scrap of Old Olive and stamped the grass image from Inspired by Nature in Old Olive. I wrapped a piece of Old Olive ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon around it and adhered the So Saffron square to it. Lastly I adhered the Old Olive layer to a Basic Gray card.

Sale-a-bration is coming!!

Since I'm not on my computer and the blog post I have prepared for you is I'm going to just talk to you about Sale-a-bration. SAB starts in 5 days!!!! What does that mean for you?

Well, as a customer if you order $50 of Stampin' Up! merchandise you get to choose 1 SAB item. If you purchase $100 you get your choice of two, and so on and so forth.

This year SU! is offering you the choice of 4 stamp sets, 1 ribbon bundle, and 1 pack of Designer Series Paper.

In addition to that great offer, as a hostess between Feb. 1 and March 31 you can earn a SAB item for every $300 in product of workshop sales. So, if you have a $600 workshop you earn two and so on! You'll also still receive the typical hostess benefits! I am not currently booking any workshops for February. But, ff you are in the Southwest OH area and would like to hostess a workshop in March I can accommodate you! Also I will be holding a SAB Open House in my home in Miamisburg on March 8th at 2 pm, so RSVP for that as well!!!

And lastly, if you sign up to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator during SAB you can choose an additional stamp set from the Spring/Summer IB&C up to $47.95 in value to add to your Starter Kit. So if you've ever thought of becoming a demonstrator SAB is a great time to do so!

Be sure to check back here on Feb. 1st to view the SAB catalog (if you didn't already get one in the mail from me!) and pick our your free sets!

So whatcha' gettin'?

Now that you've had some time to check out the new Stampin' Up! Catalog, what is on your wish list??


I think I might get the Big Shot!!! I want a ton of dies and the Texture plates!!
As far as stamps go I'm loving Cheep Talk. And how cute is Goody Goody Gumdrops (Level 3 hostess)? And Central Park! And Fifth Avenue Floral!! Hoppy for You is cute....and I love frogs! And I have to have Man's Best Friend because of the dachshund! And Thoughts & Prayers is beautiful! And Trendy Trees is too cute!!! I love the Retro Fresh Style Watch!

I need some Button Latte!!! And have you seen the Corduroy Buttons?!?! And Clear Rhinestone Brads! More glitter!!! And Jumbo Brads!!!

How pretty is the Raspberry Tart DSP? And the To The Nines Specialty DSP is textured!!

OK, now I'm on new product overload!!! Now it's your turn to share with me all the fun stuff you want!

And don't forget if you place an online order through my website by Jan. 31st you'll be entered to win a $20 gift certificate from me!

Boatin'

One of our favorite things to do when we go to the family cabin is to take a ride on the pontoon boat. Oscar loves it! So I finally got around to scrapping some pictures of us boatin'! I was inspired by a page in the Fall/Winter IB&C, but I don't have it handy so I can't tell you what page it was. I used Big Deal Alphabet for my title and used my Brilliant Blue, Certainly Celery, Creamy Caramel, Bashful Blue, and So Saffron inks. For my paper I used Brilliant Blue, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery and Creamy Caramel cardstock and So Saffron Patterns DSP. I stamped several images from Life's a Breeze, many of which I cut out and adhered to my page. I also used a silver brad in the corner of the piece of Creamy Caramel. And I used my Basic Brown Journaler to add that these pictures were from Memorial Day Weekend 2006. Man, I have some catching up to do!!!!!!!

Blog Award

Thanks to Stampin' Tracy for nominating me for a Lovely Blog Award. You can view her blog here. The award rules are:

• Add the logo to your blog
• Link the person from whom you receive the award from
• Nominate several people
• Leave a message on their blog

So, on to nominating some blogs........

Embellished Dreams
Elaine's Creations
Stampin' On the Mountain

Downloadable Catalog

If you'd like a downloadable version of the new catalog just click the picture on the right. It will take you to a .pdf version that you can save to your computer. Please note that the file is rather large and will take a while to download.

And don't forget that if you place an online order through my website between now and Jan. 31st you will be entered in a drawing to win a $20 gift certificate from me!

New Catalog Day!!!

Happy new catalog day, everyone! Today is the start of the Spring/Summer Idea Book & Catalog. You can view the great new items Stampin' Up! has to offer on my Stampin' Up! Website at heatherhawkins.stampinup.net. Once you get there click "store" and have fun browsing!! If you just can't resist all the great new products, simply place your order from there! Online orders are eligible to receive hostess benefits!!!! Everyone who places an online order through my website between now and Jan. 31st will be entered into a drawing to win a $20 gift certificate!!!!

Time to be Happy

When my sister-in-law called two weeks ago with good news I of course had to send a card. I found Garden Whimsy to have an appropriate saying so that's what I chose. I stamped the butterfly in So Saffron on a piece of Whisper White and the sentiment in Taken with Teal. I then pierced a hole in one of the "dots" on the butterfly and put a silver brad through it. I then layered it on a piece of So Saffron that I had punched with my Slot punch. I had to use my piercing tool to make a hole to thread my ribbon through since I forgot to bring my Crop-a-dile with me (makes it hard to set those Jumbo Eyelets I brought). I threaded a piece of Certainly Celery 1/4" grosgrain ribbon through and tied it in a knot. I then took a piece of Certainly Celery and cut it with my cutter in the Cutter Kit and layered it on my Taken with Teal card and added my butterfly layer over top.

H heart J

Here’s a great example for you of what to do when you need a Valentine’s Day card and have no Valentine themed stamps. Over on Shelli Gardner’s blog the Creative Challenge this month is Valentine’s cards. Well, I’ve kind of been slacking on working on challenges due to my lack of supplies and space, but I thought I’d give this one a go. I could’ve possibly used Crab & Co. for my card, but if you recall I used it to make an anniversary card for my hubby (not to mention he saw all those Christmas cards) so I thought he might like to see something different. So I was looking at my supplies and I realized I had some chipboard on hand, which has this handy dandy heart shape. So, I popped the heart shape out and colored it with my Real Red marker. I let it dry, then smeared some Mono Multi glue all over the top and covered it with Dazzling Diamonds. While it dried I found a scrap of Real Red and stamped it with my Classic Stripes background stamp in Real Red and tied some hemp twine around it. I then found a scrap of Bashful Blue and stamped mine and hubby’s first initials on it in Chocolate Chip using Big Deal Alphabet leaving enough room to put my chipboard heart in. Once the glitter was dry I added the heart. I then assembled my card. I used a piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock for the card, added my Real Red layer and adhered my Bashful Blue layer with Stampin’ Dimensionals. And that’s how you make a manly, untraditional Valentine’s card. Now hopefully my hubby doesn’t decide to peek in on the blog and ruin the surprise.

Eleanor's Birthday

Today is my grandmother-in-law's birthday. She loves getting mail, especially hand made cards. She has a thing for crafts, so of course I made her a card. I used Inspired by Nature and the Spotlighting Technique. I stamped the flowers in Chocolate Chip on Whisper White. I then inked up a section of the flowers with my Chocolate Chip, Rose Red, and Old Olive markers and punched it out with my 1 1/4" Circle punch. I then punched a Rose Red circle in 1 3/8" and layered them. I lined my circle image up over the solid image and glued it down. I then took a piece of Rose Red cardstock and punched the edge with my Scalloped Edge punch. I used my piercing tool to pierce each scallop. I adhered some Old Olive 1/4" Grosgrain ribbon around it and adhered it behind the bottom section of my flower layer. I then took a piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock to layer behind the top before adhering it to my Old Olive card. I made my husband write out the inside of the card and he was upset that I didn't stamp anything in the inside, but silly me didn't bring any sentiment stamps with me. Hopefully in February you'll start seeing some projects with new stuff!!! The new catalog comes out on Jan. 19th, but I can't order anything until at least Feb. 1st as we won't be able to receive mail until then. Thanks for bearing with me during this difficult time without my stamps!!

My Stamping Helper

Well, maybe he's not so much help after all. This is what Oscar does while I stamp. Occasionally he'll get down off the couch and nose around in my supplies, maybe grab a scrap off the floor. He also thinks that since I'm on the floor it's a good time to place fetch, so he'll often bring me his ball. Then he'll trample through the pile that has been made by me and knock stuff over. And then he ends up right back on the couch. What a strange dog! But he is cute!!!

My Poor Butt

So, due to the lack of stamping space in this apartment (and lack of smooth surfaces) I am forced to stamp at the coffee table and sit on the floor. My poor butt hurts after a while. So my new practice is to gather all the pillows from the couch and my mini pillow from the car and pile them up to sit on. It make the booty less sore, it raises me up a bit so I can see what I'm doing better and it dusts all at the same time. Here's my pillow pile ready for my butt to rest on it!

Inventory Blowout!!!!!!!!!!

Stampin' Up! is having a never before heard of inventory blowout of retired items, retiring items and current items. You can get some of these items at up to 50% off!!! Click on the image to the right to see what items are available at a discount. Quantities are limited, so be sure to place your order ASAP so you don't miss out. Orders can be placed 24/7 at my SU! demo website.

Retiring Accessories!!!!

The following accessories and wheels are retiring with the Fall/Winter IB&C, so if you have to have anything on this list I recommend heading over to my SU! demo website and order as soon as possible. Supplies are limited.

Item #	Product Description	Availability
111377	ACCENTS & ELEMENTS ROOF GARDEN
112012	ACCENTS & ELEMENTS SEASON TO SHARE
112088	ACCENTS & ELEMENTS TRUE ELEGANCE
102782	ALBUM LEATHER BLACK 12X12	Not Available
104188	ALBUM LEATHER BLACK 6X6
105384	ALBUM LINEN POST MELLOW MOSS 6X6*
104516	ALBUM LINEN POST NAVY 6X6
105381	ALBUM LINEN POST REAL RED 6X6*	Not Available
103977	BUTTONS BOLD BRIGHTS*
103978	BUTTONS EARTH ELEMENTS
103981	BUTTONS EARTH ELEMENTS & NEUTRALS
105446	BUTTONS RICH REGALS
105445	BUTTONS SOFT SUBTLES
103604	DAYS-TO-REMEMBER CALENDAR 12X12
102174	DAYS-TO-REMEMBER CALENDAR 8 1/2X11
112465	DESIGNER SERIES PAPER BANBURY
112462	DESIGNER SERIES PAPER GEORGIA PEACH
112463	DESIGNER SERIES PAPER GHOSTLY GREETINGS
112040	DESIGNER SERIES PAPER GREEN TEA
112470	DESIGNER SERIES PAPER HAIKU
112460	DESIGNER SERIES PAPER HAWAII PAPAYA
112469	DESIGNER SERIES PAPER HOLIDAY TREASURES
112458	DESIGNER SERIES PAPER JUNIOR VARSITY
112459	DESIGNER SERIES PAPER MAINE BLUEBERRY
112466	DESIGNER SERIES PAPER MUIRFIELD
112149	DESIGNER SERIES PAPER PARISIAN SUMMER
112467	DESIGNER SERIES PAPER PRESTWICK
111355	DESIGNER SERIES PAPER SUMMER PICNIC
112039	DESIGNER SERIES PAPER WINDSOR KNOT
112963	ELEMENTOS PARA TARJETAS DIAS FESTIVOS HECHOS A MANO SIMPLY SENT
106523	ENVELOPE TEMPLATE FIVE-IN-ONE CARD COVER
104104	ENVELOPE TEMPLATE MINI
107298	ENVELOPES CONFETTI WHITE MEDIUM
110695	ENVELOPES OPEN END KRAFT SMALL
109115	ENVELOPES OPEN END VERY VANILLA SMALL
103372	METAL EDGE TAGS ALUMINUM WHITE SQUARE
107925	ON BOARD BITTY BOOK*
109190	ON BOARD CLIPBOARD 9X9*
109180	ON BOARD SIMON UPPER
112086	ON BOARD SOMETHING SEASONAL
107923	PAGE PROTECTORS RING 3.25 X 3.25
104942	PUNCH 1/4 INCH CIRCLE	Not Available
104943	PUNCH 1/4 INCH SQUARE
107273	PUNCH 3/4 INCH SQUARE
104389	PUNCH DOUBLE CIRCLE*
100391	PUNCH HANDHELD 1/8 INCH CIRCLE	Not Available
104830	RIBBON GINGHAM CARAMEL
104829	RIBBON GINGHAM LIGHT BLUE
104828	RIBBON GINGHAM LIGHT PINK
104831	RIBBON GINGHAM MOSS
109037	RIBBON GROSGRAIN MORE MUSTARD 1/4 INCH
110282	RUB ON ANCHORED
111806	RUB ON CHILLS & THRILLS
111805	RUB ON SCHOOL DAYS
111417	RUB ON WORD FLURRIES
110283	RUB ONS TAKE NOTE
112193	SIMPLY SCRAPPIN I WISH
112186	SIMPLY SCRAPPIN PINA COLADA
112068	SIMPLY SCRAPPIN SUMMER HOME	Not Available
112043	SIMPLY SCRAPPIN U R SWEET
112061	SIMPLY SCRAPPIN WINTER RETREAT	Not Available
112016	SIMPLY SENT CARD ELEMENTS HANDMADE HOLIDAY
109868	SIMPLY SENT CARD KIT LIFELONG NOTES
103647	STAMPIN STORE MINI
105813	WRITE ME A MEMORY FONT CD VOL II
	Retiring Wheels
107212	MATEYS MAP
106749	BRIGHT BULBS
109672	BRONCO	Not Available
104100	MAKING TRACKS
108978	SANDY SHELLS
110332	SNOW
101233	SNOWFLAKE
109694	SWEET STARS
111249	TAKE A NUMBER

Sneak Peak

Here is a great new sneak peak for you all. There are new additions to the Decor Elements line that will be coming out with the new Spring/Summer Idea Book & Catalog on January 19th. You can view these beautiful new DE's by click on the picture to the right. Be sure to check out the Level 1 Hostess options and schedule your workshop with me to earn these fabulous items.