Extra Hostess Benefits!

As if the brand-spanking-new 2012-2013 Annual Catalog isn't enough, Stampin' Up! is also offering two spectacular promotions during the month of June!  One is an amazing incentive for Hostesses and the other is a cool bonus for New Demonstrators!  Here are the details...

We {Heart} Our Hostesses Promotion—June 1 thru July 31, 2012
Hostesses!  You'll earn an additional $50 in Hostess Rewards when you have workshop sales of $450 or more.  That's on top of the already amazing Hostess Benefits you would earn at that level, meaning you would earn at least $115 in Hostess Dollars to spend, plus one 50% off item.
Take a look at how the Rewards add up as your sales increase:

Do you realize how easy that number is to hit when there is a new catalog release?!  Your stamping friends are going to want to get as much on their wishlist as possible!  It's a great opportunity to play with the new stuff, have fun stamping with friends and GET LOTS OF FREE STUFF!  Oh yeah!
Let's get your new catalog workshop or private, customizable class on the calendar! Contact me today!

Technique of the Month - May

Here is the Technique of the Month for May. It's called "Cut Borders" I got this idea from Technique Junkie This is a pretty simple technique. You can do this on any size card, using one or more images stamped one under the other. Depending on your stamp (clear mount, acrylic, or wood mount) you may want to use a stamp-a-ma-jig. To start, fold your card in half, then open card base and stamp your images, one under the other. Have them touch or overlap is good. Then cut along the outer edge. Depending on the images used, you may want to color in your image. On my sample, I used two blue colors. To help this stand out, I also matted the inside of the card. Now le'ts see some of your samples!



















Below are a couple of other projects we did at my May Technique class. The first is a slider card, showing it closed, then opened. The second is called Quilted Paper. Another really simple technique, but a bit time consuming. Using the Stampin' Up! score board with the diagonal plate makes it real easy. If you're going to be at my uplines shoebox swap May 9, I'll have it with me and show you how simple it is to do!

 See you soon!

May Happenings.

Well it's been another month since my last post, sorry. I was going to post a couple of weeks ago this book I made for my mil for Mother's Day, but one thing leads to another and it just never happened. I got the idea from my Stampin' Success magazine that I get each month from Stampin' Up! I had such a great time making this book and my mil absolutely loved it. I must say, I do have a wonderful mil. She has been there for us when we needed her & we're there for her when she needs us. 

Back & Front of Wonderful Mother Book

The next is the inside cover & first page. That first page took a long time to make, but I love the way it turned out!

first inside pages

The page on the left has a small pocket to put little messages in for her to read about why we love her.


 These next pages show one side of an envelope that is used as a page as well as some place for additional pictures or memorabilia.

Lately I've been prepping for a class I'm doing for the Girl Scouts and my open house this Sunday! There's another thing on my "To Do List"! is get out my email for that! Besides all my stamping, I've been working in my garden, that's close to being done. My asparagus should really be producing by next season. It takes a few years to establish before you can harvest. My blueberry bushes are finally going to give me some blueberries this year! That's another plant that takes awhile before you get anything from it as well. My strawberries are coming in and looking good. I still have to thin them out and hope to pick the berries before the birds! The rest of the garden has been planted & weeded. I just have to put down mulch to keep the weeds down & it helps keep the roots cool & damp from the hot sun over the summer. The rest of the yard is coming along. I'm close to being done with all the weeding. I'm waiting for a delivery of mulch for that and then it's just a weekly maintenance thing. But everything is looking good! Here is one last picture. My husband made me for mother's day. It's a garden work table. He put a slide out for catching loose dirt when planting, so I can reuse. I want to put some hooks on it for some tools, but I just love it. We're also going to re-finish a cabinet so I can keep tools I want out of the weather also. BTW, that's part of my garden in the background.

April Technique of the Month

Well I know it's late this month, but I had to re-schedule my class a week late, so hopefully next month will be earlier. So this month the technique is paper quilling. This is something I've been wanting to do for a very long time. Stampin' Up! even had a video & tutorial on this a few months back (probably last year!). It really is very simple to do, it just takes a little practice. Hopefully I'll get a chance to make more samples. There is really so much you can do with this technique. I also was a vendor at a local crop this past weekend and did a demonstration on this technique. Some tips before you get started. My sample shows regular Stampin' Up! cardstock, which works fine, some might find the DSP is easier because it's thinner. In one of the videos she used a bone folder on the paper first to break down the fibers. Also, to dampen the end of the strip helps to get it curling around your tool. Also if you go to youtube & search paper quilling, you'll find quite a few videos. I can't seem to find the original video I saw but here are a couple of links for watching a video: paper quilling video 1 and paper quilling 2 Below are my instructions on quilling.

Paper Quilling

 By Cyndy Ponczek

SUPPLIES

Strips of cardstock 1/8” wide

     About 4 ¼” & 8 ½” long

Cardstock for base of card

Coordinating stamp(s) & ink

Liquid adhesive (ex. 2 way glue)

Scissors

Paper piercer

Embellishments

DIRECTIONS

1.   To make basic flower, you will need 5 strips of 8 ½” long cardstock. Wet the end you will start with and begin to roll it around your paper piercer tool. Roll to end of strip.

2.   Remove from piercing tool and put aside to let the paper rest. Repeat Step 1, four more times.

3.   Take one of the “curls” you just made and put some liquid adhesive on the end and hold it to the “curl” until set. This should take about 15 seconds or so, depending on the adhesive you’re using.

4.   Once you’ve glued all your “curls” you want to pinch a section to create a tear drop look to each “curl”.

5.   You’re now ready to assemble your flower. Stamp the stem of your flower on the cardstock base.

6.   Using the liquid adhesive, put some on the bottom of each petal and place on cardstock base, putting all points toward center.

7.   If you want to make a “bud”, repeat Step 1. While the strip is still on your tool, apply your adhesive, keeping the paper tight. Hold together while glue dries. To give it a bit of a dome effect, use the backside of your piercer or something that has a bit of a curve. Adhesive to flower as in Step 6.

8.   Finish flower/bud with a half purl, button, or brad.         

Mosaic Pages

Well last Friday night, yes Friday the 13th, my upline Tina, had us over for a girls nite out. Those who were interested, learned how to do the mosaic technique. Dale Morin and I showed how this was done. Here is the page I worked on. I still have to finish it with a title and some journaling.



















Here is Pauline's page, she finished first! She had some beautiful pictures.

Next is Dale's page.

Hope you've enjoyed this. Now I have to add this to my calendar to teach a class!

Retired Stamps

Well Stampin' Up! came out with their retired stamp set list. This year the list has come out earlier because the new catalog will be coming out a month earlier (June 1). It's a very long list. Stampin' Up! is redesigning the catalog and all the new stamp sets will be available in wood or clear mount! The accessory list will be coming out on the 25th, but be advised that this list will also be long! They will be retiring the Decor Stencils, Decor Elements, Simply Adorned, and the In Colors introduced in 2010. So get them while they're still here.  As in year's past the stamp sets were available until the end of the calendar year (May 31, 2012) and the accessories were only available while supplies last. So if you want anything, order it now, before it's too late!

Sympathy Card

Well a co-worker just lost one of her dogs so I had to make a card for her. I felt so bad since I just lost one of my dogs early January. I don't really have any dog stamps, so thought something like this would be just as appropriate. Our pets can be such an important part of our lives and when they're gone, it can leave such a hole in our hearts. I used some of the ideas right from the cover of the Occasions Mini. I got this stamp set but haven't used it yet and think it's such a beautiful one. Hopefully I'll get time after taxes are done and my plants are in to do more stamping. Wanted to get this in before more time goes by between posts. Have a blessed Easter and Passover.

Cyndy

April Showers

Well here's another card I actually did at least a week ago, but just now getting a chance to post. I was very over due to give one of my nephews a birthday card and thought it would be fun to use the maze games in the Occasions Mini. It was real simple to use, our 2 1/2" circle punch works great with this. You can use the piece of cardstock that comes with the maze or punch or own and stamp as well. There is also a stamp set that coordinates with the mazes but I didn't purchase that. If you do use these mazes be careful not to loose the tiny beads that come with the game piece. I'm in the process of making some of those baskets for my nieces & nephews for Easter and putting together a couple of door prize baskets. A local Girl Scout troop will be holding a Tricky Tray in May I believe and I'm donating a basket for that event. I'll post more details when I get them. I'm also participating in a crop run by a local church and need to put together a doorprize basket for that event.

Here are the details for the "Crop for a Cause" event. First of all, it's a fundraiser for the Ignite Student Ministries for their summer mission trip to Black Mountain, Arizona. It takes place on April 28 from 8am to 8pm. Cost is $35 per person before April 15 and $40 after 4/15. It will be held at the Evangelical Free Church of Blairstown, 11 Lambert Rd, Blairstown, NJ. They will have a tool area with the CriCut, Ellison, & Sizzix machines, large comfortable area for cropping, various workshops, vendors, doorprizes, goody bags, continental Breakfast, lunch & dinner along with beverages & snacks available throughout the day. If you're interested and would like to pre-register, please contact me and I can send you a registration form.

March Technique

My upline Tina has asked a couple of us to monthly post a technique for us to share. Debbie Modrowsky and I are going to be taking turns posting a technique. I volunteered to  do the first month. I have a monthly technique class so I'll be posting mine after my class. Don't want to spoil the surprise for my students! I thought it appropriate to do something you could use for the spring. It's a basket. You could use it for Easter or put paper flowers in or however you'd like to decorate it. I found this basket on several other people's site, so I'm not sure who exactly made the first one, so I'll mention the two that I adapted my basket from. I initially found this basket in a larger version on Michele G gallery, who is also a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, the other was on Lisa Lynne's. If you go to either site they have their directions with pictures. I didn't go through the picture thing, so hopefully my alternate instructions will make sense. If not, click on their site & the pictures will probably help. I know I do much better with pictures, so maybe next time. Here is a picture of the finished project.

3D Basket

By Michele G & Lisa Lynne

Adapted By Cyndy Ponczek

SUPPLIES

5 ½” square piece Cardstock

5/8” x 7 ½” matching piece cardstock

embossing folder or texture plate

1” circle punch

Big Shot or other embossing machine

crop-a-dile

coordinating brad

coordinating ink

Simply Scoring tool

Bone folder

scissors

adhesive

DIRECTIONS

1.   With 5 ½” square piece of cardstock, score at 5/8”, 1 ¼”, 1 7/8”, 3 5/8”, 4 ¼”, 4 7/8”

2.   Mark center of same side you just scored (2 ¾”)

3.   Turn cardstock and score at 1 ¾” and 3 ¾”.

4.   Now mark diagonal lines from the center mark you made in step 2 to the score lines next to them (1 7/8” & 3 5/8”). Do this on both sides.

5.   Cut away that triangular piece you just made in step 4.

6.   Now fold all your score lines and cut the score lines you did in step 1 up to the score lines you did in step 3.

7.   Ink texture plate or embossing folder, place scored piece of cardstock, handle, & 2 one inch punched circles on plate & run through Big Shot.

8.   The center of the basket is the triangular piece, bring one of the strips nearest the triangle & match point to point, trim off the excess on the one side. Repeat with other side, adhere down.

9.   With the next strip to center match points & adhere.

10. With top strip, match both sides and adhere or use grid paper to square basket.

11. Fold 1” circles in half and adhere over center sides of basket, covering up the overlaps.

12. Using a crop-a-dile, punch a hole in the center of the half circle & bottom of handle and attach with brad.

13. Ready to fill with goodies!

February Swap

Well March has turned out to be a busy month. I was finally able to go to a meeting that my sidelines have been having. I missed February's meeting & got my swap made late, so I brought it to the March meeting. I did copy this from Jacqueline Lostritto. She didn't stamp the box, so I changed that. I used the Wisteria cardstock. This would make a great little hostess gift or a "thank you" to someone.

Hope you've enjoyed this. Still learning how to use this site. I finally learned how to make a watermark, so hopefully I'll be putting that on my creations! Next step is to make a signature. I was able to have some help update my blog and now have a link to my Picasa gallery and other links as well. If you have any suggestions or comments, please let me know. I'm also hoping to get my retired stamp sets and accessories online soon. My basement is getting a bit full and need to make room. 

Octoberfest 2011

Well I realized I never posted this stuff. This was from the Girl Scout Octoberfest I do every year. We have such a good time. After the basket pictures are pictures of the class I taught. I did two classes. One was making a wreath using paper rosettes and the other class was making a banner for the fall. The last picture was of a group that came and played for us Saturday evening after dinner. They were there the year before and really enjoyed them, so I guess Hook invited them back.

We had a great time this year. Got to see some old friends and make new friends. The weather was fabulous too. Here is this year's basket. This will be perfect for collecting all the veggies from my garden. I even finished the handle! After it was done, Debbie sprayed an oak stain. I just love it! It gives it that vintage feel to the basket.

 This is Debbi Zvanut our basket instructor. Debbi is a great teacher. She had been Camp Director of Hoover a while back and also had been a sailing instructor. She and her husband have a sail boat and go sailing as well. She made up 2 sizes of baskets. I had asked if we could do this basket and most of those in the class did the medium size which was really a larger size basket. Class was 3 hours, but some worked on their basket in the afternoon and then again after dinner. 

Here is Debbi helping Dot work on her basket.