Hi everybody. I have a lot of exciting news for you with the upcoming catalog being launched on June 1 and I'm starting my countdown to new products and sneak peeks with examples! Today we're focusing on the new In Colors. I love them. If you're sad to see Poppy Parade and the gang to go, hold onto them. You never know if they will debut again as part of the Stampin' Up! Color Line, as we've seen so many of our favorite previous In Colors make their way to this lineup.

I would like to introduce to you the new 2012-2014 In Colors! They're fabulous. The Summer Starfruit reminded me of a dirty diaper at first (sorry, that was the only comparison I could make), like a super light mustard colors, but it's really a yellow-green color. Think of a lighter Kiwi Kiss and darker Certainly Celery. You will see it in the card I made below using three new In Colors of Gumball Green, Primrose Petals, and Summer Starfruit.

Of course, there is the matching Stampin' Write Markers and fun coordinating ribbon! June 1 will be here before you know it! There are so many new and exciting products for you with many of the tools being updated that I'm super excited about and can't wait to get them in my studio and you will too!

Without further ado, here are your new In Colors!

Of course, we all know that there's one more new In Color accessory of a brad or something along those lines, but this year, it's different and you will just have to wait until you receive your new catalog because I can't give away the farm. All of my customers have already received their new catalog. If you become a customer and order $150 of product, the annual catalog and mini catalogs are always sent to you straight from Stampin' Up! If you would like to purchase a new catalog, you can order it on my right sidebar.

Aren't these new colors and products cool?! I love them and can't wait to show you more beautiful cards and projects that you can make with Stampin' Up! Everything is easy and elegant, while affordable. Tomorrow I'll have another introduction for you so please come back and join me. God bless you and have a great day! Here is my card that I would like to share with you using the new In Colors. I hope you enjoy it!

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Happy Friday! In continuing my series showcasing the exciting changes at Stampin' Up! for the 2012-2013 catalog year, the next item on my list is the new Demonstrator Starter Kit! This Kit will be $99 for the entire year with free shipping! Read more below and also about becoming part of my Creative Stampers Team too!

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 help your recruit customize your creativity-your way. Each kit contains a business supplies pack (valued at $65)-things that every demonstrator needs to start your business. After that, the choice is yours to put together a kit with any of our high-quality products that I will help you with to get everything you need to get started. You can choose $125 worth of any traditional or digital supplies to create a kit valued at over $190 that still ships for free!

Now opportunity comes at a lower price, and with complete customization, and sharing the Stampin' Up! opportunity has never been easier. By reducing the concern about the cost of getting started, I can now help you focus on what matters most, starting your business-your way. Contact me today for questions or concerns or just SIGN UP NOW!

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With the introduction of the 2012-2013 annual catalog, Stampin' Up! has made a very big change to the Classic Stampin' Pads.

Introducing firm foam pads! They change your stamping experience for the better.

We know you're going to love these new Stampin' Pads-just look at all the exciting benefits listed below:

• Provide better ink coverage for your stamps!
• Light-tap stamping produces flawless images!
• Pad stays juicier for longer resulting in better ink pad longevity!

In addition, the new Classic Stampin' Pads

• 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! I love this!
• 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
• 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 in the new firm foam pads. Any refills purchased after April 30, 2012, will contain the new formulated ink.*

* The new ink formula for Basic Gray, Perfect Plum, and Tempting Turquoise (for both Stampin' Ink Refills and firm foam Classic Stampin' Pads) will not be available until June 1. In addition, the Neutrals, Subtles, and Brights ink color collections will not contain the newly formulated ink for Basic Gray, Perfect Plum, and Tempting Turquoise until June 1.

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Good morning everybody. Today is another fun Stampin' Up! Only Challenge (SUOC45) for you! Today the challenge is 3-D flowers. The beauty of my card is that I'm using a stamp set and designer paper that were from mini catalogs that will be in the new Idea Book & Catalog available on June 1. However, if you're a customer of mine, you should be receiving your new catalog any day now, if you haven't already. I {heart} the new catalog! The new designer papers, embellishments, revamping tools, it's all so awesome and it won't break the bank either! You are going to love it as much as I do and I can't wait until June 1 rolls around. I already have my wish list ready to go! I have a few catalogs here and one catalog I used to just take a yellow highlighter to and marked the items I "must" have. The new ink formula takes some getting used to but it's amazing. The color is so rich and vibrant. There are so many positive changes that you are going to swoon over! I love the fact that you have the main catalog, albeit a tiny bit smaller, but there will be 2 additional mini catalogs throughout the year of Summer and Holidays, and both of these will be larger to offer you more enabling you to spread your investment out. The Holiday Mini is also coming out a couple of months early this year too so that you can get on your Christmas projects right away!

For my card, I did some serious layering with a lot of fun colors! See the stripes at the top? That was done with the Stripes embossing folder, BUT I didn't run it through the Big Shot due to the length and width of the card. I inserted the top of the card into the embossing folder and used my brayer to emboss! Pretty cool. I was so happy that worked. I will also have a video for you on this technique too!

I haven't been able to do much lately and it's all my fault. Sometimes I am so dumb. I was hanging up pictures in my daughter's room and one side wasn't even with the other – then again, this was a tricky line of music notes and a rather large decoration. Anyhow, the first nail went into a stud and it was a very long nail. Instead of doing the smart thing, that I just thought of this morning, and moving the other nail that wasn't in a stud that would have taken 2 seconds, I pulled out the long nail in the stud with the hammer. I had zero balance because it was in there and stubborn. When I finally got it out, taking half of the drywall with me, I was going down and going down hard. Since I've had 17 back surgeries since September 2011, I was not going to land on my back, so I purposely twisted myself midair to land on my right side (the left side of my back is much worse than the right). So I landed on my side. However, during that process, somehow I completely twisted and tore some tendons and ligaments on the side of my left knee, so it's hurting pretty much above the knee and about halfway down the calf on the side. I am not digging this very much at all. I have enough problems with my left side. It was just a completely preventable and stupid mistake. So now I'm hobbling around the house and my leg will buckle on me in a second. I'm seeing my back doctor tomorrow and am going to see what's going on, but I do foresee an MRI in the near future and most likely surgery. Ugh. I've already had that knee repaired when I was 32 and I'll be 49 next month. Of course, this is bad timing with summer finally here! Keep me in your prayers please! Don't forget to check out the inspiration from our design team! God bless you and have a wonderful day.

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Hi friends. I'm so excited! Even though I haven't received my catalog that I can actually touch, it is expected in a few short days. I have been able to view it online and am so excited that my favorite stamp sets from mini catalogs are now part of the Stampin' Up! lineup for 2012-2013. The new In Colors are to die for! Swoon!

I just organized my ink pads today; out with the old and in with the new. I love the new style with the label. It just makes everything look so much neater. I've also decided to give up my beloved Kiwi Kiss and Going Gray. I will also be having a huge eBay sale too!

For the 2010-2011 In Colors, I've pulled all of my product, such as the stamp pads, refills, markers, ribbon, and papers, and will be putting that in a sweet eBay package too.

I still haven't had the chance to stamp something but do plan on remedying that this evening, even if I have to stay up until midnight, but that's sort of the norm anyway.

I hope that you liked my birthday card below. It was so much fun to make! I do have on hand stamps from the new catalog, ribbon, and other embellishments. This is a very good change and I'm super excited about it. I am really striving to have you a video on Thursday.

In the meantime, I just wanted to let you know what I was up to and hope that you will all check out my eBay listings when I give you the link. There will definitely be some good finds there, as well as very hard to find items. All of my product is from a smoke free and pet free home (my cat goes in and out but never in my office). As terrible as this sounds, about 80% of my stamps are mounted but have never been used. I'm a creature of habit. I have a total overstock of designer series paper that will be retiring, as well as a ton of embellishments. I just need to pull it all together and get it listed on June 1.

Here's a flyer that I wanted to share with you about the retiring In Colors. Everything that will be retiring has a tendency to move very fast so if you really want something, get it now.

Stampin' Up! has so many new products to offer you in the upcoming catalog that you are just going to love as much as I do. I'll give you a little hint that your favorite tools to use, such as the heat tool, has been updated with some super cool features! Also, I will be posting tomorrow about the brand new demonstrator opportunity that you can't refuse, so I'll see you then.

Thank you for visiting me today and God bless you!

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Hi everybody! For my classes this month, we're focusing on using what you've got that's retiring while sneaking in new product AND I happen to be getting my pre-order shipment today so I wish that UPS man would hurry up! I ordered the new ink pads and am dying to see what they're all about. I love the fact that there will be labels on the front. I always used to purchase them (and catalog tabs) from this lady on eBay. It was the name of the ink printed on clear tape that matched up perfectly and made it totally convenient. I'm sorry that I don't have a video for you on this card as I originally got the idea of using scraps from a video that I watched today. We all use them anyway, but since this video really focused on it, I didn't think it would be very cool to re-do one.

I love the products that I used on this card. I'm all about quick, easy, and coordinating. I also like to mix and match, but for today's card, even though my designer paper is from the same package, it does not look all matchy-matchy, and I like that. Punching out my images and sentiments made it even easier. With my cherry, I stamped it using Poppy Parade  and then just colored in the stem with Early Espresso right over the Poppy Parade.

I hope that you enjoy this card and after I get the new goodies, break them out and break them in, I'll make something for you and will do a video on the haul too! Have a great day and God bless you!

1.  Cut a piece of Whisper White card stock to A2 tent size.

2.  Cut another piece of Whisper White card stock to 3-1/2 x 4-3/4.

3.  Cut several pieces or use your scraps of Just Add Cake Designer Series Paper, all 3-1/2" across but with varying heights, and adhere to the panel with Snail Adhesive. Leave a little bit of white space at the top to add your sentiment.

4.  Stamp all images onto Whisper White card stock using Early Espresso for the cupcake bottom, Blushing Bride for the top of the cupcake, and Pear Pizzazz inside the top of the cupcake for the sprinkles. Use Stampin' Write Markers in Early Espresso and Poppy Parade to color directly onto the cherry stamp.

5.  Punch all of your images out and adhere to the using Foam Dimensionals for the cupcake and the top. Add a Mini Glue Dot to the back of the cherry and center it on the cupcake top.

6.  Stamp the sentiment onto So Saffron card stock with Early Espresso ink and punch out using the Decorative Label punch. Using a paper trimmer, evenly cut under the bottom of the sentiment and adhere to the top right of the card above the designer paper and in the white space.

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There's a lot happening with Stampin' Up! With the new catalog debuting on June 1, over 200 stamp sets are being retired, the ink pads are being replaced, there's just a lot of changes going on. Change is good. We've had the staple stamp sets in the catalog for years now and it looks like it's all being turned over. I see this as positive. To me, it means less money spent and better investing, as well as new stamp sets that are fresh. Change always has to be made to be competitive in this market. Here's exactly what's going on, along with my opinions as I've been in this industry since 2007, working it inside and out. These changes are not hurting us, they are benefitting us. I see more product for less money.

1.  Classic Ink Pads:  These will be replaced with an exciting new "firm foam pad." This means true color, better ink coverage for stamped images, and longevity. This tells me that the new ink formula will cover everything. No more craft ink for chipboard, etc. This makes it a much more versatile ink all the way around. Even during times when I wasn't a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, I've ALWAYS used their ink, including on photopolymer stamps, which that ink is not formulated for. The Classic Ink Pads are even embossable I've found out. Just sprinkle clear embossing powder over it and heat set. I've done this for better ink color that doesn't look faded or washed out, so I'm excited to be able to put the embossing powder away! While I love embossing, it does get to be a pain to do it all the time. As far as the refills go, I'm not sure about that yet, but hang onto them in the meantime.

2.  Craft Ink Pads:  This line of ink is being discontinued except for black and white. I personally only have 2 full-size ink pads of Whisper White and Very Vanilla. I have the little spots and about 90% of them are unopened.

3.  Stampin' Write Markers:  Only select colors will be offered indivdually, but don't worry! You can still purchase them in color packs so you will be able to have all of them. If you want to get an individual color, get it now. It's safe to say this change is being made due to consumer demand, i.e., Old Olive is a color that's used a lot while Perfect Plum may not be, so I would imagine that individual marker will not be available. There's no reason to have it sit in the warehouse, so clear it out. It's simple business sense. New In Color markers will be available and we have a new In Color Product Suite being introduced in the new catalog this year.

4.  12 x 12 Textured Card Stock:  This will no longer be offered. I love my textured card stock and when I read up on how we will be able to get this, I'll let you know. Right now, I have plenty on hand, so I'm not too worried, but I will keep you updated. Stampin' Up! appeals to more stampers than scrapbookers, even though we have plenty of scrapbooking product.

5.  12 x 12 Smooth Card Stock:  This will only be available in select individual colors and color assortment packs. I'm assuming the same marketing strategy is being used for this product as the Stampin' Write Markers.

6.  JOIN MY TEAM NOW! IT'S THE PERFECT TIME TO BECOME A STAMPIN' UP! DEMONSTRATOR!: I'm excited to announce that beginning 1 May, I'm offering a fully customizable Starter Kit for new recruits at a new lower price of $99! This will give you the perfect start to your business, your way! When you join my Creative Stampers Team, the choice is yours to put together a kit with any of our current high-quality products and you can choose up to $125 worth of any Stampin' Up! products! You will also receive a business supplies pack (valued at $65) to create a kit with a total value of $190 that still ships for FREE!

What better way to get new Stampin' Up! products?! When you place your order within the first 45 days of signing up, you get a 30% demonstrator discount AND it's just in time for the new catalog and products falling within that 45 day time frame!

JOIN MY TEAM TODAY AND SIGN UP NOW! You will gain immediate access to The Creative Stampers Team exclusive and private group where I have so much information for you to read to start and excel at your business with downloads, forms, everything you need, whether you're a hobby demonstrator or career demonstrator! I also teach you how to navigate to save money while maximizing your profit.

7.  Retiring Stamp Sets: Please click HERE and print out for your reference so that you know what to stock up on. These products sell out in record time so be sure to get what you want and need ASAP. These products are available from April 25 until May 31. Shop at my online store for the retiring stamp sets.

8.  Retiring Accessories: Please click HERE and print out for your reference so that you know what to stock up on. These products sell out in record time so be sure to get what you want and need ASAP. The Craft Scissors and Paper Snips ARE NOT being discontinued. This is an error. These products are available from April 25 until May 31. Shop at my online store for the retiring accessories.

9.  Definitely Decorative Series of Products Being Discontinued: This entire line of fabulous and fun products is being discontinued, so again, stock up! Please click HERE and print out for your reference so that you can get the Decor Elements on your wish list.. These products are available from April 25 until May 31. Shop at my online store for the retiring Definitely Decorative Series products.

10. Discounted Retired Products and Clearance Rack. Don't forget about the fabulous deals on your favorite products. Get them while they last. You can shop for the Discounted Retired Products and Clearance Rack at my online store.

11. Summer Smooches Product Suite. This promotion ends on April 30 and that's only a few days away. A lot of these products will be in the new catalog, but the fabric brads have already sold out and will not be available. Be sure to get your Summer Smooches today at my online store.

12. 2010 In Color Product Suite. As of May 31, these will no longer be available at all and if you love this product suite as much as I do, you won't want to miss out on this last chance opportunity to get your 2010 In Color Product Suite at my online store.

13. My Digital Studio CDs: We have several retiring My Digital Studio CDs available for purchase from April 25 until May 31. Shop at my online store for My Digital Studio CDs.

14. Catalog Changes: To stay current with the everchanging industry trends, Stampin' Up! is making some catalog changes. The annual Idea Book & Catalog will be half of the size it is now with only the core stamps, products and accessories listed in it, and it's being released one month earlier on June 1. There will be 2 mini catalogs introduced in the Spring and for the Holidays, with the Holiday Mini being released about 6 weeks earlier than in the past so you can get on those holiday projects earlier. Both mini catalogs will offer more product keeping up with the latest industry trends in stamps, accessories, ribbon, everything! They won't be so "mini" anymore. This means a constant influx of new and exciting products for you! And speaking of which….

15. Occasions Mini Catalog. This will be retiring on April 30 and that's only a few short days away. If you want anything from this catalog, get it now at my online store.

16. My Kit Club. This will be starting on June 1 with the new catalog. In the meantime, I will have mini kits for you to purchase using products that are available right now. Also, even after products are retired, I'll have a Retired Kit Club of sorts to supplement what you have in your stash and can still have fun with it making beautiful projects. I already have a few kits done and they are just gorgeous and detailed. You're going to love them! They are an extremely good value for the products included in each kit. I will also have individual, one-of-a-kind kits where there will only be one available for purchase and totally exclusive.

17. My Newsletters. This post will be my first newsletter. Yay!

18. My Video Series. At least once a week I will have a video for you demonstrating a product or just making a fun card or project.

19. My Online Workshops and Classes. These will start on June 1 (How to Use What You've Got) and be fee based. Each class will have high quality videos consisting of teaching various techniques and demonstrating product to you. There will be an open enrollment period 3 weeks before the class starts open for one week with a product list that you will need to order from my online store to be mailed directly to your house so that you're all ready to go once class starts. These are private classes and upon receipt of payment, you will be provided with a password to the classroom. These classes are exclusive and I ask that you do not share them with anybody as it diminishes your investment. Depending on the class, it will be 1-2 weeks long, you will have lifetime access with PDF downloads and access.

As always, if I can be of any assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me. I know that was a lot of information to soak in. Just because the products are retiring, they are not retiring for you creatively. You don't always have to have the latest and greatest. Use what you have on hand and budget to keep this hobby fun and enjoyable. If you have a stamp set that's a few years old, you can search for the stamp set here on my blog to see how I've used it for inspiration. I love a lot of what's retiring and will be keeping it too. Our specialty designer papers, such a Mocha Morning and Newsprint, will never go out of style. Newsprint just seems to be getting hotter and hotter, as well as the rich and vibrant colors in Mocha Morning with the texture and felt. Love it.

If you ever need a catalog, let me know and all you pay is the postage. Once you're a customer of mine, all catalogs will be mailed to you directly from the home office and you don't even have to ask for them! They're automatically mailed.

As a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, I will be able to order my new products from the brand new catalog in a few short days and I can't wait to see what's in store for you! All of my classes and workshops are fun and specifically catered to what you want to do and learn. I keep them short and sweet with you making some fabulous projects. I always have so much to share. Throughout the month of May, I will be holding classes and workshops for you to get an opportunity to play with it all to see how much you will enjoy what Stampin' Up! has to offer, how much fun you can have, and how change really is good.

God bless you and have a great day.

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Good morning. I'm doing this very fun card for my design team work at the Clean and Simple Stamping Blog (Fall to Layout 187), which is a sketch challenge blog. I am using products from the Occasions Mini Catalog and there's only a few days left to get these great stamp sets, paper, and embellishments, since it's retiring on April 30.

I love this fun card that I made using Twitterpated colors, one sentiment stamp set, one background set, and one image set. I'll have the instructions below as to how I made this great card with dimension because I love having dimension on all of my cards. On the outside of my card, you can see where I cut the flowers on the edges. I simply recycled them to use them on the inside of my card too!

I hope that you enjoy this and break out your products from the Occasions Mini Catalog and have some fun with them! Even though they are retiring, I still keep the designer paper and stamps that I really like and it's only retiring in name but not creativity!

Thank you for stopping by to see me today and God bless you!

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Hi everybody. As usual, it's been crazy busy around here, but I am putting together my Kits to Go and I also have a stamp and accessory retiring list to share with you as well since the new catalog is coming out on June 1! That's only 6 weeks away and I'm very excited because we will have 5 new In Colors. When products expire, if I really like them, I keep them because I know I'll use it again. For instance, the Take it to Heart stamp set in the Occasions Mini Catalog has this great banner that I love to use. Speaking of the Occasions Mini, this expires on April 30 so get what you need now as it's only a few weeks away. For Stampin' Up! Only Challenge 42 today (SUOC43), our focus is on making one last card with the Occasions Mini. I don't think there wasn't anything in the mini that I didn't like so it was hard for me to do just one card. I eventually settled on Twitterpated. For my banner, I'm now thinking that I should have stamped that in black ink so it would stand out more and then the sentiment in Riding Hood Red. I also think that might have thrown my card off balance too as it is color heavy there. I used a lot of fun products and the list is below for you. I love this sentiment.

Per my previous post under this, I have a lot that I'm working on to share with you so stay tuned.. In the meantime, we'd love for you to participate in our challenge today. A little birdie told me that our Design Team Coordinator, Robin Messenheimer, has some fun news for Stampin' Up! Only Challenges that is going to include our participants more!

Before I show you my card, please check out the blogs of our design team members to see their beautiful creations for you. They just amaze me for every challenge what they come up with! God bless you and thank you so much for stopping by to see me today! Stop back often too so that you can see the changes that are being made for you.

Cindy Elam

Deb Hoekstra

Heidi Baks

Jen Timko

Karen Barber

Mary Brown

Michelle Laycock

Pam Staples

Robin Messenheimer

And now is my card that I would like to share with you. I hope that you enjoy this!

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Hi everybody. I’d like to really work my business and website so I’ve come up with a great business plan for you.

Each month we’re going to have a theme to work off of and focus on that. Be sure to check back often to see what’s been implemented!

The changes I plan to make and what you can expect from me as your Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator and Upline are: