Regionals 2007!

Fun!...
Friends!...
Inspiration!...

...It was absolutely great! From arriving before 8:00am and swapping cards right there in the line ups. Everyone was ready for a busy, get down to stamping business kind of day!!!

The Pan Pacific and Convention Centre were fabulous hosts to our Weekend of Stampin' Up! fun. Imagine 500 or more, very excited women (and a couple of men) gathered to share a huge passion for Rubber Stamping! Pretty awesome!


Here's some of our memeber from our Victoria based CanadianInkspirations Group. Maggie, Me, Sonia, Bev, Lorraine(in front), Lucie, Alicia, Melanie and Stacey. And yes, snuggled right in the middle is CEO and Co-founder of Stampin' Up! Shelley Gardiner.


And this is our extended group, over into Vancouver, with the Canada Inks Up! Ladies.


Maggie and I were eager and ready to get our new "free" stamp set and get it put together to use in our projects throughout the day.




Busy busy busy... No time to chat... okay, lots of time for my friends, old and new. We were busy creating cards and scrapbook pages throughout the day. We listened to "stamping experts" share their secrets and drive home that motivation that keeps the passion alive.





Aren't they great! I can't wait to share them with you in person. So much fun and really... so easy (well yeah with all the paper cut and the sample right in front of us on the big screen). Hey... now I really know why so many ladies like coming to my classes... samples and paper and accessories and supplies ready to go... how great!!!


A great end to our day, with 4 of our group ladies invited up to the stage for a friendly game of Family Feud "Stampin' Up! Style". What fun!!! Bev, Stacey, Maggie and Sonia represented us well!!! And even though they didn't actually win in points, they still walked away with yet another "free" stamp set. Don't we all love Stampin' Up! that much more?!!!


I have the best group of ladies in our group and it was definitely a pleasure to share this journey with them. Thanks everyone!!!

Have a great day! ...and of course...

Happy Stamping!!!

Suzanne

(all images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Gone Gone Gone...

...I've been gone so long...
Wow, what a crazy month for me, and it's not slowing down anytime soon either. So just a quick post, but wanted to share my swap card that I'll be making 50 of and taking to the Vancouver Regionals at the Convention Center on Saturday. Made with Old Olive, Certainly Celery and a little bit of Mellow Moss, using the Doodle Alphabet and Sweet Shapes Stamp Sets. After a quick glance at it a few moments ago, I suddenly got a craving for melons???!!! Using the corner rounder punch, I was able to make the scalloped edge, to give it that little something something it needed to finish it off.

I can't wait to tell and share pictures of all that I see and do at Regionals with you when I return.

Happy Stamping!!!

Suzanne
(all images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Oval Punches

Here are a couple of cards I borrowed from Bev's collection to show them off! Just look at how creative she was with using the oval punches.

This beautiful daisy-like flower uses both the large and small oval punches to make the petals. And a light sponging of sahara sand gives the flowers that shadowy depth. Wow!


Okay, this card is just all around "punch crazy" (but in a good way of course!). First, all the bunny parts are punched out with the circles and ovals. But this basket is what gets me... The handle is done with punching out the cardstock with the large oval, then punching out the center with the small oval, to leave it hollow in the middle. And the basket is punched out with the new round tab punch from the Spring Mini catalogue, and just folded in half to get the basket look. Brilliant!!! And then add a little marker and you get a little basket weave look. Okay and the great finishing touch are the mini Easter eggs in the basket, punched out with the 1/4 inch circle punch. WOW!



Isn't he cute?!! Entirely from punches again. 2 large ovals make the head and lily pad. 2 small ovals make his legs. A 1 3/8" circle makes his body, and 6 horizontal slot punch pieces make his feet. As well, 2 of the 1/2" circles(whites) and 2 of the 1/4" circles(blacks) make his eyes.

Okay, I think I'm punch happy now! Thanks for letting me show these off Bev.

Have a great weekend! And I just wanted to extend a huge thank you to everyone who either helped out or donated to the Sooke Preschool's Spring Card Fundraiser last night. We had a great time and everyone's cards they made looked fantastic!

Happy Stamping!
Suzanne
(all images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Spring Swaps

Maggie decided to give us one of her spring creations for this month's swap. It's absolutely lovely. Using the Oval Punches, I am realizing how many different things that you can do with them. Flowers, Frogs, Bunnies... Hopefully I can get my hands on some of them to show them off. Maggie used the Garden Green and Summer Sun to get this spring look. And she used the background flowers on the bottom from the Petal Prints stamp set. Could you possibly add more spring? Well, the spring bouquet punch with a little ribbon on the bottom finishes it off perfectly. Fabulous Card Maggie!

Another great card is this one by Stacey. It is stamped using the Doodle This stamp set out of the spring mini catalogue. And I don't think I've used certainly celery and old olive together, but add a little apricot and saffron, and it shouts spring! And Stacey and Maggie used the "Spring" stamp, out of the Everyday Flexible Phrases stamp set too! Great job Maggie and Stacey!

Hope you are enjoying spring!

Happy Stamping!

Suzanne
(all images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Masculine Swaps

This was Alicia's Masculine swap card this month. She used creamy caramel, chocolate chip and really rust papers and ink, with the Autumn Leaf Prints and Warmest Regards Stamp sets. She roughed up the edges and wrapped up the leaf with some natural hemp. And, not sure if you can tell on the scan, but Alicia used the crimper on the piece of chocolate chip to give it another dimension. Great Alicia! Masculine designs are sometimes tough, or is it just that feminine is just so easy, or both!

I feel like going to Africa after seeing this card. Okay, okay, anywhere hot will do after all the rain we've been having lately. Bev made this card using the In the Wild stamp set, the Weathered Background stamp, and the It's your Birthday Stamp Sets. The colors are Sahara Sand, Always Artichoke and Black gives it that nice color separation accent. Nice Bev!

 

Robin made this one with the Polka Dots and Paisley, and All Year Cheer Stamp Sets. I like how the burgundy, so saffron and always artichoke colors go nicely together. Masculine or feminine for sure. The designer paper is from the Four Seasons package.

 

I just love these colors that Sonia used on this cards. Old Olive, More Mustard and Night of Navy. She used the print pattern background stamp and the All Year Cheer 1 stamp set. Brads are always a nice touch on a masculine card too. Not too frilly. This little dab of ribbon ties all the colors in too, and its from the Prep School Ribbon Assortment. Great Job Sonia.

Hope you, like me and my boys, are spending only a bit of time indoors today and taking advantage of the great sunshine we are finally getting.

Have a great day!
Happy Stamping!
Suzanne
(all images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

For Dad...

We were put to the challenge with our monthly being a masculine or spring theme. I loved the browns and paper tearing that I did on Kelly and Chris' Wedding invitations last month, so was inspired for this first one, which was the card that I made for the swap.

 

The cardstock is chocolate chip, creamy caramel and very vanilla. And the stamps were the Doodle Alphabet and lovely as a tree. I colored in the letters with chocolate chip, close to cocao and creamy caramel. Then after I tore the edges, I sponged close to cocoa around the edges. Here's a hint when paper tearing. If you tear towards you, you get that very frayed/rough look. A very natural, rough edged look, plus the sponging, gives it that antiquey, aged look.

 

And this one will be one of the cards we make at the preschool night. Also using lovely as a tree and the doodle alphabet. The ink color is mellow moss and bashful blue, which are a soft contrast to the taken with teal and tempting turquoise cardstock.

Stay tuned for some more fabulous swaps...

Happy Stamping,
Suzanne (all images copyright 19990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

For Mom...

Here are two cards we are going to be making at this Spring's Sooke Preschool Card Fundraiser. On March 30th, from 6 to 10pm you are invited to come out and support the Sooke Preschool and make 8 great cards for Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day and Birthday for only $20. We had such a great time and response at our Christmas Card Class that we can't wait to do it again. And remember, when you come to make a card, you can personalize it the way you want, or change it up a bit to suit for what you need. For example, change for Mom, to Happy Birthday instead. 
 

I am so loving the "Doodle" alphabet, which is what I used for this first card. With the rose red, apricot appeal, almost amethyst and certainly celery, it's very feminine, but not too girly. I love adding a brad in the middle of a daisy to give the finishing touch of the flower. Oh, and the faux stitching with the white gel pen is fun too!

The second card is made using the flower pot from the Favorite Teddy Bear set with this year's "In Color" line of Vintage Violet and Bucharoo Blue. And the "My Mom" stamp comes from the Fancy Flexible phrases set which was in the Winter Mini catalogue. Although, no longer available for purchase from Stampin' Up!, I am happy to have it and all 56 of it's stamps available to use at all of my classes!

See the rest of the cards here, at Sooke Preschool's Spring Card Class.

If you are unable to attend, but would still like to support the children, put in your order and I would be happy to make the cards for you. And you can pick and choose from the listed ones too!

For more information, send me an email or give me a call at 642-0845. Sign up soon to reserve your seat. Space is limited, you must pre-register.

Thanks and Have a great day!
And oh yes...
Happy Stamping too!

Suzanne

(all images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)