Gretchen Barron

A Sneaky Peek at Fun New Stuff!

Hello everyone! I've resisted the urge until now but just have to share a little Sneaky Peek at some of the fabulous new things that are awaiting you when you receive your new 2010=2011 Idea Book & Catalog in July!

Aren't these colors and images just beautiful! I'm in love with all the new papers and ribbons and embellishments and I think you will be as well!

Now is the time to reserve your catalog! Just let me know if you would like me to be your Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and I will get a FREE catalog to you! E-mail me at gbarron56@comcast.net and put "New Catalog" in the subject line! If you're local I can deliver it or we can make plans to meet somewhere. And if you live somewhere other than Central Illinois, I can mail it to you. There will be a $5 shipping charge for mailed catalogs which will get you Pronto Priority service from USPS. Let me know and I can send you a PayPal invoice for the shipping fee! Each catalog will come with a $5 coupon good for any $50 or more order placed in July! Catalogs will be mailed out on July 1st for any reservations received prior to that date.

Okay, now on to the good stuff! I just love these new colors! The card base is Daffodil Delight, one of our new Core colors. I used an old favorite, Pumpkin Pie, for the ribbon, mat and ink on the flower. The green is one of the new In Colors called Pear Pizzazz. And you can see just a snippet of the new Poppy Parade InColor on the flower image as well!

The flower is from a new stamp set called Friends Never Fade, sure to become a favorite! And the sentiment is from the fabulouso Level 3 Hostess set called Occasional Quotes.

I used the Greenhouse Gala Designer Series Paper and added some sparkly Dazzling Diamonds glitter to the flowers with a 2-way glue pen. I don't know if you can see the shimmer and shine if you enlarge the detail photo on the right or not. I hope so because it's amazing! Click on the photo for a larger image. You'll see the colors better if you enlarge it as well!

Okay, I've got it out of my system now!

I hope you've enjoyed this little Sneaky peek! And do let me know if you want to reserve a catalog through me! I can't wait to send it to you!

The Ladies Who Lunch and a New Scrapbooking Sketch Challenge!

Hello everyone! There's a new Scrapbooking Sketch Challenge this morning on Soul Scrappers-- SC12. This is a fun one with room for 4 photos and lots of journaling! I do hope you'll play along! If you're not familiar with Soul Scrappers, it's a fun and interactive (and free) Ning community of like-minded folks who love scrapbooking.

There are several challenges going on all the time and you have a fun two weeks to post your challenge projects, which is great for the procrastinators among us (myself included!).

Just click on the Soul Scrappers link above to join and make sure you mention my name in the comment line!

And here's my inspiration layout for this challenge! I had such fun doing this with My Digital Studio!I can't tell you how much this tool from Stampin' Up! has transformed my scrapbooking. I still love traditional scrapbooking, don't get me wrong, but My Digital Studio makes it so easy to put your pictures and words on the page. You can print out your layouts (either at home or professionally) and then embellish with ribbons, buttons, bows, brads and any number of other goodies to make Hybrid pages, knowing that the Stampin' Up! colors will remain true and that everything will coordinate. You can also quickly and easily design your layout on MDS and then if you want to do a totally traditional layout, you can more quickly put it together, using your MDS version as your guide! And of course if you simply want to leave your MDS creation totally digital, you can share it with family and friends by e-mail, on your blog, on your computer or TV screen or a digital photo frame! It's so much fun and is a great tool to help you with all kinds of paper crafting, not just scrapbooking!

For this layout, I used the Vintage Vogue Digital Download to embellish my photos. It certainly made for a quick, easy and fun layout! That's another great thing about My Digital Studio, from time to time, Stampin' Up! offers affordable download packages with some of the newest stamp images, papers and embellishments. And once you have them downloaded into MDS, you can use them to your hearts content, forever! You'll never need to replenish your supplies and order more -- you can just print out your favorite papers and images and use them over and over in your crafting! And if you order MDS from me, you've got me as your personal creative coach to help you learn the program, answer questions, and to lend you inspiration!

If you would like to order My Digital Studio for yourself or would like more information on this great crafting tool, e-mail me at gbarron56@comcast.net or go to my Online Ordering Site and click on "shop now" at the top of the page!

Farewell Focus on Bloomin' Beautiful!

Hello everyone! I continue my Farewell Focus series, today spotlighting the Bloomin' Beautiful set! Oh my, I will miss this set. It's been a favorite since it first appeared in a mini catalog a few years ago. I remember how excited I was when it made it into the big catalog! And now, it's leaving (sniff, sniff).

I think one of the reasons I love this set so much is that it has two very different, but very beautiful, line-art floral images. This card on the left uses the single stem (poppy, maybe). I used Kaleidoscope Designer Series Paper; Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie and Whisper White cardstocks; 1/2" Polka Dot Ribbon and Stampin' Dimensionals.

Istamped the image in Black Stazon Ink and used Blender Pens and Reinkers (Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive) to color it in. The sentiment is from Kind & Caring Thoughts. I also used the swirl from Baroque Motifs for a little color on the inside of the card.

And now for my second card, this one using the other floral image, a pot of pansies! I again stamped the images in Black Stazon Ink and colored them in with Blender Pens and Reinkers -- Summer Sun and Rich Razzleberry. The pot is Melon Mambo. 1/2" Ribbon and a Jumbo Grommet complete the look. Cardstock colors are Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry and Whisper White. The DSP is from the Lovely Flowers Level 3 Hostess Bundle.

The cardbase is 5.25" square and again, you can see a bit of Baroque Motifs peeking out from the inside.  

If you would like to order Bloomin' Beautiful or any of the retiring Stamp Sets and accessories, you can find a complete list below:

Last Chance Stamp Sets (by Catalog Page Number)

Last Chance Accessories List (FYI:  retiring items with an asterisk (*) are being reconfigured for the new catalog and color collection) This list is updated at the end of each Business Day. Items with a red "x" are no longer available. once accessories are sold out, they are gone forever so it's best to place your order early if you see something you're interested in!

Last Chance Definitely Decorative Home Décor List

 

 

 

Once you've made your selections, just click on Last Chance shopping button to go directly to my online ordering site where you will need to click on "shop now" at the top of the page. Or, feel free to e-mail me if you would like me to assist you in placing the order!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you'll be back soon as I continue to focus on the retiring sets and accessories and maybe even throw in a few little sneaky peeks at some of the fabulous new items coming soon!

 

Farewell Focus on Voila ... and a new Stamping 411 Sketch Challenge!

Hello everyone! Have you missed me? It's been a busy week keeping up with all those birthday cards you've been sending! The count now is above 750! Can you imagine! Just amazing!

Well, this is Saturday and that can only mean a new Sketch Challenge at Stamping 411! Since the RETIRED STAMP LIST has now been released from Stampin' Up!, I'm going to be doing a series of blog posts entitled "Farewell Focus" and today's focus set is Voila! This little chef has been a favorite of mine since he first made his appearance in the Stampin' Up! Catalog! You will be missed, Chef!

For today's card, I combined the Chef with the beautiful Thoroughly Modern Designer Series Paper, also about to disappear forever. I did paper piecing for his clothes, stamping them on the tiny patterns from the DSP pack and then cutting them out and attaching them to an image that was stamped on Very Vanilla Cardstock. Other accessories used include 1/2" Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon and Square Rhinestone Brads.

Here's the measurements:

1. Layer One -- Soft Suede Cardstock cut at 5.5 x 8.5", scored and folded to form the card base.
2. Layer Two -- Striped DSP cut at 4 x 5.25"
3. Layer Three -- Polka Dot DSP cut at 2 x 4". Attach ribbon so that it runs vertically, top to bottom.
4. Layer Four -- Soft Suede Cardstock cut at 3.25" square.
5. Layer Five -- Very Vanilla Cardstock cut at 3" square. Chef Image is stamped with Black Stazon Ink so that the feet and hat extend past the edge of the cardstock. Stamp the chef image again on both the Melon Mambo and Soft Suede patterns from the DSP pack. Cut out and attach to layer with SNAIL adhesive. Color in Cuffs and scarf with Bermuda Bay Marker.
6. Layer Six -- stamp the tray and Birthday cake images on Very Vanilla Cardstock. Color in with markers and cut out, attaching back to the card with SNAIL and Dimensionals. Fashion the bow and cinch in the middle with a Square Rhinestone Brad. And oh yes, the little ribbon tab on the right -- that's there to cover up a mistake -- LOL. You know what I always say! In stamping there are no mistakes ... only opportunities for creative embellishment!

That's it for today! Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to check out Stamping 411to see what the other Operators have created this week and to upload your own challenge card to our linky site! We look forward to seeing your creations this week!

The Princess of Popularity ... 600 Cards and Counting!

WOW!!! That's all I can say. WOW!!! Your response to my birthday card appeal for the troops through the organization, From Our Hearts, has been overwhelming, to say the least! As of this morning, I have received more than 600 cards. I say more because I know there are many still in the mail and there are many in a box by my computer that I've not even been able to open yet!

We returned home on Monday (Memorial Day Holiday) after a few days visiting family in Iowa. I had asked my neighbor to collect my mail while I was gone. Little did we expect to come home to such a welcoming sight! When my daughter went next door to get the mail, she returned with a huge shopping bag full of boxes, packages and cards (see the photo on the right). Her response to me was, "Well, I guess you're the princess of popularity". It made me laugh, it also makes me feel very humble. I am amazed at your generosity and your willingness to help!

So imagine then my surprise when I arrived home from work on Tuesday. As I drove into the driveway, I glanced on the porch to see if the mail had arrived, and this is what greeted me. LOL -- now the post office is so overwhelmed with your response that they are bringing mail to my home in an official US Mail crate! Again, I am amazed and humbled!

Thank you, each and every one of you, for sending so many wonderful birthday greetings and wishes my way and for doing it in a way that will support our deployed troops and their families! I will continue to update you as I receive even more cards throughout this week! And of course, there will be the big blog candy winner announcement to come in the future! You can read the original post about this project HERE.

Many of you are asking how you can be more involved with making cards for our troops through From Our Hearts. Just click on their name to go to their website. Martie Shea and her faithful volunteers do a great job at keeping everyone updated on their progress and needs. And there's lots of information there about how you can make and send cards to them, with all the details of what to include and where to send them.

Thanks, everyone! I'm trying to send acknowledgements and thank-you's as I open your cards but as you can imagine, it's taking a bit longer than I originally anticipated! With each card I open, I like to imagine the looks on the faces of the soldiers and their families who will send and receive these cards! What a birthday present you have given me! I do feel like the princess of popularity today. But I also feel very humbled, fortunate, and blessed! Thank you!!!

Last Chance to Orders Hundreds of Stampin' Up! Retiring Items!

Hundreds of products from the Stampin' Up! 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog and Definitely Decorative brochures are retiring July 1. Now is your last chance to get them before they're gone for good!

Availability:  Retiring stamps and Definitively Decorative products will be available through June 30.  Retiring accessories (don't miss the discounted items) are available WHILE SUPPLIES LAST.  If you have favorite accessories, I suggest you order on-line as soon as possible (click on "shop now" at the top of the page). They will sell out quickly.

PLEASE CLICK LINKS BELOW TO VIEW LISTS:

Last Chance Stamp Sets (by Catalog Page Number)

Last Chance Accessories List (FYI:  retiring items with an asterisk (*) are being reconfigured for the new catalog and color collection)

Last Chance Definitely Decorative Home Décor List

MINI STARTER KITS ARE BACK!!!  JOIN STAMPIN' UP! & THE INSPIRATION IN ACTION TEAM FOR JUST $99! 

June 1 through June 30, Stampin' Up! is offering a special $99 Mini Starter Kit, valued at $180 in product and business supplies (see contents below).  Free shipping, too!

• Join now and pre-order select items in June from the new 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalog.
• Receive the new catalog (with your first June order).  
• Enjoy full Stampin' Up! demonstrator discounts and benefits with the $99 Mini Starter Kit, including 30% off your first $150 product order (within 45 days of start).
• Perfect for both hobby stamper and business builder!!!

Here's what is included in the Mini Starter Kit:

Note:  You can substitute a like item of equal or lesser value.  All items will be continued in the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog.

Item	Description	Price
117050	Watercolor Trio stamp set (wood-mount)	$22.95
118571	I {Heart} Hearts stamp set (clear-mount)	$18.95
118486	Clear-Mount Block C	$6.95
116978	Homemade single stamp*	$8.95
100730	Whisper White card stock (8-1/2" x 11")	$8.50
119706	Brights Collection assorted card stock (8-1/2" x 11")*	$6.95
115656	Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad	$5.95
119667	Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin' Pad*	$5.95
115658	Rich Razzleberry Classic Stampin' Pad	$5.95
100814	Tempting Turquoise Classic Stampin' Pad	$5.95
119261	Basic Black 1/8" taffeta ribbon*	$6.95
121620	Color Coach*	$14.95
104332	SNAIL Adhesive	$6.95
	Retail value of products in kit	$124.90

*Sneak peek items!

The Mini Starter Kit also includes the same business supplies that are in the Standard Starter Kit for $199; no alternative selections can be made for business items. Contents are listed below:

• Getting Started DVD
• Getting Started Guide
• Guest Invitation Postcards (100)
• 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog (8)
• 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog (8, shipped separately in July)
• Summer Mini Catalog (8)
• To My Hostess Envelopes (10)
• Recruit Folders (5)
• Recruit Brochures (20)
• Hostess Brochure (20)
• Hostess Benefits Form (10)
• Customer Order Form (50)

E-mail me today at gbarron56@comcast.net for questions or help with any of the above! Place an order online 24-7 (click on "shop now" at the top of the page) and don't miss out on any of the retiring stamps or accessories that are on your wish list!

Thanks for stopping by today and Happy Stamping!