Ok, not your usual stamping post but I just have to brag!!  My daughter called this afternoon to tell me an article she wrote for Investopedia.com had turned up on the home page of Yahoo!  I don't know how long it will be there, but RIGHT NOW you can go to www.yahoo.comand it is one of the boxes under the Featured tab.  It says, "How to Maintain Your Budget & your Social Life".  When you click on that, it takes you to her article!  But if it is gone by the time you read this, this is a link to her article:  Amy's Article or just in case:  http://investopedia.com/articles/younginvestors/08/friends-budget.asp?partner=yahoobuzz&viewed=1

She writes personal finance articles on her blog, www.TwoPenniesEarned.com

and has also written articles, such as this one, for www.Investopedia.com.  They are usually practical, informative articles on how to save money on all kinds of topics, usually culled from personal experience.  She seems to suddenly be getting some notoriety so I just had to celebrate!  She also has a blog about old buildings in St. Louis, MO called Seeing St. Louis.

So for your reading pleasure, while we are awaiting the delivery of new Stampin' Up! catalogs SOON (I HOPE!!), go check out her articles and blogs and leave her a comment!  Thanks!!!!

My husband and I recently celebrated our 31st anniversary (okay, so we haven’t gone out to dinner yet!) and my “old” college friend, Sally, sent us this card.  I think it is a beautiful card!  Sally is one of those few people who remember occasions AND actually send a card!  She sends postcards, too….I got one recently from her from Paris!  I remember the “olden days” when the mailbox would be full of cards for birthdays or whatever occasion. The mailman we had growing up always knew everyone’s birthday in our family because he could tell from all the cards we were getting in the mail!  Ah, the good old days!  I wish we could get back to those days, especially those of us who make cards!  I don’t always get cards sent when I want to or on time, but it’s a wonderful habit to get into and stay in!

Here is the card.  It has some beautiful paper on it, a stamped strip with Fresh Fillers, gold-embossed “Happy Anniversary” and cute little 3-D butterflies.  Thanks, Sally!

Stampin’ Up! is just full of surprises lately!  Yesterday they announced to us demos that 24/7 online ordering for customers will be available sometime this fall.  If you choose, you will be able to place your order, through me, on your own computer, whenever you want!  This in no way replaces having your own demonstrator or hosting workshops or attending classes or stamp camps or anything of the sort.  It doesn’t even replace calling or emailing me and giving me your order as you always have!  It will just be an additional service for you.  If you are someone who likes to fool around on the computer or likes to do your own online shopping whenever it is convenient for you, even if you are in your pajamas, then you will like this new feature.  You will still receive Hostess Benefits if your order meets the Hostess criteria.  All the details will be forthcoming, but basically all you would do is go to my SU Demo website, www.karenfontinelle.stampinup.net and place your order.  But not yet!!

To read all about Online Shopping, CLICK HERE!

Feel free to comment or to email me with any questions.  However, don’t worry about all the details yet…..there’s still lots of time and we’ll all learn together!  I think it is an exciting development and will be a useful feature for a lot of customers!

A lot of stampers have been making this cute little box to hold stationery supplies….a few cards and envelopes, gift tags, small gift cards, address book, stamps, and pen!  The design of the fold-out box and lid is by Jackie Topa.  There are a few steps involved, but nothing too difficult and when you get done, you have a nice and useful gift.  I gave this one to a friend for her birthday.  It’s a great project for which to use your Designer Series paper and then make the cards to match, but you could also do lots of stamping for decoration….or both!  I did some stamping on the inside as you can see and used Berry Bliss DSP on page 169 for covering most areas. (Get it before it’s gone!)  So many ways to achieve different looks with this project!  You should be able to click on any of the photos and have them enlarge.

Yep, a little blurry! 

Stampin’ Up! released the retiring accessories list today.  If you haven’t seen the list yet, please send an email to me and I will send the list to you.  The list will be constantly changing so we won’t be able to tell exactly what is available until we place the order. These are the products Stampin’ Up! has chosen to retire and will be available while supplies last or until August 10th.  Even though Stampin’ Up! will try to give demos information on availability, this can change throughout the day.  These items will not be restocked so it is best to make your selections as soon as possible.

Don’t forget the special Discounted Accessory List in my previous post!  Hopefully these items will have longer availability, but no one knows for sure!  And if you need some storage space, you might be interested in the empty Punch Box for $3.95.

Good luck with your end of Spring~Summer Collection 2008 shopping!

No Longer Available–Updated July 29

Accents & Elements Build a Flower

Ink Refills:  Wild Wasabi, Blue Bayou, River Rock, Purely Pomegranate

All Hodgepodge Kits

 Double-Stitched Ribbon:  Blue Bayou, Pomegranate, Guava, Wild Wasabi, Soft Sky

Simply Sent Kits:  Simple Delights and Three Thoughts

Jumbo wheel:  Leaves a la Carte, Rough Texture

Regular wheel:  Mistletoe

Stipple Brushes

Brushed Copper Card stock

Mulberry paper white

Simply Scrappin’ Kit Special Delivery Girl

DSP Prints:  Close to Cocoa, Almost Amethyst, Groovy Guava, Pumpkin Pie, Tempt. Turquoise

DSP:  East Coast Prep, Fall Flowers, Porcelain Prints

Soft Subtles Eyelets

Notes & Elements Pocket Notes

Rub Ons:  Cherished Memories

Stampin’ Up! has just previewed a new “Sock Monkey” stamp set which will be in the new Fall-Winter 2008 Idea Book & Catalog.  Only demonstrators have been allowed to order it, but the reaction has been fascinating!  Most seem to LOVE sock monkeys and are very excited that Stampin’ Up! is up with the current trend.  Some do not care for sock monkeys at all, placing them in the same category as scary clowns!  Those of us who are old enough to have antique sock monkeys probably didn’t even know they were the latest and greatest thing!  You will be able to order Sock Monkey beginning August 11.

As soon as I saw the Sock Monkey stamp set it took me right back to my childhood because I knew I had a sock monkey.  I’m pretty sure my brother did, too.  While I don’t have any particular memories of playing with it or it being a favorite thing, that sock monkey is indeed a strong childhood memory.  We called it a “Munga-Munga” and to this day that is what it “really” is!  Just one of those things that never got thrown out or given away or lost.  In fact, I was pretty sure it was in my closet somewhere.

I finally was compelled to actually go look for my old sock monkey the other day when other Stampin’ Up! demonstrators online on SUDSOL (if you are a SU demo you should subscribe!) were again discussing sock monkeys and the new stamp set.  Amazingly, there it was, sitting on top of a shelf way in the back of my closet!  If I can find my baby book, perhaps I can find out where I got it or who made it, if my mother wrote it down.  But it is quite old (unfortunately!!) and I knew I had to make a card and display it with my sock monkey!

Since I was trying to make the card match my real sock monkey I took a few liberties with coloring the eyes larger to match and putting the black line across the mouth.  I added the pink and green brads to look like the pink and green pom poms on my monkey.  I colored in the monkey with my aquapainter, just drawing cross-hatching lines with in on Very Vanilla cardstock to kind of get the multi-color look of the sock.  I used the new In Color, Pirouette Pink, for the card base and a piece of the new Bella Rose Designer Series Paper for the layer.  You can see the other beautiful patterns of the Bella Rose paper where the monkey is sitting!  And the saying on the card is from the stamp set “One of A Kind” in the current catalog, which was already sitting on the table and just jumped out at me as I tried to finish up this card.  I decided to use a piece of my Antique Brass Hodgepodge Hardware on the card as well (we’ve got to USE our stuff, not just hoard it!…as painful as it may be!  But see, it looks better on the card than sitting in the box not being used!)

Here is the card alone:

Leave a comment on my blog if you have a sock monkey or can’t wait to stamp some!

Stampin’ Up! had a big surprise for us this morning!  They are putting select retiring accessories on sale at 25% off beginning Monday, July 21.  They have never done this before!  Although they expect to have an adequate quantity, these items are only available while supplies last!  Other retiring accessories will be posted on Monday, but these are the ONLY ones that are on sale at a reduced price.  If you see something you want on this list, email me with your order or check back on Monday to see what else is retiring so you won’t miss out on anything you have to have to be a Happy Stamper!

Stampin’ Up! Spring~Summer Collection 2008 link

As a reminder, there is also a Hodgepodge Hardware Promotion going on with these finishes 25% off:  Copper, Antique Brass, and Pewter.  This offer is also only good while supplies last or until August 10.

 We are fortunate to have a new little great-niece in our family so I wanted to make a special gift.  If the new grandmother or great-grandmother are looking at this, I guess you will have to hide your eyes!  I simply used the Special Delivery Girl Simply Scrappin’ Kit to make the 6×6 pages for this linen album.  It really only took a few hours, not counting the time I spent running back to the computer to look online for ideas for pages, although I mostly relied on myself.  The kit makes it really easy once you get the creativity going.  There are even ideas in the kit.

The album itself always seems to present a little bit of a decorative problem for most people, but I have found it is easiest to tie some ribbon around the front cover, maybe make a nice bow or tag.  You can also use rub ons and you can also stamp on the album….if you dare!  Apparently it really does work, I just haven’t “dared” to yet!  I’m not sure a lot of 3-D embellishments are good on the front cover once the album ends up on a shelf, but on this one I did use the Silver Hodgepodge with a piece of the designer paper in the kit and stamped the baby’s initial on the paper.

So here are some of the pages:

This was very easy and fun to do.  I only stamped on a tag to give it a little interest.  I used a couple retired SU items, like the wide organdy ribbon and the heart eyelets.  The die cuts are easy to adhere and can be removed repeatedly and adhered again.  Some of the embellishments on the pages I lifted up with SU Dimensionals so that photos can be easily inserted on the page….or the die cuts can be removed and then replaced.  This is an easy way to make a scrapbook and hopefully the new parents will enjoy it!

  All you have to do is sign up to be a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator and in five years you will receive a pin like this!  Actually you will receive a pin before five years and you will receive a pin at other Stampin’ Up! events you attend.  So if you like collecting pins….and stamping….you really should be a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator!

Yes, I received this pin in the mail on Saturday as a complete surprise!  I was really excited and gave me a feeling of “longevity” I guess!  Isn’t it pretty??!

To read more about becoming a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator, just click HERE.  Stampin’ Up! has really made it easy to sign up, too…..used to be we had to mail in the paperwork…but if you want instant access to Demonstrator benefits, you can sign up online on my website.  You will need a special password from me. Just email me at KSFontinelle@gmail.com  You will get your Demonstrator number right away when you order your Starter Kit!

Recently I needed a wedding gift and remembered something that a customer of mine had asked me to make for a dear friend of hers as a first anniversary gift….a box of cards for all occasions!   I just made up an assortment of all different cards….birthday, thank you, baby, Christmas, holidays, etc….and then the challenge was to find the perfect box.  You might think a photo box would work but I think it barely has any room above the cards.  I found this Martha Stewart CD box in kind of a linen-like light blue covering.  To decorate the box I used Stampin’ Up! rub ons….probably got carried away with the rub ons actually, but that’s how they are!  Bet you can’t use just one!  The rub ons were very easy to apply to the box.  I used the wooden stick that comes with the package but I also tried my Stampin’ Up! Empressor (R) Stylus on page 187 of the catalog, which worked well and rubbed a little “quieter” on the fabric.  I also added a nice address book with the cards, which, if I had planned ahead a little better I could maybe have made myself!  I hope the new bride will find the cards convenient to send out because as much as we love email and text-messaging, we all know that a real card in the mailbox is a treat!

Although I purchased a large gift bag, I decided to put the actual wedding card I was giving the couple in a Stampin’ Up! clear envelope and attach it to the front of the bag as a decoration.  I just hope they realized it was the card and opened it!

No need to be totally creative on your own…..this card was copied from one sample in the Spring~Summer Collection 2008 on page 144 using the Pretties Kit (page 188) for an embellishment, the beautiful Fairy Tale ribbon, and the fabulous stamp set Priceless on page 108.