I will say these are a few of my favorite Stampin' Up! Convention swaps but really I was barely able to single these out because I got some really good swaps!  But for the sake of this post, here are some that particularly jumped out at me!  Sorry that I don't have the names in front of me of who created these lovely swaps.

Now that you have been inspired, go stamp something!

There are a lot of reasons to love the new stamp set Easy Events, but I have a special reason for loving the cuckoo clock image.  When my father was in the Air Force and visited Germany, way back when, he bought cuckoo clocks to bring home to my mother and both sets of my grandparents.  So when I see cuckoo clocks, it reminds me of all of my family and their homes.  I remember exactly where the clocks were hung in their houses and ours.  Cuckoo clocks are fascinating to children to see that little bird pop out and chirp or to help pull up the cuckoo clock weights to keep the clock running.  I was amazed to see that this image would be included in a Stampin' Up! stamp set!

I used the Color Coach to choose my colors for this card (Cherry Cobbler, Baja Breeze and Soft Suede….except I used a darker brown..Chocolate Chip) and when I saw the new Scallop Dots Ribbon on my table I decided that would be the perfect embellishment for my 4×4 card!  I colored the image with Stampin' Write Markers and a Blender Pen.

Easy Events has stamps for almost every occasion, such as baby, Christmas, wedding, thank you and more….and if you omit the sentiment you have even more uses for the images….and of course you can always use the sentiment by itself.

Order your Easy Events stamp set and all your stamping products HERE at my Online Store.

One of the most fun parts of the Stampin' Up! Convention and even other Stampin' Up! events is swapping with other attendees.  Swapping means a Stampin' Up! demonstrator makes a bunch of the same card front to trade with other demonstrators.  Usually we make more than one design.  Really almost from the time you arrive at the airport swapping among demonstrators begins…but for sure once you arrive at the Convention hall!  You will see demonstrators in the lobby and everywhere with their hands full of swaps to trade and this continues for days.  Besides being fun and a good way to get acquainted with others, it gives us samples to show our customers for ideas on what they can make with their stamping supplies.  Some demonstrators sign up for special organized swaps with a certain group or with a certain theme….it might be 3×3 cards, or scrapbook pages, or 3D items, or gifts or pop-up cards or whatever!  You might see them meeting in a circle in the lobby and trading their swaps in an organized fashion.  Whatever the method, it is REALLY fun, and so fun to come home with lots of samples to show!

(You might be able to click on the photos to enlarge them.)

It's fun making little 3"x 3" notecards, and these were perfect for putting in my customers' bags with their Stampin' Up! orders!

Stamps:  Pretty Postage, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink:  Calypso Coral

Paper:  Pool Party, Whisper White, and Calypso Coral card stock; Pocketful of Posies Designer Series Paper

Accesssories:  Postage Stamp Punch, 1 3/8" Square Punch, Stampin' Write Markers for words:  Lucky Limeade, Daffodil Delight, Island Indigo

Try making some 3 x 3 cards for fun!  Maybe you will think they are less intimidating that a full-size card, just to get your creative juices flowing!

If you need any stamping supplies, just click on over to my Online Store!

The new Pennant Parade stamp set and the Petite Pennants Builder Punch are both so versatile you've got to have them!  On this card I used the punch to make the trees plus our new Just Add Cake Designer Series Paper and card stock.  I could have stamped images from the Pennant Parade stamp set and punched them out, also.  The word Merry and the star are from the stamp set.

Here's the card I made (a little ink boo-boo!).  I hope to redo it a little and perhaps take it as a swap to the Stampin' Up! Convention…if I can just find enough time!

Pennants are IN so you better have some way to use them on your cards, scrapbook pages and projects!  Shop Online HERE.

I saw this little card in the Summer Mini Catalog on page 20 and decided to make it.  Mine is almost the same but not quite.  I must have made mine smaller than the one in the catalog because they have a larger piece of designer paper on the side; mine is just 3×3.  But it works!  I didn't emboss, just stamped, using markers to color in the three "Hello"s from the stamp set Happy Greetings, also in the Summer Mini.  The butterfly is stamped with the Flower Fest stamp set.  This stamp set first appeared in the Summer Mini but is also currently in the new Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog.  I also took my Paper Piercing Tool (a must have!) to punch the little holes indicating the flight of the butterfly.  And then I just added a Bitty Button and piece of Baker's Twine for an accent!

Have you placed your order yet from the new Stampin' Up! Catalog??

You can do it online by clicking HERE.

Every year Stampin' Up! designs a special stamp set to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities.  This year it is Turtle & Co., available in wood-mount or clear.  Stampin' Up! donates $3 for the sale of every set to RMHC.  You can have fun stamping and know that you are helping a worthy cause at the same time!

Click HERE to read more about how Stampin' Up! makes a difference and see some samples you can make with this stamp set!

Flower Fest, in the Stampin' Up! Summer Mini Catalog, is a fun stamp set to work with making cards, scrapbook pages or any rubber stamping project!  I didn't initially like it, but it is FUN!  I consulted my "Color Coach" to see what colors went well with Poppy Parade, one of the current In Colors that I haven't used much, and then I just stamped all over the card front!  You could also stamp in Versamark and then emboss with the beautiful new embossing colors also in the Summer Mini.  There are lots of ways you can have fun with this stamp set!  Be sure it is on your next order!

Last week for Last Chance Stampin' Up! products!!

Place your order HERE at my Stampin' Up! Online Store!