GulfcoastStamper

Birthday Boy!

Yesterday was a very special day.  My youngest son Christopher turned 18.  I am so very proud of the young man he has become but I do miss the days when we would work together on a project or a treat for his classmates.  This is one of my favorite pictures of him when he was in the first grade and we made Halloween treats for his class. 

How cute was he?  Well, those chubby cheeks are gone and he is taller than both of his older brothers now.  He is also a full time college student while still in High School (he will graduate in May), he works three part time jobs, and he still manages to volunteer in his spare time with a program that helps both physically and mentally challenged adults learn to water ski. So what do you get a kid like this?  Like any teenager he prefers money so he can get what he wants.  Here is the card I made him for his 18th Birthday:  

The front of the card is actually a gift card envelope that I stuffed with cash.  Who wouldn't  love that?  He has had his eye on a new cymbal for his drum kit for quite some time so I have the feeling his birthday money has been earmarked for that.  (yes, I am that mom who got her 10 year old a drum set!)

The sentiment is from the BYOP stamp set in the Occasions Catalog.  I thought it was the perfect saying for the occasion and Chris actually thought it was pretty funny.  I had to make the inside 18th Birthday worthy too:

Do you see the Night of Navy smudge over the 18th?  Yep, the "th" fell off my block just as I was about to stamp it.  I really didn't think Chris would notice but I would be wrong...he wanted to know if I'd had a little too much wine while stamping.  (I'd had none, thank you very much!) Smart-ass teenager! 

I hope you enjoyed today's card, I know my son did.  Well, actually, he enjoyed the contents more than the card made by mom but that's okay.  :) 

Thanks for stoppin' by! 

 

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New Items Added to the Clearance Rack!

Stampin' Up! has just added some AWESOME new items to the Clearance Rack!  Most are from the Holiday 2014 Catalog but all are a great deal!  There are several holiday stamp sets, Designer Series Papers and accessories, including some super deals on ribbon. 

You know these items are available only while supplies last so please hurry!  You can view all the new Clearance Rack items HERE.  Please remember to use Hostess Code SZ6KYKZJ when ordering online!  

Thanks for stoppin' by!

Bad News, Good News

The BAD news is that our best and most loved promotion of the year, Sale-a-Bration, is winding down.  The GOOD news is that you still have 11 days to get in on some awesome FREE Stampin' Up! products before they are gone forever! 

There has been a lot of confusion as Stampin' Up! has added new products to make up for the loss of our Blendability markers as a free Sale-a-Bration option.  I have broken down all of the current FREE options for you by category so you can see what is available and make it easier to choose your selections.  Remember, you can choose 1 FREE item of your choice with every $50 merchandise purchase.  Just click on any of the pictures below to be taken directly to my online store:

EXCLUSIVE LIMITED EDITION STAMP SETS

Available through March 31st only! 

All Others While Supplies Last!

The images with no preview are annual catalog items and can be found in the big book on the following pages (but you must use the special Sale-a-Bration item number below in order to add it as your free item:

Embossing Folders Pages 226-227

Tag a Bag Accessory Kit Page 201

Retro Fresh Washi Tape Page 190

Fast Fuse Page 204

Hand Held Punches Page 223

 

 

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Another Berry Basket & A Stamp Camp Sneak Peek

You all know how much I am loving my Berry Basket Die from the Occasions catalog.  I had created this project for my Stamp Camp this week and for once I was ahead of the game and already had all the project materials cut and ready to go. I even made a special trip to the $ store where I found the basket shred that is a spot-on color match to our Strawberry Slush card stock. 

As cute and awesome as this Spring/Easter/Mothers Day project is (if I do say so myself!) along comes fellow Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Brian King this week with an even awesomer (yes, that's a word) Easter project that made me change my plans. Although this one is geared specifically towards Easter (which is rapidly approaching on April 5th) it can easily be changed up to accommodate any holiday simply by switching out the paper and stamps...which is just one of the reasons we love stamping, right?  Fortunately, both projects take the same amount and the same size card stock to complete so changing gears this late in the game was easy.  Here is my shameless case from Brian and our new Friday night Stamp camp project:

How stinkin cute are these?  The only other thing I can say about them is I wish I had thought of it myself.  Brian did have a little help too though as the original basket/box/bag design came from Valerie Moody, another fellow Stampin' Up! Demo from the UK.  (you can find Valerie's video tutorial HERE)  I think that is one of the best things about being a Stampin' Up Demonstrator...that the creativity comes in so many forms and is generously shared from all over the world. 

I hope you enjoyed the collaborative efforts of me, Brian and Valerie today and thanks for stoppin' by!

 

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So Sad....

One of my favorite products this year has been Stampin' Up's fabulous alcohol based markers, Blendabilities.  Many of you (like me) already have the ENTIRE collection including the new sets from the Occasions Catalog. Many of you were just starting to collect the colors since they were available to you as a Sale-A-Bration item.

On February 27th, Stampin' Up! decided to turn off the order numbers for the entire line of markers after quality issues were discovered. From then until now, we waited... hoping for good news.

Unfortunately, the news isn't so good. 

It was just announced that the entire line of Blendabilities Markers is now discontinued. Not all markers are defective. In fact many are not, so the markers you have may be just fine. But the percent of those that were defective was growing, and Stampin' Up! realizes it's not in their best interest to offer products that do not meet their high quality standards. And the manufacturer is unable to correct the problem in a manner that would also provide us with a stable, long-term solution.

Hopefully, the following Q&A will answer any questions you may have regarding Blendabilities. If not, please feel free to contact either me or Stampin' Up! directly and I will answer your questions as best I can. Believe me, I am as disappointed as you are, but I am confident Stampin' Up! will find a permanent solution to the problem.  These markers are simply too awesome to throw in the towel. 

Q & A

Q: Will the Tuxedo Black Memento Pad (item #132708) and the Tuxedo Black Memento Pad Refill (item #133456) still be available for purchase?
A: Yes. These items will also be featured in this year’s annual catalog.

Q: What are the quality problems with this product?
A: When the tip is welded to the barrel, the welding process can leave microscopic (invisible) holes in the marker tip. This leads to accelerated evaporation of the alcohol in the ink.

Q: Are all Blendabilities markers defective?
A: No. Most Blendabilities markers work as intended. We ask that you use your best judgment to determine whether your product is in good condition or if you need a refund.

Q: Why did it take so long for Stampin’ Up! to discover this problem?
A: Over the months we’ve noticed quality issues with this product, but they were within normal tolerance. We’ve also received some great feedback and know that many of you have thoroughly enjoyed working with Blendabilities. However, when corrections and complaints became more and more frequent, we increased the sophistication of our quality testing. This led to discoveries that meant we had a serious problem with the product line. Although these are still great markers, our manufacturer is now reporting a 30 to 40 percent fail rate before they are shipped to Stampin’ Up!—which is unacceptable.

Q: If I selected Blendabilities as my Sale-A-Bration item and it is on backorder, do I have to choose another Sale-A-Bration item?
A: Yes. We have fourteen other Sale-A-Bration items from which to choose.

Q: Now that Blendabilities are no longer available as a Sale-A-Bration redemption item, will our remaining Sale-A-Bration items run out more quickly?
A: With Blendabilities no longer available as a Sale-A-Bration option, it is anticipated that the demand on other Sale-A-Bration items will be higher than forecasted. For that reason, all Sale-A-Bration items (with the exception of stamps) will now be “while supplies last.”

Q: What are the positives coming out of this?
A: We’ve learned that alcohol-based markers are very popular with our demonstrators and customers. Knowing that you’ve enjoyed all of the coloring options provided by alcohol-based markers helps us chart a course for finding a reliable product line that will truly meet the needs of our demonstrators and customers.

I purchased and received Blendabilities. They are defective. What do I do? Let your demonstrator know ASAP. The deadline for returns is currently June 15th.

The following products will no longer be unavailable:

Item Number	Product Name
133624	Wild Wasabi Stampin' Blendabilities
133626	Soft Sky Stampin' Blendabilities
133625	Pink Pirouette Stampin' Blendabilities
133623	Bermuda Bay Stampin' Blendabilities
131002	Wisteria Wonder Assortment Blendabilities
131005	Smoky Slate Assortment Blendabilities
129370	Skin Tone Assortment Blendabilities
131003	Rich Razzleberry Assortment Blendabilities
130997	Pumpkin Pie Assortment Blendabilities
130999	Old Olive Assortment Blendabilities
131001	Night of Navy Assortment Blendabilities
130994	Melon Mambo Assortment Blendabilities
130998	Daffodil Delight Assortment Blendabilities
131004	Crumb Cake Assortment Blendabilities
129369	Color Lifter Blendabilities
130995	Cherry Cobbler Assortment Blendabilities
130996	Calypso Coral Assortment Blendabilities
131000	Coastal Cabana Assortment Blendabilities
139922	Sale-A-Bration Calypso Coral Blendabilities
139923	Sale-A-Bration Coastal Cabana Blendabilities
139924	Sale-A-Bration Cherry Cobbler Blendabilities
139925	Sale-A-Bration Crumb Cake Blendabilities
139926	Sale-A-Bration Daffodil Delight Blendabilities
139927	Sale-A-Bration Melon Mambo Blendabilities
139928	Sale-A-Bration Night of Navy Blendabilities
139929	Sale-A-Bration Old Olive Blendabilities
139930	Sale-A-Bration Pumpkin Pie Blendabilities
139931	Sale-A-Bration Rich Razzleberry Blendabilities
139932	Sale-A-Bration Smoky Slate Blendabilities
139934	Sale-A-Bration Wisteria Wonder Blendabilities

A Happy Thing...Lemons!

As much as I LOVE Stampin' Up! I have to admit that every once in awhile I ask myself "what were they thinking'?  When the Sale-A-Bration brochure was revealed, one of the first sets everyone was oohing and aahing over was A Happy Thing.  I didn't get it.  I just could not imagine an occasion where I would want to send someone a card with a bunch of lemons on it.  (or limes, depending on how you see this stamp)   The lemons did nothing for me.  (and neither did that creepy little one-eyed bird but that's another story)  

I was out and about this weekend and stopped in Pier 1 to browse and get some ideas for Easter.  Look at the first display I saw when I walked in the door....Lemons!

Shows you how much I know, huh?  I have to admit that the these lemons made me happy.  I love the bright yellow and the yellow runner makes those lemons jump right off the plate.  I still think I prefer them on my plates rather than on the front of one of my cards but again, what do I know?  Even if  bright yellow lemons on card fronts don't necessarily make me as happy as bright yellow lemons on plates, FREE always makes me happy and that's what this stamp set is...FREE!  (with a $50 merchandise purchase from my online store during Sale-a-Bration)

At the very least, I hope I have provided you with a little inspiration today and the knowledge that inspiration can hit you anywhere at anytime...you just have to be aware of it.  BUT, in the event that you are still in need of some lemony inspiration, here is a video from Stampin' Up! featuring the A Happy Thing stamp set and a great technique:

 

So which do you prefer?

Lemons on Cards

OR

Lemons on Plates?

If you are not like me and are so inclined to stamp lemons, I would love to see what you have created with this stamp set and maybe you will succeed in changing  my mind! Thanks for stoppin' by!

 

 

Over the Rainbow Berry Basket

I am having so much fun with Stampin' Up's new Berry Basket Die.  This little basket is just the right size to fill with chocolates or note cards and surprise someone with a "Just Thinking of You" gift.  They also make beautiful Easter Baskets but more on that later.  Today I want to share my Over the Rainbow Berry Basket, just in time for St. Patty's Day! 

Do you recognize the image for the Pot of Gold?  I used the cauldron from my Tee Hee Hee Halloween set.  I heat embossed in black on black and cut out the image eliminating the feet and the handles.  The gold sequin "coins"  were left over from my Perpetual Calendar Kit. 

The rainbow was made using my Circle Framelits Dies and was super easy to do by just layering the various sizes of my dies.  I did use a base of Whisper White to give my rainbow some stability. 

 
      

        


I found the chocolate gold coins at Party City and also at World Market for those of you that have them in your area.  The little shamrock at the end of the rainbow was made with my Itty Bitty Heart Punch. 

More Berry Basket Die Projects to follow shortly and thanks for stoppin" by! 

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New Sale-a-Bration Items Added!

Stampin' Up! has added four BRAND NEW Sale-a-Bration items to our fantastic 2015 line-up!  From March 1st through the 31st you can choose one of these awesome new products for every $50 merchandise purchase (or you may still choose one of the special items in our Sale-a-Bration brochure)   Click on the picture above to be taken to my on-line store and get yours today and thanks for stoppin' by! 

 

 

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