Stamp with Tracie

YouTube Sunday: Sizzix Pop-up photo cube

Here's a really cool project - makes a great gift for family and friends!

Want to order the supplies featured in the video? Visit my online store here or give me a call or send me an email today!

Thanks for stopping by,

Tracie

Just for kids and the kid in you!

As many of you may know, I have a five-year old who seems to be growing like a weed!  We've been marking her growth, for the past eleven months, on the frame of our basement door.  Recently, she spent several days with my parents and, on her return, we measured her and... she was an inch taller than when she left! 

Stampin Up! created a beautiful growth chart that it is offering for $33.95 - and they are including their applicator tool for free!

As well, if you spend $45 on stamp sets*from the Growing Up section of the 2009-2010
Idea Book & Catalogue (pages 74-90), and choose a FREE package of Designer buttons—
a $10.95 value!

Contact me today to place your order - you can even order online via my demonstrator's website, www.stampwithtracie.stampinup.net

Thanks,

Tracie

This is a great time to become a demonstrator...

Because, until August 31, you can become a demonstrator when you purchase the  mini starter kit:

Promotion Details: Become a demonstrator with the Mini Starter Kit for $105. This wonderful Mini Starter Kit contains the following products:

• For All You Do stamp set (Item # 115360)**
• All 6 In Color Stampin’ Pad**
• Whisper White card stock (8-1/2" x 11")**
• In Color assorted card stock (8-1/2" x 11")**

** All of these items may be substituted for items of equal or lesser value - see Mini Starter kit order form for more information

This Mini Starter Kit also gives you the business supplies - catalogues, order forms and more - to get started!

Want more? Then get the Standard Kit for $269.  Get the Standard Kit before August 31 and you'll also get all six of the new In Colour Classic Stampin' pads as well as one pack of the In Colour (8-1/2" x 11") assorted card stock - a $58 value for free!

Interested? Need an added incentive?
Join during August and I'll give you the Neutral Stampin markers as well as the new In Colour Stampin markers - an extra $42 for free!

HOW TO JOIN:  You can order either of these kits through my  demonstrator's website, here (the password is 070207), or call or email me and I'll help you walk through the process and answer any questions that you might have.

Simple and Easy Sunday: Embossing

Would you like to add some dimension to your next card? Simply and easily? Then do I have  a technique for you: embossing. 

Ingredients required:

• a stamp of your choice
• paper
• scratch paper (always useful!)
• Craft ink or Versamark ink
• Embossing powder
• A heat tool

How to:

• Take the scratch paper and fold in half.
• Ink the stamp using your choice of ink.
• On the paper of your choice, stamp the image.
• Sprinkle the embossing powder over the stamped image, ensuring that the excess powder falls onto the scratch paper.
• When you've covered the image, shake off the excess onto the scratch paper - pour the excess back into the container.
• Using the heat tool, heat the stamped image until you see the embossing powder melt and become liquid.
• Let the image cool... and voila!

 

Stamping with ... paint and more!

When it comes to stamping, you don't have to limit yourself to just ink.  Did you know that you can use paint - acrylic or watercolour - on your stamps to create a different look.

For a more hand-crafted look, simply pour a little acrylic paint onto a paper plate and dip the stamp into the paint lightly.  For a more tidy look - and a little more control - use a small paintbrush to apply a light coat of paint evenly to the stamp.

To use watercolour paints, simply apply a light touch of paint using the paintbrush method or use a watercololur crayon or pencil.  Want to add a special touch? After applying the watercolour to the stamp, use a small spritzer bottle filled with water and spray the stamp lightly and sparingly with water. 

You can also stamp with bleach using the paintbrush technique detailed above or, put on rubber gloves and pour a small amount of bleach into a shallow container.  Dip the stamp into the bleach and apply to coloured paper - the darker, richer colours work best - and don't forget to clean your stamps (see my blog post here).

Tomorrow: how to stamp and emboss

August is...

• American Adventure Month,
  
• Family Fun Month,
  
• National Picnic Month,
  
• Motorsports Awareness Month
  

And:

• The First Week of August is National Fraud Awareness Week
• The Second Week of August is National Smile Week
• The Third Week of August is National Friendship Week
• The Fourth Week of August is Minority Enterprise Development Week

Don't forget that:

• August 1 is Girlfriends Day
• August 8 is Sneak Some Zucchini on Your Neighbor's Porch Day
• August 10 is S'Mores Day
• August 19 is Stay at Home With Your Kids Day
• August 26 is National Dog Day
• August 30 is Slumber Party Night

It is also the start of the

promotion:

• Spend $45 on stamp sets from the Growing Up section of the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalogue (pages 74-90) and receive a FREE package of Designer buttons--a $10.95 value!
• Get the exclusive Décor Element Growth Chart for $33.95 and get a free applicator tool.

Contact me today to learn more about the Just for Kids Promotions!

Friday's Quick Tip: how-to clean and maintain your stamps

Purchasing stamps - from Stampin Up! or from any other retailer - is a major investment and a little care and love can make all the difference when it comes to rubber.

Are you finding that you have more dirty stamps than ink pads? Baby wipes can usually do the trick as long as you aren't working with a permanent ink like Staz-on.  The baby wipes contain a cleaner and lanolin which acts as a rubber conditioner for your stamps.

If you are serious about stamping, then I strongly recommend buying a Stampin Scrub and Stampin Mist.  For about $20, you'll have the best washer and dryer for stamps that money can buy.

If you are using Staz-on then you should invest in Staz-on cleaner.  Apply it directly to the stamp and then wipe the stamp with either a baby wipe or on the Stampin Scrub and it will be as good as new. 

It is also a good idea to condition stamps before you use them for the first time.  Use a white rubber eraser and rub it over the image and then clean it according to your preferred method, detailed above. 

New promotion for August and September

Starting August 1, Stampin Up! will be celebrating children with two new promotions:

Growth Chart Offer:
From August 1 to September 30 only, get this exclusive growth chart and a free applicator tool for $33.95

With the Taken with Teal birds, Old Olive foliage and Chocolate Chip tree and ruler increments, this is a great addition to any child's room.

Button, Button - who's got the button?
From August 1 to 31, spend $45 on stamps (Stampin' Around Wheels not included) from the Growing Up section of the catalogue (pages 74-90) and get a free package of designer buttons - a $10.95 value!

Rediscover the kid in you today - contact me to place your order

Deal of the week: Week 4

The benefits of being crafty

Over the last few weeks, in an effort to lead a less stressful life, I've been doing some reading on simple living. Making meals instead of buying them premade; buying produce at a local farmers' market instead of a big-box store; of turning off the television (harder to accomplish with a five-year old) or, at least cutting down the time spent watching commercial television. With several months to go before the holidays roll around again, I've even been starting to give some serious thought to the presents I'll be giving this Christmas season.

Given that I love making things, many of the gifts that I've been thinking about for my friends and family are handmade. There is nothing that I love more than giving people I love and care about gifts that I've made for them. Whether it be a baby gift for a cousin who is soon to have a little one of her own or my mom—what do you give a near-90 year old who has practically everything she could want and more—a handmade gift or a homemade food gift is more than likely on the list year as my workplace undergoes some serious transformation that may leave me temporarily without a job.

As many of us face these uncertain times, the thought of a second career or a part-time job may be in the cards for you. I know that as I look to the future, my Stampin Up! © demonstratorship is something that gives me a much needed creative outlet. I enjoy teaching and sharing my love of stamping with young and old – it's always fun to watch someone discover that they are creative! It is even more fun to watch a young child make something – the joy in finishing a project is universal!

From July 15 until August 30, Stampin Up! © is offering you the opportunity to become a demonstrator for only $105. This is a really great deal – even if you don't want to do Stampin Up! as a business. To sweeten the pot, so to speak, if you sign up with me during the promotion, I'll give you your choice of a stamp set worth up to $25.00 for FREE! You can sign up online – all you need is your social insurance number and a valid credit card – or we can fill out the paperwork in person. If you'd more information, including a video and information about the Stampin Up! career and incentive plan, visit my demonstrator website here.

The mini starter kit is a great value:

Item Code	Page #*	Description	Retail Value
115360	118	For All You Do stamp set	$38.95
115658	155	Rich Razzleberry Classic Stampin' Pad	$7.95
115656	155	Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad	$7.95
115659	155	Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad	$7.95
115654	155	Dusty Durango Classic Stampin' Pad	$7.95
115655	155	Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin' Pad	$7.95
115657	155	Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad	$7.95
100730	155	Whisper White card stock (8-1/2" x 11")	$9.95
115315	155	In Color assorted card stock (8-1/2" x 11")	$10.50

 

During the promotional period, the standard starter kit is still available — for $269 — and , there will also be a standard starter kit incentive for new recruits who choose the standard Starter Kit. Along with the standard Starter Kit supplies, they will also receive: (incentive items have a $58.20 value and are not substitutable)

• All six of the new In Color Classic Stampin' Pads

• One pack of In Color assorted card stock (8-1/2" x 11")

If you have questions or want more information about becoming a demonstrator, call me or send me an email and I'll be happy to help you decide whether or not being a Stampin Up! demonstrator is what you want to do.