Hosting a Stampin' Up! Party is EASY & FUN !

Here are a few helpful tips on making the decision to host a party

• It's all about fun! There is NO pressure, and NO stress!
• We can run a home party with as little as 3-5 guests but I recommend inviting more (there are always cancellations last minute)!
• Hostess Benefits start with $200 parties so it isn't very challenging to get to this threshold if you invite those that enjoy crafting and/or those that have expressed an interest in learning more about it! Ideal party size is 8-10 guests. Once your party sales hit $200, you're guarenteed a FREE Level 1 stamp set PLUS a minimum of $20 in FREE product!
• I'll bring you a free gift PLUS the NEW 2011 Idea Book & Catalogue, just for hosting the party!
  

I offer 2 basic concepts for home parties

1) An Intro Party - this type of party is free for all guests! I would demonstrate 3 simple, easy-to-duplicate projects and bring all of the supplies for guests to make 1 of the projects. All projects are pre-cut so no experience is necessary for this event. This type of party is perfect for those that have never seen/heard of Stampin' Up! before, but are up for learning something new, are crafting at heart, or are in need of a new hobby!

or

2) Stamp-A-Stack Party - this type of party is ideal for a group that have seen Stampin' Up! before and enjoy learning more about the current products and some new techniques! Guests attending this type of event would pay a small fee of just $5 to cover the cost of the supplies used at the event, and make 4 cards (2 of 2 different styles). I demonstrate the cards and provide all materials needed to make them. Class fee will be waived with a minimum order amount placed at the party.

I hope you'll consider hosting a fun girl's night in - email me anytime for more details or to reserve a date for your party this summer!!

Oh Where Oh Where Could That Retiring 'Accessory' List Be...

It's coming...

But its not posted yet this morning and I'll be heading out for work soon! I'll check the Stampin' Up! Website on my lunch today from work and if possible, post the list from there. Check back throughout the day to see what's going, going, gone!

Have a great day back to work/school everyone!

Santa Brought Me A New Camera!

And I'm loving it! Thought I would share just a few photos I've taken with it over the last couple of days... I've taken over 200 already since Christmas morning so this truly is just a few :o)

It's a Canon Rebel XS EOS and its amazing!

I have this feeling that scrapbooking will take on an entirely new meaning with better quality photos!

Another Perfect Party Card Sample & a HUGE Thank You!

This was another card I made at The Perfect Party event in Aylmer this past weekend! Wasn't sure about it at first (still not really sure about it actually) but it got a number of comments from the ladies stopping in at my table so I guess it can't be that bad :o) Funny how we are so critical of our own work or creations that other just love!

Anyhow - I wanted to take a moment to say a GREAT BIG THANK YOU to 2 of my fellow local demonstrators for lending me some display items on the weekend! My table would NOT have be possible without the help of Alesha Walls and Anne Granger! From the table cloths to the logo sign to Alesha's amazing display board - they really helped me out in a pinch! Hopefully I can return the favor someday :o) In the meantime, I'm working on some handmade projects just for their kindness... I'll share those AFTER I return their items so that I don't ruin the surprise!

Have a great night everyone!!

Nothing new today...

We had an emergency room visit with Evan on Monday night, resulting in a very very long & late night for everyone so last night was an eat dinner, clean up, get ready for Wed - then BED kinda night! I think we were all in bed for 9pm!!!

Be back soon with some new posts! There is some BIG news from Stampin' Up! to share, there are some class/club reminders to share and there is a HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT from myself & a fellow team member of mine (Rebecca) to share... stay turned!!

Thanks for checking in though...

I'm back from Algonquin!! And what a week it was!

Hello My Friends!!

My first post back will be of our trip - since I haven't had time to get fully caught up on my Stampin' Up! stuff just yet (we arrived home about 3 hrs ago :o)

BUT... I had plenty of R&R time, time to reflect, time to plan, no time to create but that's ok... I will hopefully get a chance to do that tonight after everyone goes to bed! Besides, my 'new product' order isn't expected to arrive until early next week so I'm anxiously awaiting Mr. Brown!!

For now, here are some pictures from our trip! We were fortunate enough to bring our 12 yr old nephew Jake with us this week to experience camping at its best - in Algonquin Park! Actually, this was our first trip that far North as well so much of this trip was new for everyone! It was really funny watching Jake's reactions to travelling with a 4 1/2 yr old but most of the time, they were just like brothers, bantering back n' forth! Lots of great memories to cherish from this trip!Here are some shots of the beautiful surroundings up North:

Canoeing from our camp site - Rock Lake:



We were on our way to a Beaver movie (yes, you read that correctly...)! Must husband has a thing for documentaries etc. so when he found out that the park offered various educational events like this - we had to go see one! As much as we all kinda grumbled when he told us of our agenda that night, the story of the Beaver was actually quite interesting!! Evan Jake said "that wasn't that bad"!! On the way to this Beaver movie, we noticed a bunch of cars pulled over on the side of the road along the Hwy 60... even though we are not from the area, we had a sense that this meant something so in true 'tourist' fashion, we pulled over to see what all the fuss was about and sure enough, the crowd was watching something!! A moose sighting!! Not just a moose, but a moose and her baby!! It was awesome!! We were some distance away but my camera on zoom managed to get a some half-decent photos!!


Myself, Jake and Evan at the Beaver movie!


One of the highlights was our hike on 'Lookout Cliff' - we took a few photos at the top of the cliff but this one was the best shot of the view perspective! The boys really liked the hike up with all of the twists & turns, but especially the rocks!


Don't worry Penny...they were safe :o)

Our favorite time to canoe was at dusk... we went out Wed & Thurs night around 7pm ish and returned just before darkness and it was so peaceful on the water! It was also a great time to capture the sunset from the water, overlooking our campsite!

Thanks for sharing some time with me tonight (and my family on our trip) - be back again very soon with my regular Stampin' Up! information!! Lots to share!!

SUPER HUGE SURPLUS SALE!

When: Saturday August 16th

Time: 8am-11am

Where: my place (contact me for address & directions)

What: I will have several tables full of retired Stampin' Up! products including stamp sets, both uncut/unmounted & gently used PLUS accessories such as Punches and Simply Scrappin' Kits! If you are a crafter, you won't want to miss out on this sale!

How does it work?

Surplus Tables:
All of my items will have prices on them, regular catalogue prices. You collect what you wish and I will total them up for you - YOU PAY NOTHING FOR THIS STUFF and you take it all home with you that day. I will then hand you a NEW '09 Fall Winter Idea Book & Catalogue and invite you to sit down, relax and go shopping in the new catalogue - using your credit total from the retired pile! So, for example, if you selected 3 stamp sets from the Surplus Pile and the total came to $80...you would pay nothing for the used sets and you would go shopping for at least $80 worth of new stamps & supplies in the Fall Winter Catalogue!! You pay full shipping & taxes on these orders. Getting FREE stamps & accessories has never been easier!

Cash & Carry Tables:
There will be many items available for cash & carry, including SU! and non-SU! products. There will be definitely be some Creative Memories products available for purchase!

Handmade Projects:
I have packaged up a number of class projects, handmade items, speciality bags, scrapbook pages, accessory shares etc. for purchase! Even if you don't create your own projects, you may want to swing by to purchase some extra cards/bags etc. for those special occasions that always seem to creep up on us!

I have been busy getting ready for this sale for weeks now and will definitely have some pictures to show you soon! My husband has taken the camera on a scuba diving trip so I've been without it all weekend! I never really realized how often I go to grab it for photo ops until its gone!!

Finally, if you are on my customer mailing list, you would have received your personal invitation for this sale a few weeks ago. Many of you have 'accepted' the invitation so I'm looking forward to seeing you Saturday AM! For my club members & previous hostesses - looking forward to seeing your cheery faces on Friday night (August 15th)!!

Have a great long - weekend everyone!

Decor Elements By Stampin' Up!

For those of you that receive my monthly Newsletter, you likely noticed the announcement that Stampin' Up! is now offering a NEW product line, specifically designed for Home Decor!

I'm so excited about this new product line and can't wait to see the full suite of vinyl wall decor we will have to choose from in the new Fall-Winter IB&C. For now, SU! has provided a sampling of choices available for purchase beginning July 1st!

SU! gave demos an opportunity to preorder some of these self-adhesives vinyl elements (which are easy to apply & remove) so that we could discover how easy & cost effective they can be to do our own home decorating! If you attend my classes, or play to attend one in the near future, you will be able to see my very first decor elements in person as I will be giving it a try this coming weekend in my craft room! I will share some before & after pics early next week!

I have about 15 decor elements sample brochures available now (more to come with the launch of the Fall-Winter IB&C) but if you are interested in one of these first 15 brochures, email me at lisaburns@rogers.com and I will arrange to get you one :o)

Have a great day everyone!

Hoping For The Best...

The past couple of weeks have been difficult for my family - I don't spend a lot of time sharing really personal information on my Blog but the few times I have, friends & frequent visitors (who are by association friends) have responded by emailing me with encouragement and kind words. I have truly appreciated that and so I share a project Evan & I made for my Step-Dad yesterday to help him cope (even if it is in just a little way) with a barrage of tests he'll endure today. When I asked Evan what he thought would help Grandpa stay positive & hopeful over the next little while, Evan replied "I think pictures would help him Mommy!" From the mouths of babes eh!!

So, we made Grandpa the Brag Book shown above and filled it with pics of him with his Grandkids, and silly pictures of Evan - and trust me...there were tons of silly pics to choose from!! We had my Mom & step Dad over for dinner last night and Evan gave him the book along with a big hug & kiss. Then promptly followed that up by saying "Now don't you have anything you'd like to say to me Grandpa ??" OMGosh, he's starting to repeat (motherly) sayings I use on him now!!! Too cute!

It is times like this when I remember what a handmade gesture can really do... and how much those precious little 'projects' really mean to those we give them to. Our handmade efforts will be combined with many prayers & good thoughts for a positive outlook for Marty!

Thanks for listening friends - have a great day today!

* Inspiration credit to Michelle Force - I used a card she made, with a similar layout to create this brag book - making a few small tweaks with the Designer Paper Used & some personalized info.

June BIRTHDAYs !!

This week I celebrated my 36th birthday... *sigh* Where does the time go? It was a quiet birthday with my DH on the afternoon shift and my Mom still not feeling 100%, we kept everything really low key, which is just fine by me!

Rod did surprise me with some flowers & a chocolate cake (my absolute fav) for when I returned home Tuesday night! Even though he wasn't here to enjoy it with us, Evan and I managed to make do :o)

Today, Evan is going to one of his little friend's birthday parties so he is very, very excited! Brett is this adorable, super talented little guy in Evan's class and plays on his soccer team. They also play T-Ball against one another so when I asked Evan whether he wanted to give Brett a soccer card or a baseball card - he chose baseball! Here's what Evan & I created together:

Brett's Birthday Card & Coordinating Envelope

Samples From Jenn's Home Party!

'Thanks' card is case'd from someone's blog - I cannot for the life of me find it now but I will continue looking so that I can give proper credit for her creativity!! The Father's Day card is a Lisa Burns original!

Not too long ago, I promised to share the samples we made at my friend Jenn's Stampin' Up! home party. I thought that while I do this, I would mention a few things about what its like to have a home party and what I do to make the event FUN and LIGHT for all guests!

First - don't be afraid of home parties! Somewhere along the line, they got a bad rap and I still hear ladies saying things like "I feel like I 'have' to buy something" or "what if no one shows up"! While both of these comments are very real concerns for some people, here's how I tend to respond...

Home parties are a way to 'expand' your knowledge of something, shop within the comfort of your own home, or for those that like to take their time making decisions... simply the opportunity to browse! Because SU! is a hobby, with the potential to buy products that will enhance your creative projects I ALWAYS start off my demonstrations with something like the following:

"Stamping is a hobby...for some it replaces watching TV. For others, it is a stress-releaser or reducer and for still others, it is simply a way to express a different side of themselves! But, like any hobby, stamping may not be for everyone OR you may enjoy it tonight but know that this isn't the right time in your life to pick up a new hobby... This is OK!"

The important message I try to instill in my Hostesses (and their guests) is to give home parties a try! Have FUN with them and assure your guests that they are under NO obligation to buy if stamping isn't something they want to do after the workshop or if the timing isn't right! I also address the 'What if no one comes' comment with reassuring Hostesses that you don't need (and often don't want) a HUGE group of ladies at each workshop. Often times, smaller groups allow more 1 on 1 attention and more time to answer guest questions etc.

I bet you will find that most home businesses have evolved so much that it would shock you! Many women are busier today than ever before so home parties are a viable & time efficient way to learn about & purchase things without having to step foot in a mall!

Personally, I LOVE the home party scene - heck, I buy my candles, bake/cookware, jewelry, cleaning supplies, make up, storage systems and home decor ALL FROM THE COMFORT OF MY OWN HOME!

Below you'll find an example of how I prepare for a home party and what you could expect from the projects at your party. 1) EVERYTHING is pre-cut for you and your guests. It isn't much fun watching someone measure & cut so I do all of that in advance so that you can learn the really good stuff! I'm always prepared to explain how I did measure or cut something in case someone wants to know :o) 2) I try to bring full pkgs of what I'm demo'ing so that guests can see (for example) all of the sheets you get in the Designer Paper pkg if that's what we are using!

A Mother's Day Sample & A Yummie Dinner!

So, I'm really, really late posting this Mother's Day card that my friend & awesomely creative team member sent me! I met Becca through SU! - she attended a home party of a friend of hers at which I was demonstrating, and signed up to be a Demonstrator pretty much from there! I'm so glad to have met Becca, who has such creative flair & talent! I was very touched that you thought of me for this card Becca - thank you! I love this sample because you can easily adapt it with another saying for a nice Spring/Summer card for ANY occasion!

You can view Becca's fabulous blog here ( http://stampendous.blogspot.com/ ) - sorry I used to be able to paste the URLs, then overtype but lately it won't let me do that and still have the link work properly??? If anyone knows why, please PLEASE leave me a comment and let me know why :o)

Finally - here's a pic of our dinner last night! My husband thinks I'm corny for taking shots like this but I don't really care :o) A friend from work (thanks JM) told me about a great deal on some beef, which we used to make kabobs and filets! We've never made our own kabobs before and it was tons of FUN with Evan! Not only that - they were so tasty! I'm hungry again just talking about them !!!

Be back tomorrow with a Father's Day sample! Have a great night everyone!

A Mother's Day To Remember!

Evan's handmade gift for Mommy from JK class!

Today, Mom's all over the world take a bit of a break and let their families 'appreciate' them!

This would be my 4th Mother's Day but I have to say...it definitely came with more meaning this year. As Evan gets older and begins to make his presents for me (instead of my DH), as he begins to learn about a 'day off' for Mommy, it becomes much more of a special day indeed! In addition to this, my Mom (who has been my ultimate hero for many, many years) was not well enough to celebrate with all of us so the day was ....let's just say ... bitter sweet. My Mom is on her way to recovering but WE MISSED HER today and that was definitely evident today!

I have such an appreciation for Mom's... so I hope that all Mom's out there got a chance to sit back, kick your feet up and do something that you love doing today!

I got to sleep in (which almost never happens and it was SOOOO NICE), then I was awakened with a gift from Evan. Evan actually came home from both daycare & school last week with handmade gifts so I kinda saw them in advance and thought that was what was behind his back but as he began talking about his gift, I realized it was something else!!

He said "Ok Mommy, I made you something really, really nice. I think you can take it to work and put in on your desk and it will make you think if me all of the time" Like I don't do that anyway ... but how cute is that!!

And here's what he made me (with some help from Rod):

A desk calendar with pictures of Evan from the months of May 2008 to December 2008. The backs of every picture have hand drawn pictures from Evan and "Love You Mommy" in his own writing... How true it is that handmade gifts hold far greater feeling & meaning that store bought gifts (in my opinion :o)

So, I thought I would share a few of the pictures the boys picked out & included in the calendar ...

I hope all of you Mom's out there enjoyed your day and that you continue to be appreciated long after this day ends! I'll be back tomorrow with some samples for an upcoming home party I'm doing this week! Can't wait!!

Preparing for Swaps

Some of you have asked about various demo swaps and exchanges so I thought I would post a prep picture of my WOW swaps for this weekend. Myself and lots of other Stampin' Up! demo's will be attending a Spring Fling event hosted by our very own upline Alicia Ryckman! Alicia has arranged to bring in Top U.S. demos as guest speakers so I'm sure it is going to be a fun-filled day!

One of the exciting things about events like these are swaps. Swaps are cards, card fronts, 3D items ...pretty much any project that has been defined as acceptable by the swap organizer. In my case, this is the very first WOW swap I've participated in so I'm not really sure what to expect but I'm excited nonetheless! What I do know for sure is that you can make any 3D project that provides that WOW FACTOR... anything but a card!

Here's my teaser...

I'll share the actual finished project early next week along with all the WOW swaps I get back! I'm hoping for some really FUN and FRESH class ideas from this swap!

Thanks for stopping by tonite!

Our weekend trip to Toronto!

Thank you to all of you that popped by over the weekend - even though I hadn't posted anything new :o) I was so busy trying to get ready for a weekend away that I forgot to mention that to you guys & gals! Well, we are back - and let me tell ya - not a moment too soon!

Now, let's prefice this blog entry with a few points...

For anyone with kids, or young nieces & nephews etc. you KNOW how challenging the younger years can be! Our little guy Evan (now 4 1/2 yrs) has been quite the... let's just say... 'handful' since about the age of 18mos. As a baby Evan was AMAZING! He slept & ate well, he had a calm & happy disposition - simply a joy to have as a first child!

Then 18 mos. hit and man o' man - my husband and I didn't know what hit us. It is soooo hard to explain to the average person but I believe there will be parents out there reading this that will know EXACTLY what I am talking about here. With only love intended, we truly thought our son had been kidnapped by aliens and replaced with the devil! Ok, I may be bordering on dramatic here but seriously, the last couple of years have been pretty trying for us all! Many parents will say to us 'Oh - that's just kids' to which I often reply (or wish I could reply) with 'Would you like to have him for 24hrs and then comment'!!!! My husband and I are very tolerant people, so what I'm describing here isn't the normal age appropriate behaviors and growing pains ...it goes much, much further than that!

So, with that background in mind - we were so excited to see some 'forward' progress over the last couple of months that we (I) decided to test the waters and book a weekend away for the 3 of us for my husbands bday! Nothing to major, just Friday to Sunday in Toronto without a heavy agenda. Up to this point, we would NOT even consider a trip like this (even if just for a weekend) because it was way to stressful and quite honestly a waste of money! The only trips we've taken in the last 3 yrs have been camping trips b/c we can more easily control those situations as needed with Evan and his 'unpredictability'~!

Well, the short story is ... I don't think he (we) were quite ready. Almost from the minute we picked Evan up at school to head to the train station (something we thought would completely capture his attention for a couple of hours) - he began to act up. This lasted the entire 2 1/2 hrs on the train and right through the night at the hotel room. After a good night sleep, we were hopeful that he would wake up refreshed and ready to go about our day! The outbursts & tantrums lasted right through Saturday - it even resulted in us leaving the 'Hockey Hall Of Fame', another place Evan has talked about going for a couple of weeks now! Some of you are going to be saying to yourselves... 'ahhh, he's probably just coming down with something and therefore not himself, or maybe he was over-tired or hungry'. Nope. None of these scenarios could explain this behavior! Believe me, I wish it were that easy!

We managed to get through the weekend and things did get a bit better Saturday evening and for our trip home (go figure - he started to settle into the travelling thing) but Rod and I are exhausted and kinda bummed. Everyone always says to travel with your kids while they are young - that they will hit an age when they don't 'want' to travel with their parents anymore but I don't think any of those parents have had a child like ours! So, this message is for all those parents out there that can relate to what I've posted here today - and I know there are some out there.

Someday, we will try the 'travelling' thing again, but for now - HOME & routine is the best place for our little guy and that makes Mommy & Daddy happier people too!

Thanks for stopping by - I will get back to some stamping (my happy place) soon, but for now - here are a few pictures I managed to get when things were going ok on our trip. I will definitely be scrapbooking these shots :o)

Waiting for the train ! Waiting for HHOF to open !

What a thrill ! Evan wasn't the only one making a wish :o)

Western Fair Spring Craft Show!

Hi There Ladies!

Thought I would share some pics from the Craft Show this past weekend - I was hoping to get more pictures of our table but we only had a 1/2 hr to set up and that seemed like 5 mins when all was said & done. Once the show started at 11am - it was pretty steady until the end but here are a few shots of Rebecca W and myself having FUN!

Here are a few of the cards I made up in pkgs to sell at the show.

I also made up a bunch of these 2,4,6,8 candy bags in 3 different pastel colors for Spring. The purple was the first to sell out. The other colors were Apricot Appeal and Pixie Pink!

Have a great night everyone! Thanks for stopping by!

Quick Sunday Post

I wish I had a sample to show you tonight - actually I do ...but I'm so tired that I don't think I can find the energy to get my camera out and take some shots, load it to my computer and design a post! Sad, I know, but I should be back tomorrow night with more energy!

I did want to extend a very WARM SPRING welcome to all of the lovely ladies ( & a few devoted husbands that were with their lovely wives) we met today at the Western Fair Craft Show! How cool is it to know that there are soooo many crafters of all kinds out there! It was amazing to meet so many ladies that already knew what Stampin' Up! was, and who appeared to be addicts just like us - lol! I couldn't help but notice the 'funny' looks from husbands that connected to the fact that we were (by association) suppliers to their wives' habit! Some might go so far as to say 'leaders of their cult'! We had a few good laughs with these dear men and they truly are GOOD SPORTs!

Rebecca and I took some pics of our booth and I created a few new things for this show which I plan to post this week. I hope everyone enjoyed their much-warmer weekend :o)

Western Fair Spring Craft Show! Sunday April 6, 2008

Rebecca W and I will be there! Hope to see some of you! If you do plan to attend the craft show, be sure to come by and see us as we will have something really, really special to give you if you reference seeing this announcement!! We'll announce our booth time closer to the date.

Here's what we plan to have at this show...

• handmade cards for sale


• 3D items for sale including candy bags, photo frames, card kits and much, much more!


• scrapbook pages for sale

Of course, we will also be promoting Stampin' Up! as a hobby & a business so we hope to have a Make n' Take area and a variety of class ideas to view!

There may just be prizes too... sshhhhh

Happy 35th Barry!

We attended a 35th 'almost' surprise birthday for our friend Barry last night! It was so nice to get out and do some adult socialization while Evan enjoyed some time with Grandma & Grandpa!

Thought I would share 3 pics today... First -Barry's Bday Card! What a great party last night!

The 2nd pics are non-stamping related but funny (I think :o) I found these awesome and 'oh-so-appropriate-for-a-preschool-boy' t's at Bonnie Toggs last weekend:


Finally, one more non-stamping relating funny... We had Grandma & Grandpa over last night to babysit Evan while we were celebrating with friends and when we got home, we got the usual recap of the night. As my Mom is telling me about the events of the night, she says:

"Oh yes, and I think I will need to get you a new one of these..." and she hands me this:



So, apparently she is able to leave her microwave cover in when its in use at home so she didn't bother to take ours out to make Evan popcorn for his movie!! While the microwave cover didn't make it... the popcorn was delicious (so they all said)!!

Well, I'm off to do some Easter shopping today and hopefully hit my craft room this afternoon & evening so I may be back with another post! See you then!

Thank You + MEGA Event + Take Out

Thank You to all of you that stopped in at the Used Stamp Sale at Fairmont Public School yesterday! We had a great time and there were plenty of good deals to be had so all around a smashing success! I will be sure to keep you posted with any upcoming Craft Garage Sales!

MEGA Event Update - thank you to everyone that has registered so far & congrats to those that managed to get in before the EarlyBird deadline on Friday! There are still tickets so if you would like to attend - or are thinking of attending but aren't quite sure yet - contact me as soon as possible! Karen (one of two lovely demos on my team coordinating this event with me) has sold out of her tickets so there may be an opportunity for her to scoop up some of my or Rebecca's tickets if not sold. If I know there are folks out there wanting to attend, I can hold onto a few :o)

Take Out Option - many of you expressed sincere regret for not being able to attend the MEGA event due to conflicts with the date, so I am VERY, VERY excited to be able to offer some MEGA TAKE OUT packages for those that are interested! The Take Out Pkg would include all 10 of the projects made for you, full instruction sheets for all projects in case you want to attempt them yourself in the future, a $30 product credit and gift from me to you! The cost for the Take Out kits will be the same as the MEGA event fee - $50*. Cash, Cheque or Credit Card** can be accepted.

*free shipping anywhere in London & most surrounding areas (ask for more details) - shipping outside of local area subject to additional shipping fees
*if paying by cc, pls ask for details

Take Out Pkgs are limited to the amount of supplies we have purchased for this event so ACT QUICKLY if you wish to purchase one!