Stampin' & Scrappin' with Donna

SEVEN HAPPY YEARS

... as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator! It's my 7th Anniversary, and I'm still having fun at my job! To show my appreciation to everyone who's supported me over the years, I'm running a four day special! Just call or email me to place your order between Thursday Oct 8th, 6pm and Monday Oct 12th, 6pm and choose your free item from the list below:

With any purchase $50 or more*, pick ONE of the following items FREE:

• Classic Stamp Pad
• Pack (24 sheets) single color card stock
• Clear envelopes
• Dazzling diamonds
• Dimensionals
• Stampin' Mist
• Stampin' Write Marker

With any purchase $100 or more*, pick ONE of the following items FREE:

• Gingham Ribbon
• Bone Folder
• Gold or Silver Brads
• Buttons
• Art Journal
• SNAIL
• Taffeta Ribbon
• Stampin' Around Standard Cartridge
• Standard Wheel

With any purchase $200 or more*, receive ALL of the following items:

• Minimum Level 1 Hostess Set
• Minimum $15 FREE merchandise
• Additional $10 FREE merchandise
• FREE catalog

* Before Tax and Shipping

PHOTOS FROM STAMPIN' PALOOZA

Did I mention that Stampin' Palooza (held in Toronto last weekend) was AMAZING!

I had a wonderful time, took lots of photos to upload here, and then realized that I didn't have to go to the trouble 'cause our hostess with the mostest, Caroline Lebel, had a professional photographer at the event - who took over 600 shots and uploaded them all for us to see!

Here's the link; enjoy!

(PS - the next Stampin' Palooza will be in Feb 2010 - Stampin' Up! demonstrators ... be there or be square!)

HOME FROM STAMPIN' PALOOZA!

I've just been to Toronto to attend the first ever Stampin' Palooza event  hosted by the one and only Caroline Lebel - and our guest speaker was none other than Linda Hansen of Salt Lake City - both ladies are very talented stampers, successful businesswomen, and a hoot to spend time with!

Honestly, I haven't laughed out loud (for real!) like this in longer than I can remember ... Linda's SPANX story ... OMG, here come the tears again!

These are just a few of the pics taken by my demo pal Ruth M - I have to recharge my own camera's battery before I can upload my shots - I wore the poor thing right out!

(TOP LEFT: OUTSIDE CARO'S STUDIO; TOP RIGHT: 185 STAMPERS AT PLAY; BOTTOM LEFT: FRIDAY DINNER @ MURPHY'S LAW PUB; BOTTOM RIGHT: LINDA HANSEN & MYSELF - thanks Ruth!)

By tomorrow I should have photos of all the display boards, etc uploaded to my facebook business page, so tune in then for the link ... right now I'm off to stamp the rest of the night away - I'm so pumped after this weekend's event that there's no way I'll sleep for hours yet.

Hope you're having a great weekend too!

Donna

GOOD FRIENDS ARE HARD TO PART WITH

I'm losing a really close friend ... well, not for a few more months ... but the point is that Julie's moving away and I'm not going to see her pop over every day like I'm used to doing. We stamp together, we borrow each other's stuff, and her son is like a grandson to my hubby & I (ok, maybe a nephew; I'm only 49!)

Julie is a talented stamper who hosts a colour challenge on her blog using Stampin' Up! colours - I've participated since day one but I almost missed the boat this time, even though she extended her deadline by another week (Just for me? I hope not!!!)

Anyway, even though the new colour challenge was posted today, I still have until 8 pm tonight to post my entry for the last one, so here goes (my record is still intact, thanks to Julie's patience!)

CHALLENGE:
Easy Breezy Kewl Colour Challenge #5

(Bashful Blue, certainly Celery, Basic Grey & Bermuda Bay)

SUPPLIES:

All four of the above listed inks & card stock, plus black gingham ribbon and black buttons, all from Stampin' Up!

STAMP SETS: Animal Stories (pg 88) & All Holidays (pg 43 - for the Happy Birthday phrase)

cheers,

Donna

IT'S GOOD TO BE HOME .. I THINK

Hello Stampers .. I missed you!!!

I'm just popping online to let you all know that hubby & I are home from our road trip vay-cay and that we had a wonderful time visiting family and taking photos of scenic Nova Scotia, New Brunswick & Quebec.

Canada sure is a beautiful place to live ... we get caught up in our daily grind and tend to take all that beauty for granted. It was great to leave everything at home for awhile and just go exploring!

Today: clean the bugs off the windshield; tackle the mountain of camping laundry; and pick up my mom from the airport - for some reason she preferred flying to driving with us .. go figure .. GRIN!

Tomorrow: it's back to the studio for some long-overdue stampin' and scrappin' - tune in on Monday to see!

cheers,
Donna

LAST ORDER HAS GONE IN ... NOW WHAT?

Whew, I've just submitted my last order of the 2008-2009 Stampin' Up! year - and what a year it's been!

A huge cyberspace thank you goes out to everyone who has encouraged & supported my blog, my business, and my creative endeavors over the last twelve months. You are my inspiration to continue, my muse, and most importantly, my friends.

Tomorrow will be another busy day .. the new 2009-2010 Stampin' Up! catalogue and business year both officially start tomorrow, July 1st, at 2 pm (Ontario time) when the new catty goes live online, the new promos will be up, and new changes to my business website will take effect....

... but until then, I'm in limbo; time to turn off the computer, put away my stamps for the night, and pick up a good book and a cool drink for the rest of the evening. Heck, I might even sleep in tomorrow!

Good night all, and Happy Canada Day tomorrow!

cheers
Donna

LOOK WHAT I DID LAST NIGHT...

I drove to London last night to take a class in colouring with Copics Markers at the Scrapping Great Deals store ... look at what we made! (I'm so proud!)

Copics are alcohol-based markers, so they're totally different from anything that Stampin' Up! sells - which means that I can't use Stazon ink or my Stampin' Write markers or even our card stock - I'd have to buy all new stuff :( 

Considering the extra expense, I probably won't get into this very much, but I did pick up a couple of Copic markers (OK, seven) and the proper black ink pad to stamp my SU images. <wink> It is pretty kewl how the inks blend to create shading, but it takes a LOT of practice - hours and hours! And there are HUNDREDS of Copic colours - I was feeling a little overwhelmed by the end of the evening.

Here's a close up of my best attempt last night - if you click on it you can see the shading from dark to light, especially on the pajamas .. go figure, my very first card turned out to be my best, although the others turned out OK.

It was VERY KEWL to meet Shelia and see her store - I've ordered a few Sizzix & Cuttlebug things from her online in the past, but to see her huge selection all in one place is truly amazing.  Here's a pic of Shelia, Kim & Jacqui .. two good friends who popped into the store to say hi 'cause I told them we'd be there - 'preciate it, girls!

And here's a pic of my buds Heather & Carole who took the class with me last night - you may remember that these two are the gals who walked across the stage with me at last year's Stampin' Up! convention, celebrating five years as a demonstrator with the company. 

Good friends, all ... and good times! THAT'S what hobbies are all about!

AND THE WINNER IS.....

First off, I'm sending huge stampin' hugs to every one of you who stopped by my Stampin' Up! booth this past weekend at the Guelph Lions Home & Leisure Show. It was great to see you and chat for a bit!

As you all know I'm always giving something away, <grin> and this weekend the prize was a "Forget-Me-Not Keeper" with 40 hand-stamped cards and "Whisper White" envelopes! Even the "non-crafty" folk who visited my booth liked this prize 'cause all the work is done for them, lol.

Which brings us to the winning ballot.......

CONGRATULATIONS TO ........... Jacqueline L. of Guelph!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jacqueline visited my booth on Sunday afternoon and chatted with two of my team-mates, Tania & Sandra. (I took Sunday off <sheepish grin> so I didn't get to meet our winner in person). Jacqueline - Tania will be contacting you soon to arrange delivery of your prize - ENJOY!!

cheers,
Donna