Starter Kit Special

 Every now and then a deal comes through Stampin' Up that is so good I have to share it with everyone I know, and some that I don't know yet, too!  This month one of those deals is here.  First of all, have you seen the new catalog yet?  For those who haven't, here is what you are missing: 

It is my favorite catalog so far, and I love the multitude of amazing ideas and beautiful stamps and accessories that are in it.  You can see all of the products available, as well as special sales items in my online store anytime you want. 

Now, on to the special.  For the month of July only, Stampin' UP! is offering a mini starter kit with new products for only $99!  The kit contains two stamp sets, designer paper, ribbon, ink pads, cardstock, note cards, SNAIL, and a blender pen, as well as all the business supplies you need to get off and running.  If you have ever thought about making some money doing something you love, now is a great time to get started.  

Not only do you get the support that comes from Stampin' UP! in the form of the demo website, Stampin' Connection, and our monthly magazine, Stampin' Success, you also get training from me to help you set your goals and then reach them.  Whether you want to just have fun with your friends and earn some products for free, or if you want to supplement your family's income each month, Stampin' UP! has a way to meet your needs.   

Finally, when you sign up this month you will also receive additional products to make this gift box for free:  

This free gift includes a stamp set from the upcoming Holiday Mini Catalog, which will go live on September 1st.  The items in the free gift set total $40, so it really is a nice gift for you to receive! 

I have always enjoyed working with Stampin' UP!  It has met my needs throughout my five years, and I would love to answer any questions you may have about being a demonstrator and add you to our team.  The friendships that I have made over the past 6 years have been amazing, and it is so much fun to celebrate the successes of my team with them as they reach their goals.  If you would like to celebrate with us, just click here to go to my website.  You can read more about becoming a demonstrator, and if you are ready to have fun while earning money, you can click the "join now" link in the left column to get started. 

I hope to see you all soo, and until next time, Happy Stamping!

Kim

There's a new tab in town...

...and it is to the right of my "home" tab.

You may be asking yourself, "Why is that new tab there?", and the short and simple answer is: because I have stamps everywhere in my house. And, even worse, there are new stamps coming out on July 1st. And I need them. Wait, did I say that was worse? Sorry, my brain must have gotten foggy from the huge pile of retired stamps that I need to find new homes for!

So, I am selling some stamps. My stamps, that I have loved and enjoyed over the years. Now, don't get me wrong, I am still hoarding...er, keeping, some of my all time favorites for myself, but sometimes you have to thin out the herd a little bit. The great thing about this is you can get some fantastic deals on new stamps, while I get to feel good knowing that they are going to people who will love them and make beautiful things with them.

Here are the "rules" for you to go over before you click that new little tab:

1. No one, and I mean no one, is allowed to tell Little Miss that I am selling stamps. It is like this: she is more emotionally attached to these stamps than anyone you could ever imagine, and when I sort them out she hovers over my shoulder like a little moth. A little teary-eyed moth that knows how to emotionally control her mother with pleas of "Oh, not that one! That is my favorite!", and "I remember when we made a card together with that one. Don't you, mommy?" Every time something goes into the sell pile she just lets out a little pitiful sigh that would break the average person's will. It really is a sight to behold, but I want to keep the trauma to a minimum.

Seriously, she is either going to win an Academy Award one day or be the most formidable trial attorney in the country. She is that good.

2. If you live in town you are welcome to come look them over and pick up here, or I can bring them to you. Out-of-towners can email if you want any descriptions or pictures of sets before you commit, and I will get a quote on postage for you as well.

3. Lastly, there is no limit to the number of sets you can get. If anyone emails me and says, "I'll take them all" then I will do a happy dance all the way to your house to deliver the lot of them. Of course, I don't expect that to happen, but a girl can dream, right?

I will update the list as sets sell, and in the future will be posting more sets as well, so check the page often. If you have any questions please feel free to email me at baxter1@austin.rr.com and I will be happy to answer them for you.

OK, time for you to click that tab and see if there is anything you want to add to your collection today! Until next time, Happy Stamping!

Kim

Happy Together

You know, I have been spending a lot of time thinking about people. I am that person who is perfectly happy to go to a coffee shop or restaurant alone and just enjoy watching people around me. You can learn a lot just by taking the time to pause and be still.

My biggest issue when I try to do this is that my mind likes to insert a running dialogue, or make up some kind of back-story for the people that I am watching. Then, there are the times that I don't have to do that much, because their own story is remarkably public for everyone to know. For instance, when Little Miss was 4-years old (can that really have been 3 years ago?) we took her to Disney World. In August. Yeah, we were kind of crazy, I know, but it seemed like a great idea at the time.

Anyway, have you ever heard the saying, "Weddings and funerals can make in-laws become outlaws."? I would like to add that scorching hot Disney vacations can do that exact same thing. We always try to take the approach that when on vacation we have almost no structured itinerary. The husband and I understand each other's temperments enough to know that if we don't have a schedule, then we don't have a schedule that something can go wrong with, and that makes for a much happier group.

The poor family that we walked by on that fateful day obviously either didn't know that they had a "no schedule" option or they haven't taken many trips together, because they were in the middle of a meltdown. I don't know what transpired up to the point that we passed them, but we saw and heard a very passionate, "Oh YEAH?!? Well, everything was fine until YOU decided...".

Fill in whatever you want there:

"...to feed the kids ice cream before Space Mountain."

"...that we weren't going to pay $20 for a stroller."

"...to keep breathing air."

You get the picture. I honestly don't even remember if it was the mom or the dad that was launching this missile at the other, but I can tell you what I do remember. I remember that every time since then that the husband and I have perhaps wanted to lob a big verbal bomb at the other one of us will say, "Everything was fine until YOU decided," and then we both crack up with laughter. So thank you, hot and tired Disney family from three summers ago. I'm really sorry that at that moment things weren't going so well for you, but I truly appreciate that you gave me one of the best lines ever.

If I had your address, I would send you this card, in hopes that you are all ok and still happy together.

Stamp set: Happy Together

Cardstock: Poppy Parade, So Saffron, Whisper White

Ink: Poppy Parade, Jet Black

DSP: Build-a-Bear

Accessories: Scallop-edge punch

So, go be happy together with the people that you love, and even the ones that you don't. It will make your day better, I promise!

Until next time, Happy Stamping!

Kim

Already Missing You!

This past week we saw the end to another school year. Little Miss has successfully completed the 1st grade and is already looking forward to starting 2nd. And, while her last day of school was Wednesday, by Friday of that same week we were "playing school" because she misses her class. And her friends. And the playground, and art, and music, and her teacher, and pretty much everything about school, except for the getting up early in the morning. That, my friends, no one misses. I mean, just the other day she slept in all the way until 7:07. A.M.


Can you feel the sarcasm dripping from my cyber-voice yet? Those who know me know that I believe everyone should be up by the crack of noon. Give me a gorgeous sunset over a crack-of-cranky sunrise any day of the week and I am a happy camper. Or happy stamper, as the case may be!


In any case, it brings me to the next year-end ritual: the end of the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog. Time to give the retiring stamp list a good going over and remember all the great times we have had together. I have to say that I am happy to report I did not suffer any catastrophic losses in my sheer stamp volume, as has happened from time to time. (Anyone remember the Stampocalypse of a few years back?) Yeah, that one left me with six "current" sets in my repetoire.

This year, however, I am seeing some of my favorite sets go. Over the next few days I'll share with you some cards that I made to bid these stamp sets adieu. Today's entry into the "going, going, gone" category is this little cutie:

Stamp set: Great Friend

Paper: Pacific Point, Very Vanilla, Blueberry Crisp DSP

Ink: Not Quite Navy, Pacific Point

Accessories: Chantilly Crochet Trim, Pearls, Clear EP

This set, "Great Friend", has gotten lots of mileage from me over the time that I have had it. It is one of those go-to sets that calls to me whenever I am having a bad day. And, while it is retiring from this catalog at the end of the month, I am sure that it will live on at my house for quite some time yet. If you haven't added this one to your own collection, remember, you have until June 30th to fix that! After that, you will just have to look at all the pretty cards stampers around the world have made with it through tear-filled, angst-ridden eyes.


Don't let that happen to you! Friends don't let friends leave this little beauty behind. I hope you are enjoying some special stamping time very soon, and can't wait to come back with another soon to be leaving us sample tomorrow.


Until next time, Happy Stamping!


Kim

From Fun...

...to flu. Just like that!


Have you ever had a week like that? It has been more than a little crazy around here. I was preparing for several workshops this week and really needed some time to get everything pulled together. I had to keep Little Miss home from school on Monday, because she was recovering from strep throat, but Tuesday she seemed great and I happily carted her to school so that I could get everything done for a big workshop that night.


Then, the school called. But not just the school. The school nurse. "Well, that is never good," I thought to myself as I answered the phone, and I was right. When I got to school I saw my sweet little girl laying on one of the cots, looking like she had been hit by a truck. I went down to her classroom to gather her things and came back to retrieve her. The nurse took her temp one last time and told me, "Well, she isn't running a fever, that is good!".

And it was.


And then we got to the car, and the full extent of her flu reared its ugly head.

By the time we drove the one mile to our house, her temp was 103. The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to sponge baths and popsicles and a big nap (like 12 hours long) for my child, while my amazing and wonderful friend Janas came in to rescue me and sit with the little one so I could go to my workshop.


See, I laugh that when I have my schedule all planned out nice and neat for an entire week that something like this happens to help me "re-prioritize" as it were. I believe I have finally learned that to keep my family well I need to take a more fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants approach to everything. So, be warned, my days of preparedness are OVER! ;-)


All kidding aside, the one workshop I was able to do this week went really well, and I had a great time with everyone that was there. I'll even share another project from it:
















I love this Dreams du Jour set because of the great sayings in it, plus it has one of my favorite Stampin' Up butterflies as well. I have decided to take this saying to heart this year, and grow great with big dreams. Dreams of things like normal temperatures, and no calls from the school nurse, and no cedar trees in the entire state of Texas.

Hey, a girl can dream, right? Absolutely!

So, keep on dreaming, and I hope to see some of you soon. Until next time, everyone, Happy Stamping!


Kim