BIG SHOT BAGS!

Here are a couple of bags that I decorated with my Big Shot dies! The holiday bag uses the snowflake dies #2, and I just glued them onto the blue bag and then used the Top Note Bigz Die to make a topper for the bag. For the cookie bag I used the Top Note Bigz Die and cut the front of the bag only so it would have a sort of peek-a-boo window look to it. The flowers were made from the Birds & Blooms Sizzlits Die and DSP. These were lots of fun to make, super easy, and they are a great way to add a little something "extra" to your packaging.

TOP NOTE BIGZ DIE PHOTO CARD!

Every year at our family Christmas get together we get a visit from Santa, and, of course, we have to do family photos with him. For anyone who sends out a photo Christmas card, I thought this was a unique idea. I put a piece of white cardstock behind the photo and left one end open so that the recipient could take the photo out and keep it if they wanted to. I used the Top Note Bigz Die on the front of the card and then decorated it with the tree from Season of Joy stamp set and the words from Best Yet stamp set. I used the 1 1/4" circle punch; 1 3/8" circle punch; large oval punch and classic label punch to mount the words. I cut the classic label punch in the middle and then taped it to the back of the largest circle punch so that it would be "longer" than the original-punch was. I love using my punches to add lots of depth and texture to my cards.

BIG SHOT FRAME!

I picked up this frame at a dollar store a while ago, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to put it to good use! I sponged the frame (which was wood) with Chocolate Chip Classic ink. I used my Big Shot to cut the leaves (sold by SU! as Leaves #2) and the letters (Cuttlebug Red Tag Sale alphabet dies) from metal sheets that I purchased at a local scrapbook store! Hanna (my Big Shot) is having a wonderful time lately!

BIG SHOT PLAY TIME!

I put Hanna to work today cutting my circle cards for the holiday card class on Monday, and she did a beautiful job. Then she wanted to play! So these are a few of the things we came up with. The owl bag topper is made with the Top Note Biz Die and punches were used to make the face. The Halloween gift basket is made with the Basket & Blooms Bigz XL Die and Halloween DSP. The Criss-Cross card is made with the Pennant Bigz XL Die. The pillow box is made with the Pillow box die and some Halloween DSP that was also cut with the Pillow Box die. The gift bag we made with the Top Note Bigz Die and the flowers were from the Birds & Blooms Sizzlits Die. The flowers are actually made with fun foam. We had a wonderful day playing, and I am more in love with Hanna, the Big Shot than ever!

BIG SHOT SHOW OFF CANCELLED!

I am sad to say, but due to a low RSVP/sign up for the Big Shot Show Off day on Friday, September 19th, 2008, I am cancelling both the morning and evening get togethers for the Open House. I will be doing a quick demonstration with the Big Shot at the Punch Party Club get together on September 30th, 2008 so that at least the gals attending that event will get to see how awesome the Big Shot is.

PUNCH PARTY CLUB!

These are the four cards we'll be making at the Punch Party Club get together on September 30th, 2008. I love Stampin' Up! punches, so this is always a fun club to prepare for. I have seen tons of "Frankie" versions, and I couldn't resist trying one of my own. I think he'll make Halloween very fun! Anyone can attend Punch Party Club, and I do it from 10:00 a.m. to noon and from 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. You must place a minimum $25 order when you attend. Don't forget to RSVP!

5x THE HOLIDAY FUN!

These are the five cards on tap for the 5x The Holiday Fun class for September. You will make two of each of these five designs, for a total of 10 cards. Class is scheduled for Tuesday, September 22nd, 2008. The evening class is full, but I have added a morning class from 10:00 a.m. to noon, and I do have a few spaces left in that one. Class fee is $20 and is payable at the time of RSVP. This class always fills very quickly! I have scheduled two more 5x The Holiday Fun classes (one in October and one in November). Please check my calendar and be sure to sign up early so you don't miss out on the fun!

P.J. PARTY!!

One of my good friends and customers celebrated her birthday in the Rubber Room! We had a pizza and PJ Party last night, and it was tons of fun! We had pizza, salad and lots of chocolate! We also made a little pizza box and then made four cards to fill it with. There were two "virgin" stampers. Their excitement as they finished each card was catchy. Here's a picture of all of us holding our finished pizza box!

If you want to have a Party in the Rubber Room and share some stamping time with your friends, be sure to let me know. I would love to help you celebrate any event!

MY PLAY DATE UPDATE!

On Wednesday I always schedule play time with other Stampin' Up! demonstrators, and we always, always, always have a wonderful time. I love posting cards we make and sharing what we do each week. For the past few weeks we have all been receiving our first orders from the new catalog. We wanted a great way to share all of the new products and accessories with our customers, but didn't want to break the bank with our orders. SO, we split some product orders and combined a little bit of work each week with our play and put together some "samplers" that we could share with our customers. Below is what we came up with! It took lots more time than we had planned on (well, I'm not sure how much time everyone else planned on, but it was definitely way more time-consuming than I thought). BUT I love the finished product and LOVE even more that I now can share all the ribbons, DSPs, new Designer Brads, Designer Buttons, and lots more with my customers. Do you NEED to see some of the new accessories and/or DSPs up close and personal~~want to reach out and touch those delicous-looking ribbons? Well, set aside some time to visit the Rubber Room and check out these samplers in person. Take a look at my calendar and join some Rubber Room fun soon! I have lots of upcoming events. Until then, though, check out the posts below to see what we came up with.

PUNCH SAMPLER

This is the punch ring sampler. It's two tools in one! You have an actual punched out image on each piece of cardstock that is marked with the punch name, order number and price. You can put the punched image over any stamp in the catalog to check whether or not that stamp will fit inside the punch. This is an invaluable tool for my customers who want to be sure the stamp they're purchasing fits inside the punch they have (or that the stamp they have will fit into the punch they're purchasing). AND you have a dry-embossing template. There is a little "cover" that is a bit bigger than the actual punch page, so it sort of "protects" the punched pieces a little bit from wear and tear! As a special thank you to all the ladies who are hostesses in my Punch Party hostess club, you'll get one of these for FREE! Just a little gift from me.

DESIGNER SERIES PAPER SAMPLER

I put together a 12x12 photo album that holds a page dedicated to each of the Designer Series Papers! Now you can see a 3x3 square of each of the designs in each of the Designer Serioes Papers Stampin' Up! offers. These papers are so beautiful, and the catalog simply does not do them justice. I know my customers love seeing them up close and personal.

RIBBON SAMPLER

This is the ribbon sampler we made. Each type of ribbon has its own little bell and then we put all the bells on one key ring. I already love having all the ribbons for my customers to be able to see them and touch them and match them up with their papers, etc...

ACCESSORIES SAMPLER

This is the "Accessories Sampler" we made. We used the Top Notes Die Cut with our Big Shot and the heavy white backing sheets that come in a pack of DSP. Then we labeled each one with the accessory name and put the accessories on. Then we put a backing on it. All the cards were attached to a key ring for easy transportability and storage.

ONLINE ORDERING IS NOW AVAILABLE!

WOW, so many new, cool things are happening today! Stampin' Up! is now providing online ordering. You can order 24/7 from my Stampin' Up! website! Click on the pretty scallop circle on the right side of my blog (the one that has a Baja Breeze Circle Punch layered on a Pacific Blue Circle Punch and then layered onto a Tangerine Tango Scallop Punch) and it will take you to my Stampin' Up! website where you can browse projects, enjoy lots of creative art, get some awesome ideas, shop on line and place your order ANYTIME! To place an order, simply use the "Shop Now" link on the top left-hand corner of my home page.

In celebration of this new service here's a SPECIAL OFFER: Be the first to place an online order of $50 or more using my Stampin' Up! website, and I will send you a FREE punch sampler ring! This punch sampler ring contains all of the current Stampin' Up! punch images stamped out of a piece of cardstock. Not only does it give you a handy reference as to what stamps may or may not fit inside what punches, but you also have the punch shape, which can easily be used as a dry-emboss template. It's like two great tools on one pretty key ring. Go be the first one to place an online order for $50 or more, and enjoy this FREEBIE as a thank you from me!

GETTING PUNCHY THIS AFTERNOON!

I really got "punchy" over the weekend, but I'm sharing the result this afternoon. I love all the punch art I've seen at conventions, seminars and on the web, or received as swaps..... Since one of my favorite accessories from Stampin' Up! is their punches, I decided to put together a few "displays" for the Rubber Room. I have put together the "art/object" and then put the punches I used on a card with it. If you need an up-close look, make arrangements to visit the Rubber Room, and bring your camera along!

A NEW FACE FOR ME!!

Well, I am sure you have noticed the new look of my blog; and I hope you are as thrilled as I am with it! I feel younger, crisper, like I've shed a few extra pounds... in short, I LOVE the new blog layout and colors and organization... I feel like I've been on Oprah and experienced the whole makeover before and after show up close and in person!

I will share with you what I said to my "blog guru" (and dear friend). "Ronnie, I like the new In Colors, and I'd love to use them on my blog." Yep, that was the guidance I gave her to go on. I was absolutely, without a doubt, blown away when I saw my blog this morning!! I want to extend a giganto (that's huger than huge ;o) heart-felt thanks to Veronica McCollum for all of the hard work and creativity she put into giving my blog an update. She is truly a blogging guru. She very patiently teaches me how to add links and updates and pictures. I owe my blog to her and am so happy she's helped me fearlessly enter the computer world. I tried to give her my last-born in payment, but (big sigh here and almost tears) she turned me down.

HOWEVER, Veronica is not a one-woman blog producer, and she loves sharing her talents, so if you want your own cool spot on the internet check out Veronica HERE
(or use the link on the bottom of my left side bar) and view some of the other blogs she's created! I guarantee you will be impressed!

Perhaps my new look will encourage me to be a bit more regular in my posts??? Ooohh, wouldn't it be cool if I could now find more hours in my day? Anybody know someone who could help me out there? I believe: if you ask, you shall receive; so who has more hours for me???

I think I'll go take a picture and post it!

BIG SHOT SHOWS OFF!

Are you interested in the Big Shot, but you're not sure exactly what it can do? If that's the case, make plans to visit the Rubber Room as the BIG SHOT SHOWS OFF on Friday, September 19, 2008. I will share with you all the things I love about my BIG SHOT! There is so much you can do with this nifty little machine, and I can't wait to show you how cool it is! Join me on September 19th, and learn how the BIG SHOT works; see what materials it can die cut; how versatile it is; how it works with die cuts designed for different die-cutting systems and much, much more. You'll get some hands-on experience and be able to do a little make and take with a BIG SHOT die that you made yourself! There is no charge to attend, and you can come from 10:00 a.m. to Noon or from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Please RSVP so I will have enough of the appropriate materials for the BIG SHOT to put on a good show! She wants to be sure everyone goes home duly impressed with her abilities and happy they took the time to stop by and admire her!

Yep, my BIG SHOT is a "she". I have named her Hanna, and I'm certain when you visit the Rubber Room, this blog, my website or receive my upcoming Newsletters that you will often hear her lovingly referred to. When I was growing up, I always liked being helpful (helped with the dishes, cooking, cleaning, laundry, homework, etc....), and my dad would often refer to me as "Helpful Hanna". Although Hanna is very helpful, I have shortened my dad's endearing term for me and decided to just call her Hanna. Okay, that's your little history lesson and peak into my past.

BIG SHOT SPECIALS!

PURCHASE THE BIG SHOT!
And Earn FREE PRODUCT*

There is no better way to build your Sizzix BIG SHOT collection than by taking advantage of FREE products~~so don’t delay, order your BIG SHOT today and pick the special you want!

You can order the BIG SHOT three different ways, so I thought offering three different specials would be an awesome idea!

Purchase the BIG SHOT for only $99.95, AND you can pick one of the following Sizzlits Dies for FREE: Buttons #5, Daisy Flower, Pumpkin, Pumpkin Faces, Swirls Scribbles or Sparkle.

Purchase the the BIG SHOT SPECIAL EDITION STARTER KIT for $195, AND you can pick one of the following Originals Dies for FREE: Flower Layers, Leaves #2, Snowflake #2 or Stars #2

Purchase the BIG SHOT SPECIAL EDITION STARTER KIT with the STORAGE/TRANSPORTING BAG for $259.95, AND you can pick one of the following Sizzlits Dies for FREE: Build a Flower Set #2, Spring Flowers Set, Hearts Set or Snowflakes Set #2 OR one of the following Sizzlits Decorative Strip dies for FREE: Naturally Serif, Flowers, Loopy Flowers or Swirly.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!!
Purchase the BIG SHOT SPECIAL EDITION STARTER KIT, and also receive a Level One hostess set of your choice AND $15 in FREE merchandise**

Purchase the BIG SHOT SPECIAL EDITION STARTER KIT and the STORAGE/TRANSPORTING BAG, and also receive a Level One hostess set of your choice AND $20 in FREE merchandise**

*This promotion is not offered by Stampin’ Up! and is only available through Chris Kolly, Independant Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator*

**In order to receive the Level One hostess set and additional FREE merchandise, you cannot purchase your BIG SHOT as part of a minimum hostess club purchase requirement**

This offer is valid now through September 30th.

CLICK HERE and view all the available BIG SHOT products.

TECHNIQUE TUESDAY!

These are the cards we'll be making on Technique Tuesday in September. They include: Faux Dry Embossing; Faux Silk; Rolling Marble Background; and Watercolor Crayon Mist. I have some customers who have "suggested" they would like to have instructions for techniques we've done in the past. Therefore, we are going to be periodically "revisiting" old techniques and providing instructions for your easy referral to instructions on your handy-dandy instruction/sample key ring.

Please check out my calendar (thre's a link on your left) to see all the great classes and events happening in the Rubber Room. Don't forget to RSVP and join the fun!