Proud to be a Stampin' Up Demonstrator

I've always been proud to represent such a fine company as Stampin' Up! and have been a Demonstrator for the past 4 months. I've been impressed by the integrity that the CEO and Co-founder, Shelli Gardner, has shown during my time with Stampin' Up! Late last week we learned that the General Manager of Australia, Dave Abbott, passed away from a rare blood disorder.

In Mr. Abbott's honour, Stampin' Up! has decided to donate 100% of the proceeds from the worldwide sale of the stamp set, All in the Family, during November to Mr. Abbott's wife and 3 children. I think this is an extraordinarily thoughtful, generous and meaningful tribute to Mr. Abbott and his family.

I'm going to be adding a bonus to this offer - if you purchase the All in the Family Stamp Set I will discount the Family Accessories stamp set by 20% as my thank you to those of you willing to participate in this worthwhile endeavour.

Here is part of the communication we received today from Stampin' Up! regarding Mr. Abbott and his many contributions to the development of the Australian office. It is obvious how well respected and loved he was by the Executive and staff of Stampin' Up!

Dave-the man who lived life with a sparkle in his eye and a schoolboy grin, and who saw life with such a positive perspective.

Dave Abbott, Stampin' Up!'s Australia general manager, passed away on Thursday, 18 October from hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare blood disease. Dave became ill in November 2006 and went through various treatments to fight the disease. Although he was in and out of the hospital, Dave remained keenly interested in building the company and involved with the demonstrators to the very end. Dave was a great friend and employee as well as a beloved manager and mentor.

Dave joined Stampin' Up! in October 2005, six months prior to our launch in Australia. His energetic, outgoing, and caring personality drew us to Dave as we searched for a general manager. Dave was instrumental in establishing the business in Australia and growing Stampin' Up! over the past year and a half.

In Dave's honour, we're setting up a fund to help his family through this difficult time. During the month of November, we're donating 100 percent of the proceeds from the 28-piece All in the Family stamp set in all our markets to directly benefit Dave's wife and three children.

Dave taught us so much, and he was a remarkable man. We miss him.

I hope you will contact your Demonstrator during November and purchase this adorable set knowing that not only will you get years of enjoyment out of using the images but that Dave's family will benefit from your generosity. If you do not have a demonstrator please me at tstraw@shaw.ca and I'd be happy to ship product to you anywhere in Canada.

Pretty Princess

So...I was back at it today. Making more cards for my mom. And by the way, Happy World Card Making Day! Check my blogs from yesterday...there's a great promo on right now in recognition of this great day.

Anyway, so today I worked on birthday cards for the little princesses in our life! For my first card of the day, I used Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, and Whisper White cardstock. I used Regal Rose and Pretty in Pink markers to colour in the wand. To jazz up the card, I used the Rhinestone brads and some ribbon originals - flirty!!! On the bottom of the card, I used my mat pack to pierce two layers and then did zig zags with my Regal Rose marker.

For my second card, I used Lavendar Lace, Pixie Pink, Certainly Celery, and Whisper White cardstock. I colourted in the birthday cake using Lavendar Lace, Pixie Pink, Certainly Celery, Yoyo Yellow, and Blush Blossom. I also used my crimper on the piece of Certainly Celery and used my White Gel pen to colour in some of flowers on the background stamp.

I have one more card to make with this set so I will post that creation as soon as I get it finished. Alright, I'm going to bed so I can get ready for the first of my two turkey dinners this weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Stampin'!!

Baby Cards

My boyfriend is away hunting for 10 days, my oldest daughter is staying with her Daddy for the weekend, my youngest daughter is sleeping soundly, and I am on a stamping spree this evening! I think I've made 7 or 8 cards today and tonight. And I've made 3 or 4 copies of each card. It's been a busy day! But I thought I would post my baby cards before I went to bed. Enjoy!!

My first card of the evening uses A New Little Someone. For paper, I used So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Apricot Appeal, and Whisper White. I used the new Basic Gray ink pad for the bunny and then coloured it in using Creamy Caramel, So Saffron, and Blush Blossom. I added some Certainly Celery buttons and finished it off with some Whisper White grosgrain ribbon.


And my second baby card, I thought I would dare to be different. I used the Cuddles and Tickles set. But for paper, I used Certainly Celery, Barely Banana, and Basic Black. Yes....I used black on a baby card!! But since this is supposed to be a unisex card, I really liked how it made the card pop. And then I used some Certainly Celery grosgrain ribbon to soften it up!

Alright, I'm going to bed. I have a workshop tomorrow evening so I may not have a chance to post anything tomorrow, but I'll post more as soon as I can!

Enjoy....Happy Thanksgiving....and Happy Stampin'

Limited Time Offer

Tomorrow is World Card Making day!

In celebration of World Card Making day, you may order any Simply Sent Kit for 20% off. This special offer will end on October 8th! So please do not hesitate to place your order with me. Email me at tstraw@shaw.ca to place your order today.

Happy Stampin'!!!


(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

More Cards....and a BIG thank-you

So....here are more cards that I've created for my Mom's Christmas card tin. She asked me to do some for masculine birthdays, and I I must say my creative juices come to a stand-still when I try to get inspired for masculine cards.

But I owe a big Thank You to my upline, Bev, who was gracious enough to lend me a ton of stamp sets so I could get these done!


This first card uses Balmy Breezes. The paper I used was Taken with Teal, Old Olive, and Apricot Appeal. I also used some pewter brads to embellish the card a little bit.






For this next card I used Set Sail. For paper I used Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Not Quite Navy, and Very Vanilla. Again, I used some pewter brads as I thought they were more masculine than silver!!!!


For my last card, I used In the Wild. For paper, I used More Mustard, Chocolate Chip, and Whisper White. And, I must be in a pewter mood as I used more pewter brads. I sponged the Whisper White card stock with Chocolate Chip. I used the Poppin' Pastels technique on this card. Unfortunately, the grey is too light to show up in the picture.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy my creations. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! My boyfriend is away for 10 days so I will be in stampin' heaven for the next week and a half!

Happy Stampin'!!

Holiday Glitz Promo

Make your holiday cards stand out this year with a little help from our Stampin' Up Holiday Glitz card kits. Each kit includes precut card stock and designer series paper, envelopes, rhinestone brads, ribbon, and a full-colour instruction sheet.

Best of all....there's no limit to how many kits you can buy. They're available as long as supplies last!

There are two ways to take advantage of this fantastic kit:
1) Purchase the Holiday Glitz card kit for $39.95 with no additional purchase required.

2) Purchase one of five qualifying holiday stamp sets and get the Holiday Glitz card kit for the special price of $34.95.

Qualifying Stamps sets are listed below:
Snowfall $32.95

The Snowflake Spot $28.95

Flocons piquetis $28.95

Big on Christmas $25.95

Love & Joy * $32.95
*Holiday Mini Collection 2007

Each Holiday Glitz card kit makes 15 cards and includes:
~ Precut card stock and Designer Series paper (15)
~ Whisper White Envelopes (15)
~ Rhinestone brads (15)
~ Real Red zigzag ribbon (15)
~ Full-colour instruction sheet (1)


This great promotion kicks off on October 1 while supplies last. Hurry and get yours! If you would like more information on this great promotion or to order, please contact me at tstraw@shaw.ca.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

For My Mom

So...my mom has asked me to make her an assortment of cards for Christmas!!! I wanted to share with you some of the cards I've come up with so far.


For the first two cards, I used the Wild About You set along with some of the new In Colour's. This card uses Wild Wasabi and Blue Bayou along with Bashful Blue and Very Vanilla. I also used some Wild Wasabi double-stitched ribbon.



For this card I used Soft Sky and Blue Bayou along with Bordering Blue, Gable Green, and Barely Banana. To add a little something to the card, I used the spiral punch on the background piece.



She also wanted some sympathy cards, although I hope she never needs to use them. The first card I used Elegant Eggplant along with River Rock and Very Vanilla. For accessories I used some Hodgepodge and white grosgrain ribbon.


For this card, I used Heartfelt Thanks. For paper, I used Mellow Moss with Chocolate Chop and Whisper White.



I hope you enjoy these. I will post more as I make them!

Happy Stampin'!