Fun New Projects with some FUN NEW PRODUCTS!!!

Like everyone else, I have been tightening up what I decide to purchase vs what I hold off on. When I saw the new mini catalog last month, all caution went to the wind and I was pretty bad (or good) depending how you look at it.

I purchased almost EVERY set in the new mini. Then I got the products in my hand and locked myself in the craft room for hours. Boy, I really feel like Stampin' Up has outdone themselves this time.

A girlfriend showed me how to make this box (i know there's a template online somewhere) and I just went to town! These cards are both simple and elegant. Easy to put together and I'm sure would be fun to receive.

This uses the new wagon full of fun stamp set, the polka dot background, versamark and basic grey ink.

For all of them, I used watercolor crayons and blender pens to color the images. I think I posted this before, but did you know that if you mix bashful blue and sage shadow, you get baja breeze??? This was awesome for coloring the images and getting them to exactly match the baja ribbon.

So ~ What's even better than cool new products?? How about a discount??

ALL Customers
Spend $40 on Occasions Mini Catalog products and choose any one item from the "Under $10" page in the Spring-Summer 2009 Idea Book & Catalog for free!!

ALL APRIL Hostesses
Hold a workshop of $150 or more and choose any one item from the "Under $10" page in the Spring-Summer 2009 Idea Book & Catalog for FREE in addition to your regular hostess benefits!!
If you would like to book your April stampin' up party with me, you can get a few friends together and have a lot of fun in the process. You may also qualify to get some of the coolest new products for free.

Mother's Day ~ Fifth Avenue Floral Class

Add a touch of elegance and class to your Mother’s Day gifts this year with this gorgeous Fifth Avenue Floral card set! The card set includes four trendy card designs packaged in a unique window box.

Join me for this class on Friday, April 24th at 6:30 pm.

Interested in providing this class for your customers? Just send me an email at e.selene@verizon.net

Kileaua Caldera

I thought it was pretty cool to be at the caldera of the volcano. The caldera is the part that you don't normally see because you're looking at a mountain with the top cut off. For this volcano, you can actually stand on the edge. it's huge, and after the last eruption, the inside of this one recedes.

Brian and I at the beach and a card share

Aloha from Hawaii. Aloha can mean hello and goodbye in Hawaian, but it is also a term that is used for sharing the love of the island. So "give me a little aloha baby". Did you know that when you mix a bashful blue watercolor crayon with a sage shadow one, you make BAJA Breeze? I colored on this ducky's bow with both colors and blended them with a blender pen. Easy peasy!

And a quick photo of Brian and I yesterday visiting a beach on the way to the volcano. This is Brian and I on one of Hawaii's black sand beaches! Thanks to Stampin' Up! for a vacation I will not forget.

Shopping in Kona Yesterday

I'm in Hawaii with Stampin Up! Can i just say they are so good to us. This is me clowning around shopping in Kona.

Today we're headed to the volcano. :)

ALOHA!

Bloggers Challenge ~ Think Spring

I knew that the bloggers challenge would be spring, and made this card as my swap for my team's monthly meeting. I'm really happy with this card even though it only took me about 20 minutes to make 12 of them! I started with my favorite background, the polka dot pattern on cameo coral paper.


I added a few random pieces of paper from the new dsp coming out in the mini catalog (starting april 1st). I stamped a butterfly, and put the top two layers on crooked ~ on purpose. I punched a hole with the slot punch and tied some ribbon on. I sponged the edges in cameo coral ink and my favorite part of this stamp set is the sentiment. You're a friend who makes good times great.


Sometimes, less is more and I'm really loving this card and my new goodies from the mini!


If you have a moment, please check out what the other blogger's challenge ladies are doing with the "think spring" theme.

A card for my baby girl ~ Kristina Werner Color challenge

Today was such a hard day. I'm leaving for the stampin up incentive trip for Hawaii on Saturday morning and my 4 year old daughter is NOT happy that mom and dad are leaving for a week. She started the day by completely shutting down, crying for about three hours, not hungry, not wanting to go outside and play with chalk... It was bad. It continued on all day.

I should be really excited and I'm just as torn up about it as Alexis is so I decided to make her a card. I picked out some butterflies and added LOTS of GLITTER. This card is So Alexis.

I love this color challenge because it is something i would have not chosen by myself, yet there are so many colors, I think miss Alexis will really love this when I give it to her in the morning.

Thanks for looking and if you think of it, please say a prayer for Alexis. (and one for me, that I can relax enough to have fun while I'm gone ~ I'll be worrying about my baby girl. (okay, she's a big girl now).

Blogger's challenge And Kristina Werner's color combo

It's so funny that in the back of my mind, I can't resist doing a Kristina Werner challenge. I had it all in my mind that i was going to skip it this week. Then while making my texture card for Bloggers challenge, I couldn't help myself to use the black white and grey challenge from Kristina! :)

I just love the taste of textiles paper. there is a shimmer and some lines, and this photo really doesnt do the finished product product justice.

I started with going grey ink on my texture plate, and I laid the very shimmery white on top. I ran it through the texture plate with the ink on it. It's very subtle and you can see it so much better in person.

The sentiment "A day to remember, a lifetime of love" is from the occasions mini and I just couldnt resist it. You can really see it in person, but in the photograph the shiney paper took over so you cant see the words. It's almost like a hologram type of paper. I love it. I imagine it on the front of a wedding invitation. I've been doing invitations for friends and family and think this will be just another creative outlet to branch into. I finished it off with the satin ribbon. I tied it around and made a bow (i never do that) When i was done with that, I had a girlfriend here (hi barbie!) who said... "that looks like a present. And off I went! Two great challenges combined together. I had fun with this one.

Bloggers challenge ~ Chocolate, sage and a neutral

Clean and simple. Back to the basics. This card was made using stampin up's designer series CARD STOCK, to the nines.

This went together in minutes! I cut a piece of 12 x 12 cardstock down to 4 1/4" x 11, then scored it at 5 1/2" I had a one inch piece left over that I used on the left hand side of the focal point. I stamped my tree from Forest Friends, a new stamp set that will be released in April, using sage shadow and chocolate markers. A little chocolate ribbon and one of the gorgeous "chit chat" rubons and this bad boy was done! I love that the DSP is the inside of my card and because it's sage shadow, you can still write on it. Why cover it up?? it's gorgeous! :)

Check out what my girlfriends from the bloggers challenge group are doing with this color set today. You wont be disappointed!

Selene Kempton

Occasions Mini Catalog Sneak Peek!

Looking to get a head start on your easter projects? Stampin' Up! is offering customers a special opportunity to pre-order select sets from the Occasions Mini Catalog NOW , which won't be released in full until April. Please contact me to get your Easter sets today!

Kristina Werner color challenge and Sketch challenge

I have been mulling over doing a card for a design team challenge for the late night stampers group. It seems like i would sit down to create a card and then see something that I had thought of doing come up, already done by someone else in the group!

I was thinking of doing a few different things, and then lo and behold, something siminlar to what I had in my head popped up in my email! I thought it would be cute with butterflies and Sale a Bration paper.. Well, Kristina Werner to the rescue! This color combination got me out of my mindset (having already seen something i was going to try, and done so much better! I had a blast with this one.

I started with a 1/2" strip of Designer series paper and added some sticky strip to it. Then I used my bead duo's to add some pink beads, like the cute girly dresses in the challenge photo. Next, I tied a ribbon around the half inch strip and stuck that to some pink pirouette designer series paper. I took that whole piece and mounted it to a 2" x 5 1/4" piece of cardstock.

I punched 3 squares and put them on the diagonal instead of on the "square" and added some of the beautifully knitted flowers from SU!. I'm so happy they are offering this type of item because I don't have a sewing/knitting bone in my body. My medium is most certainly paper! Well, after adding those I thought to myself that the center of those flowers could really use an embellishment and I started to look at my pretties kit. Then a simple solution hit me. I added a mini glue dot to the center of each flower and added some beads on top of that!

I really had fun with this challenge. Thanks for the inspiration!

Selene Kempton

Featured Artist ~ Alicia Menchi ~ Dye your SU albums

I was really excited when my friend and fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrator, Alicia called me the other day and said she wanted to color her natural colored SU! album to a chocolate brown color. Her friend is getting married and the colors are pink and brown. I'm so excited for her and to see how beautiful it turned out!

First, she mixed reinker 1 part, to 4 parts spring water and painted it on with a wide paint brush. She let it dry for a few days. She added some pretties, rubons, and some hardware using crystal effects to stick everything to the front cover. Isn't it gorgeous?? If you can, please leave a message for Alicia and let her know what you think of her creation. I hope you have time to stamp something fun today!

Selene Kempton

Easter Treats & Sweets Class

Easter just wouldn’t be the same without treats. In this month’s class you’ll learn how to make these two cards and three adorable treat boxes – two of which can be used either as card boxes OR as treat boxes!

Please Join Me on Friday March 13th, for this AWESOME class that is only $20~ Email me at e.selene@verizon.net to sign up!

Are you a demonstrator who would like to offer this class to your customers? Please just send me an email for more details.