Hoard no More!

Happy Tuesday! Did you have a good weekend? Mine was fantastic...I was spoiled by my boys on Mother's Day, complete with breakfast in bed and tickets to the symphony to hear Beethoven's Ninth. It was just incredible...I was moved to tears by the power and beauty of that mammoth work! My hubby and I even got to go out for dinner afterwards...such a treat!

Can you believe it is already the 15th of the month? We're half-way through May, which makes this teacher VERY happy! Not long till summer vacation and more time to focus on stamping and my business. Since today is the 15th, it is time for another Stamping Symphony blog hop.

This month we are focusing on the Last Chance List. There are so many amazing products going away in just two short weeks we wanted to highlight them one last time before they're gone for good. Today My post is about USING all of the pretty paper you've been hoarding in your stash. You know, the stuff that's just too gorgeous to cut? These projects will knock your socks off and get you using that beautiful paper rather than hiding it in a cupboard. Now, before I show you the projects, let me say that this is NOT my design. This ingenius idea is from the perfectly fabulous Rhonda Wade, so I want to give full credit to her for this fabulous idea. You can see the video Rhonda made that showcases how to make these bags HERE.

Now, ready to be wowed? Check these out...

These gift bags use two sheets of matching DSP and are SUPER easy to make! The large ones use two 12" x 12" sheets and the small one uses two 6" x 6" sheets. The best part? Each bag has built-in card holder so the card attaches right to the front of the bag. No envelope required and no additional decoration needed on the bag. Here's a closer look at each one:

This one uses the stunning Sweet Soiree DSP. It's a great choice because it is specialty paper and is a heavier weight, making this bag super-sturdy. You get one bag and one card out of two sheets of DSP! These bags are huge and measure 6" x 8", so there's lots of room for gifts. Here's the card on it's own:

I used the coordinating Cake Soiree stamp set to stamp the label on this card. Thankfully that set is carrying over to the new book! Did I mention that this is a full-sized 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" card?

I figured that with Father's Day coming it would be a good idea to have some masculine bags on-hand. This one uses the True Gentleman DSP. Here is the coordinating card...

Sadly both the DSP, stamp set and corduroy trim are retiring at the end of the month. Those cute buttons will be in the new catty, though:)

Now, I don't know about you, but I have LOTS of 6" x 6" paper kicking around too, so I thought I would give this idea a try with the smaller sheets. It totally worked! I simply halved all of the dimensions! How cute is this little bag and card?

I used the Tutti Frutti DSP and coordinating Fruit Basket stamp set, both of which are retiring on the 31st. Check out this adorable card...

I have to admit, I'm a bit addicted to making these bags. I may even start using them to deliver smaller customer orders! They're such fun! If you have a DSP problem (and you know who you are!) give these bags a try...it will seriously change your life :)

Now, be sure to hop on over to the next blog to more Last Chance inspiration. There are some super-talented Stamping Symphony players;)

1. Leena (You are here)
2. Sandy
3. Barb
4. Jennifer
5. Steph

Now, don't panic at the length of this product list...remember that this is for three different bags ;)


Product List

Sweet Soirée Specialty Designer Series Paper [145564] $17.00	True Gentleman Designer Series Paper [145593] $14.50	Sweet Soirée Specialty Designer Series Paper [145564] $17.00	Tutti-Frutti 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [145606] $12.50
Cake Soirée Clear-Mount Stamp Set [145745] $46.00	Truly Tailored Clear-Mount Stamp Set [145735] $26.00	Fruit Basket Photopolymer Stamp Set [145833] $20.00	Rich Razzleberry 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [115316] $10.00
Old Olive 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100702] $10.00	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730] $11.25	Night Of Navy 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100867] $10.00	Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [101650] $11.25
Tranquil Tide 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [144246] $10.00	Flirty Flamingo Classic Stampin' Pad [141397] $8.50	Lemon Lime Twist Classic Stampin' Pad [144086] $8.50	Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad [126953] $8.50
Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad [126970] $8.50	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad [126949] $8.50	Pretty Label Punch [143715] $23.50	Everyday Label Punch [144668] $23.50
Classic Label Punch [141491] $23.50	Tailored Tag Punch [145667] $23.50	Big Shot [143263] $136.00	Sweet Cake Framelits Dies [145617] $44.00
Whisper White 1/4" (6.4 Mm) Organza Ribbon [145590] $8.00	Night Of Navy 3/8" (1 Cm) Corduroy Ribbon [145597] $10.75	True Gentleman Buttons [145596] $9.25

What. A. Weekend!

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend. Mine was simply FABULOUS!! I and more than a dozen of my Stamping Symphony team attend Stampin' Up!'s OnStage event in London, ON. We were there to kick of the official celebration of Stampin' Up!'s 30th Anniversary and for the reveal of the upcoming Annual Catalogue, which goes live June 1st. As if that weren't enough excitement, I also did a presentation at the event that showcased one of the new bundles. This was the first time I've done anything like this and I was SOOO excited! I managed to keep it a secret from my team until they announced my name to go on stage! I had so much fun presenting and just can't say enough about the Stampin' Up! staff who helped run the event. They were amazing and the whole thing ran like clockwork. These photos are screenshots of a video one of my downline shot of the TV screen...not the best photo quality, but I think you can tell it's me ;)

Now that the spoiler advisory has been lifted, I thought I would share a couple of the projects I designed for my presentation. The stamp set I was asked to showcase is called Varied Vases and the coordinating punch is the Vases Builder punch. The stamp set is Mary Fish's Million Dollar Achiever set and it perfectly reflects her clean and simple style. For the first two projects I showcased I tried to channel my "inner Mary" and design cards that were clean and modern with a pop of colour...

One of the best things about this set is that it features two-step-stamping images. So if you're in the mood for a little colour therapy you can colour the outline images using Blends, an aqua painter, watercolor pencils or blender pens. On this card I used an aqua painter and my ink pads.

 
If you're in a hurry, the solid image stamps add instant colour quickly and easily. Gotta love versatility! Here I used Lemon Lime Twist on the vase and Melon Mambo on the flowers.

I even gave the inside a little love on this one but forgot to show it on stage...

I think this bundle will be popular with stampers of all experience levels because it features both images and sentiments, making it a great value. There are so many things you can do with it...I'll show more of my OnStage projects over the coming weeks as we count down to the new catalogue.

In the meantime, be sure to check out the Retiring Products List, which just dropped today. While there are lots of beloved favourites on there, not the least of which are SEVENTEEN outgoing  colours as part of the Colour Revamp, the new products and colours are SPECTACULAR and will make you forget all about your beloved Always Artichoke ;)

You can view the lists as a PDF by clicking the images below or visit my webstore to see (and order) the items you just have to have before they're gone. Remember that all items with the exception of stamp sets are available only while supplies last, so don't wait too long to pick up that Always Artichoke reinker and extra packs of card stock!

Click to view retiring Occasions Catalogue products.

Click to view retiring Annual Catalogue products.