VC_Rocks! August Blog Hop

Welcome to my blog!  If you've been hopping along, you should have arrived here from Stamping with Janice.  She's always got nice things to share!  If you just arrived here by chance and would like to see the entire hop, just keep going.  There is a link at the bottom of this post to get you to our next stop.  You can also start at the beginning at the VC_Rocks Blog.  (The blog hop starts on Saturday at 10 AM EST, so if you're here before then, be sure to come back to enjoy the whole hop).

Well, it's the last hop of the VC season, and the first one in which I can participate. I have had a busy, busy summer!  This week was no exception.  I lead a Harry Potter-themed week of summer camp at my school. We made these characters on Tuesday.  The camp kids got to make two of them, and they were quite a hit!

I know it's a bit of a stretch to fit in with this month's theme of Big Shot, Punches and Simply Scored, but I did use two of the three!  All the eyes on the four characters were punched with the circle from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack. Draco's eyes (bottom right) were then trimmed to look angry and menacing. Hermione's hair (bottom left) is, of course, the leftover frame from our ever-popular and versatile Top Note die for the Big Shot.

For those interested, I found pillows on Pinterest that looked like the boys, and immediately thought they'd be a cute papercraft for my summer camp.  The Hermione square is based on a card I also found on Pinterest.  You can find them on my "YAY HARRY POTTER!" board on Pinterest.  Yes, I do love Harry Potter!

The Gryffindor scarves are made with Cherry Cobbler and More Mustard.  Draco's Slytherin scarf is Wild Wasabi and Basic Gray.  Draco's hair is Whisper White sponged with So Saffron.  The base card is 4.25" square of Natural Ivory card stock. Contact me if you'd like more details.

I think I will frame the four of these together and hang them on my classroom wall! I'm going to frame a piece that says, "CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF.  HOUSE ELVES DON'T WORK HERE."  I already have three other Potter-themed posters framed and on the wall.  I will also make signs for my lightswitch that say "Lumos" and "Nox."  Hee hee!  It's going to be awesome.  But I digress.

Your next stop is Elizabeth's Stamp Room.  I can't wait to see what she's got for us!

Happy Stamping!
Shari

Holiday Catalog Party

By popular demand, I am hosting a Holiday Catalog Party! Very much like my annual New Catalog Party, we will make three projects using new stamps and products from our fabulous new Holiday Catalog. We'll also enjoy some fresh-baked cookies stamped with the Holiday Sweet Pressed Cookie stamps! It's time to get festive!!!

Like my annual Retirement Party, this will be a Mystery Hostess event. Earn tickets for being on time, bringing a friend, booking a workshop, and purchasing goodies. We'll divide up the Hostess Dollars between our winners. Everyone has a chance to win!

Join us on Friday, August 3rd at 7PM.  Email me ASAP to RSVP.

New Firm Foam Classic Ink Pads

Ladies, I have my first Firm Foam Classic Pad, and it's great!  I may just have to do some Color Clubs this year so we can all get the awesome new pads!  Once you try it, you'll want one in every color!

• The firm foam is nice and flat and will not become wavy.  (No dip in the center!)
• The firm foam material does not imprint on the stamp images like the felt pad sometimes did. However, because the firm foam material is a foam base material, the stamp image can momentarily leave an imprint on the pad, which can transfer to a second stamped image. By inking your stamp on different areas of the pad or waiting momentarily for the ink to rise back to the top, you can easily avoid this situation.
• The firm foam material is soft and has a nice bounce to it. It’s not hard like the felt is.
• The ink lay-down (how the ink is absorbed into the card stock) is even, not blotchy, and dries quickly. It has an increased opacity and stamps solid images beautifully.

Please note: Five ink colors have undergone formula changes to improve functionality and color stability with the new firm foam pads. These colors are

• Basic Black
• Basic Gray
• Marina Mist
• Perfect Plum
• Tempting Turquoise

All five colors of the reformulated inks have been fully tested and approved. While using the new ink formula in the old Stampin’ Pads is fine, we do not recommend using the old ink formula for these five colors in the new firm foam pads. Any refills purchased after April 30, 2012, will contain the new formulated ink.

Here are some FAQs:

Q: Why did we switch from felt pads to firm foam pads?
A: We have worked very hard to improve the functionality of our Classic Stampin’ Pads. The firm foam allows for better ink coverage; plus it stays juicer and lasts longer.

Q: Do old Classic Stampin’ Ink Refills work with the new firm foam pads?
A: Yes, with the exception of Basic Black, Basic Gray, Marina Mist, Perfect Plum, and Tempting Turquoise, which have been reformulated to work with the new foam pad material. We do not recommend using old ink refills in these colors with the new firm foam pads.

Q: Before I use my firm foam pad, do I need to tap it and massage the ink around?
A:  No. The firm foam pads are ready for use immediately. The best stamping technique with the firm foam pad is light tapping.

Q: Will Stampin’ Spots use the new firm foam pad?
A: No. Stampin’ Spots will remain the same.
Q: Can I use the reformulated ink with my Stampin’ Spots?
A: Yes.
Q: Can I use the reformulated ink with my Stampin’ Around Wheels?
A: Yes.

June 2012 Birthday Card Bonanza

Hello, Stampers!

This month I have two cards for you!  The first can be for Father's Day (shown), birthdays, anniversaries... whatever you need.

The second is obviously a graduation card - isn't the owl so cute?  This card can be made using different colors to match your favorite grad's school colors.  (Mom, I have dibs on this one for Zachary!).

We'll be stamping Friday, June 1st at 7PM.

Cards are $1 each, as always.  Just let me know how many you'd like to make.

Happy Stampin'
Shari

Mystery Hostess Retirement Party

Retirement Party May 4th at 7 PM

***Mystery Hostess***

I’m sure you have a few on your Wish List that will soon be gone. This will be one of your last chances to get these sets!  And WOW are we losing the accessories!  I can't wait to see what amazing new goodies we'll have in June!  Contact me to get a PDF of our Retirement Lists.

What is a Mystery Hostess Party, you ask?  Here’s how it works:  You come to my house for a fun night of stamping.  We’ll do three projects using stamp sets on the Retiring List.  After orders are complete, we’ll pass out tickets.

You will get one ticket for each of the following:

·         RSVP by May 2nd 

·         Being on time

·         Every $15 you spend in catalog merchandise

You will get TWO tickets for:

·         Booking a workshop (firm date) the night of the party for July, August, or September

·         Bringing a friend that I did not invite

You will get FIVE tickets for:

·         Booking a workshop (firm date) for July, August, or September when you RSVP

We will have at least two winners.  One person will win a Level 1, 2 or 3 Hostess Set, depending on the total.  Another person will win the Hostess Credits.  If the party goes over $500, we’ll split the Hostess Credits between two or more people.  Everyone has a chance to win!

May 4th is also Stampin’ at Shari’s Night, so if you’re still in a stamping mood, stay for a while.  It Cinco de Mayo night, too!  I will do my best to make some fresh salsa.  Bring your own margaritas!

Call or e-mail (by May 2nd!) if you plan to attend.

sharistamps@gmail.com

April Birthday Card Bonanza

Hello, Stampers!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter with your families.  I'm holding Stamp Night this Friday, April 13th at 7PM.

There are two cards again for you this month.  As always, you can change the greeting to suit your needs. Cards are $1 each including the envelope.  Let me  know how many of each you'd like to make.

I hope to see you on Friday night!

Shari

SUStars Blog Hop - My Digital Studio

Welcome to the last stop on the SUStars My Digital Studio blog hop. I'm sure you've seen lots of great ideas!  If you've been hopping along, you should have arrived from CJ Stamps.  If you started here, you can just continue the loop from the link at the bottom.


Did you know?  When you download MDS Express from your demonstrator's website, it's yours FREE for 30 days!  You'll get:

* Full access to the software at NO COST for 30 days.
* Full design functionality.
* Exclusive artwork that comes with My Digital Studio Express—that’s $50 worth of content!
* Opportunity to purchase additional downloads from designer templates to stamp brush sets--and everything in between.
* Access to our professional print services.

This is not a limited-time special, this is an on-going offer.

OK, on with the project.  Since we've been having unseasonably warm weather this winter, and especially with this week and next in the 70s (I'm in Michigan!  It's MARCH!) I did a wintery page for this hop.  My family went to the upper peninsula of Michigan last month to find some snow.  We had a great time.  

For this page, I used one of the Photo Only options.  The photo layout was already there for me.  I just had to drop in photos, choose colors and add accessories and words.  You can click on the picture to see it larger.

There are also Designer options, where the colors and accessories are already there.  All you have to do is drop in photos and add titles.  No time to scrap?  There's your solution!  Of course, there are also Design Your Own options, where you get a blank canvas to create to your heart's content.

If you already have MDS but don't know where to start, check out MyDigitalStudio.net.  There are tons of tips, ideas, video tutorials and more to help you on your way.

I hope you've been inspired by this month's hop.  If you'd like to start at the beginning, just click here.    We also have a bonus blog here.

Happy Hopping!

Shari