Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Our New Year's Resolutions




Here at SSINKspiration we are ready for 2014!  We took some time to jot down a few of our resolutions this year and we hope that you will read along and post some of yours in the comment section of this post!


Melissa Cochran ~ Crazy Paper Freak
Well, 2014 is coming at us at mach speed. I've said it before and I'll say it again, where does the time go? Along with the New Year comes the dreaded list of personal resolutions. Like everyone else, of course I'm going to promise myself to lose weight, but lets be real. I've been saying that for the past 15 years (or so). I really don't see myself giving up chocolate for sweat. Nope. So, I decided to come up with something fun. Why not make it craft-oriented? Like clean and organize. Or better yet, craft for a cause, teach a young one, learn a new technique, FINISH my projects and maybe gain some recognition. Now those are a few that I might be able to stick to! What are your resolutions? Are they boring? Or are they fun and exciting?



Breelin Renwick ~ Craft-somnia Momma
As we wrap up 2013 and look towards 2014, there are so many things I would like to do.  While I'm not big on making resolutions I do like to set goals.  While my biggest goal for 2014 is to set a new 1/2 marathon PR, I have crafting goals as well...the biggest one being making over my craft room/office.  In the past 2-1/2 years of being a SU! demo, I have accumulated quite a LOT of stuff and have filled my current crafting area to the max.  So, my "goal" is to kick my hubby out of my office and take over his office space :D  (Don't worry, we are working on his hunting room too, so he'll have his own space too!)  Another goal I have is to submit projects for the Artisan Design Team again...you'll never win if you don't keep trying, right?  Wishing you all a very Happy New Year and success in making your own resolutions or goals a success!


Jennifer Campbell Happy 2 Scrap 4 Life
My crafty resolution for 2014 is to find balance! Each year, I choose a word for the year!  This year, 2014, my word is "Balance." Throughout the year, I plan to find balance in my life.  How does this relate to my crafty resolution?  Well, I plan to balance my time spent on business versus fun in crafting!  I plan to balance the time spent cleaning and organizing with actually being crafty!  You will see me playing with my layouts of cards this year with the theme of balance.  I can't wait to hear what your resolution is! Follow my journey this year to find balance at my blog.  Happy New Year! 



Shellie Grindy ~ Craft Smashup
2013 has quite the adventurous year for my family. We had to move out of our rental and ended up living with family members for 8 months. Seems like most of my 2013 goals flew out the window when my life got turned all topsy-turvy. After a very long search (8 months) we are finally moving into our new home. The paint is still drying as this is being published :)

I have some new goals for 2014, both personal and creative.
Since I will once again have a large, roomy studio space, I have resolved to keep it much neater than in the past.Some clutter inspires me but too much just weighs me down and I'm tired of feeling weighed down :) Hopefully a cleaner space will inspire me to make a card or some other nifty things out of card stock everyday.

One of my other goals is to find a place in my new community to teach the public all about paper-crafting (and beading).


Cynthia Richards ~ Ink-A-Doodle Creations
It is so hard to believe that another year has come and gone.  I swear it was just June and I was planning in details about my first time to Stampin' Up! Convention!  Oh, what a fun time that was too!  One of the reasons I was able to go to convention, was that even though I consider myself to be more of a hobby demo, I knew I needed to work my business harder to allow myself to earn any and all extra money I could.  With that being said, I was able to go and enjoyed my experience with new found friend Breelin Renwick!!!  One of the top things on my goal list for the year is to pick something to budget and save for.  Rather it be a trip for myself/family or just trying to pay off that one credit card, I put my mind to it and get'r done.  I have three main goals for the year 2014 and they fit into the categories of finance, fitness and crafting.  First, is to save and pay off a credit card I have in two months time.  Second, train hard but SAFELY to run my 1/2 marathon in my goal time.  Third (best for last) is to at the beginning of each month make those birthday cards I need for family and friends and not either wait til the last minute and throw something together or just not do it at all!  I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year and no matter what your goals are, "Do Your Best" to achieve them!!


Darla Roberts ~ Stampin w Darla and Sisters
Wow its already time to think about resolutions for 2014! Personal resolutions is to get back into my routine of going to Curves for my workout 3 times a week! Last year was a rough year healthwise and kept me from being able to workout. I am determined to make sure I do this every week!

As far as my business resolution it would have to be learning how to use My Digital Studio software! I need to learn how to use it for my business so I can then teach to my customers! 






Pam Steckman ~ Stampin in the Sun

2014 is here!  Happy New Year!  First, I'd love to THANK YOU for following us and me!  Without you, our blogs wouldn't be here.  :)  I have a few resolutions, the first is to start making videos!  I do a lot of tutorials (and boy do I have some fun ones coming your way!) but I have been asked by several followers to make some videos!  My other resolution is to buy some more organizing tools - one of which will hold the marker, ink pad and reinkers all in one place.  I have some other personal goals, one of which is to streamline all of my activities and get healthy (eating and exercise)!  I know you have some resolutions and I would love to hear what they are... hop over to my blog and check out my post for today and maybe get win something FREE (hint-hint!!!).




Kathy Peck ~ Katrina P's Creative Corner

There are several things I want to do in 2014 as far as resolutions.  The first is to start making crafting videos.  My second resolution is to continue to stretch my imagination when it comes to my crafting.  My third resolution is to get my craft room organized (once and for all!!!!!).  My last resolution is to get back to walking an hour a day.  I did that for about 8 months last year and I felt like a million bucks (plus I lost some weight).  I feel like all of these things are definitely doable and I'm looking forward to accomplishing them in the new year.  Happy New Year everyone.







Tonya Ball ~ Stampin' With Tonya
I really can't believe 2014 will soon be here. I also like to set goals for myself and this year I have several Stamping goals that I hope I can stick too. The first is to get my spaces cleaned and organized. I have two stamping spaces and neither seems to stay clean ever. The second is to get rid of some of the retired items that I never use because it is retired. My kids used to use some of it but even they tend to grab the current product now too. I also need to get back into a regular stamping schedule and blog posting schedule. I was going great then I started a job and Christmas and I haven't stamped in weeks. This week while I have a few days off I am going to sit down update my calendar and get some projects made. I hope you have a great 2014 and that you will stop by and visit sometime. 


Kim Ryden ~ Stamping with Kim
A few years ago, I resolved to not buy a purse or a pen for the whole year...the whole year!  It was tough because I was addicted to both but I did it and it REALLY cured my desire to purchase those two items!  So this year I'm taking it to a crafty level!  My 2014 Resolution is...NOT Buying Any Designer Papers (other than Stampin' Up!'s new prints that I might need for my classes and clubs)!  I buy a ton (just go check out my blog today for pictures) of other papers and I just don't need any more!  I want it...but I don't need it!  It's kinda silly when you think about it.  Most of those papers are $1 each!  And I have hundreds of sheets just laying around!  I need to use them!  And so I will in 2014!
P.S. I will lose at least 25 pounds this year and not eat fried food at all!  Now I'm accountable to you all!


Heidi Boos ~ Stuck on Stampin'

Wrapping up another year...it's so hard to believe! 2013 has had some hard times, but it was also filled with many blessings and for that I am thankful. As I look ahead to 2014 I am excited for a New Year! My top 5 crafty resolutions for the coming year are... 1) to ENJOY the process of creating more than stressing out about it; 2) to use my *new* Cameo Silhouette in conjunction with Stampin' Up!'s My Digital Studio software program; 3) to keep my craft room organized weekly...which means picking at least one day a week to tidy it up! 4) to post items for sale on Etsy on a consistent basis; and 5) to keep a better calendar of events, blogging schedule, birthdays, etc. so I can stay ahead of creating and not do everything so last minute!



Kristy MacKeen ~ Mama's Sanity
I have to admit, I'm a little happy that 2013 is coming to an end.  This year has been a roller coaster of a year and I'm ready for that ride to be over.  I'm hoping 2014 will bring a little calmness to our house, though I have probably jinxed it now.  ;-)  I am setting some personal goals for 2014: 1) get back to hosting SU parties, which I haven't done since I moved.  They are so much fun, but I just haven't done it.  2) I am also going to strive to finish projects I start.  I was really eager to do some pocket style scrapping in 2013, but after getting a title page done, I never did another page.  That will not happen in 2014.  I look forward to sharing some of the pages with you.  3) And finally, and probably the most important, straighten up my scrapping area so I can actually work in my room, instead of on my dining room table.  This is going to be a huge project, and probably a lot of purging.  But I think it will help me with that goal of staying focused and finishing projects!  I hope everyone has a happy and healthy 2014!


Darcy Johnson ~ Dj's Stampin' Place
As I've spent the last five days of 2013 sicker than a dog, it's hard to look back on 2013 and think that anything positive came from it. But it did. I went from blogging once or twice a month in the spring, to blogging on a more regular basis towards the end of the year. Which included July-September when my computer crashed and I was blogging from my tablet. I made a lifestyle change in my eating and exercising habits in December that has made a positive impact in my life and attitude.
In 2014, I intend to continue this healthier lifestyle change; complete my yoga teacher training certification requirements; and complete the Dirty Girl Mud Run. 
My Stampin' Up! goals include: 1) Start holding monthly classes again. 2) Holding bi-monthly downline meetings. 3) Coordinating a quarterly stamp-a-stack with my downline. 4) Attend my first ever Convention in 10 years. 5) Add 1 downline member to my team. 6) Blogging on a regular basis with more written and video tutorials. 7) Challenging myself once a month to use a stamp set, paper, or embellishment that I haven't used in the last three months. This is a huge one for me, as I have a tendency to get stuck in a rut of finding a favorite and then using it on everything I make for the next month! These are just a few of my 2014 goals. Check out my personal blog to find them all. Inky light and inky love for a wonderful 2014!


Diana Eichfeld ~ Stampin' Fun with Diana
After a whirlwind 2013 it's nice to take a breath and think of all that has happened this past year and what goals I want to work on for 2014.  In my personal life 2013 saw me achieve my weight loss goal as well as several fitness goals including completing my first half marathon.  For 2014 I want to work on improving balance in my personal, fitness, and professional life so I can have some peace and calm.  I'm going to continue working on my running and maintaining my weight loss while taking time to stop and enjoy the little moments.  While I love crafting I found that in 2013 I spent a lot of time working on business projects so 2014 I want to increase my "fun" crafting which always brings me peace and fun!

For Stampin' Up, I want to 1) increase my customer base, 2) offer some different class types, and 3) I want to organize and purge my stamp studio so I can discover all my tools and stamps and currently own but don't enjoy as much as I would like.  I know that when things are unorganized I have a hard time focusing so I know that by working on this area it will help with several of my other goals.  Also, this last item isn't just restricted to my stamp studio, but can be improved upon in our whole house so I'm going to work on that.

I'm excited for the challenges and opportunities 2014 offer and can't wait to see where we end up this time next year.  I hope you enjoy the last moments of 2013 and are looking forward to a fabulous 2014!


Donna Smit ~ Organized Chaos  (and a handful of glitter!)
My 2014 resolutions are messy.....which is why my main focus is to organize!!!  I have a new craft space and need to separate my sewing, teaching, and SU stuff!   I am so hoping to start blogging more which will encourage me to use my craft space, which will encourage me to keep it organized!!  Hopefully I will grow my SU business by putting more product out there and letting more people see just how awesome sauce everything really is!  :)  Also:  I need to be more consistent.  Time to print out that schedule and stick to it!!





Jennifer Blomquist ~ Northwest Stamper

With 2013 barrelling through to the new year, this blog post was a perfect chance for me to sit back and actually take a break and reflect.  As I stop and look around my craft table littered with stamps and supplies from the new Stampin' Up! Occasions Catalog, I remember what I have a milk crate FULL of papers and kits from the Holiday and Annual Catalogs that haven't been touched in a month or more!  I tend to be pretty strategic in what I order and reasonably restrained in what I buy, but I still have a tendency to get overly excited about the "new" and neglect the "newly old" stuff in my craft room.  Then, as the retirement lists come out, I rediscover some hidden gems in my papers, accessories and stamps and get really sad that I've let them languish for do long.

So my resolution for 2014 is to actually USE and enjoy the supplies I have now.  That isn't to say that I won't get excited about, enjoy and share the new stuff (You can be sure I will!) but I'll be making a conscious effort to keep enjoying and sharing fun projects with the not-so-new as well.  There are a lots of great designs for all through the year and they deserve to be enjoyed as well, don't you think?



Erica Bass ~ Stamping Starlette
With 2014 just around the corner I find myself looking forward to the things in life I want to complete. In regards to my crafting life I have a few unfinished projects. I especially want to finish off the December Daily Albums I started for 2012 and just this last month. I also started organizing my stash this last summer and over the last four months my work area has become more and more disorganized. I look forward to finding better storage solutions for my supplies so they work better for me. As for my daily life there is going to be a lot of purging going on in the kid's rooms as well. My last goal is to be better about sending cards to family for their spec




We can't wait to INKspire you 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year!

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Monday, December 30, 2013

Lots of Love Greetings

 Good morning!  I hope you're still enjoying all your holiday festivities and are able to relax some more this week.  We're back safe and sound from our cruise and we had an amazing time but I'm so glad we still have a few more days until we have to get back into the school and work routine.  Since Christmas is over I decided to share some fun projects using the new projects in the Valentine's Special, A Whole Lotta Love!  These products are so fun and will really make it easy to create cute and fun cards, treats, etc. in a breeze.

The first project I have is a card and it uses the Love You More stamp set.  The cardbase is Pool Party and then I added a layer of Crumb Cake that was embossed with the new Decorative Dots Embossing Folder (this is one of the awesome new Sale-a-bration items you can earn for FREE in just a few weeks)l.  After embossing the cardstock I used a sponge dauber to lightly spread some Whisper White craft ink over the impressions to make them stand out.  Next I added a piece of Real Red Polka Dot Paper from the Polka Dot Parade Designer Series Paper along with some Pool Party Seam Binding Ribbon.

For the main stamped image, I used the Love You More stamp set in Chocolate Chip ink and colored in the heart with a Real Red Stampin' Write Marker.  This piece was cut out with the Big Shot and the Circle Collection Framelits and matted on Pool Party cardstock punched out with the 2 1/2" Circle Punch and then Chocolate Chip cardstock cut with the Windows Collection Framelits.

 For my second project I made a love note card, which is perfect for Valentine's day since it's a 3x3 card. This card has a Pear Pizzaz cardbase and I used the Stylish Stripes Embossing Folder to emboss on the Early Espresso Core'dinations cardstock and then sanded it.  For the scalloped square and square pieces I used tags out of the Pop 'n Place Gift Tags set (this set is great not just for Christmas).  The bird image is also from the Love You More Stamp set and I cut him out with Paper Snips and attached him with dimensionals.



I had to make a treat as well since it is Valentine's Day and the Sweetheart Treat bags are so cute.  The kit comes with the bags, Pool Party Baker's Twine, and the printed flags.  All I did was stamp the words from the Love you More stamp set in Basic Gray ink and added a heart cut out with the Small Heart Punch and the Silver Glimmer Paper.  These bags are pretty decent in size, I have three fun sized Hershey bars inside (what's Valentine's without chocolate?) and there's still plenty of room.

I hope I've given you some fun ideas to use the new Valentine's products and remember these products are only available while supplies last so don't wait!
Enjoy!

Diana

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Friday, December 27, 2013

Favorites Friday

Here are our favorite products.....

Kim Ryden
Favorite: Starburst Framelits Dies (NEW) and Starburst Sayings Stamp Set (NEW)


Darla Roberts
Stampin w Darla and Sisters
Favorites: Candy Dots and Scallop Tag Topper Punch (NEW)


Cynthia Richards
Ink-A-Doodle Creations
Favorite: Retro Fresh Washi Tape


Kristy MacKeen
Favorite: DSP Paper Stacks


Thanks for stopping by today to check out our favorite products!!!

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Thursday, December 26, 2013

Envelope Punch Board Treat Box

Hi! Darcy here from Dj's Stampin' Place. Thanks for joining me today! I hope you've had a wonderful holiday season and survived the hustle and the bustle. I've got a little treat for you today, that will work perfectly for New Years! As a special gift, I've created a photo tutorial for you.



This sturdy box can be filled with treats and used as a hostess gift for a New Years party you're attending. Perhaps you're leaving the kids at home with a sitter. Fill it with popcorn, candy and other movie treats for their own celebration!

Let's get down to the nitty gritty! (Remember you can click on the pictures for a larger view)



I love that Stampin' Up Designer Series Paper is double-sided. It really adds to projects like this where you will see the inside and outside. This DSP is a sneak peek of the Kaleidoscope package available in the upcoming Occasions Catalog. The sales period for this catalog begins January 3rd. 



1) Line the paper up at 1-1/2". Punch and score.
2) Rotate paper 90 degrees.
3) Line up second side at 3". Punch and score.
4) Rotate paper 90 degrees.
5) Line up third side at 1-1/2". Punch and score.
6) Rotate paper 90 degrees.
7) Line up last side at 3". Punch and score. 
***Note*** Be careful as you are scoring. You want to just score to the edge of the board. If you move down the score line too quickly, you can slip off the corner of the board and rip your paper; as you will see in later pictures. 



8) Flip the paper over.
9) Repeat steps 1-7. Your new score lines will meet your old score lines in the middle of the sheet.

This is what your paper should look like at this point:





10) Use the corner rounder on the corners of the wider sections. 
11) To make the box flaps, line each score mark up with the "tail" and score across the flap; as in the second picture.



12) Use your scissors to cut on the score marks on the wider sides. Only cut up to the score line in the middle that runs perpendicular to it. 



13) On the sides with the narrower section, trim off a large part of the section. Make sure to leave enough room on either side of the score line to make a flap. (This will make more sense in step 15.)

This is what your project should currently look like:




14) Fold along all of your score lines. It's really not necessary to use a bone folder; just a crisp crease with your finger will do. 
15) Apply Sticky Strip to each of the four flaps you created in step 13. This is what will hold your box together. 
16) Remove the red backing from the Sticky Strip on two flaps. Carefully line up the edges with the larger sides of the box. 

Here is a view after one side was glued together:



17) Repeat step 16 for the other two flaps with Sticky Strip on them. 


Your box is now assembled! The middle picture shows an inside view of my box. I tucked in the smaller two flaps. I decided to leave on flap standing up, and folded the front flap down and held it there with a glue dot.

You can embellish it however you choose.


Remember those triangle pieces I cut off the sides earlier? I punched two flowers with the Blossom Punch. I then stamped the "celebrate" greeting from Express Yourself in Basic Black ink on the pink side of one of those triangles. I punched it out with the Hexagon Punch. I layered everything together with some Stampin' Dimensionals to finish my box.

The box is sturdy enough that it will stand upright on its own, even with a package of microwave popcorn in it!

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial. I'd love to see how you use it to create your own treat boxes. If you would like to see a video tutorial, and how it can be turned into a bag, click here. This is where I got my inspiration for the the project.

Stop in tomorrow to see our designers' favorites on Favorites Friday!

~Darcy Johnson of Dj's Stampin' Place

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Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Merry Christmas

We just want to take a moment and wish all of you a very Merry Christmas!  Thank you for viewing our blog each and every week day!  We have had so much fun with our blog and can't wait to INKspire you to create in the New Year.

Merry Christmas from our Design Team to you!


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