Stampin'Up!'s retiring product list is here...

Hi all!  Can you believe it's that time of year already? Stampin'Up!'s list of retiring products is here, so it is almost time to say goodbye to some favorites.  The good news is, you still have the chance to get them while they're still available! You can check out the full list here.  

There's also this week's Weekly Deals to share with you, too!

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Lots of awesome things on sale this week!  If you've been eying the tag punches, the Ornate Tag is an awesome one to add to your arsenal! I love me the framelits, so I would definitely recommend those to you as well. Be sure to check out if your faves are on sale!

Yesterday, I got this month's Paper Pumpkin in the mail! Woot woot! It's been so crazy busy for me though that I didn't even get a chance to open it, so I brought it to work so I could open it there. Do you want a spoiler alert?  Scroll down quickly if you don't want to see what this month's kit looks like! I personally can't wait to create these cute projects!

Being the Bruin that I am, I was very excited to see the blue and gold colors for this month's project, which is perfect for the upcoming Mother's Day and Father's day. I will definitely get good use of all these goodies!  I'll share some pics of the projects once I make a few of them! :)

Well dear friends, I'm going to say toodles for now. But, be on the lookout for a special giveaway soon!  I just passed a BIG milestone while I wasn't even looking.  Over 500K visits to my blog - woot woot woot!!!

There will be more pomp and circumstance for that post, so stay tuned!  Bye for now :)

Hey, Valentine!

Hello there! How are you, friends? Well, Valentine's Day is approaching fast, so I've got a couple of fun projects to share with you today.  The first project is the one above - it's an adorable triangle treat box that was shared with us at Leadership.  This was originally created by Sam Hammond Donald, aka Pootles, and the link to her awesome tutorial is here. I made 2 of these cute little boxes for my little man's teachers.  It makes for such a sweet Valentine with the Stacked with Love paper stack! Here's another look:

 

The next Valentine idea was a ton of fun to put together..primarily because I got to stamp with my son to create his Valentine's cards for his preschool class! I have to say it warmed my heart to see him stamp.  He was just too darn cute and he really did enjoy doing it!  

 

As you can see, he even got to use the Big Shot!  That was probably his favorite. He loved to turn the crank! Do you want to see the finished product? 

 

Aren't these cute?  I am such a big fan of the "Hey Valentine" stamp set! I used the fish image as well as the cute fox #1 Valentine image for the teacher tag. For the Valentine treats for his school friends, I filled them with these mini play packs that all come prepackaged with a small coloring book, 2 crayons, and a sticker.  I have to admit that I did color in the little fish on the cover, but I made it fuss free for the kiddos by stapling the Valentine to the front and just dropped in the play pack without  using any ribbon or string.

Well, my friends, hope you liked these! Would love to hear what you think!  I'll catch up with you all soon.  Have a great one!

Highlights from Stampin'Up! Leadership 2015

Hi all! Boy was this year's Stampin'Up! Leadership conference a whirlwind! I totally intended to blog onsite, but I had some technical difficulties with my computer (slow wi-fi) and also didn't get a chance to download and transfer all my pics from my camera and iPhone to my computer, that I'm just now getting around to doing it!  Pictured above is the roommate gift I made for my dear roomie, Norma. I used goodies from the Sale-a-bration and Occasions catalogs to decorate this cute mini printer tray. 

If you're on Instagram, you can check out my quick posts @stampdiehler as well, but I've put together some highlights for you here as well...

It's always exciting to get into the spirit of things upon arrival when you see Stampin'Up! on the convention center signs!

Here's this year's Leadership bag.  I love that it says "Best. Day.Ever." What a fun sentiment.  Makes you want to make the most of each day. :)

Here's a peek at one of many great ideas we got at leadership - this little envelope treat holds a cookie.  Now, how cute is this packaging! Between the classes we attended and the samples on display, I've become rejuvenated with a ton of projects that I can't wait to try out!

Oh, and of course, we got our fair share of giveaways. Here's lucky Louise with her prize patrol giveaway.  Have to say I was a teenie bit jealous for not winning this fun bundle!

We also got to play in the "Product Playground." Tons of fun.  They had the bouquet kit on display and while I had ordered the kit for myself, I hadn't put it together yet, so it was awesome to see first hand how simple it was to put the flowers together! I made the blue flower in the bottom right. Didn't that come out so pretty?!

The Paper Pumpkin area was a lot of fun. We got a sneak peek of the upcoming kits and they don't disappoint. You will definitely be delighted!  In case you're not familiar, Paper Pumpkin is a monthly subscription where you get a new craft project, complete with all the supplies needed, delivered to your door.  Sound appealing?  You can check out more info about Paper Pumpkin here. 

In typical Stampin'Up! style {thanks, SU!}, we had several all-group giveaways at Leadership, so no one gets left out! Here, Michelle and Norma proudly display the pack of the Birthday Bash DSP we received. How yummy is that!

Here's a look at the rest of us! Norma, me, Louise and Terry, among all the other demonstrators at the session. Fun times!

Thanks for popping by today! I'll be posting more fun ideas for Sale-a-bration and the Occasions catalog, so come and visit soon! Toodles for now!

Happy Birthday {Greeting}

Happy Monday, dear blog friends! Did you have a good weekend?  It was pretty chilly and drizzly here in Southern CA, so I was happy to have a mellow, quiet weekend to just relax, catch up a bit and hang out with my boys.

For today's share, I've got a birthday card I created last week for a dear friend, Sandy Hancock.  Her birthday was last Friday and I wanted to make her a special card, since she is such a Stampin'Up! inspiration for me.  I hope she liked it! It was so fun to make with goodies from the Sale-a-bration and Occasions catalogs.  I was also really excited to finally get to play with the Core'dination card stock, too. After embossing the Pool Party card stock with the Chevron Embossing folder, I sanded the paper  to bring out the white core and give it that weathered and faded look.  It's such a cool effect! Here's a look at the full card:

I used the See Ya Later stamp set from the Sale-a-bration catalog. It's a super cute set that comes with four clever sentiments.  And, how about the pretty Sweet Sorbet DSP? The colors and patterns are so happy and fresh - they're the perfect palette for spring.  Wait til you see them all.  You'll love it! I know I can't get enough. These colors really do put me in my happy place!  Last but not least, I added just a wee bit of embellishment with the sweet Petite Petals punch and a touch of twine.  Whaddaya think? Here's the card recipe for you.

Happy Birthday {Greeting}
Cardstock: Subtles Core'dination cardstock in Pool Party, Sweet Sorbet DSP {Sale-a-bration}
Stamp Set: See Ya Later {Sale-a-bration}
Inks: Calypso Coral Classic Ink Pad
Accessories: Chevron Embossing Folder, Banners Framelits, Deco Labels Framelits, Labels Framelits, Petite Petals Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes flower punch, Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Crisp Cantaloupe twine from the Sweet Sorbet Accessory Pack {Sale-a-bration}, sanding block

Hope you all have a great week! Thanks for coming by. I'm so glad you stopped in for a visit! :)

Gray Skies meet Polka Dot Parade

Hello and happy MLK day, blog friends!  I'm so excited to share today's card. I will shamelessly say that it's purely inspired by the cards of Jennifer Timko and Lisa Rhine. I just LOVE their creations and the sun and clouds on their cards that I had to create a card of my own!  Here's a look at my full card.

When have you every seen gray skies look so cheerful?  Aren't the clouds and sun so FUN?  I thought it was so clever to use the Word Bubble Framelits dies for the clouds.  They are just too cute!  And how about that background - do you recognize it? If you're wondering what that might be, it's a sneak peek from the Sale-a-bration catalog.  It's called Decorative Dots Embossing Folder -pretty aptly named, dontcha think? Plus, I really do love the sun in the Polka Dot Parade, too.  Dots, dots, everywhere! It just makes me smile.  Here's a look at the sun components:

I used the Banner Blast Punch {another sneak peek from Sale-a-bration!} for the rays, and the Starburst Framelits layered behind the 1 3/4" circle punch for the center of the sun. I used the Banner Framelits for the sentiment at the bottom and layered the same size frame lit with just a little peek-a-boo of the Polka Dot Parade DSP in Daffodil Delight. I am such a framelits addict! I love them all!  One last look of the full card..

Here's the recipe for you:

{Gray Skies meet Polka Dot Parade}
Cardstock: Smokey Slate, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Polka Dot Parade DSP
Inks: Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Word Bubbles Framelits {Occasions Catalog}, Starburst Framelits {Occasions Catalog}, Banner Framelits {Occasions Catalog}, Banner Blast Punch {Sale-a-bration sneak}, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Decorative Dots Embossing Folder {Sale-a-bration sneak}, Daffodil Delight Stitched Grosgrain ribbon, Designer Buttons, Linen Thread

Hope you like it.  Thanks for popping by today.  Have a great one!

A glimpse at Undefined

Hi all!  Are you curious about Stampin'Up!'s new Undefined card kit offering?  Sounds pretty broad, huh?  Well, that's because it really is WHATEVER you want it to be...or make it your very own to be! We got a preview of this at convention and am excited to try it!  Here's a quick look at this cool new kit where you can create your very own stamp from scratch!


I'm gonna give it a whirl this weekend and will definitely share my first creation with you soon!  In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this little peek!  :)