Happy New Stampin’ Year!

It’s July, and that can only mean one thing... Stampin Up! has released their new catalog and the money is flying out of my wallet! The new book is just jammed with absolutely gorgeous new stamp sets, patterned papers, and sparkly accessories. Here’s a card with one of my new favorite sets, Baroque Motifs. Check out the rhinestone brad! This card also features two of the "In Colors" for 2007-08 — Wild Wasabi and Groovy Guava.

Stamping—That’s Why I’m Here

Almost forgot, this blog is supposed to be all about stamping, isn’t it? Thought I'd better share a card with you, since that’s why I invited y’all over! Yet another card with one of my favorite retiring sets, Natural Beauty. The focal point was created by watercoloring the stamped image, then coating it with 3-4 layers of Glassy Glaze embossing powder. I put it in the freezer for a little bit, removed it, then bent the cardstock to get that cracked glass effect.

If You Don't Have A Blog Yet…

…look at what you’re missing! So many fun things to play with (not to mention so much time to waste)! This little widget was just too cute and I couldn’t resist. Head on over and find out what your Visual DNA looks like. Just click on the “Get your own VisualDNA” link.

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Retiring List... Boo Hoo Hoo!

Well, the Stampin’ Up! retirement list for 2007 has been released, and the only word I can come up with for it is a bloodbath! They are getting rid of so many wonderful stamp sets. My only consolation is that the new catalog will be chock-full of wonderful NEW stuff. Here’s a sample from one of my favorite sets, Natural Beauty, set to retire at the end of June. This is a little Latch Card, made with Almost Amethyst, Mellow Moss, and Rose Red cardstock.

Silly BlogThing

There are so many silly, funny things to put in your blog... the best part is, they do all the HTML code for you, so you don't have to know anything about coding to add them to your blog! Blogthings has got some cute stuff, like this:

You Are 70% Normal

Otherwise known as the normal amount of normal You're like most people most of the time But you've got those quirks that make you endearing You're unique, yes... but not frighteningly so!

How Normal Are You?

I’ve always wanted to know how normal I am! Glad to know that I’m not frightening!

It’s Almost Retirement Time...

I can’t believe how fast the year is flying by — it’s time for the Stampin’ Up! retirement list to be released already! I feel like I just got the current catalog. Well, by tomorrow morning I should know which of my little babies will be missing from the next SU! catalog. (BTW, did I tell you all that they’ going to a semi-annual catalog system next year? More info will be coming your way, either in your mailboxes, if you’re on my mailing list, or at the Stampin’ Up! website, or here at jostamper.com.) Check back tomorrow, when I'll start featuring soon-to-retire stamp sets.

Catch Up Scrappin’

Does one ever get “caught up” on their scrapbooking? Time just keeps forging ahead, and so do all those memories that we want to capture in our scrapbooks. I’ve got boxes, drawers, envelopes, and photo albums bursting with pictures that need to be scrapped. Where do you start? I’ve read that you shouldn’t bother trying to scrapbook chronologically, you should just dive in wherever you are in life. It feels so random, but, hey, at least I’m getting something done! This layout jumped out at me from the May issue of Simple Scrapbooks; a page by one of my favorite scrapbook artists, the wonderful and inspiring Cathy Zielske. How do you choose just one photo to feature on a page? Well, you just dig in. I literally dug through one of my many junque (that just looks so much more meaningful than “junk,” doesn’t it?) drawers and pulled out this 5 x 7 of Niamh. It turned out to be a perfect fit with the layout.

This layout uses all Stampin’ Up! materials: Gable Green, Only Orange, Whisper White cardstock; Pixie Pink ink; Dots & Dashes Designer Series Papers; Polka Dots & Paisleys set; Rough Edges and Typeset alphabet stamps; On Board Accents chipboard slide frame; Bold Brights Eyelets; and the Write Me A Memory Vol. 1 font CD (Casual font). The journaling was printed on white cardstock, then Gable Green ink was rolled on using the sponge attachment for my brayer.