I'm still here...

...I've just been very busy with the holidays. I definitely plan on posting more projects in the new year so please check back! Thank you for your patience and I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

Here is the current Stampin' Up! special...

December 17–January 24, get a FREE package of Bitty Buttons when you purchase a Filled with Love Bundle, including the Filled with Love Stamp Set and exclusive Love Patterns Designer Series Paper Pack—only available through this special promotion!

CLICK HERE TODAY TO ORDER YOUR BUNDLE AND GET FILLED WITH LOVE—AND BITTY BUTTONS!


See you next year!
~Enjoy!

Online Spectacular - Save up to 50%!

Dates: November 22-30, 2010

Details: For nine days only—November 22-30—get FREE SHIPPING on orders over $150! Plus you can save up to 50 percent off select Stampin’ Up!^® products—including My Digital Studio software and Designer Fabric!

Things to Remember
Discounted Products

• Discounted products (except My Digital Downloads) are available on all order types (customer, workshop, and online).
• Discounted digital downloads are only available on online order types.
• There is no minimum purchase required to participate in the discounted products promotion.
• For product bundles, you must use the bundle item numbers provided. Bundle discounts will not be applied if individual item numbers are used.
• Additional products from current catalogs may be purchased on the same order.
• Discounts range between 20 and 50 percent.

Free Shipping

• In order to receive free shipping, orders must be $150 or more before tax and shipping.
• Free shipping is available for qualifying online or demonstrator orders only. Other order types will not qualify for this promotional offer.

Don’t forget these specials, too:

ABCs of the Perfect Handmade Holiday - From October 19-December 16, get 20 percent off holiday bundles containing gorgeous Stampin’ Up! products perfect for creating amazing cards, beautiful packaging, and cherished gifts. Click HERE for more details.

50% Off Starter Kit Promotion - Join Stampin’ Up! between November 15-30 and get 50 percent off the already-low-priced Starter Kit—standard or Digital! You’ll get over $300 worth of Stampin’ Up! products for just $87.50. Click HERE for more details. My password is ‘run’.

Click here to SHOP NOW!

All online orders over $50 from now through November 30th will get an entry in a drawing for a Level 1 hostess set of your choice OR the Level 2 hostess set Apple Blossoms.

Happy Shopping!

Demonstrator Starter Kit for 50 percent off!

I’ve NEVER seen a Stampin’ Up! special like this before!!!!

What do you call it when you get over $310 in crafting and business supplies for only $87.50? You call it an amazing!

From November 15-30, you can purchase either our Standard or Digital+ Starter Kits at 50% off the regular retail price of $175…plus free shipping!

FYI: If you've ever thought about purchasing My Digital Studio, the starter kit is actually CHEAPER than the program itself!!!

OR: If you get the standard starter kit, you’ll get over $98 in stamps!!! That does not even account for all of the ink pads, paper, accessories & business supplies!!! WOW!!!

If you'd like to become a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator for the awesome price of $87.50 contact me today or click here to sign up online....my password is ‘run’.

Scallop Envelope Goodie Box

This is a cute box we made recently at a workshop. I love that it is so simple! Just two scallop envelopes in the Big Shot, a little trimming and some sticky strip and Voila! This can be adapted for any holiday so it is very versatile, too! You can fit a Ghiradelli chocolate perfectly!
~Enjoy!

Stamps: Batty for You
Paper: Basic Black CS, Whisper White CS, Pumpkin Pie CS
Ink: Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Big Shot, Scallop Envelope Die, 1-3/4" Scallop Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, 1-3/8" X 7-5/8" Oval, Basic Black 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon

Handmade Holiday

Dates: October 19-December 16, 2010

Details
Purchase select products--perfect for Amazing cards, Beautiful packaging, and Cherished gifts--at a 20 percent discount!

Things to Remember:

• This offer is available on all order types (customer, workshop, and online). Additional products from current catalogs may be purchased on the same order.
• There is no minimum purchase required to participate in this promotion.
• You must use the bundle item codes provided. The 20 percent discount will not be applied if individual bundle item numbers are entered separately.

Contact me if you'd like more information on these amazing deals!

Spooky Box

This box is too cute! It's a 2-4-6-8 box - very easy! Have you figured out what the ghost is??? Yep, it's the Owl Punch turned up side down! I love how so many creative people have figured out multiple uses for the owl punch - it makes it totally worth buying!
~Enjoy!

Stamps: Wicked Cool
Paper: Basic Black CS, Whisper White CS, Old Olive CS, Wicked Fun Specialty DSP
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Two-Step Owl XL Punch, Scallop Oval XL Punch, 1 3/4" X 7/8" Oval Large Punch

Wicked Halloween Card

Here's a fun Halloween card that I used for a Halloween workshop recently. I almost totally CASEd a card from Angie Kennedy Juda's 12 weeks of Halloween card because the card used all of the products that I was wanting to show at the workshop. I did make a few minor changes. I think it is such a fun card. Here's a great tip I found somewhere online about images that are cut out - in this case, the witch's hat. I stamped the image on Whisper White, cut it out with my Paper Snips and then if there were any slivers of white outside of the image, I used my Stampin' Write marker to fill in the color. It makes it look like I can cut REALLY well! I just love that I won this stamp set and DSP at the Stampin' Up! convention in July. It's been really fun to use!

Stamps: Wicked Cool
Paper: Basic Black CS, Whisper White CS, Old Olive CS, Wicked Fun Specialty DSP
Ink: Basic Black; Stampin' Write Markers in Basic Black, Old Olive, Cajun Craze
Accessories: Big Shot, Square Lattice Embossing Folder

Shop Online 24/7 - click here
Don't forget to Shop the CLEARANCE RACK! You can save up to 80% off retired products! Hurry since all discontinued items are available only while supplies last!
Click HERE, then click SHOP NOW. On this page, click CLEARANCE RACK (on the left side) and then change settings on right side to ALL to see everything available quickly.
Happy Shopping!

Clearance Rack Blitz - Up to 80% Off

As you know, the Clearance Rack has been operational for over a year now, and it is a great place to discover discontinued Stampin' Up! merchandise for fantastic prices. Now, from October 5-18, over two hundred more discontinued items are being added--some at up to 80 percent off--to help make room in the Distribution Center for new products!

Things to know about the Clearance Rack Blitz:

• Orders for Clearance Rack items can be placed through the Online Store
• Qualifying orders are eligible for hostess benefits/Stampin' Rewards.
• While the Blitz lasts from October 5-18, some items, depending on availability, may be made available in the Clearance Rack in the future.
• All discontinued items are available only while supplies last.
• All sales of discontinued items are final.

Come see all the new items in the Clearance Rack. These are all discontinued items and are only available in the Online Store!

Be sure to choose ‘Elisa Breckenridge’ as your demonstrator to get the best possible pricing!

Happy Shopping & Stamping!

Poppin Pastels with Retired Colors

This was the last card we did at my Stamp Club last month. I warned my girls that I was using retired colors - I have SO much paper in retired colors that I'd hate to see go to waste. They completely understood and were more interested in learning the technique anyway. Thank goodness. We stamped the flower image in VersaMark ink on Whisper White Cardstock and then used sponge daubers to apply pastels to the image. I CASEd (copy and show everyone) the card from Julie's card found here. Thanks for the great idea. I love simple cards that can show a great technique and give a big WOW when people see it being made. If you haven't tried this technique, give it a try! It gives you unlimited options for ink colors even if you don't have a lot of Stampin' Pads. All you need is VersaMark and Pastels!

Stamps: Just Believe
Paper: Brocade Blue CS, Whisper White CS, Mellow Moss CS
Ink: VersaMark, Brocade Blue
Accessories: Pastels, Basic Pearls, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Sponge Daubers

Shop Online 24/7 - click here

Brayering Just Believe

Happy Monday! Here is another project we did at my stamp club recently. I hadn't used my brayer in a LONG time and I found this card online, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I probably need a bit more practice, but I wanted to show the technique of brayering and masking and I think my ladies liked it. I added a bit of paper piercing on the top left corner - though it is hard to see. It was a quick and easy card that sure came out pretty! What do you think?

~Enjoy!

Stamps: Just Believe
Paper: Pumpkin Pie CS, Whisper White CS, Basic Black CS
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, Black Staz On
Accessories: Brayer, Mat Pack, Paper-Piercing tool

Stamp Club Candy Wrapper & 20K update

I am SO loving this Candy Wrapper Die - especially now that I know how to fold the ends! I watched this video and it has made my life so much easier! (Thanks Meg!) This was one of the projects we did in my Stamp Club last week. I'll be showing the other 2 projects in the next few days. I really liked the look of the words layered over the circle image found on this card, so I used it on this project.

Stamps: Just Believe
Paper: Bravo Burgundy CS, Whisper White CS
Ink: Bravo Burgundy
Accessories: Big Shot, Candy Wrapper Die, Perfect Polka Dots Impressions Folder
Punches: 1 3/8" Circle, Word Window, Modern Label

Shop Online 24/7 - Click HERE


This past weekend, my family was in Dallas, TX and I ran the Tour des Fleur 20K. We were there and I needed to do a training run and didn't want to do it by myself. So I joined about 3,000 other people to run this beautiful race around White Rock Lake. It was a great run. Although I'm not the fastest runner, I was happy with my time especially since the 2nd half of the race was FULL of hills. Luckily, I had the advantage of high altitude training! :) My husband and daughter were waiting at the finish and my daughter ran through the finish line with me. She's now finished 2 marathons, several 1/2 marathons and a 20k. I'm not sure yet what my next race will be...stay tuned!

Christmas Card Swap 2010

I met a wonderful group of ladies at the Stampin' Up! Convention 2008. Since these ladies live all over the country, we keep in touch online and meet up at Stampin' Up! events (and have a blast together) whenever we can. We do several swaps throughout the year and just finished a Christmas Card Swap. I got my swaps back yesterday so now I would like to show you what all of my stampin' friends will be getting in their swap packages from me! I made 16 of these cards and got 16 different cards back - they are ALL awesome!


Can you see how sparkly the card is the with the Shimmer Mist sprayed on? I LOVE that stuff!


Stamps: Peaceful Season (Holiday Mini - Level 2 Hostess Set)
Paper: Whisper White CS, Bashful Blue CS
Ink: Bashful Blue w/ Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint (I inked stamp and then used a dauber to put shimmer paint on)
Accessories: Whisper White 5/8" Organza Ribbon, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint (mixed w/ alcohol and sprayed on)


Would you like to swap with me and my stampin' friends? Remember from now until October 18, you can get this awesome Greenhouse Gala Craft Tote for FREE if you sign up to be a demonstrator. I would LOVE to have you on my team and you'll have 'instant' friends ALL over the country! Contact me TODAY and we'll get you signed up! Don't miss out on this awesome FREE gift! It's so fun - don't hesitate!

~Elisa
Shop Online 24/7 - Click HERE

Dirty 10K

Happy Friday! Although it's not stamping related, here's a different kind of picture for you...
I figured since my blog name is 'Will Run 4 Stamps' I'd show you that I actually do run. I ran the Dirty 10k last weekend with my husband, sister, brother-in-law and a bunch of other great friends. It was a beautiful day, a tough trail in the foothills of the Sandia mountains and a ton of fun! I'm actually doing another race, a 20k, tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have a picture or two to post next week.
Have a wonderful weekend!
~Elisa

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Birthday Cash with a Twist

I don't know about you, but I have such a hard time shopping for boy birthday gifts - probably because I have a very girly girl. Well, I was invited to a birthday party this weekend for a boy who was turning eleven and although I had already decided that money would be the gift, I didn't just want to put some cash in an envelope. I wanted to do something different. So, I poked around on Splitcoaststampers.com and found this great idea.


I just wrapped dollar bills around chocolate nuggets. I put the dollar nuggets in a bag with some crimped paper and tied it with some twine. I put the whole bag in a gift bag with tissue paper.


Kinda fun, huh? What do you think? At least it's better than a boring envelope!

~Enjoy!

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Top Note Frankenstein

Isn't this guy scary cute? I made him last year but never really got a chance to share him with anybody. Since it's time to start thinking Halloween, I thought I'd post him. I used the directions found here, but if I did it again, I would not go through the trouble of making a box from scratch. I would definitely use my Big Shot and probably the Fancy Favor Bag in the middle. Hmm...I'll have to try that soon!

~Enjoy!

Paper: Green Galore CS (retired), Elegant Eggplant CS, Whisper White CS, Basic Black CS
Ink: Green Galore (sponging), Black Stampin' Write Marker
Accessories: Big Shot, Top Note Die, Black Gingham Ribbon, Sponge
Punches: Scallop Edge Punch, Horizontal Slot Punch, 1" Circle, 1/2" Circle, Round Tab Punch

Shop Online 24/7 - click HERE

Hostess Gift - Top Note Purse

Happy Tuesday! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend! I did. My in-laws were visiting and my daughter just LOVED being with her cousins. It was really great to see everyone again.
On Sunday, I had a workshop with a wonderful hostess. This is the Thank You gift that I made for her. I filled it with chocolate. :)


I love making these purses and I just had to try the flower. I was surprised at just how easy it was to do. I will be making MANY more of these - for sure! You can find the directions I used for the purse here and the flower here.

~Enjoy!

Paper: Island Oasis DSP, Old Olive CS, Rose Red CS
Accessories: Big Shot, Top Note Die, Scallop Circle Die, Crop-a-dile, Jumbo Eyelets, Old Olive 1/2" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Scallop Circle Punch, Rhinestone Brads, Paper-piercing tool

Shop Online 24/7 - click HERE

The Holiday Mini is Here...

...and you don't want to miss it! Click on the picture to see the exciting new products available until January 3, 2011.

Shop Online 24/7 - click here

Free Craft Tote!

From September 1-October 18, 2010 (or while supplies last), join the Stampin' Up! family and receive a FREE craft tote (valued at $39.95) with the purchase of the Starter Kit. This is only available to demonstrators!! Please contact me if you would like more information on the Starter Kit or see my website. You can get a product discount and earn extra income all while doing something you love! Signing up is easy and can be done online – contact me for the password. I'm working on building my team and would LOVE to have you join me!

Diaper Cake

A very dear friend of my family had her baby over the weekend. How exciting! Her baby shower was last month and since I love to make diaper cakes this is what she got for her gift. I used the super easy tutorial found here.

I made it to match her baby shower invitations (which I helped her design). She didn't know the gender of the baby, so she went with bright colors. Actually, the design and colors of everything was based off of the plates she bought for the shower!


And of course, a matching card. Isn't it cool how the Daisy die kinda matches the design on the plates?


~Enjoy

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Elegant Eggplant, Temping Turquoise
Punch: 1 3/8" circle
Accessories: Big Shot, Daisies #2 Die, Scallop Circle Die, Crop-a-dile, Jumbo Eyelets, Old Olive 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, Backgrounds 1 Texturz Plates, Paper-Piercing tool

Tropical Party

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Hawaii. I guess that's why I was so excited to see the Tropical Party stamp set and the Island Oasis DSP in the Summer Mini. The colors of the DSP are so fun! I can totally imagine sitting on a palm tree lined beach drinking a fruity umbrella drink. Can you?

This card was made using these wonderful products. You have to look close to see the sugar...I mean glitter on the rim of the coconut.


I'm kinda sad this is the last week that these great items will be available. If you want them, order them here before it is too late. You have until August 31st!

~Enjoy!

Paper: Island Oasis DSP, Pumpkin Pie CS, Old Olive CS, Whisper White CS
Ink: VersaMark, Chocolate Chip
Stamps: Tropical Party
Accessories: Pumpkin Pie Marker, Old Olive Marker, Whisper White 5/8" Organza Ribbon, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter

Preschool Bag Tags

My daughter is growing up too fast! Monday was her 1st day of Preschool. She was so excited to go and meet new friends. I'm happy that she's so excited about school, but sad that my little buddy will be gone for part of the day!

Monday morning she woke up all on her own and even got dressed before she came out for breakfast. She had a surprise waiting for her - I had made these bag tags for her backpack and lunch bag. She loved them!

Can you believe I made these with cereal boxes? I don't throw those things away. I cut all of the sides off so they store flat and use them for stuff like this. Not just easy, but VERY inexpensive. My kind of project!

I took a 4-3/4" X 4-3/4" piece of the box and used a glue stick to adhere DSP on one side and cardstock on the other (the back side is Pretty in Pink). I ran them through the Big Shot with my Scallop Circle Die. I also used the Big Shot to cut the letter 'E' with the Serif Essentials Die. I didn't want to embellish too much since she's 4 and I'm sure they'll get beat up over the year, but they'll definitely help her identify her stuff!
What do you think?

~Enjoy!

Paper: Welcome Neighbor DSP, Pretty in Pink
Accessories: Big Shot, Scallop Circle Die, Serif Essentials Alphabet, Crop-A-Dile
Extras: Cereal Box, 2" book rings

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Open House Gifts

Have you ever tried to make these sour cream containers? They are SO easy and when people see them, they always say WOW! I made several of these to give to people that came to my open house. I filled them with Tootsie Rolls (my favorite). If you use 4"X6" pieces, you can get 6 containers for each 12"X12" sheet of DSP. I used the directions found here, but I do not put adhesive on the side where I put the ribbon. By doing it this way, the recipient can open the container without having to rip it apart. :)

I got the stamp in the Memento Mall at Convention - isn't it cute? To get the different colors, I inked the entire stamp with Old Olive, removed the ink from the birds and heart with a Blender Pen and then used a Pumpkin Pie and Rose Red Marker to color them in.

~Enjoy!

Paper: Island Oasis DSP, Whisper White CS
Ink: Old Olive
Stamps: Love What You Do
Accessories: Pumpkin Pie Marker, Rose Red Marker, Whisper White 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Blender Pen, Crimper, XL Fancy Flower Punch

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Book Re-mark

Throughout Convention I was looking for the perfect Open House project. Finally, on the last day, I found it. Here is what we made at my Open House yesterday. I had a fabulous turnout and am so happy that everyone came and enjoyed the project.


During Carrie Cudney's presentation, she showed these 'book remarks'. They are bookmarks with a place for notes, such as favorite quotes, names, etc. I LOVED the idea. Carrie's were actually a part of a bigger project using a file folder. I'll have to try that some other time!




~Enjoy

Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Island Oasis DSP, Whisper White, Basic Black
Ink: Old Olive, VersaMark
Stamps: Inspired by Nature
Accessories: Two-Step Owl XL Punch, Key Tag Punch (retired-OOPS), 1/8" Old Olive Taffeta Ribbon, Crop-A-Dile, Printer paper

So I didn't realize until now that I'm typing this that I used a RETIRED punch at my Open House!!! Doh! I just grabbed one from my stash that fit the words and didn't check. Yikes! I'll have to be more careful from now on! Hope I'm not the only one who has done this!!

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Custom Texture Plate

This card is so much fun! I used it for a shoebox swap at Convention and for a Big Shot Class last month. I cased the card from Dawn O. and used her awesome tutorial found here. Thank you for such a great idea!
You can't see it well in the picture, but there is a Basic Black card base. I used Summer Sun (retired) for this card, but for my swap, I used Daffodil Delight.
Once you make the plate, the rest is super easy! Give it a try!
~Enjoy!

Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Summer Sun/Daffodil Delight
Ink: Summer Sun/Daffodil Delight, Basic Black
Stamps: It's the Thought (hostess set, Summer 2010 mini)
Accessories: Big Shot, Daisies #2 die, Sponge Daubers, Curly Label Punch, Black Gingham Ribbon, Impressions Pad, Silicone Rubber

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3x3 Convention Card

We made this card during Make & Takes at Convention this year. It is my favorite of all that we did. I'm always looking for simple, beautiful, single layer cards. I like to make them and put them in my customers orders. I also package them and use them as booking incentives at workshops.


Here's a few that I made when I got home using similar colors. I also used my new stamp set Just Believe.

(Supplies for Convention version of card)
Paper: Whisper White
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso, Peach Parfait, Pear Pizzaz
Stamps: Just Believe
Accessories: Stamping Sponges
Mask for circle is made using the largest circle from the Circles #2 Originals die & the Big Shot
~Enjoy!

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Convention 2010 Swaps

Here are the swaps I made for Convention this year. I made about 30 for trading during the general sessions. That was a good amount for me. Some people had hundreds of swaps!
I hate to admit it, but I was literally assembling these in the airport, on the plane and in my hotel room. But I did finish for swapping on Thursday morning. I got a lot of great swaps in return. When I get a chance to go through them, I'll post some of my favorites...


To get the embossing only on the outside, I used the Big Shot and Patty Bennett's tutorial here. It is SO easy and I love the results! I also used this card in a Big Shot class I had recently. It really has a WOW factor when people see it being done.
Can you see the shimmer? I used shimmer paint mixed with alcohol in a spray bottle and went spray happy!!!

~Enjoy!

Shop Online 24/7

Paper: Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Old Olive
Ink: Old Olive
Stamps: Flight of the Butterfly
Accessories: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Beautiful Wings Embosslits, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint
Other: Alcohol, Oval Wood Frame

Back from Convention 2010

Hey there! I've been gone for awhile. I've been camping in Colorado & to the Stampin' Up! Convention in Salt Lake City. I have tons of pictures of both to share over the next few weeks.
First, I have to say that I had a blast at Convention! I had one heckuva lucky streak, too! Here are all of the new goodies that I brought home from Convention.


That's over $150 worth of product!!! I won a drawing at the Flower Party party on Wednesday night, I won a Prize Patrol package during the Friday General Session & we all got a special package at the end of General Session on Saturday. Plus, two of the stamps sets and a wheel (not shown) were in the super cool bag that we got and were used for Make & Takes. Here's the bag...


One of the announcements is that Hostesses will receive an additional $25 in hostess free merchandise dollars when they hold a workshop totaling $350 or more from now until Aug 31.


Contact me today to schedule your workshop!
~Elisa

Convention is coming!!!

I can't believe it! I'll be leaving for the Stampin' Up! Convention in Salt Lake City in less than 2 weeks! Woo Hoo! I love going and getting so many new ideas, meeting new people and, of course, stamping!

The last convention that I went to was 2 years ago. I met a wonderful group of ladies and I keep in touch with them online. We do several swaps throughout the year. This was my most recent swap with them for the Summer Mini catalog.

As you can see, I used my daughter's pajama top as inspiration. Below is a close up. I ran the heart through a sticker maker and then added Dazzling Diamonds glitter. The background is splattered with the Color Spritzer Tool and a Lovely Lilac marker.


~Enjoy!

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Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White, Lovely Lilac, Creamy Caramel
Ink: Lovely Lilac, Orchid Opulence, Creamy Caramel
Stamps: Sweet Scoops
Accessories: Big Shot, Top Note Die, Serif Essentials Alphabet, Full Heart Punch, Color Spritzer Tool, Dazzling Diamonds