Ooooooh. Exciting news from Stampin’ Up! We are updating our color groupings! I love these new Color Collections, they are very vibrant and trendy and the best part is that our whole color system has been revamped to make it easier to update every few years so that we are always fresh and current! In addition to the following color collections, we will still introduce 5 new In Colors each catalog year and they will be available for 2 full catalog years! I love this part of the new program! This is what Stampin’ Up! is saying about the changes.

Color Renovation: New Color Collection

At Stampin’ Up!®, color is part of our identity. It’s fundamental to your ability to create and be creative. That also means that it’s important for you to be able to stay up-to-date with the trends in color to keep  your artwork  fresh and exciting. That’s why we’ve worked to present you with the Color Renovation—a refreshing, updated color palette! The new color collections combine current colors with previous In Colors, and five new colors. These luscious collections give you new and vibrant choices, keeping your paper crafting passion original and exciting. Mix and match for your favorite combinations and make the Color Renovation work for you!

Stampin’ Up! has spent almost 2 years researching this color renovation and used feedback from customers and demonstrators. Customers shared that getting started could sometimes be confusing, so these collections are smaller than the previous color families, but they all coordinate well across collections. I will have a lot more information to share as they become available, but you may be asking what this means to you right now. The new colors are not available until July 1st, but you may have realized that a lot of colors are going away! That means we have until July 1st to stock up on any of those retiring colors that we feel must remain in our color libraries. Here are the colors that are retiring.

Let me know if you need a few packs of paper or refills of your favorites that are leaving.

There are a couple of fun specials going on in April! The first is an opportunity to order or earn a Sneak Peek set from the new catalog that will be coming in July. This is a great two step set. Awash with Flowers features these adorable whimsical flowers and sayings. You don’t have to wait until July to get it though, you can add it to your stamping library right now! Earn it FREE as a hostess when your workshop reaches $350 in sales or order it now through April 30th. Click on the sidebar buttons for more details.

In addition to the Sneak Peek special, you can order these fabulous two step sets at 20% off!

This is another card that we made for Stamp Camp last month. It looks really involved, but it was actually a fairly simple card to make. That is the great thing about a wonderful stamp set and really cool tools.

The background piece is made using the Very Vintage jumbo wheel. It is wheeled in Not Quite Navy and Sahara Sand, easy peasy! When you don’t have the perfect background paper, you can always make your own in the exact colors that you need. The pretty mat is made using the Sale-A-Bration Scallop Trim Border and Corner Punches. We cut out a few flowers and added some micro-beads to the flower centers and added a faux bow. Fun and not too much work!

Stampin’ Stuff

Stamps: Well Scripted, Vintage Vogue, Very Vintage jumbo wheel

Ink: Not Quite Navy, Sahara Sand

Paper: Not Quite Navy and Very Vanilla card stock

Fun Stuff: Scallop Trim Border punch, Scallop Trim Corner Punch, Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon, Micro Beads, Crystal Effects

These are the cards for this weeks Stamp a Stack

This month’s Stamp Camp is a Stamp a Stack! Your first stack is $7.50 and each stack after that is $5.00. Each stack is 5 cards of 1 design. Stamp 5 stacks for $25. You may also stamp one of each design for $10.  Join us at the Bixby Community center on Thursday, March 11 at 6:00 PM. Please RSVP with your card choices if you plan to attend. This is an all occasion SAS, so there will be several sentiment options as well as a few image options. Don’t forget to bring your favorite adhesive!

Card one uses the new Two Step Bird Punch and Scallop Border Punch. Very quick and easy card!

This card is also quick and easy and you will have a few image options.

Card 3 is our masculine option, however it can work for several occasions and also will have alternate image and sentiment options.

Another quick card with alternate image choices. This card uses one of the Sale-A-Bration sets.

Our last card choice uses those Beautiful embossed Butterflies. This card utilizes several Big Shot elements to step it up, but it is still a fairly simple card. I couldn’t get the lighting right, so the picture doesn’t do it justice. The colors are Pixie Pink, Certainly Celery, Tempting Turquoise and Whisper White.

Today I have an inspirational treat for you! This beautiful card was created by Katie McCullough and is published in the current issue of Paper Crafts magazine! If you have attended stamp camp or StampFest, then you have probably met Katie. She is a little bundle of enthusiasm and sunshine and just great fun to stamp with!

Katie created this card for World Card Making Day and submitted it to Paper Crafts magazine. Hers was one of 20 chosen from almost 1000 entries! I think you can see why. It is a great design; simple but striking, wonderful color combination, great use of white space and of course, impeccably stamped and assembled.

I am so excited  for her and proud of her accomplishment! Katie wishes to encourage everyone to submit their creations, as she says “you just never know.”  I do suggest you follow her lead and begin with a great design and pay attention to detail. She has definitely inspired me.

Each publication is different in the way that they look for submissions, so check out your favorite magazine or website for details. You can read more about the contest that Katie entered here and while you are there read about Paper Crafts next contest, the 2010 Stamping Royalty Card Contest. They have some fabulous prizes up for grabs and one of them is a copy of Stampin’ Ups new digital software, My Digital Studio!

Congratulations Katie, thanks for sharing your artwork with us!

One of my favorite new tools for adding the WOW factor to cards are these wonderful little Sizzlet Embosslits. This card was made using the Stampin’ Up! Beautiful Wings Embosslit from the Occasions Mini Catalog. One quick little run through the Big Shot Machine gives you these beautiful butterflies, cut and embossed.

This card was incredibly quick and easy. I ran the Kraft card base through the big shot using the Elegant Bouquet embossing folder, stamped the sentiment and then attached the butterflies. So much fun!

Stampin Stuff

Stamps: Well Scripted

Ink: Chocolate Chip Classic Ink

Paper: Kraft, Tempting Turquoise, Regal Rose and Apricot Appeal card stocks

Fun Stuff: Big Shot Machine, Elegant Bouquet Textured Impressions folder, Stampin’ Up! exclusive Beautiful Wings Embosslit die, Pop Dots

Here is a sweet little valentine we made at stamp camp last month. This is such a great set from the last mini catalog. Another one that I will keep forever.

I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine’s day full of sweet thoughts, sweet notes and all else that is sweet with your favorite sweetie!

Stampin Stuff

Stamps: Wandering Words

Ink: Real Red Classic Ink

Paper: Real Red and Whisper White card stock retired DSP

Fun Stuff: Ticket Corner Punch, Real Red Satin Ribbon, Small Heart Punch, Heart to Heart Punch