I am so excited to share with you the Color Renovation that Stampin’ Up! announced to Demonstrators last week.  With this New Color Collection there will now be 4 collections instead of Color Families.  In addition to 5 brand new colors they are bringing back some of our favorite In Colors!  The new Collections are:

Brights Collection: Regal Rose, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Pacific Point, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine Tango, Real Red

Neutrals Collection: River Rock, Chocolate Chip, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake (formerly Kraft), Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla, Whisper White, Basic Gray, Basic Black

Regals Collection: Elegant Eggplant, Night of Navy, Not Quite Navy, Always Artichoke, Garden Green, More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Riding Hood Red, Cherry Cobbler, Bravo Burgundy

Subtles Collection:Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Rose Red, Perfect Plum, Marina Mist, Bashful Blue, Baja Breeze, Wild Wasabi, Certainly Celery, So Saffron

Why am I so excited about these new collections?  Just look at these gorgeous colors.  A lot of them are seen right now in fashion and are trendy colors.  Some of the current colors just don’t compare.  This change will bring Stampin’ Up! more up to date and it will be easier to create fresh color combinations in your creations. 

With any type of change there are a few colors that we’ll have to say good-bye to.  The following colors will be retiring.  I’d highly suggest that if there are colors you love to stock up now.  Along with card stock there are also Stampin’ Write markers, Classic and Craft Ink Pads, re-inkers and accessories that you might want to purchase.  You can do that online 24/7 on my website – http://igotstamps.stampinup.net

These are the colors that will be retiring as of June 30, 2010.  As of June 1 they are available only while supplies last.

Retiring Colors:Pink Passion, Pixie Pink, Pale Plum, Orchid Opulence, Lovely Lilac, Lavender Lace, Almost Amethyst, Bordering Blue, Brocade Blue, Ballet Blue, Brilliant Blue, Taken with Teal, Glorious Green, Handsome Hunter, Sage Shadow, Mellow Moss, Green Galore, Gable Green, Barely Banana, Yoyo Yellow, Summer Sun, Apricot Appeal, Only Orange, Real Rust, Ruby Red, Cameo Coral, Blush Blossom, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Going Gray

I hope you are as excited about the Color Renovation as I am!  I personally can’t wait to get started using the new colors and the returning In Colors.  This chart does not even include the new 2010 – 2011 In Colors so there will be even more fantastic colors to use starting July 1, 2010!

If you have been trying to find a way to make a difference and help out the people of Haiti, here is your chance to do it.

On January 12, 2010 a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, leaving in its wake devastation so overwhelming that the Haitian people and their leaders can only look for help from the outside to cope.

From now until February 28, 2010, $2 from every I {Heart} Hearts stamp set will be donated to the American Red Cross’ Haiti Relif and Development Fund. The Red Cross is already well-established in Haiti, and this money will be used to provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need.

I hope all of you are having a fabulous New Year’s Day.  Yesterday was a day of decisions.  Some were difficult, others were easy.  I guess it’s like dealing with good and bad news so I’ll share the difficult with you first.  I’m sure you have all noticed the decrease in my blog posts.  To put it simply I’m feeling burnt out.  Each month I try to come up with fabulous projects to share with you and to teach in classes.  When I put so much pressure upon myself I find it hard to concentrate and be motivated.  I’ve looked at the reasons I started stamping and why I continue to do it.  I stamp because I love creating something and when I create something I love I want to share it with the world.  I want to return to that feeling of creating to create because I want to, not because I feel I have to.  That leads into my difficult decision.  I’ve talked it over with my family and they are supportive of my decision.  I’ve decided to pull back from the business side of stamping and just stamp for fun and my own pleasure.  I will continue on with Stampin’ Up! because I love their products and I love the direction they are going.  That being said I am not going to be teaching as many classes as I have in the past.  I am going to continue on to keep stamping a part of my hobby.  Over the last few years I’ve tried to do it all.  I’ve focused on selling stamps and accessories, teaching classes, getting my work published and selling my handmade creations.  I made the decision that I can’t do it all.  Therefore it’s time to simplify.  In doing so I’m sure that my creativity will return as I refocus my path.  You can still buy the same great Stampin’ Up! products through me or my Demonstrator website.  Speaking of have you seen the new mini catalogs?  The Occasions mini, Sale-a-Bration mini and Decor Elements mini are up on my website.  You can view them here.  Please note that these catalogs do not go live until January 5th.   Besides all of the new items Stampin’ Up! now has a new punch style and new Clear Mount rubber stamps.  These are the same great rubber stamps that you love, but you can now use clear acrylic blocks to mount them!  What a space saver!  I am also going to refocus my blog a bit.  I’m going to continue to share with you the creations I made.  I am also going to be adding and e-commerce page to my site so that I can sell some of the items I have made over the year as well as offer kits to you when I have the time.

Now that I’ve talked about the new focus of my stamping life, I have a new focus for my personal life.  Instead of making a New Year’s Resolution I’ve decided to pick a word for the year.  The word I chose is Blessing.  I plan to look at the everyday blessings in my life.  The definition of blessing is something promoting or contributing to happiness, well-being, or prosperity.   Today I have seen many blessings already.  I woke up to a cold 10 degree day but I am blessed to be comfortable and warm in my home.  I am blessed to have peace with the decisions I have made.  I am blessed to be able to find ways to spend more time with my family and I feel that my decisions will allow that.

I hope your 2010 is filled with daily blessings and that you will continue to enjoy the creations I post for you.  Until then I’m enjoying a 3 day weekend with my husband and kids.  See you Monday!

While we are recuperating I didn’t want to leave you with nothing to see on my blog, so I thought you’d be interested in these Holiday Gift Ideas from Stampin’ Up!  Remember that there is the 12 Days of Holiday Sales on a number of the Big Shot dies.  You can find them on my Demonstrator Website at http://igotstamps.stampinup.net .  Simply click on Shop Now in the upper right hand corner under my contact information.

From December 11 – 22nd Stampin’ Up! is offering a 12 Days of Holiday Sale on Big Shot dies and vinyl sheets. These vinyl sheets are offered in 18 new colors plus there are now clear sheets! You can mix and match colors and images to create vinyl elements of your own to place on picture frames, vases, mirrors and walls.  The possibilities are endless.  Don’t miss out on this sale as it is only good through December 22nd.  As always all online orders will receive a special Thank You in the mail from me.

Things to Remember:

Things to Remember:

• Orders may be placed online or in person.
• The sale begins Friday, December 11, 2009, 12:01 AM (MT), and ends Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 11:50 PM (MT).
• Items must be ordered by December 15, 2009, in order to arrive in time for Christmas.
• Discounts range between 15-25 percent.
• All items on sale will be posted on the first day of the promotion and can be purchased for all 12 days.
• There are no quantity limits.
• There are no qualifiers to receive the discount.
• For online orders, discounts will be reflected in the “regular price”; “catalog price” will show the non-discounted price.

Product Offerings:

Why not take advantage of this fabulous sale to stock up your craft room, buy a gift for yourself, or purchase one for a friend. All online orders will receive a special Thank You from me. Place your orders at http://igotstamps.stampinup.net

  *This bundle is only available while supplies last. 

Have you seen the wonderful Holiday Gift Giving Guide that Stampin’ Up! has so thoughtfully put together? To view it simply click the photo above, or click here.  There are gifts for all price ranges and all age ranges.  Plus from November 1st – January 4th, when you purchase $50 in product from the Holiday Gift Giving Guide you can pick a Decor Element (up to $16.95 value) for FREE!

Check out the guide and place your orders so that they arrive well before your Holiday Events start.  There are several ways you can place your order:
Order online via my Demonstrator Business Website
E-mail your order to me
Call me at 815-214-9INK

Valid through October 19, 2009

Week 1 Deals of the Week

From October 1st -October 12th 9:50 AM

Click here to view Holiday Mini in .pdf format!

Click here to view Holiday Mini Stampin’ Supplies!

As always you can order online 24/7 via my Demonstrator Website: http://igotstamps.stampinup.net or e-mail me at jenn(at)igotstamps(dot)com