Sunday, November 27, 2011

Cyber Monday Deal

Free stamps. Have I got your attention? Great! All the world knows that the best deals are happening now, all over the retail malls and online stores, so I want to be part of the fun.

Anyone ordering from my online store or by email or phone today or tomorrow, Cyber Monday, will be entered in a drawing to receive a free "Leaves of a Tree" stamp or a kit to create a bracelet from "Antique Brads."

Order discounted items from Stampin' Up! in the special holiday deals, order by email from your wishlist or have your husband call and place a Christmas gift order and you will be entered to win.

Book a workshop for January or February and I will pay the shipping and tax on your personal order and hostess benefit order. (Pick a date now for Sale-a-bration and take advantage of fantastic bargains!)

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Elegant gift card

Black and white cards always look so elegant. This pretty card has a useful secret, when you open the ribbon bow, the black embossed label opens up and there is a folder that will hold a gift card.

We made this at a recent stamp camp, but I received one quite similar at the Stampin' Up! convention last summer.

I hope you had a restful and family filled Thanksgiving holiday.

Do you have a wish list ready for your husband this shopping season? I'll be back tomorrow with a Cyber Monday offer.

Stop in for the details and have that wish list handy.

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Easy CASE

I received a version of this card when I attended the Stampin' Up! convention last summer. The candles are super easy and the flames are punched from the Build a Blossom punch. I love the punch of glamour the black satin ribbon adds.

Stampin' buddy Adrienne commented that this would be a great Hanukkah card with the right number of candles. What a great idea!

Hope you are getting that Black Friday shopping list organized and that some fun stamping supplies are on the list!

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Monday, November 21, 2011

If your budget isn't set for shopping for yourself, remember to let your Santa know that the bargains on Stampin' Up! products are available online, the easiest way to shop!

Save yourself the chore of returning the gifts that don't fit or aren't your color, and let Santa see your crafting wish list with my online store address prominently featured:
www.dtollaksen.stampinup.net

Just click, shop, ship and save!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Pretty in Pink

Taking a visual break. Whoo. It has been all Christmas all the time around the stamp room. So, here's a pretty and feminine card you can use for any occasion. The fancy doily is from a specialty DSP pack and there are 16 doilies in pink included. They are absolutely fabulous and they make a card so easy!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Newsprint Trend

Have you noticed the newsprint trend in stamping? Not only are card makers using newsprint as a background or as a neutral element, but they are stamping right on the newsprint.

I have CASEd a card (sorry, there was no identification on the copy I saved) that uses Autumn Splendor stamp set and Water Color Crayons. I have fallen in love with these crayons. It is so easy to get really deep colors, but have control over it. With markers, it is all or nothing, and that can be great, but here I wanted more control.

Don't look at the sentiment. It is a beautiful old set that Stampin' Up! retired and I have had a hard time letting go. I sold it today, so I won't be tempted any longer!

Don't try stamping on your newspaper pages, the ink will just smear and you will be sad. Grab a piece of DSP from the First Edition Specialty paper set for this technique. Just click on the catalog in the right margin to shop for Designer Series Paper and beautiful stamps!

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Angry Birds

When I see a trend, I jump on it! My stamping buddy Catherine suggested that I needed some Angry Birds in my vendor fair offerings. So she scoured the internet and found Katie Resop's blog and I CASEd these little darlings.
 
They are pretty easy, hold a little treat and can hang on a package or Christmas tree.
And I have managed to make a few, with another dozen in the works. This fancy chrome display stand helps too! I picked it up at a garage sale for a buck! Perfect for cards and pictures, projects and treats in the stamp room. And it is light weight and stable. Love it!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Monday, November 14, 2011

BLING headbands

 No stamping today, but I sure used a lot of my stamping tools!

These sparkly headbands are all ready for the Holiday Gift Shop table I'll be setting up soon. My DD helped me search out the bling-tastic headbands. I knew I wanted to offer a fabric flower attached to a headband, and we know the kids at the Shop are K-6th grade, so we thought these bright shiny headbands would be perfect.

When I went looking for silver fabric, Halloween fabric was marked down drastically, just look at how shiny and bling-tabulous this is!

All I did was run the super shiny (and slippery) fabric through the Big Shot with the circle die. It cut through 8 or 10 layers of fabric with ease, giving me a mountain of circles.

The technique is a little risky, but having years of Boy Scout training, I was successful. You have to sit a candle in the center of your workspace and touch the edges of every circle to the flame, melting the edges and making them warp/melt.

 I used FabricTack glue to attach the layers of each flower then Crystal Effects glue from Stampin' Up! to attach the flower to the headband.

These pictures may not be the most flattering, but you can see that every flower is unique, the headbands are all done, and the bling level in my stamp room is "DANGEROUSLY HIGH!!!"

I am sure these will sell fast! I am even tempted to run back to the store and buy more headbands, cause there were plenty extra flowers. But what will I do with these if they don't sell out? Maybe the Marines can use them for Toys for Tots?  Great idea!  I'm off to the store.

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen




Friday, November 11, 2011

Give a presentation

As demonstrators, we are always trying to bring creative and fun projects to our customers.  Here, I am showing the Advent calendar frame I CASEd from the Stampin' Up! mini catalog. I was at a small gathering of demonstrators in Lincolnshire and talked about how easy this is to make, and how pleased my customers are with their frames.

Gimme a call and schedule a class to make your very own!

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

25 & Counting

 Crazy season has arrived. I know most people call it "the holidays" but in my world, it is just plain crazy.  I love my crafting life. The paper. The ink. The embellishments. The STAMPS!!!

So I have a lot of Christmas cards and holiday gifts to plan and create. And my customers are also interested in a few classes and camps so they can make cards and gifts.

And I work for a company that is crazy busy in November and December, so my schedule goes from 2 days a week to 5 days a week, which is a huge adjustment!

Then, I heard my local school is holding a vendor fair during the Holiday Gift Shop. So of course, I bought a table and have to create all the fun stuff to sell to cover the investment, plus try to meet a couple hostesses and new customers!

Whoa. Crazy, right?

These pix are of an in-home class, everyone made the 25 & Counting Advent calendar. If you were wondering what 8 ladies creating a complex advent calendar looked like, well, here they are!  The only one willing to smile for the camera is the gorgeous young teenager, but everyone left with a fabulous, framed masterpiece, ready for the wall!

Wish me luck and don't curse me if I don't post often. I'm crazy!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen



Saturday, November 5, 2011

Free Digital Downloads from Stampin Up

Stampin' Up! is offering you a selection of FREE digital downloads that will work on every computer. You can download them today thru Monday, and figure out how to use them afterward. Don't miss this chance to get the goods. Click here to shop now: dtollaksen@stampinup.net

If you use any kind of digital software, you can use these images. If you create holiday cards online, you can incorporate these images. If you print from your computer, you can just print out the labels and use them on your Christmas gifts!

If you want help using these, just let me know and I'll try to show you how easy it is to incorporate these into your computer fun.

If you like these and want to try more, put the My Digital Studio product into your shopping cart and start creating great projects right on your laptop!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen


Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Great time to host


Are you keeping a wish list? You know Santa wants to bring you the crafty supplies that you want, right? So keep a list!

And Stampin' Up! also wants to help. For the next couple weeks, we are offering you some awesome deals. Just announced is a BONUS for hostesses from now til Dec 15: instead of $50 free merchandise of your choice when your workshop sales totals hit $350, you will get $85 free merchandise! And it just gets  better as your sales go up!

Even better, if you want to be a Hobby Demonstrator or Business Demonstrator, join now and get a FREE Big Shot or an extra $100 merchandise, of your choice!  AWESOME!!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen