Thursday, May 31, 2012

Spring Swap #8

How fabulous is this!  I love the Framelits for the Big Shot. One purchase and you get a whole stack of nesting frames, allowing you to make this great card.

The whisper white panel  with the beautiful stamped flower and the pretty button, then the DSP frame, then the dark frame, then the green frame. OMG, this is just such a great use of the Framelits.

And a perfectly tied bow of seam binding. Pam P. brought this lovely composition to the Spring Shoebox Swap, and I love it!

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Spring Swap #7

Karri's card is lucky #7 in this series of swaps from our Spring Shoebox Swap.  What a great design! I love the punches and the simple birthday sentiment.  If you love the triple blossom punch as much as Karri does, you better jump on it! The Stampin' Up! catalog for 2011-2012 ends tomorrow and this fun punch is retiring forever!

I always love a card with a black background, and Karri's design features a white base so when you are sending the card, it is easy to write your greeting inside.  Awesome!

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Spring Swap #6

Have you ever used the 70 - 20 - 10 theory when stamping? 70% of the card is the main color, 20% is the secondary color and 10% is a pop of complementary shade.  I think this card from Joyce is a great example. The majority of the card is Whisper White, then the flowers and DSP and sentiment bring us the secondary color, with just a pop of color as the layer and dots in the DSP. Great composition!

She must have done the stamping and embossing ahead of time for everyone at the shoebox swap, because no one brought a Big Shot this year. Every card was a 10 minute card, while they were all fabulous, the participants did enough preparation so the card could be completed quickly. Fantastic!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Monday, May 28, 2012

Spring Swap #5

Happy  Memorial Day! Please remember those who have served and protected our freedom.

We had a great time last weekend at the Spring Shoebox Swap! Carole brought this lovely card, perfect for any occasion.  I love how the Chocolate Chip cardstock provides a frame for the flowers. Doesn't it look like art on the wall? Great card!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Friday, May 25, 2012

Spring Swap #4

What a sweet card! Terry brought this card, and I have to thank HER!  Not only did she bring us a darling thank you note, but she filled in at the last minute for a participant who had to drop out.

We have exactly 4 hours in the room we rent for the Shoebox Swap. We have had as many as 28 people attend, and have found that it is too hard to complete 28 cards in 4 hours.

This Spring, we had 21 stampers, which comes to exactly 12 minutes per card, which was more than enough time to complete every one of them.

Terry is Gina's Mom, and she was so kind to jump in at the last minute to join us.

Whooo, was it HOT here yesterday! Should be another gorgeous day today. My friends are coming this afternoon for a few hands of Mah Jongg. Wouldn't it be nice if we could play outside on the patio?

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Spring Swap #3

Fabulous birthday card, by Gina. Just the color combination tells me that it would be great for a masculine birthday, but it could be for a boy or a man, right? Not too fussy in the ribbon & bow department, and the sentiment works for young or old.

Great option to keep in the card stash for one of those times when a birthday sneaks up on us and catches us unprepared.

It is another gorgeous day in Chicago! I was already in the basement/laundry room/sewing center this morning. The washer is running, the dryer is running, the clothes line is full and my convention roomie gifts are half done. (That's the sewing project.)

Stampin' Up! offers such gorgeous fabrics that coordinate perfectly with our DSP and colors. My roomies are going to LOVE their fabric gifts. . . at least I hope so!  If you want a hint, you can visit this nice lady from England to see what inspired me: http://stampin-n-stuff.blogspot.com/2012/05/retreat-2012.html

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Spring Swap #2

Gorgeous card, right? When you join Stampin' Up! as a demonstrator, you are welcomed into a family of stampers. Laura and I are part of the same family in SU and I couldn't be happier to know her. She is a funny sweet young professional and her cards are exquisite. Always perfectly designed and beautifully constructed.

This one features the doily die for the Big Shot. Every card ought to feature this doily, it totally "makes" a card, with the lovely detailed color and texture it adds.

Thanks to Laura for bringing this card to the swap and letting us all try it, I hope you are intrigued enough to order your own or at least stop over to try my die on the Big Shot!

The weather here in the Chicago area is looking absolutely gorgeous for today. I'm hoping to get out into the sunshine, meet a friend for lunch and maybe hang some clothes on the line in the back yard. Oh, and get into the stamp room to work on pricing retiring products for the garage sale. . . Sat June 9 at 9 am. Join us!

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Monday, May 21, 2012

Spring Swap #1

Saturday was the annual Spring Shoebox Swap I host with my BFF Catherine. We have a blast, with a room full of stamping divas!

For the next couple weeks I'll be sharing the cards every lady brought, in no particular order. I hope you enjoy them. Every one of them is a winner!

This card is from Siobhan (pronounced She-von) and features Summer Smooches DSP. Siobhan was a first-time swapper and I think she did a great job!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Sampler -- Get it all!

You may have to use your imagination, but I have an offer for you.  The new Stampin' Up! catalog is out and available, just let me know you need one and I'll be happy to get it to you.

We have 14 new DSP (designer series paper) offerings. I love to have a swatch book of EVERY DSP. Shown here is the 2011-2012 version. I want a new one! Are you with me? For just $13 ($2 more to mail it to you, if needed) I will provide a 3"x4" swatch of every DSP, a label with the name, catalog # and coordinating colors, card stock separators and all hole punched.

While I believe this is most useful for demonstrators, maybe you just want to own 'em all! If you prefer a larger sample of each DSP with or without the hole punch and labels, just let me know, that can be arranged!

Please email me at dtollaksen at wideopenwest dot com if you are interested. I will only order one pack of every DSP for this project, so there is a limited number of swatch books available.

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen





Friday, May 18, 2012

Mixing it up

Busy spring. Busy busy spring.  Just when I think life is settling down and I will have lots of time on my hands, the calendar just keeps filling up!

This beauty of a card is a CASE (copy and steal everything) of a pretty card I spotted online.  Simply punch some flowers out of a panel of whisper white cardstock that has been embossed. Then back it with gorgeous DSP (designer series paper).  Embellish with punched flowers and pearls, add a sentiment and you're good to go.

And I'm off to a weekend of stamping, bowling and enjoying the gorgeous spring weather.

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Garage Sale

Unbelievable! These are the stamp sets that I pulled from my shelf that retired this year. When you come to my classes or host a party, I only use stamps that are available for you to order. Therefore, retired stamp sets need to leave the stamp room.

Can you imagine what wide open spaces are left on my shelf? In the clear-mount sets alone, there are more than 25 sets. Probably just as many wood sets.

And these are just my sets. Laura and Catherine are also purging their shelves and pricing their stamps. So you can build your collection and enjoy a great bargain!

Saturday June 9. Don't miss it! Don't delay. But don't show up early! 9 am on June 9.  Early birds will be subjected to barking and growling. . . and I might even make you walk the dog!

Please come and get your hands on the new Stampin' Up! catalog. You know it is filled with great new options, because we retired so many great stamps. Bring a friend to shop and bring your calendar to book a party so you can earn lots of great free stamps!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen


Saturday, May 12, 2012

Happy Mother's Day

Don't you dare get in the car and buy a Mother's Day card.  I know you are under the gun, now, since it is Saturday and tomorrow is Mother's Day. But I have a solution for you. EASY PEASY.

Stampin' Up! offers the digital solution, My Digital Studio aka MDS. There is a free 30-day trial and there is a pre-designed Mother's Day card available to download. You won't have to leave the house, you can print from your everyday printer, but I would use nice Whisper White cardstock. You can print a front AND a back, just send the paper through again, but flip it over! My version has my Mom's grandchildren peeking through the windows. You can skip that step, or you can go for it! Just don't drive over to that expensive card shop and throw your money away!

If you need help, just call me, my number is over there in my info section; or email me or ring the bell if you're in the neighborhood!

Of course, it is possible that you have stamps, ink and paper and you could make her a lovely card. Wouldn't she be impressed? Go for it!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

What's your Purse-anality?

Here's a little sneak-peek at the new catalog coming June 1: the petite purse die for the Big Shot. It will work in your machine, whichever you have, and it is so easy to assemble, it is frugal in paper use (half a sheet) and it is darling! You can stuff it with candy, a car key would fit, maybe a chapstick or two, jewelry will slide right in, you can make it from fabric, foam sheet, felt or paper, or metal, or what else have you got?

For some reason, it is just so appealing. I have seen it converted to a picnic basket, fishing basket, briefcase and more. And it is easy to dress up with ribbon, layers, embellishments . . . one classy stamper added a chain for the handle and it looked like a Chanel bag.

You're going to love the projects we make with this gorgeous Petite Purse Die for the Big Shot!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Best deal yet


Join Stampin' Up! in your way . . . with our completely customizable Starter Kit for just $99!
Build your own personal kit by picking $125 worth of any of our high-quality traditional or digital products. We'll add in a business supplies pack valued at $65 (to help you get your business up and running), and you've got a customizable kit worth up to $190!
It's that easy.
To quickly and easily sign up online go to www.dtollaksen.stampinup.net and click on JOIN.

Let me give you a hint: if you have a wishlist going, and you wish you could order a couple great stamp sets and some ink and paper to boost your craft supplies, and the list is inching up toward $100, this kit is for you. You get your $125 worth of product for just $99, you get some catalogs to share with your friends and then. . . wait for it. . . you get 20% discount on all purchases you make in the future!  Yes, there is a minimum purchase required to keep the relationship going, but your friends, family and customers can help you with that. Or you can just take advantage of the initial offering and go on about your life.  

I would LOVE to have you join my team and I will be here to help you in whatever way you need.

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen