Sale-a-bration Wrap Up

Today is the last day of Sale-a-bration. I wanted to leave you with a couple of other cards using Sale-a-bration products to wrap up. Make sure you get all your favorites ordered today!

Flutterby again soon!

How I'm Backing Up MDS: Part 2 Downloads Manager

As promised here is a quick video to show you how to find your downloads manager- whether you are a customer or a demo. Enjoy!

Flutterby again soon.

Mommy & Me Easter Baskets

I had fun last weekend hosting a Mommy & Me class where we created Easter baskets from the Berry Basket die. It was a blast!

I had everything pre-cut for them with sticky strip added to all the right places. All they had to do was peel the top off the sticky strip and assemble. Elli was so independent... she didn't want Mommy to help her peel any of the red strips- and I have to admit she was pretty good at it :) She was really proud of the final creation.

This is the sample that I had made before class. It features the Best Year Ever DSP and ribbon from the Best Year Ever Accessory Pack that you can get FREE during Sale-a-bration. But time is running out! If you missed out on this gem be sure to get it before the end of the month!

Flutterby again soon!

New Clearance Rack Items

There are some new Fall, Halloween, and Christmas items out on the Clearance Rack. Make sure to check it out!

How I'm Backing Up MDS: Part 1 Content Catalog

As promised here is my first post on how I'm going about backing up my MDS program and downloads. I'm not a tech expert- so I can't promise that this is the 'best' way- but hopefully if you are overwhelmed and don't know where to start this will help you out.

I realized that before I even began my back-up process I wanted to have an inventory of what I have and make any of my final purchases for the program (since I will want them backed up too). I figure this is a pretty big task in and of itself, so I've decided that will be Part 1

Step 1: Download this MDS content catalog (click on the image and save to your computer).

I created this document (I'm sharing with you- you're welcome!) to be an MDS catalog that contains all the downloads in the Stampin' Up! store. The downloads are categorized just as they are on the Stampin' Up site. Two things to note: there are a handful of duplicates in here (items that made it into more than one category) which you should watch out for. Also, in the E-cutter category there were only two items that weren't in any other category- so I only included those two on here instead of creating a plethora of duplicates :)

Step 2: Identify all the downloads you have.

For this next step I used the catalog above and highlighted all of the items that I have. I looked at the content that came with the original program and the second generation. (Click on the links to see the content included with each)

Next, I looked at what was on the content discs that I bought (these were offered in the first year or two after MDS came out).

Then I headed over to my download manager and highlighted all of the items that I had previously bought outside of the program. If you don't know where your download manager is stay tuned- I will post a quick video of where to find it once I get my voice back :)

Step 3: Decide what final purchases you want to make.

Now that I know what I have from the MDS catalog I am in the process of deciding what final downloads I want to get. This is the hard part. My wish list is HUGE. Yikes :)

Do you have any final 'must have' downloads before they are discontinued at the end of May? Chime in and let me know what are the favorites on your list. And don't forget to look within the ensembles and kits for any hidden gems such as punches or templates!

If you want to show your "Thanks" to me for helping you through this process I would really appreciate it if you picked me, Amber Swift, as your demonstrator when you make your final MDS purchases. Thanks for the support!

So Much to Sale-a-brate: Card 5

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT SNOWED!! And even worse- it didn't insta melt when it hit the ground. NOO!! In the words of my daughter- "But I wanted spring and Easter to be here" (said in a very sad, slightly poutty voice).

Well, hopefully it doesn't stay long. And in the meantime here is a cute card made with some FREE Sale-a-bration products to brighten up your day:

The size of this card is a little smaller than standard- it is 4.25 x 4.25, but it will still fit in a standard size envelope with some room to spare on the sides. I cut it that way so that the DSP in the middle could be cut to 4x4- perfect for making the most of your DSP (you can get 9 cards from a sheet this way!).

I still am loving this Lotus Blossom Stamp set. It is so easy to add lots of depth with just one ink (yes, that flower above is made with only one color). Just make sure you stamp off the first two images and you are golden :)

The DSP and ribbon are also free Sale-a-bration products. So all this card required was a little cardstock. Yay! Oh- and I used the Scalloped Tag Topper punch for the little banner piece (the tag hole is covered with the little bow).

Flutterby again soon!

Creative Inking Blog Hop: Spring has Sprung

I've joined up with some other fabulous demonstrators to bring you a dose of monthly inspiration. This month we are going to inspire you to celebrate the coming of SPRING! It is finally here in MN and I couldn't be more thrilled. This weekend we bought my DD her first bike and took her out for a ride- she did so fantastic and the weather was PERFECT for it (although the bike was Frozen themed- anyone else see the irony there :) ). But now I digress.

I've had in my mind what I wanted to make for you today for quite some time... in fact I started working on it while winter was still in full force. And let me tell you- boy was that confusing to my mind to be working on this nice cheery spring project and then battle out the elements later the same day :) Are you ready to see it? (Make sure you click it so you can see it nice and big!)

Isn't it darling? The Hello You thinlit was just begging me for a good cause to say 'hello' to :) And who can resist a darling butterfly!

All of the 'stamping' for this project was actually done in MDS :) If you have visited Swift Thinkin before I'm sure you're not surprised ;) When I saw the Painted Petals stamp set was available digitally I was over the moon excited! It is one of my favorite products in the spring catalog and now I could use it in MDS too! Squeal!!

When I create hybrid with MDS I like to make sure the finished project has lots of dimension. And just take a look at all the yummy layers in this one.

The letters are actually from a font on my computer in MDS- and to get them to really pop off the cards I actually printed out an extra copy and fussycut them by hand. I'm not normally much for cutting, but I really wanted the effect it would give and I'm so glad I did it. Although... this does fuel my wish for an e-cutter ;)

Last but not least I'll leave you with a close up of some of the details. Enjoy!

Now hop on over to the next blog. I'm sure Kristine has something amazing in store for us.

Or if backwards is your thing, then hop this way instead:

Flutterby again soon!

Note: I created this project and blog post before the announcement this week that MDS would soon be leaving us. I understand why this must be so, but am very saddened by the news. If you too are an MDS lover please be sure to back up your program and digital downloads. As I work through how I will close this chapter on MDS I will be sure to pass along information to you all via this blog.

So Much to Sale-a-brate: Card 4

Are you loving Sale-a-bration yet? I can't believe that it is almost over! Make sure you grab your favorite items before they are gone for good!

One of my early favorites was the beautiful Lotus Blossoms stamp set. It is a 'Two Step Stamping' set- which just means that the stamps are made to be layered over one another... and in this case there are actually three layers. But they create gorgeous flowers!

Just check out this cute card we made at class:

I love the pop of coral in with the yellow. It reminds me of my favorite type of tulips in the spring! Ah spring- I'm so happy you are finally here. This winter was brutal- yah? But I digress from the card :)

This card also features the Irresistably Yours DSP. This paper is so cool! It is embossed white on white- so you can color it any way you want and make the design pop :) In this case we used a sponge dauber to add the ink- but there are so many different methods you can find if you search (and don't forget about using Saran Wrap like I did here!).

Flutterby again soon! I've got another Lotus Blossom card class for you coming up soon :)

Sadness

Today is a bit of a bitter day for me. Stampin' Up! just announced that they are no longer going to carry the MDS line of products. As all of my followers know, this is my favorite product- so I am going to miss it tremendously.

Just to be clear, the program itself will not cease to function. However, it will no longer be available to buy- nor will any of the downloads- after May 31st. In addition, SU is discontinuing print services and will no longer have technical support for the program.

This gives us a couple of months to purchase any remaining downloads that we want and backup the downloads we currently have. I highly suggest all my fellow MDS lovers make sure your program and downloads are safe on an external drive in the coming two months.

So Much to Sale-a-brate: Card 3

This was the last card from class that used the Best Day Ever stamp set, and I think it is my favorite :)

I love the bokah look in the corners of this card. To achieve that I just covered the stamp in ink and then stamped with it several times (so each time it gets lighter) on opposite corners of the card.

Creating the flower was a lot of fun too! I used the blossom punch on the Best Year Ever paper pack. And then the Best Year Ever Accessory Pack was perfect for adding a ribbon stem and leaves- as well as a cute little button and ribbon for the center of the flower :)

Only two more weeks to earn these products for FREE! I can't believe Sale-a-bration is almost over!

Flutterby again soon!

Butterfly Thinlits Swap #4

This is the last of the butterfly swaps I received. This one was from Eileen Niemeier.

It is so fun how she paired her butterfly bundle with the Circle Card Thinlit die. It makes him look like he is flying from the front to the inside of the card :)

And I love the choice of DSP to cut the butterfly from. It makes it look just like a real zebra butterfly :)

Flutterby again soon!

So Much to Sale-a-brate: Card 2

This was the second card from class this month. It used the Best Day Ever stamp set again. I think this set is just adorable!

I stamped the flower twice and cut it out, layering the two with glue dots to create the cute little embellishment for this card. Then I added a tiny bit of ribbon from the Best Year Ever Accessory Pack just to finish it off.

The strip of DSP is from the Best Year Ever paper pack. Isn't it great that all three of the pieces I used today match! I love it when they make coordinating products like that :) and of course getting them all FREE is even better.

Flutterby again soon!

MDS Basics Tutorials: Stamps

Here is the sixth part of my MDS Basic Videos. I want to make sure that when you start working with MDS you can be up and running in no time! In today's segment we are talking about how to add stamps to your projects. Remember, for these videos I will be building this scrapbook page from scratch to show you how it is done: 

 

We've already given this page a background, photos, and some journaling. We've also started the fancy-ing it process by giving it an embellishment and a punch- now let's finish it up with some stamps.

Hope you enjoy! Flutterby again soon

Layers of Gratitude Paper Pumpkin

I've been wanting to share this creation with you FOREVER... afterall, I made it the day my Paper Pumpkin kit arrived this month. But, you know how it is when life gets busy. I finally got some good pictures though, so here goes!

When this month's Paper Pumpkin arrived I was IN LOVE with the cute stamps. And two inks- WOW. The felt letters were also very cool :) But the layout just wasn't quite me. I had fun making them 'per the directions' with my kiddos... but I wanted to try out something else too.

So, I cut up one of the cards into 4 smaller pieces to make a set of thank you cards to give as a gift. I also grabbed some Tangelo Twist ink to replace the felt letters on these smaller cards. What do you think of the final product?

This was my favorite of the cards, along with the box. I love how the yellow stamp gives a watercolor look if you stamp it off multiple times.

And here are the rest of the cards to go with it:

And of course the insides:

It was so much fun to play with these stamps! Just layer them up and it is hard to go wrong :)

So what did you do with your kit last month? Not to much longer until another orange box is on its way- Excitement!

Flutterby again soon!

Butterfly Thinlits Swap #3

As I said before- I must not be the only person who likes butterflies, because I got a LOT of swaps with them this time :) Isn't this next one a beauty from Deb Klaphake.

This features the Butterfly Basics bundle from the spring Occasions catalog. With the bundle you get both the stamp set and the butterfly thinlits for 15% off. WooHoo! And the little butterfly in the set even matches one of our punches too :)

Flutterby again soon!

So Much to Sale-a-brate!

I love the Sale-a-bration time of year. I mean, who can argue with FREE stuff :) And there is always so much cute stuff I want to get!

So for class this month I wanted to feature some of these adorable products before they are gone. Today's card uses the Best Day Ever stamp set. I just love this set and the bokah background technique that you can create with it :)

Not sure what bokah means? Think back to Christmas time- when you take pictures of the tree but the strand of bulbs is not in focus, creating a sense of orbs of light floating in the background. That's bokah! And you can see it at work in the yellow strip of stamping on my card.

For this card I also added in some ribbon from the coordinating Best Year Ever Accessory Pack. I love it when things match for me :)

Flutterby again soon!

MDS Basics Tutorials: Punches

Here is the fifth part of my MDS Basic Videos. I want to make sure that when you start working with MDS you can be up and running in no time! In today's segment we are talking about how to add punches to your projects. Remember, for these videos I will be building this scrapbook page from scratch to show you how it is done: 

 

We've already given this page a background, photos, and some journaling. We've also started the fancy-ing it process by giving it an embellishment- now let's continue with the punches.

Hope you enjoy! Flutterby again soon