Studio Day 6

 Hey Everybody,

We're back to the studio today. We've finished looking at all of the drawers now we'll check out the cabinets above my desk and work spaces.

This cabinet is at the end right above my embossing machine and embossing folders. I store extra plates for my machine, my Sidekick, which is a mini die cutting machine. It will emboss small items also. I got this years ago and had it before Stampin' Up came out with their little machine.

The thing I like about this machine is that it has suction on the bottom. You flip a handle and it sticks to your table and doesn't move when you die cut. The Stampin' Up machine tends to move.

I also store my envelopes here. Each month with classes I got through about 100 envelopes, so I try to keep plenty on hand. I also supply two of the Card Ministries with an envelope with each card.

This next cabinet is right behind where I work so I put my extra cardstock there. I use a whole lot of white cardstock, and I have three different thicknesses. I have 65# for the inside layer of cards. 80# is for card bases that have extra layers on the front and inside. I also have 110# for card bases if there aren't many layers.  110# cardstock is thicker and heavier than the other two weights of paper I use.

The next cupboard has pouncing tools for stenciling and stamping if I want to use them. They come in 10-12 colors. I also have Stampin' Up retired embellishments as well as current ones. On the far right bottom shelf, I have embellishments that aren't Stampin' Up.  The center container has Stampin' Up embellishments. On the left, at the bottom is a tray that has cards that need to be finished. This is the last cabinet in the row behind me.

This cabinet is to the right of where I sit. It holds these small notebooks which hold my dies, dies/stamp and the two notebooks on the right hold my stencils. I like having them in these so I can protect them and flip through to see what I want to work with.

The center blue tray has things that need to be mailed or sorted for Card Ministries.

The center cabinet next to me is where I store my tape, stapler, paints, larger brushes and my Gelli plate are on the top shelf.  The bottom shelf has a white container with a drawer where I store my reinkers. I pull it out and place it on my desk and open the drawer and pull out the ink I need. Next to that are my watercolor pencils, my colored pencils and my watercolors.

The last cabinet is farthest away from me and I store items that need to be sorted . The empty shelves hold the supplies I use for classes. This week I have classes so all of the supplies are on my table and not in the cabinet.

Well, that's the upper cabinets. I will show you what I store on my counter tops after classes are finished this week. Right now my counters are full of materials for all of the projects we're making in class.

If you have suggestions about how you would store some items, let me know. Or, if you want to share how you store things, it might work for me as well.

Thank you for stopping by today. I hope you come back and visit again soon.

Blessings,

Sue

Virtual Stamping Challenges

 Last weekend, Splitcoaststampers had two days of challenges. I just love when they do this. It enables me to 'see what I'm made of", so to speak.  They give you a challenge and you have an hour to make the card. I love the challenge of getting an idea of what to make then seeing what you have in your papers, stamps and inks that you can pull together.

I've uploaded four of my cards and what the challenge was for each card. See what you think and if you think you'd like to make something on your own.

Our challenge was to use these colors on a card.

The image was stamped with memento tuxedo black ink and colored with Copic Markers. I stamped snowflakes on the scarf and hat. I added white flock to the tassel of the hat. I fussy cut the image so you could see the background paper. I added the snowflake and snowman with dimensionals. I stamped the greeting in night of navy ink.

Our challenge was to make a card that moved. I followed the video by Tammi White found here. https://stampwithtami.com/blog/2024/...lebration-kit/
I've made this a few times, so it gets easier and goes along more quickly. After getting the pop up mechanism done, I put the front together and did all of the stamping in mossy meadow ink.

Our challenge was to use flags on our card. I stamped the mice and colored them with Copic Markers. I used watercolor pencils to color the ground and shadows. I stamped my greeting on white cardstock then cut them into flags and added them to the paintbrushes with a dimensional. This will go to a friend who hurt her back.

Our challenge was to make something warm to drink. I chose to stamp this cutie who is getting a warm drink himself. I stamped in memento tuxedo black ink and colored with Copic Markers. I die cut the rectangle with textured notes dies. I punched out the hearts from the red glimmer paper. They were added with dimensionals. I traced some of the snowflakes with the white gel pen. I added Wink of Stella to the snowman and the snow beneath him. I cut the sentiment apart and added it to the heart. Lastly, I added gold stickles to the snow falling around the snowman. This will go on a dinner tray at a local hospital.

Sometimes the hardest thing in stamping is coming up with WHAT to stamp? By doing these challenges you are given lots of different ideas of what to put into your cards and you go through your stamps and papers more often so you remember more of what you have and what you can use for your cards.

Well, thanks for stopping by today.

I'm beat, sweet Mia Sunshine was with me all day today.

Blessings,

Sue

Day 5 At The Studio

 Hey Everybody,

We're going to continue our journey through my studio again today. These two drawers sit right behind where I work. I wanted it that way when I set up the studio because these drawers hold my card stock.

I wanted these kind of drawers because I have more room horizontally and it is easier to access the paper when it's stored this way than in a typical file cabinet. I have hanging folders to hold my paper. I put scraps of Stampin' Up cardstock right behind the full sheets so they are easily accessible. I started with my white, black and beige cardstock, then alphabetized my colors. Blue, Brown, Gray. Then I added my specialty papers such as acetate, copper, gold and silver metallic paper as well as masking paper, vellum and watercolor paper.

This drawer has file space to the left side and there is where I have stored my retired Stampin' Up cardstock. That way it is easy to find and use for my Card Ministry cards.

The bottom drawer begins with green and goes through yellow.  To the left of this cardstock I have labels stored and personal files.

The next two drawers are at the end of the counter. This top one has all of my embossing folders stored. I label those as well. In the front are the current Stampin' Up folders. The rest are categorized into categories such as, flowers, baby, birthday, hearts, sea, snow, etc.

On the counter above this drawer is where my Stamp, Cut and Emboss Machine is. So this is the perfect place to store these. It's quick and easy to pull out what I want and return it to where it needs to go when I'm finished.

The bottom drawer is deeper to hold all of my 12" x 12" designer series papers. They are in hanging files also and stored with the current Stampin' Up paper in the front filed alphabetically.

Then I have retired designer paper stored alphabetically so when I need paper for Card Ministries, this is the paper I go to first.

I also have 4" x 6" and 6" x 6" retired designer paper stored in another drawer.

Well, that's all of the drawers in my studio. Next, I'll show you what is on the countertops and in the upper cabinets.

Thanks for stopping by again. I hope you are getting some ideas of how I store things. You have to do what works for you in the space you have. 

I hope to see you back again soon.

Blessings,

Sue

Studio Day 4

 Hey Everybody,

Sorry I've been missing. I've been cutting paper and getting ready for my 4 classes this week. I didn't have my usual paper cutter helper this month so it took more time to get ready.

We're going to continue on from where I left off last time.

Next to the set of 4 drawers where my stamps and paper are, is a tall-open area for storage of my scoring tool and paper cutters.

Next to that you see 6 drawers. These are for my punches. I put the punches I used the most at the top.

The top drawer has all of my circle punches from the smallest in the front, to the largest in the back.

Next are my oval and punches I use most with sentiments. You get the idea. The rest of the drawers have my other punches. I have builder punches for the bee and jar. I have square punches, flower punches, you name it.

The next area is right behind where I sit. There are three drawers of different sizes.

The top drawer is deeper so I can store the bags I use to put my stamps, dies and paper in. They are on the left side of the divider.

On the right side is my tool drawer. You'll find sanding blocks, marbles, pliers, spinners, wobblers, brayers, wire and all sorts of things I use when creating.

The middle drawer has dividers to keep my ribbon in place. The back area has ribbon that I use that isn't on spools.

The bottom drawer has my Copic Refills in a wooden holder. I bought the holder. Tim added a wood piece under it so it can be moved. He is going to make another holder which will almost fill the drawer.

For me, these areas are pretty much how I stored things before. We planned it so that the things I used the most would be closest to me. Tim made drawers that were a bit wider and deeper. They pull out all the way so I can get to things in the back.  That was my concern with the Ikea drawers; you can store items in the back, but you can't open the drawer all of the way to get at them.

Well, we're almost finished with the bottom drawers. When we finish with the drawers, we'll move on to the cabinets and what goodies are stored in them.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my studio.

Blessings,

Sue

Day 3 of Studio Tour

 
Hey Everybody, 

I'm back with some more photos of my new studio. This first picture shows the large pull-out table I have at my desk. You can see it's big enough to hold a mini Misty tool, a Stampin' Up case that has my Simply Shammy(purple stamp cleaning thing) in it. In the middle is my Stampin' Up Trimmer. To the right and near the back is my Tim Holtz guillotine cutter.

                                  

This next photo shows the drawers that are beneath the pull out table. You can see the handle which is used to pull the drawers forward when I need to open them.  

                                        
                                           

This photo show how they push back so I can work at the pull out table or that part of the desk without hitting my knees.

                                              

This is the top drawer which has dividers that I set up. The far left has my 6" x 6" designer series paper from Stampin' Up. You can see the current paper in front with the Last Chance Paper next and finally in the back, newly retired paper.

This area holds paper I've cut so it's quicker and easier when making cards and planning classes. I divide the 12" x 12" paper pack in half. Half is stored in my drawer for 12" x 12" paper and the other half is cut into 4" x 6" pieces for use.

I find I use more of my paper when it's cut this way. It's easier to go through and see what I have.

The middle section has my new products in the front and my current Stampin' Up stamps.  I also have Last Chance stamps here as well.  Once stamps retire, I move them to my other drawers where they are sorted by type.

The row on the right has my labels for products such as SC-Spring Catalog, OE-Online Exclusives. I put a sticker on each product when I get it so when customers ask where to find it I can tell them. With so many different places, it got confusing and this is an easy way to organize these.

Behind that are many of the stamps I use for my Card Ministries. In the front are images and toward the middle are sentiments.  I moved them from the long drawers to this drawer which is closer to where I work on my cards.

The next drawer has my acrylic blocks, my larger stamp positioners and utensils for the stamp positioners.  All of the drawers are lined with red felt so it's not noisy when I put things back. 

                                   

This next drawer has all of my Distress ink cubes, Distress Oxide Inks and Stampin' Up 1" cubes. Near the back is Mia's plastic container of inks that she uses when she stamps.

The Distress Oxide Inks have sample cards I made for each color so I could see what it looked like on white paper. I put those in baseball card pages.

The bottom drawer has my Stampin' Up retired tools like the punch board and envelope maker. I also have jewelry making supplies stored here.
                                       

Well, that's another section of my studio. If you have ideas on how to better store some of these things let me know. I am still doing fine tuning. When I moved my things into the studio, I put things where I thought they'd work. Some I've moved after working with them where they were put originally.

Thanks for stopping by today.  For me it's a Mia day. 

Blessings,

Sue

Stampin' Up! February Newsletter

 

Hey Everybody, 

Here we are and it's February already! Where did January go? Stampin' Up has so many new things going on this month. Check them out here.

Starting today this pretty DSP is the February product of the month!

Just $5 with an order over $75.

NEW PRODUCT OF THE MONTH PROMOTION!

Bring a soft wash of color to your card making with the Painted Illusions 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper. These dreamy watercolor gradients blend pinks, greens, blues, teals, and yellows with flowing white patterns that make layering effortless. Receive it for just $5 with a $75 purchase (before tax & shipping)! It’s the kind of paper that does the heavy lifting for you—perfect for clean, simple designs with just the right touch of whimsy.

February 2026 Product of the Month​
Painted Illusions DSP is available exclusively only while supplies last. Once it’s gone, it’s gone—so don’t wait to add this versatile favorite to your craft stash!

Shop the product of the month.

 There's been a refresh of the Clearance Rack and Last Chance Sections.

A CLEARANCE REFRESH, WOOHOO! Stampin’ Up! has refreshed the Clearance Rack and Last Chance  section—and the savings are BIG! Shop select retiring and  past-season favorites at up to 60% off while supplies last.  These deals always go quickly, so be sure to snag your must-haves  before they disappear.  It’s the perfect time to grab embellishments, tools, dies, and  designer papers at  incredible prices! Don’t wait— popular items are sure to sell out fast, so  place your order ASAP!  With discounts of up to 60% on a HUGE selection of retiring products,  you won’t want to miss out! shop clearance & last chance   ​Join Stampin' Up now and receive our new  Stampin' Positioner FREE. If you’ve ever thought about turning your love of stamping  into something more, February is bringing a very exciting reason  to say yes. From February 3–March 2, join Stampin' Up!  by purchasing a Starter Kit and receive an exclusive  bonus—the brand-new Stampin’ Positioner ($49 value),  included with your kit at no extra cost. This is a  limited-time starter-kit offer—and it’s one you won’t  want to miss.  The Stampin' Up! Stampin' Positioner will  become available for customer purchase for $49  (exact date to be determined)  after the promotion has ended March 2. ​ More Details on the Starter Kit!   Purchase a $99 Starter Kit NOW! ​ Did you earn one or more $5 Bonus Days Coupons  with a previous order placed between Jan. 6 - Feb. 2?  REDEEM THEM NOW - Feb. 28! BEFORE you click the CHECKOUT button, click on the + sign  next to the COUPON CODE field, copy and paste your coupon codes  into the Enter Code section, then hit the APPLY link. Our upcoming virtual Craft Class is the Lovely Blossoms Craft Class (170929)  featuring the Lovely Blossoms Suite Collection (167193).  You can purchase the class starting February 3  and stream it live on February 19 at 2:00 p.m. (MT) or watch it later  on demand. You can still purchase the class after the livestream is over. Click  here to find out more about this class. Two New Kits Have Dropped! Happy Happenings Kit-Click here for more information. Best Ever Kit-Click here for more information. Whew! That's a lot of new information. Let me know if you have any questions. Don't forget classes are next week. Here is the schedule and availability in each class. Monday February 9th at 10   2 spots Tuesday February 10th at 1   3 spots Thursday February 12th at 10   1 spot Friday February 13th  1 spot Thanks for stopping by today. Blessings, Sue

Three More Challenge Cards

 Hey Everybody,

Back again with Virtual Stamp Night Cards. Today I have three challenges to show you. Check out the link above to try some of the fun challenges that I've been doing.

Our challenge was to use goldfish for a card. I printed this goldfish out and colored it with watercolor pencils then blended with a blender pen. I added touches of gold pen on the main body. I added Wink of Stella to the whole fish. I used versamark on a stencil over my designer series paper and heat embossed with gold embossing powder. I used a stencil that looked a bit like the skin on the fish. I added a wobbler to the back of the fish and added that to the card front. I wrote Keep Swimming with black fine line marker. This will go on a dinner tray at a local hospital.

Keywords: JAN26VSNE

Stamps: n/a

Paper: white, SU-Whale of a Time designer series paper

Paper Size: A2

Ink: versamark

Accessories: Stampin' Up and Derwent watercolor pencils, blender brush, gold pen, black fine line marker, Zing gold embossing powder, heat tool, wobbler, Stampin' Up-Plenty of Patterns stencil, dauber

Techniques: heat embossing, coloring

My second challenge is to use gold, silver or bronze on our card. I put an adhesive sheet on the back of the gold paper and die cut it. I also die cut a scrap of red to get the red piece. I ran the red card base through with the embossing folder for the background. I did the same with the scrap of red for the missing puzzle piece. I added the gold heart then added the red piece of the heart. I used dimensionals for the small heart and the sentiment. I placed the gold piece on the card base with adhesive. This will go to a loved one.

Hearts of Love 3D embossing folder is the embossing folder I used for this card.

Keywords: JAN26VSNC WT1090

Stamps: Unity Stamps-Wee Little Courier

Paper: real red, white, gold metallic paper

Paper Size: A2

Ink: real red

Accessories: Pink & Main heart die, SU-heart punch, SU-Hearts of Love 3D embossing folder, SU adhesive sheets, dimensionals

Techniques: dry embossing, die cutting

Our challenge was to make a clean and simple card with at least one gold star.
I stamped the sweater and colored it with Copic markers. It was die cut and added to the background paper. The background paper was added to a mossy meadow card base. I stamped the tiny hearts with versamark ink and heat embossed with gold embossing powder. This will go on a dinner tray at a local hospital.

Keywords: JAN26VSND

Stamps: Stampin' Up-Merry Mice(stars), Colorado Craft Company-Sweater Weather

Paper: white mossy meadow, SU-Winter Meadow designer series paper

Paper Size: A2

Ink: memento tuxedo black, versamark

Accessories: gold embossing powder, heat tool, Copic Markers, Colorado Craft Company sweater die, white gel pen, dimensionals

Techniques: die cutting, coloring, heat embossing

Do you think you'd like to do some of these challenges? I hope you give at least one a try. These challenges really do improve your card making skills. They also help you use your stamps and supplies more.

Thanks for stopping by today. Stay safe and warm.

Blessings,

Sue