The best $107.50 you have ever spent

Are you *pumped* about this starter kit? I sure am. Here is a FANTASTIC breakdown of what the Standard Kit and the My Digital Studio Kit includes:

The CUSTOMIZABLE Standard Kit and the value of each:
1. Any $41.95 or lower Stamp Set
2. Any $35.95 or lower Stamp Set
3. Any $22.95 or lower Stamp Set
4. Any $9.95 or lower Stamp Set
Before we go on, note that the $107.50 kit cost has already paid for the 4 sets above valued at $110.80.
That means EVERYTHING BELOW THIS LINE IS FREE!!!!!!
5. $24.95 Brights Patterns Designer Series paper stack (OR color of your choice) FREE
6. $20.95 Stampin’ Scrub® FREE
7. $12.25 Whisper White 5/8" satin ribbon (OR ribbon at the same or lower price) FREE
8. $9.95 VersaMark® pad (OR ink pad at the same or lower price) FREE
9. $9.25 Card stock 8-1/2" x 11" (Whisper White OR color of your choice) FREE
10. $9.95 Small Chocolate Songbird Tile Décor Elements® (OR Décor Elements item at the same or lower price) FREE
11. $8.50 Assorted color card stock 8-1/2" x 11" (Getting Started OR assortment of your choice) FREE
12. $8.95 Clear Block C (OR clear block at the same or lower price)FREE
13. $9.75 SNAIL Adhesive® (OR adhesive at the same or lower price) FREE
14. $7.25 Fast Flowers Stampin’ Around® wheel (OR standard wheel of your choice) FREE
15. $4.95 Stampin’ Around Self Inking Handle (standard) FREE
16. $7.25 Classic Stampin’ Pad® (color of your choice) FREE
17. $7.25 Classic Stampin’ Pad® (color of your choice) FREE
18. $7.25 Classic Stampin’ Pad® (color of your choice) FREE
19. $7.25 Classic Stampin’ Pad® (color of your choice) FREE
20. $6.50 Uninked Cartridge (standard) FREE
21. $5.50 Stampin’ Mist® (OR StazOn® Cleaner) FREE
22. $5.25 Stampin’ Dimensionals® FREE
23. $4.50 Stampin’ Write® marker (color of your choice) FREE
24. $4.50 Stampin’ Write® marker (color of your choice) FREE
25. $3.32 Blender pen (single) FREE
26. $2.95 Marina Mist Classic Ink Refill (OR color of your choice) FREE
27. $1.95 Décor Elements Applicator Tool FREE
28. $1.17 Stamping sponge (single) FREE
29. Catalogs ($34.95 for 8), business forms, and other printed materials to get your business off to a great start! FREE


The CUSTOMIZABLE My Digital Studio Kit and the value of each:
1. $106.95 My Digital Studio™ software
2. $5.25 Stampin’ Dimensionals®

Before we go on, note that the $107.50 kit cost has paid for the My Digital Studio software & dimensionals above.

That means EVERYTHING BELOW THIS LINE IS FREE!!!!!!
3. Any $32.95 or lower Stamp Set FREE
4. Any $22.95 or lower Stamp Set FREE
5. Any $9.95 or lower Stamp Set FREE
6. $20.95 Stampin’ Scrub® FREE
7. $10.95 Brights Designer buttons FREE
8. $9.95 Small Chocolate Songbird Tile Décor Elements® (OR Décor Elements item at the same or lower price) FREE
9. $8.95 Clear Block C (OR clear block at the same or lower price)FREE
10. $8.50 Assorted color card stock 8-1/2" x 11" (Getting Started OR assortment of your choice) FREE
11. $9.75 SNAIL Adhesive® (OR adhesive at the same or lower price) FREE
12. $7.25 Classic Stampin’ Pad® (color of your choice) FREE
13. $7.25 Classic Stampin’ Pad® (color of your choice) FREE
14. $7.25 Classic Stampin’ Pad® (color of your choice) FREE
15. $7.25 Classic Stampin’ Pad® (color of your choice) FREE
16. $6.75 Real Red 1/4" grosgrain ribbon (OR ribbon at the same or lower price) FREE
17. $4.95 Glue Dots® FREE
18. $5.50 Stampin’ Mist® (OR StazOn® Cleaner) FREE
19. $4.50 Stampin’ Write® marker (color of your choice) FREE
20. $4.50 Stampin’ Write® marker (color of your choice) FREE
21. $8.50 Card stock 8-1/2" x 11" (Whisper White OR color of your choice)
22. $1.95 Décor Elements Applicator Tool FREE
23. Catalogs ($34.95 for 8), business forms, and other printed materials to get your business off to a great start! FREE

Amazing, yes? If you would like to purchase the starter kit go to my Demonstrator Website HERE! Click Join Now and the password is cherylhirst.
The whole process will only take you about twenty minutes total if you already know what you want in your kit. This offer ends on November 30th at 11:59pm.

Please call or email with any questions you may have!

Stampin' Up! Starter Kit is 50% off!!!!!!

What do you call it when you get over $375 in Stampin' Up! crafting & business supplies for only $107.50? You call it SIMPLY AMAZING!!
From November 15-30, you can purchase either the Standard or Digital + Starter Kit at 50% off the regular price!

Can you believe it? This is crazy! Never have I seen a deal like this before. I love a sale! Christmas has come early this year!

IT'S THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY FOR A HOBBY STAMPER! The starter kit is not only a fantastic savings, it includes the benefits and discounts of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator with no obligation to sell.

* Choose either the Standard or Digital Starter Kits. Includes $375 of Stampin' Up! stamps and accessories for $107.50.
* The starter kits can be customized to your preferences.
* Starter kit products ship FREE.
* Take 30% off your first Stampin' Up! order (placed w/in 45 days).
* Save 20% on all other orders
* Pre-order from the 2011 Occasions Mini and Sale-A-Bration catalogs starting Dec. 1.
* Sale-A-Bration is around the corner and free stamp set opportunities multiply!
* Enjoy tons of learning tools, including video tutorials on the Stampin' Up! demo site.
* Earn additional income while sharing creativity.
* Make new and lasting friendships.
* Receive a free subscription to an exclusive monthly magazine.
* Receive two free months subscription to your own business website.
* Opportunity to earn free products and incentive trips.

IT'S GOOD TO KNOW: There's no penalty to drop and you keep the kit and everything you purchased at a discount! You'll enjoy full demonstrator privileges thru March 31, 2011. To remain active beyond March 31, 2011, $400 in product sales is required.

If you've ever considered purchasing My Digital Studio, the starter kit is actually CHEAPER than the program itself!!! How amazing is that???

THIS IRRESISTIBLE OFFER IS ONLY AVAILABLE UNTIL NOVEMBER 30, 2010, SO CONTACT ME BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!

If you'd like to become a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator for the awesome price of $107.50, contact me today at www.madewithlovebycher@hotmail.com or order your starter kit on my Demonstrator Website HERE! Click Join Now and the password is cherylhirst.

I can't wait to hear from you!

Dear Baby Koop,

Please come soon. We have all been patiently waiting for your arrival. Especially your mom and dad. We know your mom has made a lovely home for you and it is probably very difficult to leave but we are all *so excited* to meet you. It seriously must be getting cramped in there so just come on out. Plus people are starting to give me weird looks because I check my phone every hour, hoping for an email announcing your arrival...ok so I lied...I check every 15 minutes. So just come on out. Soon please. So I can make you some lovely gender appropriate blankets. And a card.

Hugs and kisses,
Auntie Cher

P.S. Tell your mama that she should start a blog to show off her spectacular work.

It's Been a Hoot

What a ridiculously insane weekend I had.

Without going into too many details, my weekend consisted of: 2 Christmas Card classes (20 women total), Terminator football championship weekend at CanadInns Stadium (7:15AM!), breakfast with the family at Smitty's, gymnastics, skating, church, work (yep, came in on Sunday), and finally, trick or treating.

And now I am a work to rest and relax. :P

Today's card showcases my current favorite punch: the owl punch. Isn't he adorable? I love that you can change up the color of his torso to coordinate with your card. I also love that you can position his eyes so he can be looking up, down, to the side or even cross-eyed (which was what I was like last night at about 9PM). I stamped the woodgrain background stamp (love this big 'ol stamp) with chocolate chip ink onto crumb cake CS and did a little bit of sponging with choc chip ink to add some texture. I punched out the tree hole with the XL oval punch and the branch that he is perched on is from the bird punch (another one of my favorite punches...ok...who am I kidding...all the punches are my favorite).








Also be sure to check out the new Christmas Bundles at a reduced price! I love a sale! You can email me your order or you can have your order shipped directly to you by ordering here.

Getting into the Halloween Spirit

This card would make a fantastic invitation to any Halloween bash. An invitation sets the tone for any event so if I received an invite that looked like this, it could only mean a seriously rockin' party which would mean I would need to get a seriously rockin' costume.

I used SU's new letterpress plates and the big shot: I brayered basic black onto the plates and ran it through the big shot onto watercolor paper. The debossed image picks up the black ink and gives it a retro feel. Embellish with some ruched black vintage lace and of course, the bat punch.

Trick or Treat

I have to admit, I was never a big Halloween person, although, now as a mom to young kids, their excitement is infectious. As well, I so appreciate all of you out there who decorate their homes and get decked out to hand out candy...you really make it fun, not just for the kids but for parents as well.

Of course, Stampin' Up has some uber cute supplies that can make it easy to really get into Halloween with very little effort. The Candy Wrapper die for the Big Shot made making 50 treats for my kids classmates easy easy easy! After running some basic black cardstock through with the die, I re-ran it through the spider web embossing folder and sponged some frost white shimmer paint to bring out the web. Filled the assembled box with some candy spiders and chocolate eyeballs and sealed with some black glimmer brads. Added a spider tag and voila...instant Halloween treats for 50 kids in under 3 hours.





This one was made with some retired DSP but I used the new bat punch to embellish. Can you see the uses of this punch...perhaps substituting the white for a YELLOW background???? Hello, Batman symbol. Now you are the coolest momma on the block.

Can you stand the cuteness???

If you heard an ear-piercing squeal last Saturday, no, you do not have mice in your house, it was me shrieking at the cuteness of this gift card holder.

This was a special group gift for a special girl celebrating a special birthday.

Happy 40th birthday Tamara! I am grateful for your gentle spirit, your creative inspiration and most of all your friendship. May all of your birthday wishes come true.

Christmas Card Stamp-A-Stack

Please join me for a Christmas Card Stamp-A-Stack on

Friday, October 29, 2010 from 7:00PM - 10:00PM
or
Saturday, October 30, 2010 from 9:00AM - 12:00PM

Cost: $25 (includes envelopes)

Where: 1992 Loudoun Road

Stamp and assemble 10 Christmas cards (2 each of 5 designs) with the pre-cut kits I have put together. I set up 5 stations and once you finish your 2 cards, you move on to the next station. I have room for 15 people (max 3 per station). All you need to bring is your favorite adhesive and a pair of scissors.

Pease RSVP by Thursday, October 28, 2010. Email me at madewithlovebycher@hotmail.com

Hope to see you there!

Stampin' Up! Garage Sale and Open House

My craft space needs an overhaul so help me clear out my stash! Stop by and check out hundreds of craft items for sale: retired SU stamp sets, cardstock, DSP, markers, ink pads, re-inkers, ribbon, kits, simply scrappin kits, storage, and SO MUCH MORE!!!

While you are here, don't forget to pick up the new 2010-2011 SU Idea Book and Catalogue, check out some fabulous new projects I brought back from the Stampin Up Convention in Salt Lake City AND do a make n take using brand new products. Of course this wouldn't be an event without a door prize!

Can't wait to see you there!!

Date: Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Time: 4:00PM - 10:00PM
Place: 1992 Loudoun Road











OK so don't judge me too hard...I really don't want to be on the show Hoarders. So I'm cleaning house...to make more room for the new stuff I hoard need.

Swapping, Swapping and more Swapping

One of the greatest things at Convention is swapping. In a nutshell, you make X number of the same project and trade with other people to get different ideas.

Organized swaps are swaps that you sign up for and commit to making, typically involving a theme with rules and guidelines to follow.

General swapping is a little more relaxed as there really are no rules and you make as many as you want. I have heard of demonstrators bringing as many as 400 general swaps! While not mandatory, swapping is an integral part of the Convention experience. It can begin right in the airport as you wait for your flight, in a line up waiting for Memento Mall to open, in the elevator, or even in the line-up to the bathroom. It is so much fun to meet new people and receive beautiful and wonderful projects.

Below is the card that I designed for my general swaps. It was very simple and quick to make which was a good thing as I decided to make 80 of them.



Paper: basic black CS, WW CS, brushed silver
Stamps: fabulous phrases
Ink: basic black
Accessories: vintage wallpaper EF, scalloped heart embosslit, silver cord, sponges, silver smooch spray

This is a card that I designed for a Christmas Card swap. It may look familiar as it is a stepped up version of our 2009 Hirst family Christmas card.



Paper: WW CS, cherry cobbler, brushed silver
Accessories: snowflake punch, 1 1/4 square punch, XXX embossing folder, dazzling diamonds, jewel

A shoebox swap is where you bring a box filled with supplies to make a particular card. You spend an evening going from station to station completing the cards, very similar to a stamp-a-stack. This is the card (CASEd from Ilina Crouse) that I brought for the shoebox swap.



Paper: crumb cake, early espresso
Stamps: fresh cuts
Ink: early espresso
Accessories: scallop border punch, early espresso satin ribbon, very vintage stencil, sponge daubers, log cabin smooch spritz, pearls

Oh the neglect!

First off let me apologize to those that follow this blog (I think there are 5 of you :)) for the lack of posts over the last 2 months. June was ridiculously jam-packed with soccer, 6 birthdays, soccer, end-of-the-school-year hoopla, soccer, stamp club wind up, and soccer. And that is only with 2 in soccer. Wish us luck next year as my youngest makes his debut onto the soccer pitch.

July began with a 4 day girls trip to Vegas which was soooooo much fun. Returning from Vegas, I realized that there were only 2 more weeks until the Stampin’ Up Convention in Salt Lake City and so began a string of sleepless nights in order to complete the 276 cards, 60 Big Shot, 12 charm inserts and 12 3D projects that I had committed to swapping.

I left for SLC *almost* done and thanks to a 2 hour drive to Grand Forks, a 5 hour flight to SLC and some angels named Leanne and Fran, I managed to complete all of my swaps!

Convention was an absolute whirlwind full of laughing, stamping, swapping, shopping and screaming. Thanks to my buddies Charlene, Alanna, Fran, Lindsay, Leanne, Jamie and Kris for making the trip so memorable — I had a B.L.A.S.T. My sides still hurt from all the laughing we did.



You may be wondering how I have the time to write this lengthy post. Well, I am currently on a 13 hour road trip to Rapid City, South Dakota where we are on a family vacation to see Mount Rushmore. At the moment we are at the border of North and South Dakota headed for a town called Lemmon which I am hoping and praying has a restroom.

So stay tuned for a slew of posts as I share some of the 837 photos I took at Convention.

In the meantime, be sure to check out the new 2010-2011 SU Idea Book and Catalogue and the new Definitely Decorative Catalogue.

Last Chance List of RETIRING items is here!

It's that time of year when Stampin' Up! lets us know that it's time to clear out the shelves to bring in fabulous NEW goodies with the new catalogue release in July.

That means that dozens of stamp sets and accessories from the current 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalogue, and home decor items from the 2009-2010 Fall-Winter Definitely Decorative catalogue and Spring-Summer insert are permanently retiring, and this month is your last chance to get your favourites!

Availability: Stamp sets and Décor Elements items will continue to be available until the end of June. Accessories are available only while quantities last.


Last Chance list of STAMPS (by page #)

Last Chance list of DECOR ELEMENTS (25% off Retiring DD items)

Last Chance list of ACCESSORIES (up to 50% off some items)

To place your online order CLICK HERE and chose me as your demonstrator!

Milk Carton Die = Quick and Easy Favors

One of my favorite Big Shot dies is the new Milk Carton Die. Making thank you gifts and favors are easy easy easy and quick quick quick...especially for the times when your husband needs 11 thank you gifts and decides to tell you the night before...but that never happened to me. ;) Run it through the big shot with your favorite DSP, add a few strips of sticky strip and a clip on top and...voila, instant favor!

These were thank you gifts for some Grade 3 kids who acted as "younger brothers/sisters" for some of Andy's high school kids this year. They were filled with every 9 yr olds favorite candy: SMARTIES!







Paper: regal rose, pretty in pink, bordering blue, bashful blue, bermuda breeze, tempting turquoise
Stamps: tiny tags,fox and friends
Ink: regal rose, bordering blue, bermuda breeze
Accessories: mini mild carton die, tiny tags punch, pinking hearts border punch, silver cord, clip (dollarama), scallop circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, regal rose, bordering blue, tempting turquoise 1/4" grosgrain ribbon

Stamp-A-Stack Reschedule!

Please join me for an All-Occasion Stamp-A-Stack on

Friday, May 28, 2010 from 7:00PM - 10:00PM
or
Saturday, May 29, 2010 from 9:00AM - 12:00PM

Cost: $25 (includes envelopes)

Where: 1992 Loudoun Road

Stamp and assemble 10 all-occasion cards (2 each of 5 designs) with the pre-cut kits I have put together. I set up 5 stations and once you finish your 2 cards, you move on to the next station. I have room for 15 people (max 3 per station). All you need to bring is your favorite adhesive and a pair of scissors.

Pease RSVP by Thursday, May 27, 2010. Email me at madewithlovebycher@hotmail.com or leave a comment with your email address and let me know which day you would like to come.

The 5 designs pictured below are the cards we will be making. Keep in mind that I have a PLETHORA of greeting stamps so if you would like to change up the sentiment, you are free to do so! Need 10 birthday cards? Done! It is going to be a great girls night out so don't miss out!

Join me for an All Occasion Stamp-a-Stack

Please join me for an All-Occasion Stamp-A-Stack on

Friday, April 30, 2010 from 7:00PM - 10:00PM
or
Saturday, May 1, 2010 from 9:00AM - 12:00PM

Cost: $25 (includes envelopes)

Where: 1992 Loudoun Road

Stamp and assemble 10 all-occasion cards (2 each of 5 designs) with the pre-cut kits I have put together. I set up 5 stations and once you finish your 2 cards, you move on to the next station. I have room for 15 people (max 3 per station). All you need to bring is your favorite adhesive and a pair of scissors.

Pease RSVP by Thursday, April 22, 2010. Email me at madewithlovebycher@hotmail.com or leave a comment with your email address and let me know which day you would like to come.

Stay tuned for a picture of the projects. It's going to be a ton of fun so invite your friends and join me for a great girls night!!

A Chocolate Bunny Good Enough to Eat

A waaaaay late Easter card but it's soooo cute I had to share it anyway. I demoed this card at Lorie's party back in March. (Thanks for hosting such a great party Lor!) Not only does it LOOK like a chocolate bunny, it SMELLS like one too! You can make any image a scratch n sniff image by combining your SUGAR-FREE powder (cherry kool-aid, cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg etc) with clear embossing powder. As an added warning, make sure you are using powder that is sugar-free or your chocolate bunny will start to smell like burnt-and-charbroiled chocolate bunny...not quite the same effect!

And that medium jewellry tag punch...now used to make a fence!! Brilliant!

Instructions:
1) Mix 1 part cocoa (or sugar-free hot chocolate) to 2 parts clear embossing powder

2) Using chocolate chip craft ink, stamp the chocolate bunny onto close to cocoa CS

3)Generously cover the image with the cocoa/embossing powder mix and tap off excess.

4)Heat with a heat tool.

Other scratch n sniff ideas:
*Make your cherries from the Tart n Tangy set smell like cherries by using sugar-free cherry kool-aid
*Make your Christmas stamps smell like gingerbread by using cinnamon or nutmeg
*Make your cake or cupcake images smell like chocolate by using cocoa



Stamps: Chocolate Bunny,Well Scripted
Paper: chocolate chip, close to cocoa, bashful blue, WW
Ink: chocolate chip craft & classic ink
Accessories: heat tool, clear embossing powder, medium jewellry tag punch, scallop trim edge punch, Sherbet button, 5/8" white satin ribbon, linen thread

Happy Monday

Here's a card (CASEd from the January issue of Stampin' Success) that will hopefully make you smile on a cloudy Monday. I love the ingenious and unique ways that creative people can come up with to showcase the SU punches. Here, the ornament punch was used and turned on it's side to create kissing fish.



Paper: Rose Red, Soft Suede, WW, real red
Stamps: Ornament, Define Your Life
Ink: soft suede
Accessories: WW 1/4" grosgrain, small heart punch, ornament punch, scallop oval punch, scallop edge punch, 1/2" circle punch, 1/4" circle punch, basic black marker

Out with the old, in with the new!

Stampin' Up! recently announced a color family renovation beginning with the release on July 1st of the 2010-2011 Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog. This color facelift has been long overdue and will see the introduction of some yummy new colors (Early Espresso and Cherry Cobbler) and the return of past In Colors (yes, the high pitched squeal you just heard was my excitement over the return of Baja Breeze!!!!) I am thrilled to pieces about this new change! The new color collections are trendy and current and will give our projects a fresh new look.

Sadly, some of our favorite colors will be retiring but we have 3 months to stock up on our favorite ink refills, markers and cardstock. To place an order CLICK HERE and don't forget to check out the clearance rack where you can find many items up to 60% off!

Card Tote

As a full time working mom of three with a Stampin' Up business on the side, my life is consumed with calculating dilutions, emptying backpacks, or cutting out 20 stamp club projects. Rarely do I ever get a chance to make things for me. So this past weekend was devoted to making projects that I have found online (I am so NOT creative enough to come up with these things) that are uber-cute and incredibly frilly and most importantly, make me smile. I hope they make you smile too.

This is a card tote by Becky Roberts. It is designed to hold several standard sized (4 1/4" x 5 1/2") cards. Wouldn't this make a great thank you gift? Sadly, the Parisian Breeze DSP that was used has retired, along with Baja Breeze which, as it turns out, I, and others (Tamara), are still mourning the loss of. RIP Baja Breeze. RIP.

Crafting is good for my soul

I am back from an INCREDIBLE weekend of uninterrupted crafting. Marilyn and her crew from Scrapbookers Anonymous put on a fantastic retreat up at the Lakeview Resort in Gimli, MB. We were showered with lovely goody bags, cute prizes, yummy buffet meals and most importantly, uninterrupted time to: chat with, giggle with, ask advice from, bond with, borrow supplies from, and become inspired by other talented crafters. It really was the ultimate girls weekend.

Not only that but we were EXTREMELY productive.
Tricia = 47 cards








Tamara = 12 scrapbook pages, 8 cards, 2 mini books






Gerry = 114 photos matted and adhered to pages




Renelle = 20 pages, 16 cards





Cheryl = 2 calendars, 1 purse, 1 matchbox dresser, 1 card tote, 2 alligator wallets, 4 cards, 4 sesame street magnets

****Tonight I have a date with my camera and projects (yes, a threesome! ;P) so stay tuned for upcoming posts****

For now, here are some photos of our weekend together.

My extremely organized work area:


Once you completed a project/page/card etc you could take the incentive cone from whomever had it last. If the prize patrol came into the room and you were in possession of the cone, you won a prize! Renelle, Tricia, and Tamara were big winners at our table. In the picture below, I barely made it back to my seat and it was stolen by somebody else.


Our table working hard. Ok so we staged this. Whatever. We still looked good.


One of the buffets that the Lakeview spoiled us with. The food was delicious and the service was amazing.


Gotta love a girl who loves her bacon. See all the fun you missed?


Me 'n my peeps...I {heart} them alot. :)


As I crafted on Sunday, feeling sad that my crafting time was coming to an end, I was washed over with gratitude that I had great friends who love crafting as much as I do, who were willing to leave their families for a weekend to play with paper, scissors and glue. So thank you to Tamara, Tricia, Renelle and Gerry for a wonderful weekend...here's to many more retreats and weekends crafting together.

*sigh* Crafting really IS good for my soul.