Stamparatus

You purchase craft supplies and are a customer. But are you a customer to a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator? Maybe you think “craft supplies are craft supplies”. Read on for my top 3 reasons to be a Stampin’ Up! customer.

Reason 1: Free, Half-Off, Clearance

Favorite words of any shopper, anywhere. Who doesn’t love a bargain? No need to wait for a holiday or crazy marketing event, Stampin’ Up! offers these types of purchases everyday!

The New Wonders Stamp Set, item #149426, is exclusively free to hosts, and one of many such offerings.

FREE ITEMS are offered with qualifying order(s) of $150, and as sales increase, so does the host’s percentage of rewards. Gather your friends and have a stampin’ party. Let those orders add up and you will be on your way to…

HALF-OFF! When your party totals $450, you get to pick one item for half-off. That is good news if you have your eye on an expensive…

BUNDLE. Stampin’ Up! Bundles are items sold together as a set or unit, instead of individually, and come with an automatic 10% savings. For everyone. Everyday…

Yes, everyday is a good day to check out the CLEARANCE RACK. Stampin’ Up! randomly adds new items at low prices. There are excellent bargains on ribbons, embellishments, paper and tools. You never know what you will find until you look… and save!

Reason 2: Something For Everyone

It doesn’t matter if you are a beginning stamper, casual stamper or stamping enthusiast, Stampin’ Up has something for everyone.

Beginners, Paper Pumpkin monthly subscription kit is perfect for you. It has all the stamps, ink, embellishments and pre-cut paper you need delivered straight to your mailbox. Not a fan of mystery boxes? Stampin’ Up! offers other all-inclusive kits with the contents cataloged so you know just what you are getting. Step-by-step directions with pictures help you to assemble with ease and gain confidence in your crafting skills.

The Notes of Kindness Card Kit, item #148266, is one of the all-inclusive sets available. This one makes 20 cards, and when the consumable supplies are gone, you can continue to create with the stamp set, clear block and ink.

Casual Stampers, go for the designer series paper! Stampin’ Up! makes it easy to mix and match their exclusive colors, so you don’t need to be a suave stylist to create beauty. Every pack of DSP, with its incredible art, lists the coordinating colors to use. Pair this with some simple embellishments and a few basic stamp sets, and you can make wow projects with minimal effort.

The Perennial Essence DSP, item #149100, is hand painted impressionistic imagery in rich colors, sized 12″x12″. You get a dozen sheets, 2 each of 6 double sided designs.
DSP packages retire with each catalog, so are available for a limited time only.

Stamping Enthusiasts, you want it all (and rightly so!). Stampin’ Up! caters to your needs. There are endless coloring options, from blends and markers to watercolor pencils, shimmer paints and pigment sprinkles, not to mention applications of each. You can heat emboss, emboss with folders, die cut, and punch. Up your game with the Stamparatus, paper trimmer and scoring tool, your creations are works of art for sure!

The mighty Stamparatus, item #146276, is a tool created by stampers for stampers. It helps you perfectly align stamp images, create multiples quickly, and get exceptional ink coverage.

Reason 3: Support Small Business

When you purchase Stampin’ Up! products from your demonstrator, you are helping them to earn a living or make money in a side-hustle world. You are choosing a person over a big box store.

As you support me as your Stampin’ Up! demonstrator, I will support you as well by:

Providing you with information on new releases and sales events, tips and techniques, and free tutorials. Sign up for my newsletter with your best email address today so you don’t miss out!
Giving you answers to your questions, insights on products, assistance in ordering, and correcting damaged product or exchanges.
Teaching you the how-to’s, letting you play with product at class (try before you buy!), encouraging creativity thru card exchange programs, offering online stamp club with additional benefits.
Sending you a home-made, reuseable thank you card for every order, gifting you with a free stamp set via my Mainely Stamping Merits Program, helping you to have the best stamping experience possible.

I hope my top 3 reasons to be a Stampin’ Up! customer has convinced you to become my personal Stampin’ Up! customer. Feel free to shop my online store (and clearance rack), https://juliemakson.stampinup.net, or send an email to juliem@themainestamper.com if you need additional assistance. As your Stampin’ Up! demonstrator, I am here to help!

Just Add Color

This year, February has an extra day in it (Happy Leap Year 2020!). That means one more day of winter. Days, in my state, that are typically gray and brown and drab. So then, what’s a crafty person to do with this time on their hands? Color your world a pretty place, with Stampin’ Up!’s Stampin’ Blends.

Stampin’ Blends were introduced in 2018. When they first became available, there were 12 different colors, each with a light and dark shade. Ivory, Bronze and the Color Lifter round out the collection. Fast forward to the 2019-2020 Annual Catalog, and you can purchase blends in 36 exclusive Stampin’ Up! colors.

Stampin' Blends Collection — Pink Pirrouhette is a retired color, so the blends in that tone are no longer available.

Using Stampin’ Blends

Everyone can get professional looking results when coloring your world with Stampin’ Blends. These alcohol markers feature dual tips that don’t fray. The brush end is for larger images and the fine tip is for details. With minimal effort, you will glide ink on with ease, creating effortless shading and great coverage. Instant Artist!

Step 1

Stamp your image in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink onto Whisper White Cardstock. To get the darkest image possible, use the Stamparatus to apply multiple layers of black ink without fear of lining up the stamp properly each time. Choose an image that has plenty of coloring opportunity for the most fun.

Band Together Stamp Set and Stamparatus — The Stamparatus is a great tool with tons of features.

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink (water based) must be used when coloring with Stampin’ Blends (alcohol based). Just keep in mind the old adage, “opposites attract”. If you were to use StazOn Ink (alcohol based) in error, the blends color would bleed into the black ink outline and create…mud. Yuck.

Step 2

Next, place your image to be colored on a protective surface or use scrap paper underneath. The blends are designed to saturate the paper with intense color. As a result, the ink will bleed thru the back in some areas.

Start coloring, using both the light and dark shades of a Stampin’ Blend color. It doesn’t matter which tone is chosen first, the outcome is the same. No matter how much color you apply, the alcohol ink will not pill up and ruin your paper. And, you can color right over the inner black ink image lines with no ill effect.

Coloring with Stampin' Blends — This oversized flower image from the stamp set, Band Together, was colored with Stampin’ Blends in So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie and Granny Apple Green.

I prefer to begin with the lighter blend and apply generous coverage, then add some shadowing with the dark blend, followed by another application of light to soften the lines. A circular or scribble motion will help blend your color edges together.

Step 3

Use the Color Lifter as desired to change the look of your Stampin’ Blends coloring. This step is optional but will give your design another color dimension.

The Color Lifter appears to be a white marker, due to the cap color. Actually, it’s more like an invisible ink. It can be used to soften colors, as the ink “lifts” some of the shading off the paper. The Color Lifter will clean up edges as well as create highlights on your image.

Additional Tips and Uses of Stampin’ Blends

The artistic results you receive when using the Stampin’ Blends are phenomenal, but they do more than color stamped images. You can also color ribbon, changing white or ivory into your chosen tone. Do the same with embellishments like rhinestones, pearls and buttons.

Whisper White Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon — I colored the Whipser White Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon on the Silicone Craft Sheet. I cleaned the excess ink off the craft sheet with a baby wipe.

Stampin’ Blends have a rectangular barrel, so they won’t roll off the table like traditional markers. You should store the blends horizontally, so ink is readily available at either end of the marker. Stampin’ Up! offers stackable storage units for your blends to make organization easy.

Stampin' Blends Storage Trays — One set of trays will hold 30 Stampin’ Blends.

The Stampin’ Blends end caps let you know at a glance what color ink lies inside. Replace the tight fitting caps immediately after using your blend to prevent the alcohol ink from drying out too quickly. The blends are not refillable, but since they are sold individually, it is easy to replace one if you need to.

Stampin’ Blends make coloring quick, easy and fun with spectacular results. For a quick reference guide to Stampin’ Blends, print or pin a copy of my Do’s and Don’t’s Cheat Sheet.

Take your projects from drab to fab by adding some of these rainbow making tools to your crafty stash today. Visit my online store, https://juliemakson.stampinup.net and start with your favorite colors. Let your collection of Stampin’ Blends grow, and color your world.

The Maine Stamper

Julie Makson Stampin' Up! Independent Demonstrator

Top 3 Reasons To Be A Stampin’ Up! Customer