Today is my Grandma’s Birthday. While she hasn’t been with us for many many years, I feel like she is still with me often. Some of you may have heard me tell the story about my plants that I got at her funeral moved often. I told the plants I was getting married and it moved and a few other weird times. Crazy for sure, I know but still it happened! She is my why for continuing what I love with Stampin’ Up! too!

My Grandma was the best! She had all of the patience ever it seemed! My Grandma was so sweet and happy to help any moment she could! She was tough but her hugs could take anyone’s stress or sadness away. In the photo above, we were making Apple Butter. Growing up we did this almost yearly! It was an entire weekend of activities and it was so much fun! I love how even Brad got to participate in this.

My Grandma also never forgot someone’s birthday! This is a lot since she had 10 kids of her own, most of them married and all but 2 had more than 1 child. Our family is huge and she had them all on her calendar! She passed away just after I graduated college. At that time I had been a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator for a few years. I was mostly a scrapbooker at this time! Slowly, I got into card making more and I think there was some form of push or unspoken words that lead me down that path. I added all of my cousins, aunts, and uncles birthday’s to my calendar and I sent them cards. To me it felt like my Grandma passed me the baton or something. I was happy to take it and still enjoying keeping her legacy alive!

If you have ever thought about joining Stampin’ Up! now is the time! Do you want to spread love and joy to others with birthday and anniversary cards while also getting a discount on your products?! Now is the time to jump in and join Stampin’ Up! and my Fabulous Friends Family! You get to pick out $155 in any product you would like and it’s just $99 with free shipping and a Paper Pumpkin Kit too! This is an amazing offer you don’t want to miss! If anything, try it out and see! There is no penalty for wanting to drop as a demonstrator! Reach out if you have any questions too!

Wishing you a wonderful day today! Eat a cupcake in honor of my Grandma’s Birthday and my why! Hug your loved ones! Send a card in the mail!! Take a leap and join Stampin’ Up!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Today is my anniversary!!! I can’t believe I’m celebrating 18 years of Stampin’ Up! That just blows my mind that it has been that long and there has been SO MUCH change in life during those 18 years!

Throughout these 18 years I have accomplished the following:
~Graduated college and moved to a new town!
~Got engaged, planned a wedding, and got married to my biggest supporter!
~Lost some family members and welcomed many new one!
~Got pregnant 3 times and have 2 amazing children to snuggle now!
~Bought a house and done lots of projects there!
~Earned 5 Stampin’ Up! Trips making me the Top 1% of the Company! (Disclaimer: The outstanding achievement shared here is not representative of the typical Stampin’ Up! demonstrator.)
~Traveled to Orlando, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Kansas City, Champaign, Nashville, Paris (Illinois). And soon Indianpolis and New Orleans!
~Gained confidence, knowledge, and growth personally!
~Have made Friends with people all over the United States who mean the world to me and are more like Family!

I am so thankful to be affiliated with such an amazing company and run my own business that has given me a creative outlet I can share with my family and still spend time with them. After all, in a blink of an eye they will be off to school and I’ll have more stamping time then! Here’s to another 18 years of Stampin’ Up! I can’t wait to meet more people, travel more, and grow! Thank you to each and every one of you! (Disclaimer: This milestone is not typical for Stampin’ Up! demonstrators. Fewer than 1% of demonstrators actually achieve this extraordinary result.)

I also have to give a shoutout to Meg Loven! Thank you for asking me if I wanted to join Stampin’ Up! You changed my life! To all of you reading this, WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN STAMPIN’ UP?!?! I’m asking you right now! I would love to have you on my team! Click here to join now or click here if you have any questions!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Tuesday, I shared my Beginner Starter Kit Picks and today I’m sharing my Favorites Starter Kit Picks. These are the items that I’m loving right now! If you have been stamping for a few months or even years or maybe decades and have decided to jump in and start enjoying that discount on products you love, remember you can customize your Starter Kit to anything you want. Here are my picks!

Bundles are always a great deal because they are 10% off the individual price of the items. I’m all about getting the best deal and stacking the offers. I picked my 2 favorite bundles for this kit which I’m sure you aren’t surprised by! If you have followed me for even a hot minute, you know how much I LOVE FLOWERS!!! The Hydrangea Haven Bundle is so pretty and fabulous! Then there is the Many Messages Bundle which I have found to be so quick and simple to use and get lots of great greetings for any occasion! It’s amazing!

After those bundles, I needed a few filler items to round out my $125 in picks so I went with the Blended Brushes which are super fun and perfect for coloring the Hydrangea. Stampin’ Dimensionals because I just love those things and can’t get enough of them! Finally, I picked an embellishment to round it out! Technically I went with the Pastel Pearls which coordinate with the Hydrangea Bundle but mine haven’t arrived just yet so I popped in some Champagne Rhinestone for the photo! 🙂

These products total $124.75 which is just $0.25 under the $125 max amount you get in your kit! All of this for just $99 plus tax. Shipping is FREE!!! BUT WAIT THERE IS MORE! Now during Sale-A-Bration which ends on February 28th, you will also receive 5 packs of double-sided Designer Series Paper – Brights, Regals, Subtles, Neutrals, and In-Colors! That’s A LOT OF PAPER! Remember you can pick anything you want, these are just my favorites starter kit picks!

If you have been stamping for awhile and just love the product as much as me, think about joining for the amazing discount on items you love! Pick your favorites and get started! If you like mine click on the products below to purchase them individually or add them to your Starter Kit!!! If you have any questions at all, feel free to reach out!!! When you are ready to get started, click here!

If you are just getting started, be sure to check out Tuesday’s post for my Beginner Starter Kit options!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Hydrangea Haven Bundle

[156251]

Many Messages Bundle

[156272]

Blending Brushes

[153611]

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

Pastel Pearls

[154571]

Champagne Rhinestone Basic Jewels

[151193]

Stampin’ Up offers an amazing deal with their Starter Kit all year long but during Sale-A-Bration it is even sweeter! Whether you are just getting started and want the best offer or you have been stamping for years and have decided that the discount would be amazing!!! I have my Starter Kit picks here in both categories so you can see my favorites and possibly an option for you if you have been thinking about it! Today, I’m sharing my Beginner Starter Kit picks. Thursday, I’ll share my favorites for someone who has been stamping awhile!

For someone just getting started with stamping, I always recommend Stampin’ Up’s All Inclusive Card Kits! These kits are amazing because they come with everything that you need to get started including ink, stamps, clear block, and adhesive. It’s the perfect way to get your feet wet and not feel overwhelmed. This is why I picked the Hello Dear Friend All Inclusive Card Kit (upper left corner)!!!

To go along with that kit, I chose the Melon Mambo and Old Olive Ink Pads because the stamps in the kit include a flower and stem. These colors are also used in the kit so any leftover pieces can coordinate well with these colors to create even more cards with the Whisper White Note Cards & Envelopes! (Misty Moonlight is the ink spot in the all inclusive kit!)

The other items I picked for a beginner come from the Zany Zebra Card Kit – Zany Zebra Stamp Set, pack of Basic White Cardstock, Clear Block D (always great to have 2 clear blocks), Memento Black Ink, Watercolor Pencils, and Stampin’ Dimensionals (MY FAVORITE)!!! This gives you a little more freedom to stamp and create while not feeling overwhelmed by a million products. Black is always a good basic ink color to have as well!

Finally, I picked the Shammy because after all, you will want to clean your stamps when you are done!

This is a TON of product that totals $121.75 which means you can pick something off the Clearance Rack to round out your $125 for the Starter Kit! All of this for just $99 plus tax. Shipping is FREE!!! BUT WAIT THERE IS MORE! Now during Sale-A-Bration which ends on February 28th, you will also receive 5 packs of double-sided Designer Series Paper – Brights, Regals, Subtles, Neutrals, and In-Colors! That’s A LOT OF PAPER! Remember you can pick anything you want, these are just my beginner starter kit picks!

If you are just getting started and want the best offer our there, this is it! Click on the products below to purchase them individually or add them to your Starter Kit!!! If you have any questions at all, feel free to reach out!!! When you are ready to get started, click here!

Come back Thursday to see my favorite Starter Kit Picks for someone who has some basics and just loves stamping!

Happy Stampin’

~Laura

Hello Dear Friend Card Kit (English)

[154573]

Whisper White Note Cards & Envelopes

[131527]

Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad

[147090]

Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad

[147051]

Simply Shammy

[147042]

Zany Zebras Cards Collection

[155419]