Join my team for $99.00 TODAY!

Hello stamping friends!

Just wanted to pop in and remind you that TODAY is the LAST DAY to become a Journey Coach and get a customizable kit for the LOW price of $99.00.  Tomorrow, the price will go back up to the standard price (which is an awesome deal too).

Hobbyists:  

*Opportunity to purchase items from the catalog and receive a 20% discount.
*Access to monthly newsletters and webmeetings that inform you and share sneak peeks of what's to come.
*Private access to several online social groups that share ideas, projects and challenges (with prizes).
*Be a part of a welcoming group of stampers who enjoy a friendly, non-competetive atmosphere.
*Opportunities to join card/ATC/Pocket Letter swaps/etc.
*Exclusive Happy birthday stamp set from Richard each year you are a coach.
*Exclusive Coach access to the BeAmazing events in your area.
*Opportunity to attend the most AMAZING conventions each year.  
*Free online store website (replicated site).
*No-Hassle Upline support- You decide how involved you want to be!
*Access to back office materials and support documents.
*There's no pressure in being a hobbyist.  All stampers are welcomed as coaches.

Business Builders (all of the above AND):

*Training and webmeetings to support your business venture.
*Commission can be earned on personal sales and downline sales.
*Opportunities to climb the business ladder.
*Access to back office materials and business documents.
*Upline support and encouragement (and treats galore!)
*Incentives for sales and recruiting.
*Access to sneak-peeks

Join the FUN today!  I'd love to have you join my team!!!  Visit my shop and sign up today!  I'm also offering your choice of our new PLANNERS to help you plan your way to success!

Sweeter than Candy!

You may or may not know it, but I am also a fan of cookie decorating and candle making!  I've been a novice cookier and a candle maker for several years and when I have the time, I play!  This year, I joined a few of my Facebook/Cookier/Periscope friends in a little secret cookier swap.  I was assigned a person to send a special cookier treat to, as well as a homemade item.  Since I don't ship my cookies in the mail (other than to my aunt in Iowa), I decided to make her a yummy soy candle...

To create this playful card, I used the following stamp sets:  Candy Shop, House to Home and Doily Heart ATS.  The Watermelon Fusion inked hearts stamped on the panel come from the Banner Party stamp set.

To create the background, I stamped the Doily Heart using Bubble Gum ink and stamped the graphic pattern in House to Home using Pineapple Smoothie ink.  I splattered some Bubble Gum Silk onto the cardstock then used some copic markers to add additional "confetti" pattern to the design.  I highlighted the Dark Roast sentiment with N3 Copic marker.

The stamped image was then diecut using the Journey Ovals Die set.  I also incorporated the pennant die from Banner Party Dies (in pineapple fusion cardstock) for added movement in the card.  To add a pop of Rich Coral red, I punched and applied a few hearts from the Love Is punch.  Of course when I was finished, it was calling for a few heart doodles...so I obliged.  :)

This stamped panel was attached to a Yummy Dots embossed Beach Breeze paper and mounted wonky-style to some Bubble Gum cardstock.  A2 top fold Kraft cardstock was the obvious choice for this fun card.  I can't get enough of amazing Kraft card bases!!!  And...Last but not least, a card of mine is NEVER complete without a bit of fibers...so I added a cute little jute bow.  Perfectly, perfect I say!

Here's the loot that I packaged up for my secret cookier pal.  I hope she enjoys the treats as much as I had finding them!

Some chocolate chip cookies, fun wrapped gifts and homemade soy candles...MMMMMM!  

If you look closely, you'll see that I uses my FSJ stamps to decorate the label.  I love that I can customize my candles with fun names and great stamped decorations!!!  

Let's meet over COFFEE!

Hello there Coffee LOVING friends!  

I'm here today to share a fun set of "artsy" cards I created using a few of my favorite stamp sets from Fun Stampers Journey.  They are:  House to Home and Enjoy Coffee. I was also inspired to do a little experimenting when I saw the circle pattern on some new cards shown with the February Bloom Box. I noticed the cool background and predicted that it was done using the lid from our Fusion Cleaner Solution and some inks.  SOOO...I went up to my craft lab and started mixing up a brown ink concoction.  How did I make the brown???  Well, it's a combination of three reinker colors (Citrus Cooler, Limeade Splash, Beach Ball).  After "stamping" the lid over the watercolor paper, I spritzed the paper with some cleaner solution to help the ink bloom a bit.  I didn't want the ink to be crisp and clean, I wanted it to be more runny/fuzzy looking in these cards.  After that, I spritzed some Splashes (Cool Pool and  Shimmer Gold) onto the paper then quick-dried with my heat gun.  The final step was to add the House to Home pattern image in Black Licorice and the coffee beans in Dark Roast ink.  I used a fine tip Micron pen to scribble some "coffee word and some hearts" strategically onto the inked panel.  

To finish the card off, I mounted the stamped/inked panel onto Dark Roast cardstock, added some black seam binding and Black Journey Twine and mounted it onto some Butter Cream cardstock.  I attached the sentiment using some foam squares for dimension.

Just look at that yummy color!  Love the shimmer from the Gold Splashes!  

Here's the second version, just about the same as the first, just arranged a bit differently.  I also mounted it onto some toffee color cardstock from my stash (I think Bazzill)

Love how the ink bloomed when I spritzed it with our stamp cleaner!  

 Sooooo delish!  Wanna come over for some coffee?? LOL

Hope you enjoyed my cards today.  I'll be back again tomorrow to share a few cute Valentines!

PS....Remember  There are only 2 more days to become a Journey Coach at the STEAL OF A DEAL price of $99.00!  I'm looking for a few more crafters to join my team...Are YOU one of them???

Making my list, checking it twice...

Hey there stamping friends!  I'm back today to share a little planner insert I created as I felt a need to have a lined sheet with my webstore address and Coach logo...It's a need, and when there isn't one available...I make one myself!  Do you make your own planner inserts?  If not, they're pretty easy to make and I recommend making some inserts that will fill a need in your life/planner.

This planner insert has become quite handy!  I use it primarily for listing items I'm interested in purchasing in my next order, making plans for upcoming classes and also making lists of supplies I need to gather for events that I'm attending.

Over the snow vacation (haha), I was able to get a TON accomplished and it was nice to be able to play, fiddle and experiment with new designs and styles.  I'll be back to share a few more ideas, so I hope you stop back again to check them out. In the meantime, please share which type of planner pages you really would LOVE to have but haven't found around the planner world.  I'd love to hear from you!

Time is running out! Join my Journey!!!

Hello friends!

Only THREE DAYS remain to take advantage of an AMAZING opportunity to join the Fun Stampers Journey Coach family for the amazing price of $99.00!  Whether you're a card maker, project designer, mixed media artist, fashion stylist or planner enthusiast, being a Coach with Fun Stampers Journey will allow you to express your creativity in style!

Want a 20% discount on daily purchases?  You've got it!  

Want opportunities to teach and share creative techniques?  You've got it!

Want to be faithfully inspired and encouraged by HIS graces?  You've got it!  

Want to build a business and lead a team of inspiring crafters?  You've got it!

Want to stay in-the-loop with on trend and top-quality products?  You've got it!  

Want to be inspired and encouraged through positive relationships?  You've got it!

Join the Fun Stampers Journey family and get all this and SOOOO MUCH MORE!!!

I'd LOVE to have a few more crafty friends join the journey and my TEAM!  I'm offering an additional incentive to all new coaches that join my team this month!

To get your business (or organize your stamping/daily life) off to an amazing start, I'm offering my January recruits their choice of our newest Fun Stampers Journey/Webster's Pages Planners!  Sign up TODAY and let me know which planner to send YOU!

Here Luvvvvvvie Luvvvvvie...

Yipee!!!  Richard Garay has been revealing NEW colors that will SOON be available in our FSJ color line and on Monday he revealed the first of SIX new colors!  Are you ready for some amazing BRIGHT AND TRENDY NEONS????  Well, prepare yourself to be ZAPPED by the newest color: Electric Green!  WOOO!  I was so excited about this announcement that I headed up to my craft room to create a manly Valentine card that incorporated the brightest greens I could find in my Copic stash.  I searched high and low for the perfect stamps that would be masculine enough to pull this color off!  I found that stamp in the ATS called Lift Me. I don't often have the opportunity to use my Flourescent Copics so I was THRILLED to be able to incorporate them in this piece!  WOO!  

I stamped the background stripes using River Stone ink then applied the I love You sentiment from the Selfie Love set over that with Black Licorice ink.  That seemed a bit overpowering to me so I added an asymmetrical swatch of Whip Cream cardstock to balance it out.  Pleating some leftover Journey Basic Prints stripes was the next step.  I adhered this pleated layer using some White Liner Tape.   I love how this pleated paper adds just the perfect little bit of texture and dimension to my cards!  The final touch was adding a machine stitched strip of cardstock along the bottom edge. You wouldn't know it but that strip was used to cover up some crooked stitching underneath!  I hate it when my machine goes crazy in the middle of a stitching path!  LOL.  Great save!

After coloring the hot air balloons, I fussy cut them and attached them to the stamped panel using some small foam squares.  The completed panel was adhered to some Black Licorice cardstock then attached to an A2 Whip Cream card base.

(The antique marbles/ball bearings are precious to me...They're my Grandpa's toys!  :)

Stop back soon to see another creation when Richard reveals Neon color #2!!!  I'm excited to be playing along with his reveals!

Sweets....

Hello there Journey friends,

As I sit here at home enjoying my snowcation from school, I've been having a ball creating yummy Valentines.  Do you make handmade Valentines and share them with family and friends??  Yes, I'm looking ahead to next month and am getting excited for all the fun that will occur next month.  

I have quite a pile of retired black and white printed paper from Fun Stampers Journey and I've been working on whittling away one page at a time.  I decided to use some of the distressed stripes (I'm in love with stripes lately) and some leftover pieces of our yummy printed Vellum Designer Prints...

If you take a closer peek at the golden panel, you might notice the Bubble Bubble stencil was used to create this yummy pattern.  I applied Modeling Paste over the stencil and onto some watercolor paper with my finger.  This allowed me to control the amount of paste I was using in each little stencil hole. After finishing the stenciling,  I rapid set the paste with my Heat Gun and let it sit for a little while as I glued the vellum panel together.  I also punched a little heart from the Love Is punch and added some golden ric-rack for extra sparkle.

After the modeling paste was completely dry, I applied antique gold Rub-n-Buff over the tip (using my finger) then burnished it with a cloth.  This gave the golden color some added shine.  The next step was applying this embossed panel to the striped printed paper and applying the second panel over that.  To give some contrast and extra texture/dimension, I applied half of a red chocolate cup wrapper (Wilton has some fun colors) behind the panel.  Adding some Journey Glaze to the heart gave this card some of the finishing touch it needed.

Other items used in creating this card include Black Journey Twine, Oatmeal Cookie cardstock, Dimensional Foam Squares, Journey Craft Glue, Black and White Journey Basics printed paper (the thin scrap of paper on the vellum) and an A2 whip cream card base.

FIVE DAYS REMAIN!

Hello there Journey Friends!  FIVE Days remain!!!  Yes, 5 Days remain to take advantage of becoming a Fun Stampers Journey Coach for only $99.00!  Not only will you receive all the products pictured below, you'll become one of the family!  You'll receive the privilege of a 20% discount on purchases, a free webstore website and so much more!  Join my team and I'll even include your choice of a Fun Stampers Journey/Webster's Pages planner!

Whether you're a stamper, a mixed media artist or a planner junkie (or all three), Being a Fun Stampers Journey Coach is an amazing opportunity to express your creative style, build amazing relationships and have TONS OF FUN! You'll also have the opportunity to promote, sell and teach others all about amazing products that are top-of-the-line and on trend in the industry.  With the lowest quarterly minimum sales requirement ($150.00 per quarter) in the DSA industry, Fun Stampers Journey is your best choice for business builders and hobbyists alike.

Sooo...What are you waiting for?  Join the Journey with me and let me know....Which planner should I mail off to you today?

I'd love to have you join my team today!

I LOVE YOU...Snow!

Hey journey friends,

I'm sure you already know but we here in Northern VA (and the rest of the North East) are being bombarded with an epic snowstorm/blizzard this weekend.  It's awesome, I love it and it's just what I've been wishing for all winter long!  Yes, I'm crazy...Crazy in love with snowstorms.  :)

Soo...after shoveling a billion times, trying to coax my puppies outside to go potty AND slathering lotion all over my frostbitten face, hands and legs, I headed up to my crafty room to create...a little LOVE note, per-se.

I love to use up my scraps...I usually do it on "Scrap Sundays" but today my pile was calling me.  I used some FSJ Clear Pigment Ink and Journey Gold Embossing Powder on some watercolor paper, heat set that then splattered some Cranberry Bliss Silk on it.  I didn't let it dry all the way and spritzed some Gold Color Splash over that.  It made some of the silk spread like crazy so I took a towel and rubbed it around on the watercolor paper.  After that dried, I added more Gold Color Splash spritzing then splattered some Gold Silk over that.

Assembling the little focal panel was easy with a few scraps of leftover project papers (Black Licorice Cardstock, Vellum Designer Prints, half of a red chocolate wrapper, some golden ric-rac, a few Love Is punched hearts and some Journey Black Twine.

I'll be back again to share some more Snowmageddon creations soon!

Wooo Hoo!!! They're HERE!

The most delicious and lovely planners have arrived at my door!  I'm so excited to start planning in them!  Moving a few page inserts over from my other planner...Setting one up for home, one up for school too!  WOO!!! Have you ordered one yet?  You might consider owning one (or both) of these gorgeous planners!  

My "white" Be amazing planner has a little bit of sunshine inside!  Love the little window pocket too! It's a fun addition and change from the other Webster's Pages planner I have been using.  The white isn't BRIGHT white, I'd consider it a yummy whip cream or coffee creamer white!  DELISH!

My Black and White Journey Days planner is so stinkin' amazing.  Classic, fresh, Ahhhh Mazing!  Love that the coordinating planner pages include pops of Lemon Grass and our Black and White Basics printed paper dividers...Soooo awesome.  

If you're interested in getting one or BOTH planners, the awesome inserts, the WEEKLY or MONTHLY pages, Tassels and/or planner stamps, head over to my shop and fill your cart!  Your order is eligible for any and all qualifying rewards and benefits!  

and the WINNER IS..

Thank you to everyone who stopped by and left lovely comments on my post for the hop!  I appreciate you taking the time to visit, read through my post and leave your precious comments.  I cherish each and every one!

The winner of my prize package has been selected!  Please congratulate Linda Knox!  Please register as a new customer on my FSJ site HERE and I will place your order and ship out the items pictured below...No cost to you!

I hope to see the creations you make using these amazing products.  These Color Splash spritzers can be used in a variety of ways!  This time, I used the shimmer sprays as a watercolor medium...I just removed the spritzer nozzle cap, spread some ink onto watercolor paper with a wet brush, added a bit more water to spread it around...and poof...an amazing watercolor background!

Thank You...

Here are a few versions of the same card.  I created these cards with the intention of making some quick, easy and FUN Thank you cards.  I'm mailing a ton of thank you cards after the holidays and this will come in very handy.  

I used the following items to create this VERY simple and VERY quick card:  

Stamps: Journey Blooms, Hexagon Print, Thank You ATS

Paper: Pool Play, Summer Days, Whip Cream

Inks: Summer Days, Pool Play, Black Licorice

Embellishing Elements: Be Cool Journey Tape, Black Licorice Twine, Pearls
Adhesives: Small Foam Squares

Thank you...

Continuing on with my Quick and Easy "Thank You" card stash is a little artsy number!  So fast, so fun!  To create this card, I used the Media Pattern spray pattern stamp.  I inked the stamp with Pool Play ink then stamped onto Whip Cream cardstock.  After that, I over stamped that with some Cranberry Bliss ink.  I didn't worry about aligning the image, just stamping over it to create more layering of color.  After that, I stamped the Thank You image with Clear Embossing Ink then applied Gold Embossing powder.  I decided to add some "confetti" to the card by flicking some Gold and Silver Silk onto the image, then applying some of the Lemon Grass Confetti Elements with some Journey Glaze. 

To finish the card off, I added a little punched tag stamped with an itty bitty sentiment and tied with a little black licorice twine.  Popping it up with a small foam square gave it the dimension it needed. This stamped panel was attached to a Denim Days card base.  

Supplies needed to recreate this card:  

Stamps: Thank You ATS, Tag Elements ATS, Media Pattern

Inks: Black Licorice, Clear Pigment Ink, Pool Play, Cranberry Bliss, Gold and Silver Silk

Papers: Whip Cream Cardstock, Denim Days Cardstock, Pool Play Cardstock

Embellishing Elements:  Gold Embossing Powder, Lemon Grass Confetti Elements, Tag This Punch and Punch Handle, Black Journey Twine

Adhesives:  Journey Foam Squares, Journey Craft Glue

Tools:  Heat Gun

Thank You...

TO VIEW THE SEASON'S GIVINGS HOP POST CLICK HERE.  

Hello Journey friends,

Today (and in the next few days), I'll be sharing cards with the "Thank You" theme.  I find at this time of year, I need cards that I can send out to friends and family to say Thank You for the many lovely gifts I received over the holidays.  Do you like to send thank you cards after the holidays?  

I wanted to create some cards that could be mass produced and created quickly but still retain a sense of beauty and artsy characteristics...Soo here's the first card I created:  

I started out with a base of Whip Cream cardstock.  I stamped the burlap print using Pumpkin Bread ink and overstamped the Dhalia Burst image on top with the Blue Lagoon ink.  I then used some reinkers (Blue Lagoon and Butter Cream) with some Blending Solution and a thin brush.  I love the look of the coloring over the stamped background- it kind-of reminds me of translucent vellum laying over the top.  After coloring the images, I stamped the Thank You sentiment onto Oatmeal Cookie ink banner then rolled the edges and cut the ends...Popped that up onto the page and VOILA!

Mounting this stamped panel onto a Cocoa Powder card base finished this card up.  I suppose adding a bit of splatter from Gold or Copper silk would put this card over the top, but I had restraint this time.  ;)

Items used in creating this card:  

Stamps: Dahlia Burst, Media Pattern, Thank You ATS
Papers:  Whip Cream, Cocoa Powder, Oatmeal Cookie
Inks:  Pumpkin Bread, Blue Lagoon, Black Licorice
Reinkers: Blue Lagoon, Banana Cream, Fusion Blender Solution
Embellishing Elements:  None
Adhesives:  Small Foam Squares, Journey Craft Glue

Season's Givings...Thank You!

Hello Stamping friends,

Today I'm joining a HUGE group of stampers and businesses in a blog hop to thank YOU, our readers, our supporters and our inspiration...

I want to thank Latisha Yoast for the invite to this fabulous blog hop, and I'm excited to be a part of such a fun blog hop that encourages all of us to give back.

Whether you know me from my non-FSJ blog, Facebook (TheStampingbug's Journey/Kerry Urbatch), Instagram (@stampingbugKerry), Twitter and Periscope (@stampinbugKerry),  Fun Stamper's Journey (Coach 401), The Angel Company or my previous Design Team terms with justJohanna, WoodwareUSA, QueenKat Designs,  or Heartfelt Creations, I appreciate your support and comments throughout the years.

I'm happy to be a part of such a GIVING and supportive community and am thrilled that it is part of my everyday life.  The friendships and connections I've made on this stampy journey keep me motivated, energized and encouraged...and I sooo appreciate every single relationship established through my creative journey.

This blog hop is so special because EVERY SINGLE BLOG that is participating in this hop is contributing a prize to their fellow readers and supporters.  That even includes some of my most favorite stamping/craft companies!

The blog roll is HUGE so I've created a separate blogroll of ALL of the participants on another page. You can view that list by clicking on the blog list HERE.

Alrighty, now on to my share...I created this fun card using some of Fun Stampers Journey Color Splashes on watercolor paper.  I used the Blue Lagoon Color Splash as a wash with my water Blending Brush, then spritzed some of the Shimmer Gold Color Splash over that.

I blasted it with the heat gun to speed up the drying process then flicked some Gold Silk over the dry paper.  After that, I stamped the Rock On image with Black Licorice True Color Fusion Ink and stamped the sentiment onto some graph paper.  I fussy cut the image then popped it up with Foam Squares and attached the sentiment with some staples.  I think that was all the embellishing this card needed...

Look at this yummy splatter.  I just adore the Color Splashes!  I mounted the stamped panel onto Black Licorice cardstock then mounted (with foam squares) onto a Butter Cream card base.  

I'll be giving away a SWEET prize too...All you have to do is comment below to have your name entered into my drawing (sorry, overseas shipping is a killer so I'm limiting it to USA only). Entries will be accepted until January 9 at 12:00 AM EST. On January 10, I will post the winner.  

Wanna know what one winner will receive?
ALL of these items featured in my card above:

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you enjoy the rest of the hop!  :)