Life can be busy at times, right? We’ve all had those episodes. Tonight’s post is personal news about several things that have been going on with me and my family during the last several weeks. It’s been a busy time.
The month of May started out as one would expect for having a graduating high school senior. We kept up with reading all the emails/communications from the district & the school (to know the process of turning in everything, closing accounts, turning in paper work, etc) and of course we were planning and prepping for graduation AND for a grad party! I caught a cold at the beginning of the month (as many of you who watch my Live videos know). And boy, was it a stubborn one! I couldn’t seem to get rid of it for quite a long time. So that was a bit frustrating with all that we had going on.
The end of May arrived, we were all healthy and well (no one else in my family ever got what I had – crazy), and we were ready for the festivities and celebrations.
Hooray! Our youngest son, Luke graduated on June 1st!
Time flies way too quickly. I started my blog in the spring of Luke’s Kindergarten year! This photo shows Luke on the left and his brother Nick on the right at the start of that 2012/2013 year. (I remember Nick was so ready to help Luke navigate elementary school. Gosh they were so adorable at those ages.)
And here is a comparison of little Luke to 12th grader Luke.
But I digress…
The ceremony was indoors at the Mariucci Arena at the University of Minnesota. We arrived early and got great seats. My sister was with us and took the above photo with her awesome zoom lens.
We were blessed to have had great weather to capture a few photos outdoors afterwards. This is my family…me, Luke, Tim, and Nick.
We hosted Luke’s graduation party at our house on Saturday, June 7th. The weather held up pretty well – only a mild rain shower towards the end. And many came to celebrate with us.
It was a wonderful time, and we were ready to focus our attentions on the next things coming up on the calendar in June: preparing for our big annual garage sale and preparing for my husband Tim and Luke’s trip to Vienna.
But something very unexpected happened the evening after the grad party. Our oldest Nick who had joined a “sandlot” baseball league for something fun to do with his friends this summer broke his tibia and fibula while sliding into home base when he scored a run for his team during that first game of the season. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. It’s been a struggle mentally and physically. It’s been very painful, he can’t work out at the gym (he’s a body builder), and he has to take a lot of time off from his job (he works for a moving company). If you’ve ever experienced breaking a bone you know that the process for healing is a slow one. He had surgery this morning. So at least that part is over.
We are still holding the sale. It will be bigger than ever and we even have a food truck coming the first day. And Tim and Luke are still going to on their trip. Nothing has changed for that. But know that I’ve got some extra care giver duties lately and I might not respond to emails, calls, and messages as quickly as I usually do.
I have to admit, it’s been wonderful to be needed again. My kids are so independent at ages 18 and 19. And I’ve missed doing motherly things. So taking care of my son hasn’t bothered me at all. I love that I can be there for him.
Here is what a couple of our areas in our garage looked like yesterday after only half of the participants had dropped their items off. Crazy, right? Anyone who attends will love the selection!
Sorry there was no creative project idea for you this time. But I’ve got ideas swimming around in my head and will have time to create and share again soon.
Click here to shop my online store. Click here to access & view the current catalogs. Click here to shop My Favorite Extras. Click here to subscribe to those fun Paper Pumpkin kits of creativity! Click here to learn about my Loyalty Rewards program. You can earn free stamps just for shopping with me! Click here to learn more about joining my Stampers With ART community. Get the MOST rewards including a discount on future products! Follow me on social media! I share regularly on Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, my Facebook Page, and my Facebook Group! Please subscribe to my blog, too!Click here and enter your email in the blue box (above the butterfly).
The Best Starter Kit Offer EVER! During the entire month of October, anyone who purchases the Stampin’ Up! Starter Kit will be able to choose between two amazing offers: $125 worth of products for just $35 or $189 worth of products for just $99! Either way you get getting $90 in product of your choosing for FREE! Get the kit, then enjoy discount shopping, early access new products, the chance to attend incredible trainings and crafting events, the opportunity to earn income (if you’d like), and so much more! Click here for a few more details.
NEW ONLINE EXCLUSIVES ARE COMING! So MANY fantastic new products are coming November 4 in the Online Exclusives section of the Online Store! You won’t find Online Exclusives products in any catalog. So be sure to visit this link to shop and make your wish list. Then on November 4 come back to see what’s new! OH… ~ If you are getting the Starter Kit this month ⬆️ you can add these upcoming products to that Starter Kit order! ~ Demonstrators are able to preorder these products now during the month of October. I’ll be sharing a few of them on October 4th during my Live on YouTube!
Make This Season Bright with the 12 Days of Crafting Advent Calendar Introducing the 12 Days of Crafting Advent Calendar (made available 9/23/25), a brand-new calendar full of products you can craft with all year long! Every day of this calendar contains never-before-seen dies, paper, embellishments, and even more items you won’t find in any of our catalogs or in our online store!! Click here for more details.
NEWKITS ADDED OCTOBER 1ST! Two new kits were recently added to the Kits Collection!
A PEEK AT NOVEMBER’S PAPER PUMPKIN KIT Wrapped in Cheer: Craft festive goody boxes perfect for holding gift cards or small treats! Makes 8 projects: 4 each of 2 tag designs with 8 identical coordinating boxes. The kit also includes pre-cut paper pieces, linen thread, red dot embellishments, and delicate greenery pieces with double-sided printing for a sophisticated touch. Coordinating Colors: Basic Beige, Cherry Cobbler, Mossy Meadow (Classic Stampin’ Spot), and Old Olive. Click here for a flyer showing peeks of the October – December kits. And don’t miss the special add-on that coordinates with all three months: the Abundant Joy Dies (#167855) — made available September 11th and only while supplies last! If you are not a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, I invite you to give it a try. CLICK HERE to learn more about Paper Pumpkin kits of creativity. CLICK HERE to sign up by November 10th for this next kit.
PAPER PUMPKIN CREATIVES TUTORIAL BUNDLES Our Paper Pumpkin Creatives Design Team is excited to share that our September 2025 Fall for Toile Bundle of Tutorials is now available. Visit HERE for more information. Visit HERE to get to my Tutorials/Classes for Sale page to purchase and to see others offered. (The next one featuring the Cozy Christmas kit will be available November 1st.)
ALL STAR VIDEO CLASS BUNDLES Our All Star Design Team is excited to share that our October 2025 Gathering Together Video Class Bundle is now available. Visit HERE for more information. Visit HERE to get to my Tutorials/Classes for Sale page to purchase and to see others offered. (The next one featuring the Lights of Aurora Suite will be available November 1st.)
LAST CHANCE PRODUCTS Every two months retiring products get added to the Last Chance Products List in the Online Store. And depending on inventory, these products may or may not have discounts. I encourage you to shop today to see what is leaving, because once an item from this section is sold out, it is gone for good. New items were just added October 1st!!
PRODUCT CHANGES COMING Stampin’ Write Markers are being discontinued. The cling stamp line (red rubber stamp line) is being phased out. Stampin’ Up! will soon be transitioning into sleeker, slimmer packaging for stamps and dies. More details about these changes can be found here. And a video where I share tips/ideas for the new stamp & die packaging can be found here.
SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2025 MINI CATALOG PRODUCTS ARE HERE! Out latest publication filled with fantastic seasonal products landed September 3rd. Shop these items in the online store! You can access the digital copy of the catalog here on my website. You can also Request your copy of the September-December 2025 Mini Catalog.
Stampin’ Up!® Products Available to Even More Crafters Throughout the World Stampin’ Up! products are now available to “Non-Open Stampin’ Up! Countries.” Effective immediately, and under specific conditions, current Stampin’ Up! products can now be purchased by crafters in most countries where we do not currently conduct business. It’s so exciting that we can now make a positive difference in the lives of even more people around the world through creativity and connection. You can find the full details and conditions here.
Today I’m not featuring any creative projects. Instead this is just a quick post to share what’s been happening in our household during this first part of June. It’s been busy to say the least. But it’s been fun! And if you’ve been tuning into my Online Paper Crafting Classes you may know some or all of this news. But now I have a few photos to share. 😁
Our oldest son, Nicholas graduated from high school! His commencement ceremony was on June 3rd. It was a warm, sunny evening. So everyone was hot, but happy for the sunshine. It was a wonderful day for sure!
When I first started blogging in 2013, this was one of the first photos I shared of him. He had turned 7 years old a few months prior (on October 1st) to when I posted, and I was sharing his Mario themed birthday card and cake that I had made. Look at how little he was! Quite the change from what he looks like today, right?
(Luke, our other son was just 5-1/2 years old at that time. This is another photo from that post.)
I can’t believe it’s already over 11-1/2 years since then! And now Nick will begin college in the fall.
He’s majoring in Exercise Science. He loves fitness, nutrition, and exercise. And he loves to challenge himself to do his best. So it makes sense that he is passionate about body building and has been in training for his first competition for several months. Here he is at that event which took place on June 8th, 5 days after the graduation ceremony.
Here is another side-by-side photo of the boys. Gosh! They are young men now! Nick really enjoyed being on stage. He’s back in training and already planning to compete in another event in September.
On June 9th, the day after the competition, we had his graduation party. We were so blessed to have so many friends and family attend and share in the celebrating.
A bonus to having the party the day after the competition was that he was free to eat whatever he wanted and eat like a “normal” person. Hahaha! I’m not sure if he had any of this cake, but he certainly COULD have.
Though no major events for Luke, he IS done with 11th grade and he is enjoying his summer off so far. Next year around this time I’ll be posting photos from HIS party.
No news about my husband Tim either other than he has been a gem helping me prepare for that party. The yard was in tip-top shape!
My own personal news is that I just created and posted a video sharing details and information about my hair journey and the topper that I’ve been wearing recently. You can view that video by clicking here.
It took a lot of planning and preparation to get it recorded and done. It was also very emotional for me, because I put myself out there. But I’m so grateful I did it, because the comments coming in have shown me that I’ve already helped others dealing with hair loss. If you left a comment, thank you for that support…and for your support in general!
I have more creative projects that I’m working on, so stay tuned for those in future posts! Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend!
Click here to shop my online store. Click here to access & view the current catalogs. Click here to shop My Favorite Extras. Click here to subscribe to those fun Paper Pumpkin kits of creativity! Click here to learn about my Loyalty Rewards program. You can earn free stamps just for shopping with me! Click here to learn more about joining my Stampers With ART community. Get the MOST rewards including a discount on future products! Follow me on social media! I share regularly on Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, my Facebook Page, and my Facebook Group! Please subscribe to my blog, too!Click here and enter your email in the blue box (above the butterfly).
JUNE SPECIAL – 10% OFF & 10% MORE OFF Stampin’ Up! is offering 10% off all Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machines and 10% MORE off stamp/die bundles June 5-30! So if any of those items are on your wish list, I encourage you to take advantage of this sale. Click here for details
STAMP-N-STORAGE MEGA SALE!! It’s the BIGGEST Stamp-n-Storage sale of the summer! Shop June 12-17, 2024, and you’ll save 15% OFF. You’ll also get FREE SHIPPING and a Free Gift (Limited Edition Magnet Cards) on orders over $150. And you can save 20% OFF Daily Doorbusters. Click here and scroll down for details.
ONLINE EXCLUSIVES NEWS– NEW ITEMS ARE COMING! You won’t find Online Exclusives products in any catalog or publication. So be sure to visit this link to shop today. Then on July 3rd, you’ll be seeing even MORE added… including the Glass Mat Studio! Yep…it’s returning! Click here for images and downloadable flyers of what’s to come. (All Online Exclusives products are always available while supplies last.)
KITS COLLECTION: EXPRESSIONS OF KINDNESS & THE SCENIC ROUTE TRAVEL JOURNALKITS ADDED These are the kits that were most recently added to the Kits Collection! Click here and scroll down for more details.
A PEEK AT JULY’S PAPER PUMPKIN KIT Painted Petals: Craft beautiful cards with unique watercolor designs and pretty layers! Makes 9 cards (3 each of 3 designs) & includes printed cards and coordinating envelopes. The kit also includes precut paper pieces and embellishments and comes in a beautiful coordinating box. Coordinating colors: Calypso Coral, Gray Granite (Classic Stampin’ Spot), Melon Mambo, Mossy Meadow, Old Olive. Click here for a flyer showing peeks of the July-September kits. And don’t miss the special add-on that coordinates with all three months: the Every Celebration Dies (#164991) — made available June 11th and only while supplies last! If you are not a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, I invite you to give it a try. CLICK HERE to learn more. CLICK HERE to sign up by July 10th for this next kit.
ALL STAR VIDEO CLASSES I’m a designer with the All Stars, a group of globally recognized Stampin’ Up! demonstrators. And we are excited to share exclusively with our customers, paper crafting friends & team members our June 2024 Take To The Sky Suite Video Class Bundle which is now available. CLICK HERE for more information. Click here to get to my Tutorials/Classes for Sale page to see others that have been offered. The next one featuring the Full of Life Suite from the 2024-25 Annual Catalog will be available June 1st.
STAMP YOUR ART OUT LOGO MERCHANDISE Be sure to check out my line of Stamp Your Art Out logo merchandise! From the menu at the top choose SHOP > TUTORIALS, LOGO ITEMS & MORE > LOGO ITEMS. Or just click here. Many of the items have more than one color option. Thanks for shopping!
This week I am part of a Facebook Live Hop called Live & Inkin’. We are featuring retiring products…giving them some “last minute” love before they are gone for good.
My Live was yesterday. I showed how to make this fun masculine celebratory jean pockets card using the Pocket Full of Sunshine Stamp Set, Night of Navy Cardstock, Cajun Craze Cardstock and Ink, sandpaper, some Metallic Brads, and sponged on Whisper White Craft Ink.
Isn’t it fun!? I love how the pockets are on the INSIDE of the card so that both the left and the right “cheek” of the pants can be viewed at once. This would be an awesome card for a graduation or a birthday. Most of the cards I’ve seen made with this stamp set are either cutesy or feminine. So I wanted to share how versatile this set really is. PLUS if you get this retiring stamp AND the coordinating dies, there is a new “pocket” stamp set that will be available on June 4th in the new catalog that will also work with the dies. And then holy moly!…Just think of all the fun cards and projects you’ll be able to make.
Products I used… See below for a complete list of products I used linked to where you can find them in my online store.
Measurements…
Night of Navy Cardstock
8” x 5-1/4” scored at 4” and folded in half
3-1/4” x 4-3/4”
Scrap for punching our “belt loop” pieces
Basic Black Cardstock
4-1/4” x 5-1/2”
Cajun Craze Cardstock
Scraps for stamping and cutting sentiment pieces
Copper Foil Sheets
3-3/8” x 4-7/8”
I hope you enjoyed what I had to share today! Remember this stamp set (and the Brushstroke Alphabet set) is guaranteed through May 24th and then only available through June 3, 2019 or while supplies last. The dies are carrying over to coordinate with a new pocket set. The stamp sets are different so you will want to have them both!
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Click here to see my post with directions, measurements and more details on the other two pocket cards I shared in my video.
Click here to shop the Last Chance retiring products that are still available. Want more details on the retiring products including downloadable lists? Click here.
If you are on Facebook, be sure to check out the other Lives in our hop if you have time (click here for the schedule)!
Click here to shop my online store. Click here to access & view the current catalogs. Click here to subscribe to those fun Paper Pumpkin kits of creativity! Click here to learn about my Loyalty Rewards program. You can earn free stamps just for shopping with me! Click here for more information about joining my Online Paper Crafters’ Club. Earn even more goodies by joining a club! Click here to learn more about joining my Stampers With ART community. Get the MOST rewards including a discount on future products!
Follow me on social media! I share regularly on Pinterest, YouTube, and Facebook! Please subscribe to my blog, too!Click here and enter your email in the blue box (above the butterfly).
EVERYTHING IS ROSY MEDLEY Are you a fan of rose gold, beautiful florals, and stunning designs? Then the May exclusive Everything Is Rosy Medleyis perfect for you! To access the informational flyer, click here. This bundle is $80 US and available during the month of May or while supplies last.
THE 2019-20 ANNUAL CATALOG DEBUTS JUNE 4TH! CLICK HERE to find out how YOU can get your hands on the new 2019-20 Annual Catalog (and to access the dates about transitioning into the new catalog).
BETTER THAN FLAT TUTORIALS I’m so proud to be teamed up with five other super talented Stampin’ Up!® demonstrators so we can create Fun Fold cards & 3-D projects to share exclusively with our customers, paper crafting friends & team members each month! (Our handsome masculine-themed May projects are now available!) CLICK HERE for more information.
A PEEK AT MAY’S PAPER PUMPKIN KIT May’s Paper Pumpkin kit is going to be beautiful! It was designed with the help of Shelli Gardner, Stampin’ Up!’s board chair and cofounder. Shelli worked closely with designers and concept artists to create a Paper Pumpkin kit that is uniquely hers. It includes an exclusive photopolymer stamp set, paper, and crafting materials to create 12 mailable cards (3 cards of 4 unique designs), 12 exclusive, coordinating envelopes, and a Classic Stampin’ Spot. Coordinating colors: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Old Olive, Petal Pink, Pool Party, Pretty Peacock (a new 2019-21 In Color), Soft Suede, and Very Vanilla. Click here to see the video for even more information on this kit. Then click here to sign up by May 10th for this next kit.
STORAGE BY STAMPIN’ UP Stampin’ Up! is now offering new organizational products! Storage by Stampin’ Up!® for those of us who want to interchangeable, stackable, customizable storage solutions for your Stampin’ Up! ink pads, markers and more! Click here to learn more. Click here for a planning/configuration chart. Click here to access the informational flyer. CLICK HERE to view and shop for these items in my online store.
ANNUAL CATALOG NEWS Due to recent supplier issues (and other factors), Stampin’ Up! will no longer be carrying the current die-cutting machine and trimmer: The Big Shot and Stampin’ Trimmer are retiring. These changes are giving Stampin’ Up! the opportunity to research and explore replacement options. But there will be a gap when we do not have a trimmer or die-cutting machine available. You will not see these items in the upcoming 2019-20 Annual Catalog that debuts June 4, 2019. Click here for more information.
Stamp Your Art Out! Rachel Tessman Independent Demonstrator 763-502-6813
This is the best way to enjoy all that Stampin' Up! has to offer. Plus it's fun to be on the demonstrator side of things!
Subscribe to our monthly Paper Pumpkin crafting kits through me to enjoy exclusive ideas shared in PDF tutorials from the our PP Creatives team of Stampin’ Up! demonstrators.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I am an affiliate with Stamp-n-Storage which means I may get commissions if you click on links I provide and decide to purchase anything from this company. I love their products and recommend them because I own several myself and believe my readers will benefit from them.
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