Stamping with Noel

Become A Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Your Own Way!

Do you think of crafting as your own personal therapy session?

Do you enjoy sharing your creations with others?

Or maybe you have a creative side that hasn’t been tapped into yet?

There are so many different reasons to join Stampin’ Up! as a new demonstrator!

Maybe you have one of these common concerns?

1. Are you already a Stampin’ Up! customer with a closet full of SUPPLIES?
   
   With the fully customizable starter kit, Stampin’ Up gives you the opportunity to purchase the $99 kit and get your choice of $125 in merchandise!  You choose which supplies will work best with what you already have.
   
   
2. Are you worried about having enough TIME to run your business?
   
   It is up to you how much time you want to put into your business.  Do you have 30 minutes a day?  20 hours a week? 5 hours a month?  While the amount of time you have to work your business will determine how fast your business grows, if you set realistic goals you can have success at any size! For instance, while a single $300 workshop a quarter will help you meet your minimum sales, a workshop a month will keep you running consistently strong and carry you through the lean months.
   
   
3. Are you worried about having the SUPPORT to run your business?
   
   As a new demonstrator, you will receive:

• A demonstrator only membership to an online community with thousands of ideas
• Monthly demonstrator magazine with workshop advice, new techniques, project samples and business building ideas
• Stampin’ Start! email series with advice on starting your business out strong!
• Two week free trial of Sudsol (an online community of business building demonstrators)
• and more!

What are you waiting for?  Join Now!  For more information, click the picture above or contact me right away!

Another Month, Another Newsletter ... But It's Not All the Same!

Have you signed up for my newsletter yet?  Every month my mailing list subscribers receive a newsletter packed with information and ideas:

• Do you want to learn how to use your supplies?
  
  Check out my latest tool tips!
  
  
• Do you have a question you want answered? 
  
  Send it to me - I answer one customer question in every newsletter!
  
  
• Do you like to learn new techniques? 
  
  I share techniques, new and old, to add to your stamping repetoire!
  
  
• Looking for inspiration? 
  
  My newsletters include card, scrapbook and 3D project ideas to get you crafting! 
  
  
• And don't forget, I'll keep you up to date on promotions and events!

The next issue of the Stamping With Noel Newsletter will be released this week. 

Don't miss out - sign up today!

Q&A Tool Tip: How do I unclog my gel pen?

Through the years, I've had many customers ask me how to unclog our white uni-ball Signo Gel Pen.  Here is an article I shared with my newsletter subscribers a year ago compiling some of the best tips other crafters have shared with me and my own observations.

I love the look of the uni-ball Signo Gel Pen (availabe here).  Like most crafters, I've used gel pens from many sources seeking that perfect bright white color without bleed through (where the color from your dark paper bleeds through turning your white ink purplish!).  I have found that the uni-ball Signo Gel Pen available through Stampin' Up! gives me the brightest white color.  

I use my white uni-ball Signo Gel Pen to:

1. Write a message inside a card with a darker card base (when I was too lazy or didn't want the look of an extra whisper white or very vanilla layer)
2. Color in small details of a stamped image on darker cardstock
3. Add highlights to eyes
4. Journal directly onto a scrapbook layout using dark cardstock (sometimes that light journaling block just doesn't look right on an elegant dark page)
5. Create faux stitching on darker cardstock or when I want the stitching on lighter cardstock to be more subtle
6. Add highlights to a watercolored card

While Stampin' Up! works to offer you the highest quality available for all of their products, there is nothing more frustrating than picking up one of your stamping tools and not having it work right away.  Clogging seems to be an industry wide issue with gel pens, especially if not used regularly.  If your pen has sat unused for any length of time and has clogged, do not throw it away!  You might be able to get it working again.

Methods to unclog your white uni-ball Signo Gel Pen:

1. Run the tip of the gel pen under hot water or dip the tip into boiling water briefly.
2. Rub the tip with rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball (alcohol wipes are watered down and might not work as well).
3. Pass the tip of the pen just above the flame of a lighter, candle or match to soften the ink.

After each of these methods, scribble on a piece of scrap paper to break the roller ball free.  Once the ink flows freely again you are ready to go. 

TIPs to get the best results from your white uni-ball Signo Gel Pen: 

1. Remember to write gently with a gel pen.  Pressing too hard can disrupt the ink flow around the ball of this roller pen.
2. To prevent smudging, remember that there is a short drying time with the gel ink.
3. Avoid clogging by using your pen regularly!

If you liked this article and want to see more tool tips, continue to follow my blog, and sign up for my mailing list today!  

Happy Crafting,

Noel

Need New Product Inspiration? Join My Mailing List!

                      

If you are enjoying all of the new products in the Occasions Mini Catalog and Sale-A-Bration Brochure, and just can't get enough online inspiration, then it is time to join my mailing list. 

This month alone you will receive:

• Two Card Samples
• One Scrapbook Page Sample
• A Product Q&A Tool Tip
  (for a product used in two of the samples, tying it all together!)
• A New Product Tool Tip
  (for a product that just seems fussy!)
• A Fun Crafting With/For Kids Idea
• And New Techniques to Try!

Interested?  Sign up today.  Enter you email address in the mailing list sign up box on the right hand side bar of my blog.  You will then receive an email confirmation request - you must confirm your sign up before 10am on Wednesday, February 1st to receive this issue of the Stamping With Noel newsletter and all of its exclusive content!

Sign Up Today!

Noel

Top 10: Maximize Use of Your Big Shot Cutting Pads and Win Free Die Cuts!

"When do you throw out your Big Shot Cutting Pads?" is a question that has arisen many times with my customers.  From the very first cut, your pristine new cutting pads are marred for life.  And, with repeated use, they very quickly look used and abused.  You will also find that they warp over time, causing large cracking noises when used. 

So when do you throw your cutting pads away? 

In my craft room, not until they actually break - which will eventually happen.  And even then, if it is 'only a crack', I have been known to use it a bit longer!  I have Standard Cutting Pads that I have used for years with heavy wear and tear for personal use and in classes.  At only $8.95 for a set of Standard Cutting Pads, I've found I get great return on investment.

Want to get the same return on investment? 

My TOP 10 Tips for getting the most out of your Big Shot Cutting Pads:

1. Rotate:
   
   When using your cutting pads, remember to rotate which surface faces up.  The first time you run your sandwich through the Big Shot, have one side up.  The second time, flip your cutting pad over so the opposite side faces up. This will help minimize warping.
   
   
2. Don't Force It:
   
   While I have been known to add heavy shims (even thin chipboard) to my sandwich to help cut through a particularly tough material, over shimming your sandwich can intensify the warping of your cutting pads - not to mention putting excessive wear and tear on your Big Shot gears, eventually causing breakage of the handle gears!
   
   
3. Give Assigments:
   
   I have found it helpful to 'assign' my cutting pads to specific duties.  In particular, I like to keep one cutting pad for embossing and another for cutting.  In this manner, one of your pads takes the bulk of the wear and tear and the embossing cutting pad can also be used for the bottom pad in your cutting sandwich.  You may choose to label these pads with a permanent marker - although it will quickly be evident which pad is for which purpose.
   
   
4. Detailed Dies
   
   When using the new large size Sizzlits Paper Doily die (and any die with great detail), a newer cutting pad can actually help.  An old warped pad may not make all of the cuts fully.  Leaving you with a torn die cut as you try to poke out the little bits.  You will find you get much better cuts with a newer cutting plate. 
   
   
5. Letterpress Plates
   
   As with the detailed dies, Letterpress Plates work better with a newer cutting pad.  Since these plates do not cut through your piece, marring your cutting pad, you can use the cutting pad you have assigned to embossing in item #3.
   
   
6. Use Cracked Pads
   
   While it may be better to just toss your dies after they've cracked, I can be a miser at times.  I usually use my cracked pads when I am cutting with a smaller die/sizzlit where the crack can be kept well away from the area you are cutting.  If you try to cut near the crack, you may get uneven pressure and uncut sections. 
   
   
7. Keep Spares on Hand:
   
   I recommend you keep a spare set of cutting pads on hand. While you will get much use from any individual cutting pad, your pads will eventually break. Having a spare set on hand means you won't have to wait to complete a project!

At this point, I am going to accept defeat!  While I could easily come up with 10 tips for using your Big Shot or such, 10 tips for using your Big Shot Cutting Pads is beyond me.  So, I will send a few Paper Doily Die Cuts to the first three people, in the next three days, to provide me with a tip for using your cutting pads that I have missed on my list!  Simply post your tips below and email me your name and address to receive your gift.

Happy Crafting,

Noel

Q&A: Stampin' Up! Paper Quality

 

Question:  Does Stampin' Up! really offer high quality card stock?

Many of us begin paper crafting with little knowledge of the paper we are using, but over time we find ourselves appreciating the various qualities of the paper we are working with.

The question above came to me from a customer who is new to Stampin' Up! but not unfamiliar with the qualities of good paper crafting materials.  While most of us can readily appreciate the exclusive card stock colors offered by Stampin' Up! and the coordinating products, there are a few high quality details to our Card Stock  that I would like to draw your attention to:

• our card stock is acid free and lignin free ... this makes it appropriate not only for your cards and other crafts, but also for your scrapbooks!
• our card stock is 80lb weight and you will feel the difference from many of the cheaper papers available at your big box stores in town ... this hefty weight adds stability to your cards, scrapbook pages and other projects.
• our card stock is dyed all the way through the core... you will not get a white core when tearing through our papers as with cheaper papers that are surface died only.
• our paper is available in a smooth or textured surface ... this allows you to choose the best paper for your project at hand.

If you are looking for a high quality card stock for your paper crafts, I suggest you take the time to sample Stampin' Up! Card Stock.  It is available to purchase online or through me directly.  Still not convinced?  Contact me and we can work out the best way to get a sample in your hands!

Happy Crafting,

Noel