Stampin' from the Heart

Handmade Holiday Cards – How to Send a Personalized Touch with Your Yearly Greeting Card

We are all starting to think of the Holidays.

Every year it seems that they come around more quickly. Making Handmade Holiday cards is an enjoyable way to spend a fall or early winter afternoon. Thinking of all the joy on the faces of the people receive them, adds and extra sparkle or glitter to this type of card making. There is nothing like the thrill of receiving “real” mail, especially a holiday card. After Thanksgiving we open our mailboxes with the anticipation of finding gaily colored cards with sparkle and inspiring messages. The ones that I take the most pleasure in are the ones that are handmade. They are so unique and I know that the person sending them put time and love into them.

Holiday Cards have become big business. Not just at the chain stores, but you can buy boxes of cards at departments stores, discount stores and, yes, even the dollar store.

I stand in front of the display of boxes and see these two dimensional cards and I always think to myself, I know that I could make so much more personalized cards. But I do have to admit that when the time crunch comes I will be tempted to run back to these store and grab a box for last minute cards.  What if you didn’t have to sacrifice?

What if you could combine handmade holiday cards with the convenience of making them on your computer and having them professionally printed?  Using all of Stampin’ Up!'s designs and papers? Stampin’ Up! is showing again why they are a leader in the stamping community. October 1st, 2009 Stampin' Up! officially launched My Digital Studio. I am so excited about this great new product!

This software is so versatile. It is available for Mac and PC.  It can be loaded directly to your laptop.  You can design cards on the go!  There are templates included so you can get a great professional look.  They will be adding new content regularly. Thinking of all the possibilities is almost overwhelming.

The software is designed to use all the papers and stamps we have come to love Stampin’ Up for.  You can match what you already have or you can go for that product that is on your wish list.  With all that is available and all that will be added, I dare say that you will find everything you need at your fingertips.

And another goodie ~ Stampin’ Up is really keeping up with the technology!  This software allows you to create CDs and DVDs of your audio and video enhanced projects!  You can add that video clip of your child’s Christmas pageant to the front of a digital card and have it put on a CD or DVD and send it on to the grandparents.  I can guarantee that will be a Holiday Card that will be one of a kind and treasured.

Making holiday cards and sending them out is a tradition that will endure.  This software makes that just a bit easier for those of us who want that handmade feel, but simply run out of time during the holiday season.  Contact me to be one of the first in line to get this amazing software.  And ask me about all of the other great options in card making, stamping and scrapbooking.

My Digital Studio is Now Available!

10 Great Reasons To Scrapbook: In Conclusion

Scrapbooking is a craft form which has really come into
Its own in the past decade. We now have great supplies
which will help us preserve our family photos and memories.
Gone are the days of yellowed pages and sticky albums.
We now offer our Stampin’ Memories’ products that help you
create quick and easy pages which are appealing and safely
preserve your photos.     

These past 10 days I've posted only 10 reasons you may want
to scrapbook. Take a look at your photos. With each memory
you will find more reasons to scrapbook, sons, daughters,
moms, dads, sisters and brothers, the list of reasons go on.

Have you not yet ventured into the world of scrapbooking?
With National Scrapbooking Month and Stampin' Up!s great
promotions, what better time to begin? Designer paper
and a terrific new alphabet stamp set are on sale through
May 31 - time is running out - so pick your free paper, take
advantage of a great price on the new Jumbles alphabet
stamp set.

Better yet, join SU! for only $75, now through May 31.
For a limited time only, SU! is offering a "scrapbooking"
starter kit, and you choose your papers and stamp set.
As an SU! demonstrator, YOU will get a 20% discount on
EVERYTHING in the catalog, all the time! This is a
GREAT opportunity to join at a VERY low cost.

Join my growing team of demonstrators! Click here to access
my SU! website and click on the "join now" tab. My "secret"
password is "Marti". It's that simple! But hurry, this 
promotion expires on May 31.

10 Great Reasons To Scrapbook: Reason #10

Boxes and boxes of photos go untouched for years.  Unsure where to begin?  Contact me and I can help you begin to untangle the web of photos and put them into beautiful albums.  Read on:

#10 – Organization. Many of us long to be more organized. Organizing our photos and memories can be part of organization. We all have those boxes of photos stashed away-somewhere.  Do you even know where they are? Scrapbooking can help you organize those boxes. Scrapbooking will help you create an organization method of collecting and presenting all your precious memories.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Check back tomorrow for the conclusion!

10 Great Reasons To Scrapbook: Reason #9

Short and sweet:

#9 – Challenging. Scrapbooking is an ever evolving art form. As you learn new methods and skills you will see yourself grow as a scrapbook artist. You can take my classes or join in on crops.

One more to go, then the conclusion...tomorrow is #10!

10 Great Reasons To Scrapbook: Reason #8

Preserving for generations to come - and helping your children and grandchildren to understand their heritage - scrapbooking is a great way to connect the dots!

#8 – Connecting. Like they say, no one is an island. Scrapbooking gives us the connection to family and friends. Sometimes, all our children have are pictures of relatives. Help your children connect with long-distance relations. Make a family scrapbook and have everyone contribute photos and memories. Bringing out your scrapbook and sharing it with others makes the connection even sweeter. It’s a wonderful tradition.

#9 will be posted tomorrow...thanks for stopping by!

10 Great Reasons To Scrapbook: Reason #7

Looking to give a gift from the heart?  Read on...

#7 – Great Gifts. It is often said the best gifts are handmade. What better handmade gift than one with a memory of a wonderful moment attached? Scrapbooking talents can transform precious memories and ho-hum pictures into beautiful displays of artwork. Scrapbook gifts are truly gifts from the heart which become keepsakes of future generations.

Thanks for stopping by!  Tomorrow I'll be posting reason #8!

10 Great Reasons To Scrapbook: Reason #6

Today's reason is one that not only relieves stress, but has many side benefits as well!

#6 – Stress Relief. Many of us are stressed. Day to day life can leave us stressed and anxious. We all need to find outlets for stress. Scrapbooking can be a stress relief in many different ways. Scrapbooking helps us look back at happy times with friends and family. Creating art is a very good method of stress relief. Knowing our memories are now organized for future generations gives us joy and peace of mind. They are no longer stuffed in a photo box hidden out of sight, but graciously displayed giving us a sense of accomplishment.

I'll see you tomorrow with reason #7! 

10 Great Reasons To Scrapbook: Reason #5

Have you ever gone to a crop?  Invited a friend over to scrapbook?  Reason #5 is why I have my own scrapbooking meetup group - we get together one Saturday a month just to share ideas, learn from one another and to, well...read on...

#5 - Social Interaction. There is nothing like sitting around with friends and sharing a good cup of coffee or tea and chatting about memories or ideas. Take it just a step further and you have a group of friends sitting around with pictures and scrapbook supplies, sharing memories and ideas for preserving the moment and building new memories. You can even join a scrapbook club and make new friends with similar interests. Scrapbooking is about social interaction and sharing. Even after your scrapbook is complete you share it with others.

Tomorrow I'll post #6, so be sure to check back in the morning!

10 Great Reasons To Scrapbook: Reason #4

Here is reason #4 and perhaps my most favorite of all.
This is one of the reasons I became a Stampin' Up!
Demonstrator. SU! makes it so easy to create pages in
MY style! No more trips to the store. I CREATE my
own embellishments!

#4: Creative Outlet. Creating scrapbook pages is creating
art. We like to be able to express ourselves in various ways.
You can give two people the same pictures and supplies and
you will end up with two different pages. Scrapbooking is a
creative outlet. It helps the person express themselves and
their individuality. 

Tomorrow I'll be posting reason #5....