Stamp New England

We've Moved!!

2009-07-13T08:35:00.003-04:00

The day is finally here!! After many weeks and months of planning and much hard work by our designer Sara Williams, our new "home" on the web is ready to move in to! Please visit us now at StampingAround.com. Don't forget to change your bookmarks, add yourself as a follower and subscribe to the new site (you'll find all those widgets on the sidebars).

This blog will still be available but all new postings and information will now be on StampingAround.com. See you there!! :)

Day One in Connecticut

2009-07-11T22:39:00.003-04:00

Julie and I are safe and sound in Connecticut and are just back from our very first "Stamping in your PJs" class! It was a blast and wonderful to meet our attendees and catch up with old friends! Check out the cute welcome sign the hotel put out for us! Here's my best Vanna impersonation...while sporting my "in public" PJs!

Julia Aston taught our first class and she created these simply adorable birdhouses...aren't they just fabulous! The pattern is from Papertrey Ink (it's one of Nichole's free downloads!) as well as the paper and ribbon. Can you see how Julia created a clapboard front on the larger birdhouse? Darling!

Oh, and here's what I was sporting on my feet...of course ladies, had to work the bunny slippers... :-)

Stay tuned for more pictures from our classes tomorrow...WooHoo, we are having a blast, which you were here!

SUPPLY UPDATE

2009-07-09T23:18:00.003-04:00

Sorry to scream at you - lol!! But in preparing my class I realized that I forgot 3 ink colors for you to bring along! Here they are:

Brocade Blue, Ballet Blue, Night of Navy

Can't wait to see you all tomorrow!!

Friday Evening Festivities!

2009-07-08T13:54:00.003-04:00

EDITED: If you are not staying at the hotel, please check your email in boxes for a message that was sent today regarding the Friday evening schedule. Contact us ASAP if you did not receive the email! Thank you!

Are you ladies ready to stamp!! We're are busy prepping for classes, packing up all of our fantastic door prizes, and our luggage!

We wanted to let everyone know that we made a slight alteration to Friday evening's schedule because we're thowing a pajama party! WooHoo!

Please plan to arrive at the hotel by 4:00 pm to check in and then you are free to grab dinner at the restaurant of your choice. (We're working on putting together a list of area restaurants) After dinner, dash back to your room, and change into those PJ's and fuzzy slippers and meet us in the stamping room at 7:30 pm for our first class! We'll have munchies and drinks for everyone to enjoy along with Julia Aston's AMAZING class!!

Please leave us a comment or shot us an email with any other questions!

CT: Supply List

2009-07-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

This is the week - so exciting!! Here is your supply list. Where inks were needed we tried to stay with Stampin' Up! colors since we figured that's what most people have, but if you have another brand we'd be happy to try to find similar colors for you!

Please make sure that all supplies you bring are labeled with your name or initials. The list is long . . .

Camera
Acrylic Blocks
Paper Trimmer &/or Scor-Pal (if you have one)
Adhesive - LOTS of it!
Glue Dots
Foam adhesive (Dimensionals or similar)
Quickie Glue Pen
Orange line tape or Scor-Tape
Scissors - paper snips
3/4" and 1.25" hole punches
Crop-a-dile Big Bite - (if you have it) if not we can share! :)
Black Ink (Memento Tuxedo Black is best)
Brown Ink (Memento Rich Cocoa)
White Ink (chalk ink or Papertrey Fresh Snow)
White Gel Pen
Scallop punch
Paper piercer & mat

Exacto knife

Self-healing cutting mat

Metal Ruler

clear glitter pen

For two of the projects, the instructors will utilize Copic markers for their samples. Now, please feel free to bring along your preferred coloring medium as a substitute. Copic markers are NOT a required item. However, if you are looking to start a collection or add to yours and your LSS doesn't happen to carry Copic Markers, our friends over at Eclectic Paperie have a great selection and great prices!

Copics: G99, YG95, YG99, YR02, YR04, YR07, YR09, YR23, RV09, R08, R22, R27, R37, E29, E31, E33, E37, BG10, BG15 (or some SU! colors: SU! Marker Colors - Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, More Mustard, Sky Blue, Chocolate Chip, Rosey Red, Pink Passion)

Ink Pads (we will have several but if you have them, bring them along!)
SU Colors: Riding Hood Red, Real Red, Cranberry Crisp (or Bravo Burgandy), Kiwi Kiss, Old Olive, Elegant Eggplant, Perfect Plum

If you have these:
Chai dye ink (Papertrey)
Papertrey Background Basics Retro stamp set
Ranger Adirondack Brights Inks: Watermelon or Sunset Orange

PHEW!!! I'll post some details later today about a Name Tag Contest (which is totally optional!). As always, leave a comment or email us with any questions!! Are you excited? :)

Step Right Up and Get Your Hotel Room...

2009-07-01T22:53:00.008-04:00

in Vermont, that is! Rooms are selling like hotcakes so if you want to head to beautiful Vermont in September for a rip-roaring stamping weekend then book your spot now because we are SOLD OUT of single rooms, triple rooms, and quad rooms! Doubles are all that are left!!

Contact us asap (email addresses are on the right) if you would like to book a double room for more than two people. The doubles can be used for more than two, as the remaining rooms all have two beds. However, that means that you'll need to be on very good terms with whoever you're sharing a sleeping spot with....there is always the sleeping bag option! :-)

Mark your calendars for September 11-12, pack those PJs and stamp supplies and come join us in Vermont!!

Attention CT Attendees

2009-06-30T11:50:00.003-04:00

Can you believe it's less than 2 weeks away!! We're so excited to get to meet all of you and stamp the weekend away! We'll be posting a supply list for you by early next week but I wanted to see if there were any people interested in a swap?!

We had a great group of swappers at the NH event in March and we'll follow almost the same pattern. Here are details:

1) No Vendor Requirement - although we'd certainly encourage you to support any one of our numerous amazing sponsors!!

2) All swaps should be full cards, not card fronts

3) There should be a minimum of three layers, plus embellishments.

4) Please be sure to sign or handstamp the back of your cards!

5) Please do your best work!

If you are interested please leave a comment on this post. We'll count up how many are interested and I'll send you a final number in one week!

Let me know if you have any questions!

Stamping Around Vermont: The Briefing

2009-06-27T16:01:00.007-04:00

Ok, it's time to change gears here and talk about Stamping Around Vermont!! Remember, the dates are September 11-12 at the Inn at Willow Pond in Manchester, Vermont. I am so excited we will be in Vermont in early Fall!! Growing up in upstate NY I used to love a leisurely Sunday afternoon drive to Bennington for some antiquing and ice cream - yum! :)

I thought I'd share a bit more information about what to expect. You can view the brochure by clicking over on the right sidebar and downloading the pdf. That will give you the tentative schedule and the prices of the different size rooms. Of course, we will be spotlighting each instructor and sponsor individually as we lead up to the event, but here's a brief overview.

Instructors:

Joanne Basile - Joanne taught a class in NH and everyone loved it! She's sure to bring her signature cheery style and will be doing a bit with Copic markers - which we get a lot of requests for!!

Cindy Lawrence - Cindy also taught a class in NH. We made the most beautiful card set - view Cindy's photos of the weekend and her project here.

Erika Martin - Erika is a new teacher for us by I'm sure no stranger to most out there! Erika, aka the Stampin' Mama is so talented in a variety of different mediums and is on several design teams. Her project, I think will be something new for most of us to try - something fun! I can't wait!

Julie Masse - that's me! :) My class will focus on multi-step stamps and the depth of color and highlighting that can be achieved with these beautiful stamps (that seem to be daunting for a lot of people but I assure you are tons of fun!)

Jenn Shurkus - We are thrilled to have Jenn join us for the weekend! Anyone who knows the name A Muse knows Jenn's name- she is so *creative* and ultra talented!! She teaches full-time for A Muse and manages a papercrafting store on Cape Cod and will be using brand new A Muse products for her class!

We've had some questions about the "level" of these classes and while I definitely would not want to discourage any skill level from attending, I'd say that the classes are geared for the "seasoned" stamper. We figure that most of you out there looking to get away at a stamping weekend have a bit of experience and ask our instructors to design their classes with that in mind. Now that certainly doesn't mean you won't learn anything or that you'd be in over your head! We think the classes are balanced perfectly!! And if you ever have suggestions on what you'd like to see taught at a Stamping Around event please email me (julie@stampingaround.com) or Kim (kim@stampingaround.com) - we love suggestions!!

So there you have it - a brief overview of Stamping Around Vermont! It may seem like September is a long way off but I assure you it's not! I'm sure you all know also that Vermont Inns in the Fall books quickly (I remember my parents taking off on a spontaneous road trip to VT one Fall weekend - they ended up sleeping in their car!!). Therefore, in order to hold rooms at the Inn we need to have you register or indicate your participation ASAP! I'd hate for you to have to sleep in your car or on the couch in the lodge - lol! :)

Thank you to all those who have registered already - your rooms are safe! And to everyone else, don't delay!!

Last Call!

2009-06-25T17:37:00.001-04:00

Calling all CT area stampers!! :) We've seen lots of traffic from the surrounding area and some great ladies signed up for a fun weekend but it's time for that FINAL CALL!!! We need to know ASAP if you'll be joining us - what's stopping you? Come join the fun!!

Feel free to send me an email if you have any questions regarding classes, class format, etc.! The sun was out today New England - how FABULOUS!!!

Instructor Spotlight: Jodi Collins

2009-06-23T07:19:00.006-04:00

Good morning all!! Today I'm so excited to bring you another instructor spotlight for Stamping Around Connecticut - Jodi Collins (aka Kharmagirl)!! Everybody knows Jodi right?!! She's one of the nicest, most energetic and talented stampers out there! I've had the great pleasure of working with Jodi on the Paper Pretties Design Team but she is also on the Baker's Dozen, the design team for Taylored Expressions Stamps, the Trendsetters - dt for There She Goes stamps and she is also a Dirty Dozen alumni!! Phew - amazing!! Here's a bit more about Jodi:

"Hi everyone!! I am SUPER excited to be attending Stamping Around CT! I have been stamping for quite some time now. I started in high school but then stopped when I discovered tole painting. After attending a Stampin' Up! workshop in 2005 I caught the stamping bug all over again. I love to make cards (I am not much of a scrapbooker) and I do not discriminate! I love tons of different stamp companies, and I love to find (and hoard!) fun and funky embellishments!

My recent addiction are Copic Markers and I find myself wanting to color everything in sight! Stamping gives me a relaxing outlet from my crazy life as a mom, wife and full time paralegal!!"

We are so excited to have Jodi joining us as a teacher at Stamping Around CT!! She was one of the first people to sign up when we had Stamp New England in March - we had such a blast!! I can't wait to see her again! Jodi's class will be sponsored by Taylored Expression stamps so you won't want to miss it - who can resist a cupcake??!!! :) Here's a recent card Jodi made just to give you a "taste" of her talent!

We've seen lots of activity around here lately - lots of you have been checking out the site!! Today is the day to register for Stamping Around Connecticut!! We can't wait to meet you! And stay tuned . . . we'll start spotlight teachers for Stamping Around Vermont soon!! :)

Instructor Spotlight: Debbie Corbari

2009-06-19T22:49:00.005-04:00

First, I wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to Daisy and Joy at Eclectic Paperie for including us in their newsletter as the eP Friend this week! Throughout all of my personal and "professional" contacts with these two amazing ladies they have been nothing short of fabulous! Both are incredibly wonderful to work with and generous with their time and resources. We are so thankful for their generous support and hope that you will help us out and return the favor by supporting Eclectic Paperie!

Now, on to the spotlight! I'm thrilled to share our next teacher with you, Debbie Corbari - and she's perfect for this post since her class will be sponsored by Eclectic Paperie and she will be using stamps from Our Craft Lounge's exclusive line of stamps - that she drew! Yup, Debbie is one of the talented illustrators for Our Craft Lounge!! Here's a bit about Debbie straight from her:

"I grew up with an artistic mom (specializing in pen and ink drawings) and was surrounded by arts and crafts at a young age. Although it’s nothing I ever studied, it’s always been a major part of my life. In college I illustrated a children’s book for a fellow student. I have no idea what ever happened with the book. I think she paid me $20 for my illustrations, which feels like $100 to a freshman in college so, I was happy! LOL!
When I was first introduced to stamping, about 9 years ago, I was hesitant to buy stamps because I felt I could draw the images instead. Some time had passed before the instant gratification of stamping won me over and shortly after that, as with most stampers, it became an addiction! Since I started designing my own stamp sets my “crafty” time to stamp has taken a bit of a hit. But I still need to get my “fix” every few days and get inky! LOL!"

Debbie is a newly Copic Certified Instructor and will be sharing some great Copic tips with us during her class! I can't wait to meet her - she lives in the Albany area of upstate NY which is my hometown!! Small world isn't it?!

So how about it folks . . . ready to sign-up for Stamping Around Connecticut? We are so excited about our wonderful teachers and fabulous location and cannot wait to meet you!! Remember the deadline for registration is coming right up - June 23 - we'd hate for you to miss out!! :)

Instructor Spotlight: Julia Aston

2009-06-17T07:00:00.001-04:00

Are you all ready for a great time?!! I sure am and I am so excited to present another Instructor Spotlight today for Stamping Around Connecticut! If you ever on Splitcoaststampers (SCS) I'm sure you are familiar with Julia Aston (artystamper) - she's such a sweet presence there! And talent . . . just take a look at her gallery to see how amazingly talented she is! Here's a bit about Julia "in her own words:"

Like most people I got hooked on card stamping after attending a Close to My Heart home party followed closely by a Stampin Up Party! Shortly after that I found Split Coast Stampers (I'm artystamper) and started participating in the daily challenges. I work full time as an Admin. Assistant at a Boston Hospital, have a grown son who lives nearby and a wonderful husband who always makes nice comments about all the cards I show him! I have a blog (www.createwithjulia.blogspot.com) that I post to at least 4 times a week and I teach a stamping class once a month at the Papertree in Manchester, NH. I stamp mostly late into the night after work. I love, love, love, card and craft stamping and I look forward to meeting you all at the weekend workshop!

Just wait until you see the adorable projects Julia has put together for Stamping Around Connecticut - it will make your heart soar! *wink* *wink*

See the post below for some important information about the registration deadline - can't wait to see you in CT!! :) Oh, and if you haven't already - check out the Stamping Around VT Brochure - our teacher line-up is AMazing! :)

Connecticut Registration Deadline

2009-06-16T14:57:00.003-04:00

In order to finalize our plans for Connecticut, we need to set a deadline for registration. To hold a place at our CT event, please submit registration forms by Tuesday, June 23, 2009. Feel free to contact Kim or Julie with any questions!

Thank you!

Vermont Registration is Open!!

2009-06-13T18:48:00.007-04:00

Welcome to Stamping Around Vermont! Our Vermont event will take place on September 11-12, 2009 at the amazing Inn at Willow Pond, located in historic Manchester, Vermont!

The Inn at Willow Pond offers idyllic scenery, charming accommodations, fun activities and a chance to get away from it all. The Inn offers wonderfully furnished, spacious inn suites, a grand wood-burning fireplace, and 20 scenic acres with panoramic views of the Green Mountains. The restored 1770’s farmhouse and main lodge are an inspiring setting for conferences, executive retreats and special events.

Space is very limited at the Inn so it's imperative that we receive registrations asap! September is a busy month for Vermont as it's a popular vacation spot, therefore our costs are slightly higher and overnight accommodations sell out quickly. However, we know that you'll be thrilled with not only the beautiful location but also with the classes we have planned and the well-known instructors that will be teaching!

Registration, via PayPal or downloadable form, can be found on the right side of our site. Feel free to leave us a comment if you plan to attend and want us to hold a spot or email either Kim (kim@stampingaround.com) or Julie (julie@stampingaround.com) with questions!

Prices and registration deadlines listed below (costs include overnight accommodations, breakfast and lunch, and participation in five fantastic stamping classes)! *Note* 1) the rooms at the Inn are suites so all are roomy and comfortable. 2) The amount of single rooms at the Inn was minimal and cost would have been $315, therefore, we're offering all doubles. Please contact us asap if you have a need for a single room.

DEADLINES - Hotel room registration/confirmation - June 30, 2009 (We can receive payment after June 30 but we must know if you need a room by this date).

Stamping Only - August 10, 2009. After August 10, 2009 - space will be reserved based on availability.

**Please note** - Registration fees are non-refundable after August 10, 2009. However, if we are able to resell your spot, then we will be happy to offer a full refund!

Double - $240 - Two to a room (14 rooms available)

Triple - $230 - Three to a room (8 rooms available)

Quad - $213 - Four to a room (2 rooms available)

Stamping Only - $140 - No overnight accommodations

We are sooo looking forward to seeing you in Vermont and are looking forward to another amazing stamping weekend getaway! And please feel free to pass the word on to friends and family about our events, your support is truly appreciated! Thank you!

Instructor Spotlight: Donna-Marie Cecere

2009-06-10T08:48:00.009-04:00

I thought we'd start giving you a little sneak peek at the teachers lined up for Stamping Around CT - have you registered yet??? Remember space is limited so don't wait too long - we'd hate for you to miss this fun weekend! Gather up a few girlfriends and make a girls weekend out of it - or, bring along the hubby and enjoy Inn's beautiful setting and great location!

Today's spotlight is on Donna-Marie Cecere. You will be amazed when you see the depth and beautiful layers of Donna-Marie's cards! She has a unique knack for combining elements that just "work" together!! Here's a little background info from Donna-Maria:

I have spent my entire life being "crafty!" My first scrapbook was when I was a Girl Scout and took a trip to Washington, DC (sometime during the Ice Age! LOL!). With all of this creative energy, I decided to choose a career in design. I chose Fashion Design and graduated from Massachusetts College of Art with a BFA. I woned and operated Donna-Marie's Bridal Designs in Boston for several years. The decision to close i and pursue teaching was a much needed change. I wanted to be a part of my daughter's life on a more full-time basis. I have since then been teaching art and design for over 10 years (both high school and college) and could not be happier! I have also been working, teaching, and designing at Wholly Scrap! in North Hampton, NH for four years. I have taughte at CKU in Manchester and recently started my own blog, Donna-Marie.

We're thrilled to have Donna-Marie joining us, please stop by her blog and welcome her to our event, and can't wait to see what she has in store for us!!

Connecticut Registration is Open!!!

2009-06-08T08:28:00.006-04:00

ETA: The links to the Registration Form and the informational brochure have been added to the sidebar. We will add the remainder of the teacher's names once the plans are finalized!

Good morning all my stamping friends! We're finally ready to open registration for Connecticut! Yippee!! Edited - Oh yeah, the dates of the event!! It's on July 10-11 (first class will be held Friday evening and all other classes on Saturday)

Our hotel location is The Centennial Inn & Suites in Farmington, CT. The lovely Inn is nestled on 12 beautiful wooded acres in the Farmington River Valley of Connecticut. The perfect New England hotel offering charm, history, spacious rooms, warm, friendly service, outdoor pool, fitness center, meeting space, and so much more. See more about the Inn here. It's a beautiful hotel and I can't wait to spend two days there stamping!!

For payment, you'll see the Paypal button over on the right hand side with a few options, which I'll explain below: (These rates include all costs and cover room, food, classes, etc.!)

1) Single room - $230 - This is a one bedroom suite that you'll have all to yourself (unless you'll be bringing your hubby!)

2) Double room - $180 - This is a one bedroom suite with separate living room area that is large enough for two people (either two queens or one king/queen and a queen full out sofa)

3) Triple room - $170 - This is a two-bedroom loft that can fit up to four people. For this cost, there would be three to a room. (Two bedrooms and a full out sofa)

4) Quad room - $155 - This is the same two-bedroom loft, with four people in the room vs. three

5) Classes only - $105 - This is the cost to only attend the classes, no overnight stay at the hotel

Since we're a little short on time, we'll need to get our final reservations over to the hotel soon so sign up asap....space is limited!!

We'll be sharing our instructor bios and details on our sponsors shortly so be sure to keep checking back for those exciting details!

And...we'll have registration open for Vermont soon too! Details on Philadelphia on the horizon...

Who is ready for an amazing stamping weekend!?

PS - Oh, and feel free to grab our badge for the right hand side of the blog to use on your blog to help us promote the event!

Connecticut Hotel Location Change

2009-06-05T11:37:00.002-04:00

Morning ladies! I have good news and hopefully more good news! :-) The good news is that we have found a wonderful, quaint location that will less expensive than the chain hotel we were looking at in Trumbull. However, we have had to move a little further away from Trumbull than we had hoped. The new hotel (I'll hold off on the name until I've actually signed the contract!) is in Farmington, CT. About 30 minutes from Hartford, right off of Route 84. For those of you who are already holding a spot, does this still work for you? I hope, hope, hope so! This new location is so much nicer than our original spot and I am so excited!

Ohhh....and....We've got a wonderful inn reserved for Vermont as well!! We'll have registration open for both locations shortly...Details on Philadelphia coming soon!

Please contact asap if there are any issues with the new CT location and stay tuned for news of the hotel!

Have You Missed Us?

2009-06-01T15:12:00.003-04:00

Do you all think we've fallen off the face of the earth? :-) We promise, we haven't and we've been hard at work thinking, planning, and prepping for our future events! (Oh, and I've been in the middle of a major house move, which was just completed last week!)

The good news is that we've picked at date for our Connecticut event...drum roll please....It's July 10-11!!! We're waiting on the final venue confirmation, which we're hoping will be in Trumbull, CT. If that hotel doesn't work out then our plan to find another location in the same general area.

Drop us a line if you want us to hold a space for you at the CT event and we'll share specific details asap!!

Oh, and check out our company logo...what do you think? :-) Our new web site should be up and running soon!

Checking In...

2009-04-24T10:01:00.002-04:00

Hi all! We wanted to post a quick note to let everyone know that we have received your emails and have penciled in everyone's names for the appropriate Stamping Around locations!! Thank you so much for your interest...we are so excited for our upcoming event in Connecticut!

The date we're considering is June 19-20 so block off that weekend in your calendar! Location TBD but we should have more details on that next week!

Stay tuned...

Who's Ready for More??

2009-04-15T07:00:00.003-04:00

Is there anyone out there?? I hope you all subscribed or are watching this blog because we are working on future events and need your input!!

During the Stamp NE event in March, we mentioned that we would host more events throughout the year and we've got four more weekends in the works!! Listed below are the next cities and dates. (We're still working on exact dates but these are the general timeframes)

-Connecticut (New Haven/Danbury area) – Late June/early July
-Mid-West (St. Louis) - Mid-August
-Vermont (Manchester) - Mid-September
-Philadelphia – Early November

Specific locations, e.g. which hotel, have not been finalized but this is where we need your help! Each event format will be similar to Portsmouth, although we are considering including a full day of exhibits on Friday, if we have an interest from vendors, and we anticipate that the cost would be in the $200-250 price range for double-occupancy. ETA: Just to clarify the total cost for the weekend would be in this price range - not just the room cost. For an example of hotels we're considering, we would like to secure the Equinox Resort in Manchester, VT for our September event. If you are unfamiliar with the area or the Resort, please take a look at their website. This is a superb location and there are many wonderful amenities offered at the resort - what a fabulous girls getaway weekend or a nice time to spend away with your spouse!!

After selling out our Portsmouth event in four days we know the interest is high and many of you told us you would definitely attend future events! With each of these events, we must guarantee a minimum number of rooms and would like to open each event to 50-100 attendees. Therefore, we are looking for a response to gauge interest in each city. Please leave a comment here or email us (julie@stampingaround.com) and indicate if you are interested in more information only or if you would definitely like to attend. We're be more than happy to hold a spot for you!! More information regarding classes, teachers and specific cost and dates will be coming soon so please do check back often!

Thanks so much for your interest!

Sponsor Spotlight: Our Craft Lounge

2009-03-19T23:10:00.003-04:00

I'm taking a quick break from packing to thank one more sponsor for this weekend's stamping retreat its Our Craft Lounge!!

Joy, Cami and Kimberly launched Our Craft Lounge in November and since then, it has taken off in a simply huge way! Did you see that they recently released twenty eight stamp sets! Just take a peek over at Cami's blog at the adorable photos of their booth, I'm so sad I missed it.

I just happen to have a *thing* for tree stamps, so this one set "Tree Mendous Love" was a must have for me!

In addition to having adorable and fun stamp sets, the owners of OCL are just great people! They were only way too happy to sponsor Stamp New England. They sent Cindy a very sweet, sweet prize package and one of you is going to be going home with some Our Craft Lounge all for yourself!

Now, everyone.... back to packing! giggle!

Its Almost time to STAMP New England!!

2009-03-18T12:40:00.004-04:00

Hope you're all getting excited for Stamp New England as we're all in our final preparation modes! I went over to Karen's house the other night and we literally cut HUNDREDS of Nesties. We do have one last sponsor spotlight to write, which I should hopefully have done for you for tomorrow in the meantime, a few final details

1) Friday night’s project is a make and take station. It will be available from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. We’ll have light snacks available and would love to catch up with you. However, the event will be B.Y.O.B., so if you’d like to bring along a little adult beverage feel free! After 7:30pm, we’ll be packing up the Make and Take and heading into Downtown Portsmouth for a bite to eat. There are several restaurants in the area. Kim is working with the Inn on a list of recommended restaurants and we can designate a post dinner meeting place for anyone interested in meeting up afterwards for cocktails!

2) ETA: The Inn does have enough parking spaces for people registered and staying overnight. Those of you coming for Saturday only, however, will need to use the public lots which are within walking distance (there is on-street, metered parking but it is strictly enforced so use this at your own risk!) . Please be sure to check the Sise Inn Website for directions

3) We've been working on updating the Supplies list. Please be sure to check that post as it has been updated over the last few days. Don't forget your nametag **hint**, I'm off to print out some swaps for Karen's Sketch Swap and buy some chocolate for Lauren's chocolate swap. (yum, note to self, don't eat the candy before the chocolate swap.)

4) Swaps! I just noticed that 10 people did sign up for swaps. If you signed up to do the card swap, please don't space on your creations, there are still a few days if you've signed up and forgotten! ;-)

5) Most importantly, get ready to have fun and don't forget your camera! Can't wait to see you all! HUGS!!

Sponsor Spotlight: Beacon Adhesives

2009-03-17T14:00:00.000-04:00

What a special treat we have for you ladies!! When I attended CHA Winter 2008 I was able to take a few classes. In one of those classes we were given a bottle of Zip Dry paper glue. Oh my goodness is this stuff amazing!!!! I hope I'm not the only one out there . . . but I am not a patient crafter, I do not like to wait for things to dry!

Zip Dry is the best - it works great for paper crafts because it doesn't make the paper pucker and buckle, it dries super fast and clear, it's acid & lignin free and if you get it on your fingers it rolls right off! I love this stuff and I'm super excited to be able to share some of these great benefits with you!

The folks at Beacon Adhesives responded so quickly when we requested a donation, and they were amazingly generous! 3 more sleeps!! :)

Sponsor Spotlight: Beth Silaika

2009-03-17T07:00:00.000-04:00

I have just a few more sponsors to share with you . . . phew it was close to get them all in!! :)

Who doesn't know Beth Silaika of Freckled and Fun??! She's everywhere! An amazing designer of web & blog banners and custom watermarks, a brand new stamp designer for Papertrey Ink, the host of a weekly challenge on SCS and a design team member of Hanna Stamps and Scor-Pal! Plus, she is the mother of 6 children, how's that for busy!!

Beth lives in beautiful upstate NY (in my old "neck of the woods") and we're hoping will be able to attend our next event! She was so sweet to send us a door prize for this event!! Go check out her blog and see the beautiful designs she offers, like these watermarks, and blog banners! Thank you so much Beth!!

Sponsor Spotlight: Scor-Pal!

2009-03-16T16:08:00.004-04:00

Yup, you saw that right, the one and only Scor-Pal is a sponsor for our event!!! Isn't that cool?! I'm telling you I just love this company! Even though I do not know Diana personally, I think she must be one of the nicest, most generous people out there!! I have heard those who know her say this about her and noticed that Scor-Pal is always willing to donate to a good cause (did you all know that on the Stamping cruise last October Scor-Pal donated a Scor-Pal for EACH person?! Amazing!!!). Diana was one of the first people to respond willing to donate to our event!

Ok, so we know they are generous, but they also have a fabulous product!! I have mine sitting right on my desk and use it every day! Having perfectly straight cut and scored cardstock is important to me! Scor-Pal makes it so easy to add scored embellishments to any project, it makes whipping up one of Lauren's My Timeless Templates a breeze and have you seen all the wonderful projects they have on their website, complete with instructions? There are so many things that you can do with a Scor-Pal!! Plus, they have Scor-Tape - the best strong adhesive out there!

Thank you so much to Scor-Pal for your generous donation to our event!! :)

Introducing Kim Schofield!

2009-03-15T15:02:00.003-04:00

This is our final week of posts before the event - how exciting!! We are finishing up final details, gathering final supplies and packing our bags, are you?! :)

Today we wanted to introduce the third member of our coordinator team - Kim Schofield! Kim and I met almost 2 years ago when I came across her blog and realized she was from NH and possibly in the same downline as I was for Stampin' Up! I contacted her to see if she would be interested in working a vendor fair with me. During that day it was amazing to see how much we had in common and how our friendship began, and it has been growing ever since!

Kim's background is in the marketing communication and event management field and she now manages her own consulting business for the past seven years. When we started planning this event Kim was so willing to jump in and lend her expertise - finding our venue and helping organize so many aspects of this weekend! She even drove up to Maine this week to help me organize supplies and prepare for Friday! We could not have done it without her!!

That's not the end though! Kim is also a wonderful stamper - having a thriving Stampin' Up! business and being on two design teams! You can see all of Kim's beautiful work on her blog, Paperie Petals and you might catch a glimpse of the 2 adorable boys that she and her husband have been blessed with!

Thank you Kim for all your hard work and dedication to help make Stamp New England as success!!

Supplies to Bring - Updated with Additions

2009-03-14T16:00:00.001-04:00

REPOSTED WITH ADDITIONS

Hope you're packing your bags and getting ready for our upcoming getaway!! Here's a quick list of things you'll need during the class!

Remember if you're travelling with a friend, you can share supplies. Most importantly, PLEASE BE SURE TO LABEL ALL YOUR ITEMS!

Your Camera!!

Paper Trimmer
Paper Snips
Bone Folder
Adhesive - LOTS of it!!
Redline tape
Dimensionals
Glue Dots
Acrylic Blocks - various sizes
Sketch Swaps if you're participating
Completed Name Tag

Chocolate/candy of choice for Lauren's Chocolate Swap - 36 pieces

Paper cutter with score blade, or Scor-Pal/Score tool
Hobby blade/Xacto knife
Ruler
Crop a dile (or 1/8 hole punch)
Corner rounder (if you have one)
Sanding block - tools (if you have a Basic Grey file set - bring that!) :)
Self-healing cutting mat (if you have one)
Cutting Mat (self-healing kind if you have one)

Soft Sky Ink Pad

Sponge Dauber

White Gel Pen

Water Brush

IF you have them:
Cantelope & Tangelo Memento Ink Pads
Ocean Breezes Papertrey Ink Pad

We'll be updating this list as additional things come to mind, and as we get supply lists finalized from instructors, so check back!

For two of the projects, the instructors will utilize Copic markers for their samples. Now, please feel free to bring along your preferred coloring medium as a substitute. Copic markers are NOT a required item.

For any of you that either already own, or have been looking for an **excuse** to buy some (wink) here are a few that the instructors will be using in their samples:

Cindy Lawrence will be demonstrating some dying techniques with Copic Markers. If you happen to have either YR09 &/or RV00 Copic Markers please tote one along! Either color will work nicely for this project.

Friday Night Make and Take:

YR21, YR23

BG72, YG67,

R24, R29, R32

E00, R00

Saturday My Favorite Things Class:

E00*, R00 (skin tones)

E31, E33* (wood floor, Flopsey)

RV13*, RV04 (cupcake)

Y21*, Y23 (wallpaper)

If you're interested in buying some, but not all of these, I've marked with a ** the ones that would be my preference for my project if I had to choose! Or, you could pair off with a friend and each buy a few.

If your LSS doesn't happen to carry Copic Markers, I've always found really amazing prices at Carpe Diem you can also purchase Copics from my friends over at Eclectic Paperie. For anyone local to SouthEast New england, my local scrapbooking store Right at Home Scrapbooking does also offer a wide variety of Copic markers. Feel free to leave a comment on the thread if you have additional sources for Copics that you'd like to add here!

I'm so serious though when I say that Copics are not a requirement for either class. Feel free to bring along you preferred medium of choice, either pencils, markers even inks and blender pens, whatever you have and enjoy from your existing collection, etc.

Feel free to leave a question here on the thread if you have anything we can help with.

Introducing Julie Masse!

2009-03-14T09:00:00.005-04:00

Today I have the very distinct pleasure of introducing my friend Julie Masse. Let me just say that this entire stamping weekend is her brainchild, so many thanks for Julie for deciding to get us all together!

Julie, was one of my very first blog visitors when I started writing two years ago, and for sure, she was my very first Blogging Friend! Although we only live a few hours apart, would you believe we met for real for the first time in Los Angeles, California?

However, we'd been chatting via email and on the phone for so long that it was so natural to meet up in person for the first time. Let me say, Julie is one of the most thoughtful, considerate and hardworking people you could ever hope to meet!

In addition to being a simply wonderful person, Julie is an equally wonderful designer! She's a member of several Design Teams, a Stampin Up Demonstrator and she's served as a guest designer for several amazing companies, been published, and I've also spied Julie's name many times on the Paper Trey Ink Honorable Mentions list and she was the Guest Star Stamper in July 2008. Yeah Julie!!

Here's a few quick words from Julie and a snippet of her adorable project! Thank you Julie for EVERYTHING you've done for Stamp New England, you're amazing and I'm simply honored to call you my friend! See you next FRIDAY!!

I am a SAHM of 4 children. I started stamping when my first daughter was born as just a little something fun for me!! My Stampin' Up! demo always used to say, "You should become a demo" but I it took me 2 years to finally take the plunge . . . that was the end! :) Like most of you out there reading I'm sure, stamping has become a bit more than "just a hobby"! I stamp to relax, I stamp to have fun, I stamp with my children, I stamp (best) without them (ha ha!), it's become an obsession, a passion! I've made so many friends through stamping and feel like I can go anywhere in the country and "know"someone - stampers are just the best people! I'm so honored to be a part of some wonderful design teams, Paper Pretties, Kitchen Sink Stamps, Say It With Letters and I do a bit of work for Rubber Soul too! I've had the pleasure of seeing my work published in several Paper Craft publications (including some not yet released) as well as Cards
magazine.

For my project I thought everyone might enjoy giving 2 things a try - working with multi-step stamps, and altering a shape! I designed a new shape just for our class and I hope you all will love it! Let's all get into a Spring-y state of mind!! :)

The supplies you need for my class are already listed in the preliminary supply list we have previously posted but there are also 3 ink colors we will use. If you have them, bring them, if not we will have several floating around for you to use - so don't stress!! The colors are Ocean Tides from Papertrey Ink, and Tangelo & Cantelope from Memento. Your craft knife/Xacto will be important in this class, as well as a file (if you have the Basic Grey file set that's great but a sanding block and/or emery board will work too!). I'm looking forward to meeting you all!!

Sponsor Spotlights Continue!!

2009-03-13T15:00:00.000-04:00

I've said it before, and I'll probably say it again. You girls are going to be so seriously SPOILED! Are you ready for another one?

I continue to be amazed by the generosity of stampers and I've been simply overwhelmed by the generosity of the companies that immediately said "YES! We'd love to provide a door prize!"

Please welcome UNITY to the party ladies! Have you joined in on the Hip Hop Madness (here in their forum on SCS) on Thursdays? Have you seen the wide range of images they carry, and of course, the Hip Hop Girls! What an amazingly talented team. And all I can say is that a FEW OF YOU will be receiving door prizes at the event courtesy of UNITY STAMP CO!

Sponsor Spotlight: Paper Trey Ink

2009-03-13T09:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Friday everyone. Just think, this time next week, we'll be checking our lists, and getting on the road! hooray!

Today, I'm thrilled to chat about one of my favorite vendors, one that really, lets be honest, needs no introduction - Paper Trey Ink!

Every month I continue to be completely amazed by Paper Trey's releases. Nichole has an eye for identifying trends and keeping her customers on the cutting edge of paper crafting. Her designs are clean, and perfectly executed in every way. I love Paper Trey's Perfect Match product line, simply beautifully coordinated paper, ink and embellishments. Perfectly designed stamp sets, and of course, an amazing Design Team.

Lets not forget, Lauren Meader will be teaching for us at Stamp New England, and we'll be using stamps from Paper Trey Ink as well as one of her My Timeless Templates!

I'm sure by now that you've already seen that the previews for Paper Trey Ink's March release have already begun on Nichole's blog Capture the Moment - and as always, I'm so impressed, and of course, madly enabled.

This month, my friend Lisa Johnson has a stamp set being released. From what I've seen of the previews so far, I'm pretty sure it is going to be a must have for me! Ever since I picked up her set "Remember" this past summer, I have not been able to put it away, it is a go to favorite of mine.

We'd like to thank Nichole Heady from Paper Trey Ink for the truly enormous level of support they she has extended to Stamp New England. Suffice it to say that you girls are going to be thrilled.

Sponsor Spotlight: Flourishes

2009-03-12T14:00:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone!!!

Can you even believe how close we're getting? Hope you're busy working on your name tags and gathering your supplies! I won't say too much except, you won't want to forget your name tag. Is that a hint enough??

Today, we'd like to thank Flourishes for sending us a door prize for one of you lucky stampers!

Flourishes has such a recognizable style, elegant, highly detailed and just gorgeous! My friend Cindy Lawrence let me pluck this gem off of her blog to share with you today, I tell you, she does such beautiful things with their stamps.

Flourishes is in their preview week for their upcoming launch of three new stamp sets this coming Friday. You'll find links to all their designers and follow along with all their previews on Flourishes Blog.

Thank you thank you to the owners of Flourishes for sharing a little something special for one of YOU to enjoy!

See you next Friday! (I know, can you believe it? Next FRIDAY!!)

Sponsor Spotlight: Say It With Letters

2009-03-12T07:00:00.001-04:00

Good morning!! Here's another company near and dear to my heart . . . Say It With Letters! And I'm not just saying that because I'm their design team either!! I spent plenty of my own $$$ there before answering a dt call (sssshhh, don't tell my dh!). I love making cards - we all do right?! But sometimes I like to do something just a little bit different, break out of a rut, you know??

Say It With Letters is a great little company right here in New England, Manchester, NH to be exact! Owned and run by Deb Damboise and her husband (with their adorable twin babies help I'm sure!) they make and sell custom cut letters and shapes available in hundreds of lettering styles and several adorable designs! The shapes are custom cut, hand sanded and unfinished and made from sturdy 1/2 inch thick MDF (super smooth surface for painting, decoupaging or embellishing.) Each shape can be made anywhere from 6" up to 48"!!! Now that would be a big piece! :)

There are so many possibilities with these shapes - paint, decoupage, patterned paper, fabric, etc., etc. Check out Deb's blog to see all the beautiful work of the design team as well as gorgeous work from customers! It's amazing how different each piece can look and how creative people are! I altered this adorable house last year as a housewarming gift for a friend. It was so much fun making it with someone in mind (after I photographed it, I wrote in the actual date they closed on their house so they always have that reminder!).

Deb has been so generous to Stamp New England - giving us a fabulous discount on supplies for a class and also offering a door prize for some lucky attendee . . . it could be you!! Go browse around the store, I know you'll find something to love! :)

Sponsor Spotlight: Right at Home Scrapbooking

2009-03-11T07:00:00.000-04:00

I'm back with another quick sponsor spotlight! Today, we're featuring Right at Home Scrapbooking. It is the Local Scrapbooking/Stamping Store for several of us that are attending Stamp New England!

Located in North Attleboro Massachusetts, Right at Home has a wonderful selection of papers, stamps, ribbons and embellishments. I'm always looking for ways to incorporate a quick peek at the latest arrivals into my weekly schedule.

Right at Home also carries Copic markers, and recently received a nice new shipment of goodies! I couldn't HELP but squeeze a little trip in there to pick up a few more!

You can find the class schedule, the Team Gallery, and lots of inspiration on the Right At Home Forum and Gallery! I'd like to take a quick moment to thank Right At Home for sponsoring us, they've given us a sweet discount on the adorable paper Karen has selected for our Friday night Make and Take!

--Joanne

Sponsor Spotlight: Taylored Expressions

2009-03-10T08:30:00.000-04:00

Today's Sponsor Spotlight is brought to you by Karen Motz who was recently named to the Taylored Expressions Bakers Dozen. Congratulations Karen!

We're simply thrilled that Taylored Expressions has agreed to provide a door prize for one of our lucky attendees! We're sure you'll just LOVE them!

Take a quick peek at Karen's adorable samples, and if you're not familiar with Taylored Expressions, you can read more here.....

The Taylored Expressions Store just celebrated it’s first birthday. Well before the store opened I’m sure many of us already knew of and loved Taylor’s work from her blog, Taylored Expressions. It seemed only logical that her impeccable taste and keen eye for design would lead her down the path to an online store.

Taylor introduced an adorable line of cupcake stamps last September - Stamp a Sweet Impression. These yummy Cuppie images (as they’re affectionately called) will warm your heart and the sayings in each set are cute and clever.

With Taylor’s March release, she just introduced a brand new line called Whimsical Wishes, which includes Branching Out and Branching Out Coordinates, with more sets planned for future releases. Proceeds from the sales of these sets will be donated to charity through The Giving Tree program.

In the store you’ll also find perfectly coordinated Key Ingredients kits, which contain an assortment of hand-selected solid and patterned papers, embellishments and ribbon. The Key Ingredients take the guess work out of creating fabulous projects because all of the components work so well together.

In addition to stamps and Key Ingredients, you’ll find a treasure chest of wonderful paper crafting supplies, ranging from basics like adhesives and storage solutions for your stamps, to inks, papers, die cut boxes, ribbons, embellishments, and so much more. And with Taylor’s lightning fast shipping, your new supplies will be in your hands before you know it.

The products you’ll find at the Taylored Expressions Store are fresh, fun, and always on the cutting edge of the industry. Taylor takes pride in choosing only quality products that she would be happy to use for her own cards and projects. Quite simply, Taylored Expressions is a paper crafter’s delight!

--Karen

Sponsor Spotlight; Rubber Soul

2009-03-09T07:00:00.000-04:00

Only 11 more sleeps until Stamp New England '09!! Are you excited?? I can't wait!!

I have another fabulous donor to share with you today too - Rubber Soul! I remember a few years back when I had just started to discover stamps outside of Stampin' Up (sssshhhh!! No really, they do exist - lol!), I started seeing the cutest little stick figures - I remember especially a nurse and a cowgirl. I fell in love with them and of course had to have them! But that is only a very small sampling of Rubber Soul/Wordsworth!

Based in Washington state, Rubber Soul carries a wide range of wood mounted rubber stamps as well as clear stamps. Of course, I still love the Stick People but they also have adorable animal sets like A Day At The Zoo, some really neat alphabets, and lots of wonderful Sentiment and Quote sets (look at this very cool Emerson Collection!). They also carry their own printed papers and A2 Cards.

Be sure check out Rubber Soul's site for details on their "March Is In The Clear" promotion - lots of stamps on sale, and an opportunity to get FREE sets! Dani sent us some wonderful goodies for door prizes - you will LOVE them!! :)

Sponsor Spotlight: The Cat's Pajamas

2009-03-08T09:00:00.001-04:00

Yet another amazing sponsor to share with you today! One of you is going to be so thrilled to receive a door prize donated by my adorably sweet friend Alma from The Cat's Pajamas!

I've actually got some new rubber on the way to me from their most recent release, I mean really, did you see this adorable image of Poochie driving a carrot car! Seriously, I was helpless and it literally drove right into my cart. Get it, carrot car, it drove into my cart? Oh man, I must be tired...

But seriously three new clear sets and 50 different rubber stamps were just released. What a bargain, you can get all three of the new sets as part of the "Kitty Kat Pack" at a serious discount. Check here for details!

As if Poochie and Sprinkle weren't cute enough, just get a load of these adorable penguins! They're so mischievous, but so totally adorable! I love it. That and their giant cupcake!

Have fun checking out The Cat's Pajama's - each Tuesday you'll see lots of Design Team samples on TCP Tuesday! Don't miss out on your chance to become The Cat's Pajama's Swanky Stamper each month. See Alma's Blog "Dancing in Pajamas" for all the details!

Welcoming Cindy Lawrence!

2009-03-07T09:30:00.001-05:00

I'm so very excited to share that Cindy Lawrence will also be teaching at Stamp New England! In addition to being an amazingly talented stamper (will you just look at her resume? Its so impressive!!) When you meet her in person, you're just going to want to squeeze her because she's simply soo sweet!

Want to hear something so funny - although I'd been reading her blog for months, it wasn't until Cindy and I served on the Splitcoast Dirty Dozen together that I realized I'm in her Stampin Up downline! Isn't that hilarious! Although, since Cindy's been working for Stampin' Up for 10 years, chances are that many of you might be in her downline as well!!

Personally, I'm dying to learn some watercoloring techniques from her, but I'm sure she has more than a few tricks up her sleeve. Cindy's projects are always so perfectly put together, beautiful details, and rockin' layouts. We have Cindy to thank for coordinating several of our recent event sponsors, and the coordinating eye candy to go with them too! (Thanks Cindy!!)

When I asked Cindy for a few quick words about herself, here's what she had to say.

Hello friends! I was first introduced to the wonderful world of stamping nearly 12 years ago, and I cannot imagine what I did for fun before then! J I've been a successful SU! demo for 10 of those years. I have also been blessed to be a part of several design teams, including the SCS Dirty Dozen, Flourishes, Gina K Designs, H&M Stamps, Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps, Whipper Snapper Designs, as well as a Featured Sampler for Taylored Expressions.

My favorite technique is watercolor, but I honestly love all aspects of the craft. It is the best therapy around! When I am not stamping, I enjoy baking, interior design, reading, spending time with family and friends, and church activities. I live in beautiful southern NH with my husband Jim, three sons and a daughter. I am truly blessed!

Please help me extend a warm welcome to Cindy! Thanks everyone and have a GREAT day!

Sponsor Spotlight: Susana's Custom Art & Card Design

2009-03-06T07:00:00.001-05:00

I have another treat for you today!! It was such a pleasure to be contacted by Susana Magenheimer and to take a spin around her wonderful online store, Susana's Custom Art & Card Design! Not only does Susana's store have a great selection of Lockhart stamps, and Rubber Romance (love those girls!) stamps, but she also has an exclusive line of rubber stamps called Anki's Sweethearts, and they are just that, sweet! Adorable girls AND boys with just the cutest faces - look at Julia, is she cute or what?? (and such a pretty name - hee hee!) Look at these 2 beautiful samples Susana sent to me from her Design Team!

Oh, and you know who her guest Designer is this month? Lynn Mercurio! I love Lynn and her wonderful blog, Stamperosity. She even had details on how you can be a Guest Designer for a month at Susana's Custom Art & Card Design! You can also find all this information on their Group page at Paper Craft Planet.

Susana also has the honor of being chosen 1 of 4 companies to carry exclusive images by the amazing Artist Elisabeth Bell for Susana's Custom Art & Card Design!!! What a talented artist she is! Susana expects these images to arrive in mid-July, so be sure to watch for those!

She also carries an exclusive line of DoveCraft Paper - be sure and check out the beautiful designs (if I say Laura Ashley that should be enough, right?)!

I know that several of you are going to be tickled at the wonderful door prizes Susana has provided for our event! Please swing by Susana's website and browse through all the goodies! Thanks so much Susana!

Sponsor Spotlight: Paper Addiction

2009-03-05T09:30:00.003-05:00

I'd like to welcome another sponsor for Stamp New England. When we were at CHA this past summer, my friends Michelle and Laura decided that they found so many products that they couldn't live without that they'd just open a store. And that's how Paper Addiction was born. Now that's what I call a love of shopping. ...Giggle....

But seriously, I happen to actually have an addition to paper myself. And, I have been quite happy to help offload the girls of some inventory from time to time! Michelle and Laura have impeccable taste so I love all their finds. In particular, I love that they carry Scenic Route and October Afternoon paper. Its some of my very very favorite stuff!

You'll also find some darling templates that you can purchase and print out to make some truly fabulous gift items.

As we speak, a little prize package from Paper Addiction is making its way through the mail, for me to deliver to one of YOU at Stamp New England! Even though I might want to steal that package, I promise, I'll hand it over. **wink**

Michelle, aka FlaxyChick, hopes to make it to our next gathering! How fun is that, we haven't even had this event yet, and we're already looking forward to the next one. How about you? How deep is YOUR addiction to paper?

Sponsor Spotlight: Gina K Designs

2009-03-04T07:00:00.001-05:00

I hope you've been having fun taking a little peek at all the amazing vendors that have agreed to send a little "somethin' somethin'" as a door prize for Stamp New England!

I have been truly blessed to work on the Gina K Design team for just about a year now. Gina is truly amazing to work for...her fans know that she's so generous with the give aways. I'm telling you, don't ever miss her blog posts! Or, you're sure to miss out!

I love that with so many illustrators on her team there is always such a wonderful variety of artwork to choose from each month.

Recently, you may have seen that Gina has started a truly amazing new venture, Stamp TV! Each week Gina offers a broadcast quality video tutorial demonstrating a specific technique and then turns the element she created into a finished project! It is Wednesday, which means a new Episode has posted! Go check it out!

This card that I'm posting today uses stamps, cardstock and patterned paper and ribbon all from the Floral Frenzy Showtime Stamp Kit.

We'd like to thank Gina for sending a door prize out for one lucky winner at Stamp New England, she's also sending a little product sampling for us all to share - and I can tell you know, you'll love it! Thank you Gina!!

Sponsor Spotlight: Sweet 'n Sassy

2009-03-03T14:25:00.005-05:00

Can you believe that March is here, which that means we're getting so close to our upcoming Stamping Retreat! I can't wait to meet all of you in person and dole out some big stampy hugs!! *wink*

And, since we're getting so close to the event, we're stepping up the sponsor profiles - can you believe we have so many gracious donors that its going to be tough to be able to share them all with you before the event. I know, I can't even stand it! I hope that you're all as excited as we are!!

My sweet friend Cindy Lawrence is on the Design Team for Sweet 'N Sassy and I asked her to tell me a little bit about the company. I'll actually admit that this is a new company for me, but let me just say I'm sure that won't last for long because Cindy happens to be a major enabler! I'm sure you'll agree! Please check our her gorgeous eye candy that she's sharing with us today.

Sweet ‘n Sassy stamps is a little stamp company that was started in November of 2007 by Korin Sutherland. SNSS produces a sweet (and sassy) line of clear acrylic images to fit all your stamping needs. Korin has generously offered to donate a fabulous door prize for Stamp New England!

Thank you Cindy, and of course, thank you to Korin from Sweet 'n Sassy for your generous donation! Be sure to blurf on over to meet the Sweet 'N Sassy design team, view their stamp sets check out their Design Team Blog.

Sponsor Spotlight: Innovative Stamp Creations

2009-03-03T07:00:00.003-05:00

Are you amazed yet at all the wonderful sponsors?! It's been like Christmas at my house with all the packages arriving! On Friday I received a big box of goodies from Innovative Stamp Creations. The owner Betsy has spoiled us!! This was a new company to me (not new though, they are over 5 years old!) - and they are right here in New England - Hudson, NH to be exact! How neat!!

If you are a follower of Michelle Zindorf and her incredible work (can that lady create some beautiful works of art!!) then you may have noticed the gorgeous stamps that Innovative Stamp Creations creates! Michelle is one of the many talented Creative Architects that ISC has. Take a look at some work by their designers - they are all so detailed and realistic! Aren't those roses beautiful?! I had a hard time choosing cards to show you since there were so many sweet projects to choose from! Definitely go check out the Innovative Stamp Creations Blog to see a lot more amazing work (the jewelry on the most recent post is gorgeous!)

This company has a lot more to offer too!! Check out their store - lots of goodies!! They have a wonderful selection of Tim Holtz products and Spellbinders dies! And the stamps . . . oh my!! Look at this very cool background stamp!

Thank you so much to Betsy and Innovative Stamp Creations - we're thrilled to have you sponsor our event!!

Swaps Anyone??

2009-03-02T14:00:00.003-05:00

I wasn't sure if any of you were interested in creating card swaps for the event. If you'd like to participate please leave a comment on this thread and I'll start a list of interested swappers!

I'll keep the requirements simple for all of you:

1) No Vendor Requirement - although I'd certainly encourage you to support any one of our numerous amazing sponsors!!

2) All swaps should be full cards, not card fronts

3) There should be a minimum of three layers, plus embellishments.

4) Please be sure to sign or handstamp your cardbacks

5) Please do your best work!

I'll start the first group with 10 swappers. Please bring 10 finished cards to the event, you'll swap with the other 9 swappers and if its okay with you, I'd love to send the 10th card from each of you to charity!

If the first group of ten fills, I'll open a second. Feel free to sign up for multiple groups if you are interested.

Sponsor Spotlight: Paper Pretties

2009-03-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

Oh happy day!! One of my very favorite stamp companies (and not just because they call me a Prettie Girl- lol!) is our next sponsor to highlight!! Paper Pretties is a relatively "young" stamp company, they just celebrated their 2nd anniversary, but there is no lack for adorable stamps!

Their signature line of Sophia stamps perfectly capture the heart of a sweet little girl! They even have a Stamp of the Month Club that allows you to get a new Sophia each month before it's public release - sweet!

Of course such a cute little girl needs a brother and his name is Cooper. There always seems to be a clamor in the stamp world for boy images and Paper Pretties has delivered - from snails & turtles to pumpkins and shepherds, take a look at all the wonderful sets! The newest Cooper set was released just yesterday, Love You This Much!

Each month on the 1st they host Stamping in Your Jammies in their Forum. It's a fun night of challenges, chatting and even a few prizes!

But wait . . . there's more! hee hee! There's Sno wflake the penguin, Wade E. Bug, Luke & Lexi and several other cute images, like the recently released Flirty Fortunes - one of my favorite sets at the moment!

Paper Pretties has graciously donated a door prize for our event - can you ladies even believe all the goodies you've seen so far?!! Head over and show Paper Prettie s some love! :)

Sponsor Spotlight: Eclectic Paperie

2009-03-01T20:29:00.009-05:00

Sometimes, you shop at a store so much, that you become friends with the owners. (or, whoops, is that just me?) I have to say, truly I love when that happens!

When shopping at Eclectic Paperie, I often leave notes for Joy and Daisy in the comments section that say "With love from your eP-aholic!" I was so excited when I first got to meet them in person at CHA last winter - those girls are just sooo sweet.

EP is really one of my go to sources. I know that they always have the latest hot products, and that by following along with their weekly newsletter, I'll be "in the know" with the all latest trends! I love browsing their "Brand Spankin New" section to see what I might *need!*

I also love that EP frequently offers package bundles on some of those "must have" items so that you can get your hands on the best of the best! As an example, I'm SO excited about this new Graphic 45 Special Offer!

Eclectic Paperie was only too happy to help us out with some of the supplies for our Friday night Make and Take and will also be providing a door prize for one of you lucky ladies! How sweet is THAT?

Be sure to go check out Eclectic Paperie - what's your favorite??

Sponsor Spotlight: Whipper Snapper Designs

2009-02-28T14:00:00.001-05:00

Even when my google reader gets exceptionally long, there are a few blogs that are absolute must reads for me.

Chief among them is Anna Wight a.k.a. Sweet Miss Daisy. Not only can she watercolor, but that girl can draw!! I love the whimsical style of her images, and her finished projects always have just the perfect finishing touches.

Anna is one of the talented illustrators for Whipper Snapper Designs - and guess what!! Whippersnapper has so very graciously agreed to send a door prize for one lucky attendee of Stamp New England. Really, I know, isn't this getting to be SO fun!!

In addition to the Crafty Cling mount sets from Anna you'll find cling mount sets illustrated by Shelly Comiskey. You'll also find fabulous individual images - I just read that they have over 3,000 images!! In fact, in going over to link up this post, I just made a hefty shopping list for myself, and yes, I'll admit, made a purchase too! Giggle. What's YOUR favorite? I'd love to know. Leave a comment for me here as to what your favorite is... wonder if it's on my list too??

Recently my friend Cindy Lawrence was one of the Featured Designers for November and December for Whipper Snapper and put together some truly beauteous samples for them. Cindy let me borrow a few of her photos to share with you.

I have a card made with the Crazy for Chickens set, but its tucked in a Dirty Dozen gallery. If you'd like to see it, you'll have to go over here. (Reminder to self. Crack out Chickens set and get to work again! They're CUTE!!)

Head on over to Whipper Snapper and browse around. I'm sure you'll like what you find!

Meet Joanne Basile

2009-02-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

Is there anyone out there who doesn't know my friend Joanne and her fabulous blog, Just a Little Something??? She is just about the sweetest, perkiest stamper out there, IMHO! :) I still remember the day she contacted me - she was so warm and friendly I felt like we were long lost friends!! I had the greatest pleasure in the Fall of 2007 of being on a design team with her and actually getting to meet up and experience CHA Winter 2008 with her (crazy that we went all the way to LA to meet for the first time!). When I began thinking of pulling this event together I emailed Jo and she was right there with me and had even had the same idea!! I think she created this blog from almost the first time we decided to go ahead, such a one-step ahead type of girl!

Joanne's stamping always makes me smile, she just has a gift for making cards that make you happy! Her personality shines through in every beautiful card she creates and every blog post! Apparently a lot of people agree with me since she's not only on DTs for Gina K Designs and My Favorite Things, but she's also on the Splitcoaststampers' Dirty Dozen - the best of the best! Here's a bit of Joanne in her own words:

What started as simply a guaranteed girls night out with my friends has become a true addiction to paper crafting! I find it to be just such a stress reliever and a fun escape from my hectic day to day as a stay at home mom and daycare provider. Daily blogging has been an amazing way to chronicle my journey. Through stamping, blogging and design team work I’ve made so many wonderful friends and I can’t wait to meet up with in just a few weeks! I’m truly honored to be on the design team for both My Favorite Things , Gina K Designs and the Splitcoast Design Team, otherwise known as the Dirty Dozen.

I recently asked my readers what techniques they’d be interested in learning more about. Overwhelmingly, the answer was Copic markers. I admit that I actually haven’t been able to get to the official Copic Certification classes myself, but I’d be more than happy to share with you what I’ve learned from many hours of blog surfing, countless hours of practice and of course from watching the professionals at work in the Copic booth this summer at the Craft and Hobby Association show. I also had many requests for a step by step on paper piecing and how to add what is probably my favorite adornment to any project, bows! So, I’ve combined all three techniques into my class at Stamp New England.

If you happen to own “Who’s That e-Girl” or “Cupcake Flopsey” from My Favorite Things, then you can pack them for the trip, if not, no worries, we’ll have several sets floating for the group to share!

Stay tuned . . . this afternoon we'll be posting a Preliminary Supply List - things you need to pack! :)

Sponsor Spotlight: Odd Bird Planet

2009-02-25T21:56:00.016-05:00

Working with the whimsical images in the Odd Bird Planet stamp line, launched by Johanna Hatlestad in June of 2006, is an ongoing delight! This stamp line, available mounted or unmounted, is chock full of adorable creatures, such as tiny chicks, birds, cats, and my personal favorite, owls. There are even pirate owls - "ahoy thar matey" - how fabulous is that!

Each character is given wonderful facial expressions and almost all are dressed in fascinating garb. The line of chick stamps covers an amazing range of images from a "just married" chick to a BBQ chick...and you can select from a myriad of accessories to pair them with, such as purses, shoes, hats, and the tiniest BBQ grill you've ever seen! The creative ideas one can come up with using these images are endless!

One of the newest releases includes a lovable group of gnomes. Sleeping gnomes, gnomes in a teacup, three gnomes in a boat (rub-a-dub-dub, three gnomes in a tub...Sorry, I couldn't resist!) And as suspected, those happy gnomes also come with their own line of accessories from leaf hammocks to mushroom houses.

But that's not all...how about a complete line of fancy fruit and confectionery goodness? There are strawberry carriages - perfect for a tiny princess chick - oranges, limes, cherries, and stacks of cakes and cupcakes. Even a complete set of baking accessories, such as an oven, mixing bowls and spoons! There's still more...

One of my favorite sets of images are the large floral images, beautiful floral borders, and trees. Johanna has also created a wonderful selection of frames and sentiments. The sentiments are another one of my favorite parts of the line. You can pick from a simple "happy birthday", offered in different font types and sizes, to (one of my all time favs) "I don't do mornings." I almost have a hard time purchasing the images because there are so many fantastic phrases, many that pair up perfectly with the adorable birds and owls, such as "how tweet of you." There is also a line of sentiments in French and Dutch!

There are so many possibilities at available at Odd Bird Planet for stampers seeking a unique and fun line of stamp images. You can purchase Odd Bird Planet stamps at their online store. A wonderful gallery is also available for those wishing to see what can be created using the images and this past year a Wiki was created, where you can read all about the lives of the creatures who live on Odd Bird Planet.

I am thrilled to share with you that Odd Bird Planet has donated two baskets packed full of stamps as a door prize for the Stamp NE event! A huge thank you to Odd Bird Planet for their generosity! Everyone else...go check out those stamps...you may not know what you've been missing!

Sponsor Spotlight: Stamping Bella

2009-02-25T09:30:00.000-05:00

I'm sure by now you're all familiar with Stamping Bella, but have you seen all the different lines other than the Bellas that we all know and love so well?

For instance, this sweet card is Karen Motz's featuring the adorable Matilda Muffinbread, part of the Chicihiboulie line of fairies.

In addition the Chichiboules, you'll also find the cutie-pa-tootie new line Hugabuggs. I have a few of those little sweeties on the way to me right now. In particular, I just can't WAIT to get my hands on LOVEBeetle.

If you follow along on Blogabella, you'll see that Bellariffic Fridays are back. There's a team of Bellariffic Babes (and our very own Karen Motz is one of them!) and weekly challenges where you can win some Bella Bucks! Get headed over to play. I just sent in my sample this week!

Emily from Stamping Bella has so graciously donated supplies for us to use for our Friday night make and take as well as a door prize for one of you! Head on over and take a peek at all the adorable lines at Stamping Bella. What's YOUR favorite?

Sponsor Spotlight: Kitchen Sink Stamps

2009-02-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

It's only fitting that I should present to you this fabulous donor for our event - Kitchen Sink Stamps!! :) It's no secret that I just love the amazing multi-step stamps that Maria creates.

If you love florals - KSS has so much for you!! I think my favorite set has to be the 3 Step Hydrangeas, I just love these flowers!! You can create so many pretty color combinations so easily!! My favorite is the greenish colored hydrangeas like the ones I had in my wedding.

Or how about tulips?! Spring is coming (I promise it is!) and I've seen the tulip bunches in the grocery store already! This little magnet is one I made for the VSN mini last month and it couldn't have been simpler with these beautiful tulips!

But KSS is not just flowers - there is something for everyone! There are butterflies, hearts, stars, squirrels, leaves, turkeys, bunnies, chicks, alphabets and so much more!!

Maria is provided a few door prizes for some lucky attendees and even a little surprise for the rest of you!! My project just might include a bit of KSS goodness! *wink*

Pop over to the Kitchen Sink Stamps Store and shop around!

Its quiet in here....

2009-02-23T18:15:00.002-05:00

Hey there girls!

It is sorta quiet over here. I hope you're ready to be all chatty us up in New Hampshire. I'm officially calling you out to come chat with us....

What are you most excited about? Anything in particular you'd like to learn?

Anyone? Helo? Echo echo? Anyone there?

A little warmup! Our Nametag Challenge!!

2009-02-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

Who's ready to start stamping?

At check in, each stamper will receive a clear plastic name tag and you'll be able to insert a piece of cardstock measuring 4 x 3 1/4 inches. The challenge is to create a name badge for yourself that reflects your stamping style.

I worked on my sample to give you an idea of what we're talking about. I'm still looking for some embellies to add to mine, couldn't find anything that worked in my stash last night! Besides, this gives me a little chance to surprise you all with my finished piece when we get there right??

If you'd rather get yours all assembled at home and you'd like to have me mail you one so you can have it all finished up at home, just send me a self addressed stamped envelope and I'll send yours right out!

My address is:

Joanne Basile

30 Philomena Way

Franklin, MA 02038

Otherwise, you'll be able to finish your insert at home and bring along to Stamp New England to insert into your little acetate pouch!

Happy Stamping!

Welcoming Lauren Meader!!

2009-02-22T11:30:00.000-05:00

I'm here to welcome another one of our amazing instructors for Stamp New England. Its Lauren Meader!

I know, she doesn't really need an introduction per say, because I'm quite sure you all read her fabulous blog "My Time, My Creations, My Stampendance" already! I'm so excited to meet Lauren in person and I hope that maybe just the teeniest bit of her creative brilliance rubs off on me!

There's hardly a stamp company that girl hasn't designed for - just take a look at this list! I know Lauren has seriously enabled many purchases from me, how about you?

My Timeless Templates © by Lauren Meader for Papertrey Ink* SCS Dirty Dozen-past* A Chemistry With Paper-past* All That Scraps-Senior Designer* Green Grass Stamps-past* Gina K -Stamps for a Cause guest designer* Lizzie Anne Designs* My Favorite Things-Senior Designer* Our Daily Bread Guest Designer-past* Papertrey Ink* Pink Cat Studio* Reporter for Craft Critque-past* Storage Ink & More Guest Designer* Team Member for Scor-Pal*Su Ink & More-Past* Unity Stamps-past* Smile Box Avaitor-past*

We're just thrilled that she'll be joining us for Stamp New England and I'm really looking forward to working with her project. I just love the out of the box creations that Lauren comes out with. They are always so detailed, and unique!

Lauren has been hard at work designing her project for Stamp New England called "Get a Handle on It" © My Timeless Template © project. You are going to be so excited because you will be using a NEW! My Timeless Template © that is due for release in April for this class project! Here's what Lauren has to say:

I honestly think it is my favorite template to date!! YOU all get to be the first to not only SEE it, but actually make one yourself!! Sorry, that is ALL I can give so far for details :D I promise its worth the wait.

Now for the FUN part!! A chocolate/candy swap!

We need SOMETHING yummy to put IN our special box, and believe me, it can hold PLENTY, so please bring a piece of your favorite wrapped chocolate/ candy (BITE SIZE). Bring enough to swap, 36 pieces, that's enough for 1 for each person. In the end we will all have a completed template full of yummy chocolates/ candy from our friends!!!

Supplies to bring:

Chocolate/candy of choice
Your listening ears!!!
Paper cutter with score blade, or Scor-Pal/Score tool
Redline tape
dimensionals
scissors
hobby blade
ruler
Crop a dile (or 1/8 hole punch)
corner rounder (if you have one)

Thanks for dropping by today everyone! I hope you're all getting as excited as we are!!

Sponsor Spotlight: My Favorite Things

2009-02-18T22:14:00.000-05:00

We are just so fortunate to have so many fantastic manufacturers who have graciously agreed to provide door prizes for our event! Have you seen the list on the sidebar? You girls are going to be spoiled rotten!

Seeing that today is "Celebrate MFT Day" there's no better time to introduce My Favorite Things!

Kim is providing a door prize for one of you lucky ladies, and a little surprise for the rest of you as well!!

I'm just waiting on my paper order to arrive, and then I'll be making my samples for my workshop, featuring, My Favorite Things clear acrylic stamps!

I'm sure by now you've all seen the unmistakable "Who's That Girl" from My Favorite Things and now MFT has added several product lines lines including the ever adorable Flopsey, My Favorite Things Presents from Annie LaPointe and Stephanie Fizer and latest sassy line BC Dzyns. Which ones are YOUR favorite? Personally, I love the variety of images, and think that MFT has some of the funniest sentiments you'll ever run across! I mean really, did you just see the release of Twisted Too. I laughed so hard that I cried.

Be sure to hop on by My Favorite Things and browse around!

Joanne

Sponsor Spotlight: Emma's Paperie

2009-02-18T00:36:00.001-05:00

What you have to look forward to??!! How about a little sampling of the goodies being donated by some fabulous companies!! We are so amazed and thankful for the generosity of these companies (look over on the sidebar at the amazing list!)!! Please do take some time to visit their websites/stores and support them when you can!!

Today I received the best box from my friend Cindy at Emma's Paperie! What is in the box?? Well, let me just say you all won't believe it!! We don't want to give away too much here but how about a peek??

If you've never visited Emma's Paperie, hang on to you hats!! She has an amazing amount of goodies there - and all the fun, new products that you can't wait to get your hands on!! Right now all the new products from CHA have started to arrive and I like to click "What's New" and browse through that way. I always love receiving my orders from Emma's - they come all wrapped in pretty tissue just like a present! :) They also have a blog where Cindy posts all the fabulous projects by the Design Team, posts specials and contests - I always find lots of inspiration there!

Are you excited yet?? We are - and we cannot wait to meet all of you! There's another instructor bio coming soon and also news of a contest so stay tuned!

Julie

Introducing Karen Motz and Announcing a Sketch Swap!!

2009-02-11T19:16:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! We're already busy behind the scenes prepping classes and organizing the details of our upcoming stamping get away!! To get everyone really excited about all that is planned, we wanted to begin to introduce you our instructors!

Introducing Karen Motz - The Paper Playhouse

Up first is my friend, Karen Motz, did you know she's practically my neighbor? We met this summer thanks to an introduction from Emily - that's right, Stamping Bella herself! Right away, we were fast friends - she'll be my room-mate at Stamp New England!

Karen blogs just about daily on "The Paper Playhouse" and has been featured as one of Taylor's Van Bruggen's Cupcake Samplers for her weekly Sketch Challenge!

Karen will be leading our Friday night make and take with her "Bella Bind-It Book." This will be a fun and casual project, a great chance to meet all the other Stamp New England stampers and create an adorable sketch journal! Here's just a peek of what she's got planned for us!

Here's a little bit about Karen in her own words....

"I started out as a scrapbooker, many years ago. Nothing serious, just dabbling in it with photos from occasions and events. Then, in May 2003, I attended a Stampin' Up! party and was completely amazed at the beautiful things we did with rubber stamps and ink. I was HOOKED right then and there. I had never stamped before in my life, but I was completely smitten with rubber stamping. Needless to say, I dove in head first, signed up as an SU demo and built a thriving business. In addition to that, I worked for a couple of years as a rubber stamping instructor at two local scrapbooking stores. Then a fabulous change in hubby's career had us moving from Ontario, Canada to Massachusetts, USA in June 2008, and I had to let go of my SU business.

Very shortly after we moved, I met a wonderful stamper, Joanne Basile (who's blog I'd been lurking on for quite some time) thanks to an introduction via email from Emily (Stamping Bella). We became fast friends and for that I'm very thankful. I knew I wanted to continue stamping and start a blog to keep me motivated. After all, I'd been lurking on so many wonderful blogs and Splitcoast, checking out the beautiful creations and gleaning sooooo much inspiration that I decided I wanted to share my creations too. So I started my blog on November 26, 2008.

I can be found on most days, happily stamping away, using any and all products that catch my fancy, participating in challenges on both Splitcoast and blogs. I also love taking classes, both for the social aspect and because I learn a little something at every class I've attended."

Want to swap sketches?

Since Karen's project is a sketch journal, why don't we start the festivities with a "Sketch Swap!!" Please bring your favorite sketch to share with the group. It can be your own original sketch, or a "go to" favorite. If you've borrowed a sketch from somewhere, please just be sure to give credit as to where you discovered it! If you'd like to swap sketches, please bring 36 of them to share. They should be printed out no larger than 3x5 so that they can be added to 5x7 sized journal pages leaving a little room for notes. Also, please be sure to print to regular copy paper versus cardstock or else the books will be too thick!!

Be sure to hop by Karen's blog to see even more of her work, and get searching for YOUR favorite sketch to share with the group!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Joanne

So Exciting! SOLD OUT!!

2009-02-06T10:18:00.000-05:00

How very exciting! The event is already SOLD OUT! We're simply thrilled at your amazing response to our first gathering of Stamp New England! We have thirty six confirmed reservations in the first week! Hooray!!!

Please continue to check back in on the blog over the next few weeks, we'll be showing sneek peeks of projects, having the presenters stop in with quick bios, organizing fun things like swaps, contests and posting lists of supplies you'll need to bring along.

We'll also be starting a wait list for anyone that is interested in coming but didn't get registered before we sold out. If you'd like to be added to the waiting list, please email stampnewengland at gmail dot com to be added to the waiting list in the event of any cancellations.

New Update

2009-02-04T16:08:00.001-05:00

As we mentioned yesterday, Double Rooms are sold out. We have confirmed that Single rooms are still available and may be shared if you wish, with the understanding that these rooms have 1 bed. We have added that payment option for $110.00.

Again, we are almost full so please register early so that you don't miss out!! Thank You!

Update on Rooms

2009-02-03T18:40:00.000-05:00

We are so excited with your response to this event!! Although we have plenty of SINGLE ROOMS ($170.00) available, we are currently sold out of the Double Room ($130.00) option. We are working on alternative arrangements for those of you wishing to register for a double room so please watch for another update hopefully by tomorrow afternoon!

We appreciate your patience and are so excited to meet all of you attending!!

Calling all Stampers!!

2009-01-30T12:00:00.000-05:00

Are you looking for a way to chase those winter blahs away? Would you enjoy a fun night away from the hustle and bustle of life? Have an interest in learning new stamping techniques? Need a fun weekend away with the girls?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then pack your bags and join us for the Stamp New England 2009!!

Teaming with prominent crafters and stamp companies, we've developed an event that is engineered for fun, learning, connecting and relaxing. This year's retreat, held in Portsmouth, NH, will showcase products from industry leaders such as Gina K. Designs, Papertrey Ink, and Scor-Pal, to name a few, and will feature guest designers, well known for their creativity and stamping.

During your stay, you'll have the opportunity to attend five stamping tutorials geared towards enjoying the art of creating with stamps, learning new techniques, sampling favorite products and connecting with old friends while making new ones.

The day and a half event will be held at The Sise Inn, located in beautiful Portsmouth, NH. The Sise Inn is one of the finest hotels in Portsmouth, reigning over Haymarket Square. This lovely 19th century Queen Anne home showcases original woodwork, elegant antiques and period reproductsion to recall the graciousness of Victorian life. The Inn offers comfortable guest rooms decordated in period style as well as free Wi-Fi and many other comfort amenities.

We look forward to seeing you at Stamp New England!

Prizes, Prices, What to Bring!

2009-01-30T11:30:00.000-05:00

Door Prizes

In addition to the fantastic classes, we will be offering an amazing array of door prizes from the following vendors (more to come!!):

* My Favorite Things
* Gina K Designs
* Paper Pretties
* Kitchen Sink Stamps
* Odd Bird Planet
* Say It With Letters
* Emma's Paperie
* Scor-Pal
* Stamping Bella

And if this isn't enough . . . several of these vendors will be offering discounts on any orders placed between March 20-21! Computers will be available in the the meeting room for instant shopping access!!

What To Bring

A more detailed list will be provided as we get closer to the event (please subscribe to the blog in order to receive updates), but plan on bringing the following supplies:

* Adhesive - PLENTY of it!
(you may wish to bring glue dots and pop dots as well)
* Paper Trimmer/Cutter
* Scissors
* Pencil
* Camera
* A favorite drink to share
on Friday night

Cost for the weekend includes:

* Overnight room accomodations (single and double rooms available)
* Breakfast and lunch on Saturday (snacks will also be available Friday night but you will be responsible for dinner)
* Participation in five unique stamping classes

Single room cost
(rooming alone) . . . . . . . . $170.00

Double room cost/per person
(rooming with a friend) . . . $130.00

Full payment is due at the time of your reservation. Refunds are available if your reservation is cancelled prior to February 20, 2009. After February 20, no refund will be available.

Space is limited to please reserve early!! Reservations may be made here on the blog through Paypal (see the button on the top right hand of the page) or by check to Julie Masse, 209 Ossipee Hill Rd, East Waterboro, ME 04030. If registering online, we ask that you also print out the registration form and mail it to the above address or copy & paste it into an email to stampnewengland@gmail.com. Payment must be received by February 20 in order to hold a room. Reservations made after February 20 will be on a first come, first serve basis.

Registration Form

2009-01-29T00:25:00.000-05:00

We are hoping to make this as easy a process as possible. You may pay using Paypal (see the button on the top right side of the blog) or mail your payment along with registration form to:

Julie Masse
209 Ossipee Hill Rd
East Waterboro, ME 04030

If you register using the Paypal option, we ask that you still complete the registration form and either mail it to the above address or copy and paste it into an email and sent it to stampnewengland@gmail.com.

Thank you!