Author Archives: clkondo

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About clkondo

I am a teacher, mother, wife, and LOVER of all things papercrafting. It's been my sanity (and sometimes insanity) for the past 10 years. I am an Independent Stampin' UP Demonstrator...which helps me pay for my passion...

Waiting…

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I am waiting for mds projects to upload. Photobooks take a while…

So… I wanted to show you a couple more things from this August stamp club…  first of all, we had a visitor!  Jane came all the way from Canada to come to our club.  Well… not really. She came here on vacation and it happened to coincide with club. She and here husband were celebrating their 40th anniversary. Incredible.

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She was the 2nd demonstrator in all of Canada!  This past convention, SU! celebrated 10 years in Canada. Pretty neat. We had a good time with Jane. Its always fun to get together with other demos. We can share lots of tips and tricks.

I wanted to show you the other projects we made in club.  The first one  was homeage
to the homeland:

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The state flower for KS is the sunflower.  And I think it’s my favorite flower too.  So cheerful. I love them so much I have several photos from our sunflower quest on the wall in my living room (sunflower quest: driving around the state of KS till you find some fields… and it’s sunflowers for as far as the eyes could see)

The second one is capitalizing on a “super-fad”.  Well, it’s a superfad in the mainland… so I give it 3 years till it gets to Maui. So… by posting it now, I can say I was ahead of the times. Which never happens…

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The keep calm phrase. It’s everywhere.  But fun. I love this hostess set!! 

Well..  I should get back to uploading… can’t wait until my new mds projects come!!

MDS 2…HERE I COME

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Okay, I have to embarrassingly admit…  I had the My Digital Studio software for nearly 3 years before I did anything with it. (well, at least I think it was 3….)  Who knows.  And, I busted the package on it this past summer when I was trying to earn enough points for the trip to Hilton Head (which, btw, I did!!!  Thanks to all who helped…).  And, this was before the release of MDS 2.  ANYWAY…

I made an 8×8 scrapbook and my new business card.  Both made me want to scream.
THEN….
I went to convention where I learned about the LOVELY MDS2.

 

And it’s lovely.  And, during the month of August (AND NOW EXTENDED TILL SEPTEMBER 14), select digital downloads and printing services are 31% off.  And, you can download MDS2 for a 30 day free trial…ANYTIME…
I’ve been frantically trying to scrap, create, and whatever you can do in MDS before the end of the promotion.  Just took Isaac’s Christmas picture today…  (gonna print on the special, so someone please remind me to get them mailed before December 25…no excuses this year)
Anyway, a friend’s daughter is getting married and I made some wedding invites.  This is the one she liked.  I removed the names and the changed the date of the wedding just not to spill the beans…cause I’m not sure they’ve been sent out.  But, I love how they turned out…

I made matching RSVP cars too.  And, I can print on the back as well… I just put a designer series paper, but it still made the entire project seem quite finished.  And, the quality of the paper is wonderful.  Quite substantial.  It is a very nice wedding invite, I think… More people need to get married so I can make some more.  It was fun…

I will post some other projects later!  I’m having tons of fun!!

And, just a reminder, you only have a few days left (until Friday, at 7:50 Hawaii time) to purchase the starter kit to be able to get that awesome Halloween Printer’s Tray.  I’ve seen ideas on pinterest of how people are using with ‘removable’ decor so it can be used for other seasons.  Now, you don’t wanna miss out, do you???  You can get it by going to my website and signing up for the starter kit…

Spooktacular Offer

Talk to you soon!!  And happy digital stamping!!

More Moving Forward!!

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I just love this stamp set. I actually like all the Ronald McDonald sets. They are alway very versitile.

So… here are some more cards I have made with it:

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The daffodile delight paper is just so bright and cheery. And the new 1/4″ stitched grosgrain is so much fun.  Yellow and black are a great combo for anyone who needs a little pick-me-up…

And here:

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This frog makes a great boy’s birthday card. The little curly-q stamp just exudes energy.

And this one we made at our Maui Stampers Team Meeting.  It was a case of a swap we got at convention…. hey… if it is good… might as well just go with it!

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Makes you wanna b a Maui Stamper doesn’t it.  Weeelllllll….  whatcha waiting for??

Finally

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Finally…. things have settled enough to get a post made.  School is in full swing and it’s shaping up to be a busy year.

This coming weekend both of my stamp clubs are meeting… and I’ve been working hard to get projects made and samples made!!  I was thinking, to start the year, we might play with the Moving Forward stamp set.  This is the Ronald McDonald set for this year. $3 of every set purchased goers to the Ronald McDonald house charities. This set was also a freebie at convention. And I love it.  Super cute for children’s cards or tags on packages.  Speaking of tags… look at these 3×3 cards: (and totally cased from Monika Davis… thanks Monika!! )

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I just love how cute the images are. And the new firm foam ink pads make stamping the solid blimp image a breeze!!  (I absolutely love the new stamp pads. Had to convert my whole collection.)  Here is another card that I completely cased.  This one came from this month’s Stampin’
Success.

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Would YOU want to get a magazine every month with tons of cute stamp ideas just begging to be made?  Well..  it’s easy!  Just pick up the starter kit. And, in addition, for the month of August, you get ALL the items necessary to make this spooky printers tray:

Also… in August, MDS2 was released!!  Now, you are able to download a 30 day free trial of MDS 2 to see how you like it.  I’ve already played with it.  And, I LOVE it.  A gigantic improvement over MDS 1.  I have some projects I will post next time that I made with it.  I’m currently working on a friend’s wedding (invites, favor tags, signs, table numbers…) Lots of fun stuff.  And, as a way to promote MDS 2, Stampin’ UP is giving 31% off select MDS downloads and ALL the print products ordered through them (not including bulk pricing, but this is cheaper anyway, so you don’t need the bulk pricing).

I was thinking, to celebrate this promotion, I will give free design services to anyone who orders through me and prints (through SU) their Christmas Cards.  Now, I realize it is WAY early, but if you have pictures that you want to use, or don’t think your children will change too much between now and Christmas, you might as well get your cards on sale, get something WAY more exciting than Costco offers, and have them all ready to go before the holiday rush.  Then when all your friends are stressing out, you can sit back and sip a cup of hot chocolate.  These cards come on a super thick card stock and the printing is superb.  I have samples of cards printed through these print services if you want to see.  Hurry though, if you want me to design it in time to get in on the August sale, you better let me know ASAP.    (Or, use the free trial and make some for yourself!!)  One thing I want (and WILL) do this year is to make a bunch of Christmas TAGS.  Just 3×3 tags that can be tied on all the neighbor gifts, and whatever other gifts that we give from our family.  Cute, easy…  I will post samples of that too..  I will run the design special through the holidays, but any printing done after August 31 will be back to regular (or bulk) pricing…

Anyway, it is past my bedtime.  I will post again… post my MDS project…post a couple more pics of Moving Forward (Did I mention I love this stamp set)  But, I have a feeling I am rambling…which I do when it is past my bedtime… way past…

Jiggity jiggity…..

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When I was young, my parents always had this saying when we got back to the house after a time away… “home again, home again, jiggity jig.”  Well…. Isaac forgets to say the home again part and just does jiggity jiggity…  all that to say… “I’M HOME!”

AND boy… I’m tired and the craft room/office has vomited stamp stuff. This is bad news for me, but good for you cause most of it is the stuff that is going to be in my “rubber garage sale”.  Love that term… heard it at convention…

Anyway, Anne and I met 2 wonderful new friends from Tacoma, Washington.  Shannon and Tara… I wanted to share the swaps they did cause they are just beautiful:

Here is Shannon’s:

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That fence is hand pieced on… strips of c crumb cake cs stamped with the Woodgrain stamp and layered over the images. The result is that the vine looks like it is growing on the fence. She chose beautiful, saturated corps to give the late summer feel. But it could easily be recreated in more subtle colors for a more serene feel.  Wonderful…

And here is Tara’s:

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This is what is called card candy. It’s artwork or embellishment that can be added to a card. It has a wonderful vintage vibe with the old postage stamps and the monochromatic color makes it appear very expensive.  Just beautiful.

Here is the last card for today:

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Chris Talbot designed this one. I didn’t actually meet her (something unique to the swapping phenomenon) but must have swapped in order to get this fantastic card. I chose to show it because It gives ideas of how we can taylor cards to specific people even when we may not have an exact stamp for the occasion.  By using alphabet and number sets we can make anything. Chris went the extra mile by embossing gold the edges on the front plannel. It really needs time be seen in person….

Anyway, tomorrow is the first day teachers report….officially… so I gotta go to bed.  See you Saturday at 9:00….

Oops

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So… that candle pic didn’t come through… here is try 2:

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And here is a treat bag made from the googly ghouls and the favor kit in the new mini:

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This bag was embossed with the new chevron folder that was inked with versamark and embossed with black embossing powder mixed with dazzling diamonds glitter.

And look how cute:

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These poor ladies are probably tired of me asking to take pictures of their wardrobes… oh well.. 
More later…

My brain is full…

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Okay. My first disclaimer is that I am blogging from my phone. And as noted by the comments, it sounds like I must be drinking. Though modern technology has advanced at incredible rates, blogging from a phone still does not have all the amenities a computer.  I apologize. Professional bloggers may refute me…. but remember: I am still new at this. And will try to correct everything when I am back actually at a computer…  🙂

Okay. As titled, my brain is so full that I feel as if it may burst.  So many stamps and so little time. This day actually started with Anne and I climbing into our beds. We were up till 2 am working on this years annual ACCE (Anne and Crystal’s Christmas Extravaganza). We are getting tons of ideas and our plans change with each new stamping demonstration we see.  You will be Wowed.  Make plans to attend. It will be in October and the exact date will be given soon…

So… once we woke, we attended 3 classes today… I am a leader with Brian Pilling, I am earning an I incentive trip with Karen Hauley, and I am having fun with Shannon West.  The classes at stampin’ up! Convention 2012 really aim to pull all the aspects of demonstratorship together. It is completely evident they are willing to provide the support it takes to be successful.

At today’s general sessions we had demos by Shannon West. She previewed some of the fall and Halloween items from the upcoming mini…. here are some:

This candle is actually STAMPED right on the wax with staz-on. Then she used the fall leaves to decorate it. This makes a great centerpiece for a Thanksgiving meal. And check out that gorgeous champagne shimmer paper!!

This card was one I got in a swap. It uses “Googly Ghouls” stamp set (holiday mini).

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It also uses the new Howlstooth and Scaringbone dsp. This paper is wonderful because there is nothing inherently Halloween… so it can be used with other things.  And, my favorite, adhesive backed googly eyes. And a designer kit that coordinates with the googly ghouls stamp set that contains items to help you create your Halloween favors.

While we are on Halloween, SU! is having a promotion. Anyone who decides to purchase the starter kit in the month of August will get all the supplies necessary, including the shadow box, to make this:

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Contact me and I can help you get that FULLY CUSTOMIZABLE kit.

I need to go to sleep now because it is now Saturday am…and I can’t stay up till 2 again but I have to introduce you to Kat:

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We met her in line for coffee and Anne noticed these beautiful bracelets….made with OUR buttons.  On that stretchy elastic
worth beads in between. Way cute!!

Okay. Goodnight. Goodmorning? Whatever.
And check back cause SU has a BIG announcement for us tomorrow!!

Thursday part 2

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Wow!  One thing I failed to mention this morning at our general sessions was how electric it was. When we got into the main stage area, I think EVERY employee of SU! was there to greet us with applause, hi-fives, cheers… very exciting tired be welcomed in such an enthusiastic way.

I ha’ve lots more to share… and will…. but as you can see it is now Friday when I am posting this… so clearly I didn’t get it finished…. stay tuned…

We had some great sessions with different presenters. Jason Ryan Dorsey and Emily Montoya both stressed the importance of social media (I am reaching out). So… after many years of no facebook…. I am now on. So… friend me if you wish!! This is all very new to me so be patient…. 🙂  but hey, both my mom and grandma are on facebook before me… so, as Anne would say, I finally put on my big girl panties.

As I said earlier… I would share a couple of swaps I received from the wow swap. Very interesting experience…
Here is one:

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It’s made worth the new comfort cafe paper and the quint-essential flower. This flower is AWESOME. It is only 1 stamp for $8.95 and every layer fits a punch we have. So it’s like having 6 stamps at once.

Morning session!

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Wow.  Being here is an experience!  Lots of excitement and enthusiasm. I learned I am not as prolific of a stamper as I thought.  I pale in comparison…. but it’s not about comparing…

Anyway… wanted to share some pictures… this is what it looked likeeper whend we entered the contention center… all these ladies… waiting for the auditorium doors to open.  All swapping.  Anyone overhearing these conversations unfamiliar with this concept would think we are crazy (weeeeeelllll….)  all you here is … “wanna swap” or “you swapping”  and no other words. It’s funny.

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And, I really likes this group. Teams (downlines) try to do something to make themselves recognizable to their other members… I liked this one in particular. I want a poster for my stamp room:

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I have the WOW swap I am part of is today. Anne told me to sign up for this one because it is organized and has rules…. so yo uh make cometh g good and you are guaranteed to get it back… I’m a little nervous because the organizer must approve the card before I can participate.  Anyway, I made 120 of this:

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And, it’s hard to see in the picture but that flower is a “closure” for the card. Nothing  fancy… the fronth is just cut shorter than the back and scalloped. Then the flower is glued down just on the exposed inside of the card thend the front tucks behind.  Hopefully this clarifies:

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It’s fast, easy, and a way just o make something different.  With the exception of the enjoy word from the fabulous phrases stamp set, there is no stamping. Big shot embossing, punching… its an excellent way to use up scrap pieces of paper….  I will try to post more this evening… of the exciting wow swaps I get!!

I Am…. HERE!

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So. After 9 years and 4 time zones in the past 5 days… I finally made it to contention.  And I’m a bit nutty from all the lack of sleep so I apologize if I sound incoherent.

Anyway, we got in yesterday around noonish but since the hotel wasn’t ready, Anne and I decided to shop. And it was a blast.

Today was the first official start day of convention…. but kind of a “slow” start. Not slow in that we didn’t have stuff to do… but slow in that there wasn’t scheduled class sessions…. except we decided to schedule our make and takes all in one fell swoop….  then we had the I Am Inspired (this year’s theme is I Am….)

It’s unbelievable, the atmosphere in this place. And I thought I was a die-hard…  mot even close.  Anyway, general swapping can happen anywhere and everywhere so you gotta be prepared.  Here is what I brought for general swapping….

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And

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And

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I am too tired to list product right now so if you have a question just email me.  I want to show a picture of the I am inspired project too… it’s a super cute pinboard that has 3 different interchangeable displays. They gave US a perpetual… (okay… we gotta break…. I’m typing this post on my phone as Anne is giving me a running dialog of how she is trying to upload photos from her camera… it is hilarious…and when I start laughing she changes her voice to a whisper and it gradually gets louder until I start laughing again…)  okay what was I saying… oh… perpetual calendar. Though it would be great just as a picture board….  here it is….

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I will try to get better pictures of my make and takes but the lighting in our room is terrible. Or… come to my open house July 28 and you can see it in person!!

Check out Anne’s blog for more pictures. She’s better at all that than me. And she’s uploading from a computer and not a phone…. 

Okay… tomorrow is the WOW swap and awards night!!  I will keep you posted!!