It Really Feels Like Christmas in July!

Hi Everyone!  We just returned from a wonderful summer vacation -- it was a bit of a whirlwind, as we started out at the beach in Florida, for my husband's high school reunion, then flew to the Chicago area to see family and celebrate a close friend's birthday, followed by a quick stop in Champaign-Urbana to visit and show the kids our alma mater and another quick stop in Springfield to show the kids some important sites relating to Abraham Lincoln, and finally some time with family in the St. Louis area.  Whew!!!  Now, I'm back and have lots of exciting Stampin' Up! news to share with you . . . so, here goes!

Have you had a chance to see the beautiful new 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog yet?  If not, be sure to check it out here (although be sure to come back and read the rest of this post -- or better yet, please read my post first, then go browse the Idea Book to your heart's content! :)  )   There are some great new stamps and accessories in the new Idea Book, and I love the new In Colors! 

There's also exciting news for My Digital Studio users -- in addition to lots of great new downloads available with the release of the new Idea Book, there's a free update available with the fabulous new In Colors for you.  From your My Digital Studio program, simply click the help tab and select the check for updates option, follow the prompts, and you'll be all set!  Plus, Stampin' Up! has this free greeting card designer template available for you to download:

You can read more about how to get your free download here.

And, before I left on vacation, I had a chance to play with some new goodies I'd preordered -- here's one of my first creations with them:

This card is made using the new Posy Punch hostess set and three of the newest In Colors.  (The Stampin' Up! hostess program actually has changed -- giving hostesses much more flexibility in what they can choose and making it even more fun and rewarding to be a hostess!  If you'd like more information about the new program, please leave me a comment on this post or click the button in the side bar to send me an email!  I'd be happy to answer any questions you have.)

The card base is Island Indigo, and was stamped using Island Indigo and one of the Posy Punch images.  There's a layer of Pool Party card stock on top of that, which has strips under it which were punched using the new Lace Ribbon Border Punch.  The green squares are cut from Lucky Limeade card stock.  On top of those are the flowers which were stamped in Wisteria Wonder, then punched out using the Fancy Flower Punch.  Each flower center has a different embellishment in it.  Here are some close ups:

This one has flowers that are leftover from using the new Lace Ribbon Border Punch on a piece of Daffodil Delight card stock:

This one has a Daffodil Delight button from the Bold Brights Designer Buttons:

This one has a cut out from one of the flowers created when using the new Lace Ribbon Border Punch, again on a piece of Daffodil Delight card stock, and with a Rhinestone in the center:

 The layout for the card is from the Splitcoast Stampers Sketch Challenges #18. 

Stay tuned for more samples with new products!  And, if you are in the San Jose area, be sure to mark your calendar for my new catalog open house coming up this Saturday!  (If you aren't already on my newsletter mailing list, please be sure to leave me a comment or send me an email, and I'll be glad to give you all the details!)

Thanks for stopping by!

- Michelle