Last Chance List Contest

It's that time of year again... time for the Last Chance List from Stampin' Up!  I am hosting a Last Chance List contest to celebrate.  Now through Sunday, May 30, the contest will be open for you to guess which 10 stamp sets you think will be retiring from the current SU! Idea Book & Catalog.  You have until midnight (PDT) on Sunday, May 30 to email me at lovetostampandscrap@yahoo.com with your list of 10 stamp sets that you think will be retiring.  I will go over all the submissions and the person who guesses the most stamp sets on the Last Chance List will receive an "a la carte" or "Under $10" stamp from me, either from the Summer Mini or from the new Idea Book & Catalog when it comes out!  If there is a tie, there will be a drawing held to select one winner.

As a reminder, your lists should consist of stamp sets only - no accessories like ribbon, brads, buttons, wheels, and so on.  Also, please do not include hostess sets (which retire each year), the "Under $10" individual stamps from the last page of the current catalog, or items from any of our current mini/specialty catalogs.  Stamps available in multiple languages can only be counted as one item on your list as well.  If you need to check out the catalog, click here to download the catalog or view current stamp sets online via my demonstrator website.

Please come back and visit my blog on the evening of June 1 to see the actual Last Chance List.
Good luck!  Cheryl

Latest Sparkles Team Swap

Our next team meeting is coming up and I decided we'd do red, white and blue as our theme for this month's swap.  I recently got the new July Fourth stamp set from the Stampin' Up! Summer Mini catalog and decided to use it on my swap project.  At first I pulled out Brilliant Blue and Real Red to use, but then decided to go for Riding Hood Red and Pacific Point since they're headed back to the SU! color lineup.  The firework background was created by stamping off once (removing the ink intensity by first inking up the stamp, them stamping on a scrap of paper before stamping on the actual card stock).  The top center one was not stamped off, and I really like the softer look achieved by stamping off, so that's how I did the rest of them.  The bottom red piece was stamped using the Dot, Dot, Dot individual stamp, inked with Riding Hood Red ink.  I used a sticky back rhinestone on the fire cracker, but the rest is all SU!  Take a peek:

I found these cute patriotic Sweethearts boxes while grocery shopping last week (at our local Ralphs grocery store), so I made a slide up treat like the candy bar one I made back in December.  To make the box, cut a piece of card stock 4 inches by 7 1/4 inches.  Score at 3/4 inches, 3 1/4 inches, 4 inches and 6 1/2 inches.  Stick the ends together with a little Sticky Strip and decorate with your favorite stamps/punches.  Super easy to make!

I'm really happy with the way they came out, and I hope the gals like them, too!  I'm off to my folks' for Mother's Day - have a great one!