Patricia Stamps

Blog Candy - Free Cards

Sorry I've not been posting as much as usual. This new world of "super couponing" has taken over my free time. I am loving learning how to save tons of money. Our average savings last week was 81%.

Wow! Who would have thought that we could save that much...on average.

So, this is for all of my new couponing friends, who probably don't have time to make handmade cards :)

Ways to Enter:

1. Please leave a comment about my blog. Something you saw that was interesting.

2. Subscribe to my blog and leave me a comment letting me know :)

3. Blog about this giveaway and post a comment with the link (or use a trackback).

Please make sure that you leave a working email address. If you post anonymous, please remember that you must leave an email.

I will use Randomizer.org to select the winner and I will notify them by email.

Prize will be mailed directly to the winner by me on Friday.

Have a great day and I hope you enjoy this.

If you want to know how to earn some free stamps and stamping materials, just let me know. We have a great SALE going on right now. And, if you ask, I could even make up a coupon for you, so you will feel more at home :)

Scrapbooking Class

On Monday nights, I offer a scrapbooking class at my house. Each week we make a different 12x12 layout. Here is the layout that we made last night.

We used Stampin' Up's Rockabilly Specialty paper, the Heart to Heart punch, the Full Heart punch, the new Circle Scissor Plus, the trimmer with the scoring blade, the Big Shot with the Texturz plates.

I love the way that the specialty paper looks like ribbon on the three small frames.

If you have any questions about how these pages were made, or you would like to sign up for my Monday night scrapbooking class, please send me an email.

Super Savings

A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to get to attend a Stampin' Up team meeting hosted by Janice Weightman, up in Chicago. Thanks so much Janice for letting us "orphans" come to your meetings.

Janice had an AWESOME guest speaker for us that. It was Jill Cataldo. She is the "SuperCouponing" lady from the Chicago area. Wow! I learned so much that day, it made my head spin.

I am very happy to report that using the techniques Jill taught us, and numerous other ones that I have now learned from the internet and trial and error. I had my best shopping trip ever last night.

I just have to share the results. Because the more money I save on household items, the more money I'll have to run my Stampin' Up business :)

Mrs. T's Pierogi's 

Regular Price $5.44

Sale Price $1.36

Coupon $1 off 2

Final Cost $1.72 for 2

Super Pretzel - Soft Prezels - 2 Boxes

Regular Price $5.58 for two boxes

Sale Price $1.39 each box

Coupons 2 @$.75

Final Cost for 2 $1.28

Lysol - 1/2 price

Regular Price $4.89

Sale Price $2.44

Coupon $.50 (doubled to $1)

Final Cost $1.44

Macaroni Grill Dinners - 3 boxes

Regular Price $13.47 for 3 boxes

Sale Price $2.99 each box

Coupon $1 off (and I had 3)

Purchased 3 boxes @ $1.99 each

Final Cost of $5.97

Chex Mix Bags - 3 bags

Regular Price $6.87 for 3 bags

Sale Price $1 per bag (5 for $5 sale)

Coupon $.50 off (which doubled to $1) and I had 3 for $3 savings

Final Cost: FREE

Betty Crocker Frosting - 4 tubs 

Regular Price $6.92 for 4 tubs

Sale Price 5 for $5

Coupon $.50 off (which doubled to $1) and I had 3 for $3 savings

Final Cost: FREE

Betty Crocker Swirl Cakes - purchased 2

Regular Price: $3.98 for 2

Sale Price 4 for $5

Each bowl cost $.25 

Coupon $.50 off (which doubled to $1) used 2 coupons

Final Cost for 2 bowls $.50

Betty Crocker Fudge Brownies - purchased 2

Regular Price: $3.98 for 2

Sale Price 4 for $5

Each bowl cost $.25 

Coupon $.50 off (which doubled to $1) used 2 coupons

Final Cost for 2 bowls $.50

Betty Crocker Brownie Mix - purchased 1

Regular Price: $1.99

Sale Price 4 for $5

Each bowl cost $.25 

Coupon $.50 off (which doubled to $1)

Final Cost $.25

Betty Crocker Chocolate Cookies - purchased 2

Regular Price: $3.98 for 2

Sale Price 4 for $5

Each bowl cost $.25 

Coupon $.50 off (which doubled to $1) used 2 coupons

Final Cost for 2 bowls $.50

Betty Crocker Cake mix

Regular Price: $1.99

Sale Price 4 for $5

Each bowl cost $.25 

Coupon $.50 off (which doubled to $1)

Final Cost $.25

Campbell's Soup (Chicken Noodle)

Regular Price $2.72 for 4 cans

Sale Price 10 for $6

Coupon $.40 off 4 cans (it doubled to $.80)

Final Cost: $1.60

Progresso Soup (2 cans)

Regular price $2.49 a can

Sale Price 8 for $10

Coupon $1.10 off per can (I had two coupons)

Final Cost $.15 per can = $.30

Okay, I must have missed something, but here are my final numbers.

Total Non-Coupon Savings $30.37

Total Coupon Savings $25.50

Total Saved $55.87

Total Out of Pocket $18.47

AND, I received a "catalina" for $5 off my next purchase of $60 or more

FREE Valentine's Day song

Wal-mart.com is offering a free download of Marvin Gaye's - How Sweet It is to be Loved By You.

Download it and load it on your iPod.

Enjoy!

10 Things I've Learned about Crafting the SU Way

1. Paper Snips are very sharp...always keep bandaids around.

2. No matter how many colors of blue cardstock you have you never have the right shade (but you will always have things that coordinate with the shades you do have...unlike the stuff you bought at Hobby Lobby that you can't match with anything you already own)....keep credit card and your demo's phone number (765-453-0714) handy.

3. Sticky Strip is very very sticky...never just put lines of it on your craft table thinking it will keep the cats off of the table.

4. Ink gets everywhere...classic, craft, stampin' write markers, stazon, reinkers, you name it, it will get all over your hands!

5. It doesn't matter how many of those handy adhesive removers you purchase, you can never find one when you need it....keep credit card and your demo's phone number (765-453-0714) handy.

6. Even though you own a Cricut and 40 cartridges, you just have to have the Big Shot and matching dies. There are just certain things a Cricut can't do.

7. If you only have one sheet of paper you love you will mess it up...always buy in 3's!

8. If you buy one punch you WILL buy more.......every shape and size there is, there needs to be a 12 step program.

9. If you start to place an order for the $5 item you need, you'll soon find that your order is $45 and if you are that close to $50 you may as well bump it up to get Sale-a-bration awards. And, if you have to pay $6.95 for shipping, you might as well buy $69.50 worth of product to make it the best deal and then you are almost to $100 and another free set. So, now you have spent $100 and you know that if you spend just $50 more you will get 3 free Sale-a-bration awards, $15 in hostess benefits, a free catalog and a level one hostess set.

10. If someone posts a neat or cute product on Splitcoaststampers, it will soon become in short supply....AGAIN I STRESS KEEP CREDIT CARD AND YOUR DEMONSTRATORS PHONE NUMBER (765-453-0714) HANDY!!

I got the idea for this list from Okieladybug. I adjusted it fit Stampin' Up crafters. Click here if you want to see her original list.

2. No matter how many colors of blue cardstock you have you never have the right shade (but you will always have things that coordinate with the shades you do have...unlike the stuff you bought at Hobby Lobby that you can't match with anything you already own)....keep credit card and your demo's phone number (765-453-0714) handy.

3. Sticky Strip is very very sticky...never just put lines of it on your craft table thinking it will keep the cats off of the table.

4. Ink gets everywhere...classic, craft, stampin' write markers, stazon, reinkers, you name it, it will get all over your hands!

5. It doesn't matter how many of those handy adhesive removers you purchase, you can never find one when you need it....keep credit card and your demo's phone number (765-453-0714) handy.

6. Even though you own a Cricut and 40 cartridges, you just have to have the Big Shot and matching dies. There are just certain things a Cricut can't do.

7. If you only have one sheet of paper you love you will mess it up...always buy in 3's!

8. If you buy one punch you WILL buy more.......every shape and size there is, there needs to be a 12 step program.

9. If you start to place an order for the $5 item you need, you'll soon find that your order is $45 and if you are that close to $50 you may as well bump it up to get Sale-a-bration awards. And, if you have to pay $6.95 for shipping, you might as well buy $69.50 worth of product to make it the best deal and then you are almost to $100 and another free set. So, now you have spent $100 and you know that if you spend just $50 more you will get 3 free Sale-a-bration awards, $15 in hostess benefits, a free catalog and a level one hostess set.

10. If someone posts a neat or cute product on Splitcoaststampers, it will soon become in short supply....AGAIN I STRESS KEEP CREDIT CARD AND YOUR DEMONSTRATORS PHONE NUMBER (765-453-0714) HANDY!!

I got the idea for this list from Okieladybug. I adjusted it fit Stampin' Up crafters. Click here if you want to see her original list.

Valentine's Day Quotes

Are you looking for just the right words to put on your Valentine's gift? Try using some of these great quotes.

Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.  - Aristotle

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.  - Lao Tzu

My bounty is as boundless as the sea,

My love as deep; the more I give to thee,

The more I have, for both are infinite.

- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. - Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Age does not protect you from love. But love, to some extent, protects you from age. - Anais Nin

Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward in the same direction. - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart. -Helen Keller

Love does not dominate; it cultivates. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place. - Zora Neale Hurston

Love is life. All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. Everything is, everything exists, only because I love. - Leo Tolstoy

Love is like quicksilver in the hand. Leave the fingers open and it stays. Clutch it, and it darts away. - Dorothy Parker

I have learned not to worry about love; but to honor its coming with all my heart. - Alice Walker

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride; so I love you because I know no other way than this: where I does not exist nor you, so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,  so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep. - Pablo Neruda, "Love Sonnet XVII"

Challenge Card

Here is my card for KWerner's Challenge #40.

I used the new Stampin' Up set "Thoughts and Prayers"

 

I used the SU Texturz plates. These are sooo much fun. I textured the image onto a sheet of So Saffron cardstock. Then, I took my So Saffron Stampin' Spot (classic ink) and rubbed it gently over the raised image. This made the ink apply to just the raised images, making it easier to see and giving it a neat look.

Here is a close up image.

Thanks for the fun color challenge. I enjoyed using a different set of colors and some fun new products.

http://kwernerdesign.com/blog/2009/02/color-inspiration-40.html

If you are interested in ordering any of the fun new stamps or products I used on this challenge, please send me an email and I will be glad to help you place an order. And, remember that right now you can receive a FREE catalog and idea book for placing an online order. AND, you can receive a free item from the Sale-a-bration brochure, for placing at least a $50 order.