ABOUT THE SIMPLY SCORED SCORING TOOL

	Q&A Q:What is the new Simply Scored tool in the Holiday Mini? A: That’s a great question! Over the last 20 plus years, Stampin’ Up! has earned a reputation for high quality products, and the Simply Scored Scoring Tool is a great example of the thought and detail that makes our products stand apart from the crowd. The product team at Stampin’ Up! sure had their thinking caps on when they designed the new Simply Scored Scoring Tool. They covered all the bases to make a tool that is functional, simple, and goes the extra distance to give you value! The Basics The Simply Scored tool fits 12” x 12” paper as you would expect. It has full rulers across the top edge and down the left side that are marked at every 1/8”. Plus, there is a centering ruler along the top edge. The sturdy, yet lightweight, construction of the Simply Scored tool comes from built—in reinforcements that prevent the scoring surface from bowing when you are scoring. There are also nine non—skid feet so it doesn’t slip around when you are scoring your card stock or Designer Series Paper. The stylus is included with the Simply Scored tool and has its own handy storage spot that it clips into so you won’t lose it. The stylus is ergonomically shaped and features a comfort grip so you can score the 100 boxes your daughter wants for her wedding without any problems. Keeping it Together Life is always simpler when everything has a place. With the Simply Scored tool, the smart details are built in. How many times have you lost accessories to your tools rendering them useless? That won’t happen with this handy tool! The top edge of the Simply Scored has a secret compartment for holding an extra stylus, extra place markers, bone folder, or other essentials like maybe chocolate! The ergonomically designed stylus is included with the Simply Scored tool and has its own handy storage spot that it clips into. The stylus has two tip sizes so you can choose which you prefer depending on how hard you press. Not only does the stylus score easily and smoothly, the refined steel tip gets even smoother with use rather than wearing out like plastic tools. A Marked Difference One of the most unique features of the Simply Scored tool is the row of little holes at every 1/8” interval for included place markers. The 1/8” groove spacing gives you the ultimate flexibility, unlike others that have a varying assortment of width or pre-set measurements. The markers are great for saving time when scoring multiple projects and for more complex designs and projects. Allowing you to set once and forget measuring again and again. If you ever need more markers, just contact me, as we have them available as a separate purchase as well. Don’t forget, when you purchase this product at a workshop, you are helping a friend to earn free products. Or have you own workshop by ordering all your supplies at once and earn free shopping rewards. Simply Scored – Simply the Best! Imagine you are creating a bunch of tri-fold cards for Christmas or as gifts for teachers. Simply pop the place markers in at your desired scoring measurements. Then you can easily slip one card after another into the corner of the Simply Scoring tool for precise alignment and score to your heart’s content without having to measure and re-measure. Because the scoring groves fall at every 1/8”, you can make the projects you want without having to reposition the card stock or go through convoluted calculations required by systems with irregular scoring groves. And the final difference? Me! Yep, I come included with the purchase of the Simply Scored tool. Don’t worry, you won’t need to provide room and board. My point is that Stampin’ Up! provides me with great training and resources so I can be your personal expert. All that comes included with the affordably-priced Simply Scored tool — now that’s a deal worth getting! Give the Simply Scored tool a try. I think you’ll love the simplicity and details that make it simply the best!
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HOW TO TIE A GREAT BOW!

	Q & A! Q: How do you tie great bows? I look at the catalog and see perfect bows, but mine never turn out looking that nice. What’s the trick? A: There sure are some amazing bows out there! You are right - there are a couple of tricks. First of all, there are many ways to tie bows. I’ll share a quick tutorial below with one of my favorite bows! Second, knowing which types of ribbons work best with certain bows is a big help. And lastly, once you’ve learned about the first two tricks, the last trick is just good old fashioned practice! Ribbons Picking the right ribbon for your size and type of bow is important. Our lovely 1-1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon is ideal for bows on 3-D items, décor, and gifts. It can be used to make bows on cards that you intend to hand deliver, but is too bulky for standard mailing. Ribbons that are narrower and have a thinner, softer texture work best on cards you intend to mail. Ribbons like 1/2" Seam Binding, 3/8" Taffeta, 3/8" In Colors Ruffled, 1/4" Grosgrain, and 1/8" Taffeta make smaller bows with less bulk and work well for mailing. Ribbons like the 5/8" Satin, Crochet Trim, and 5/8" Organza can also work for cards you are mailing depending on the type of bow you tie. Bows There are many different ways to tie bows. Some are basic bows like what you tie in your shoelaces, while some fancy bows can have double or triple loops. Some bows use a brad to hold the ribbon in place instead of a knot and other bows are tied around something, like fork tines, as a template. I’d be thrilled to teach you a variety of bow-tying techniques that you and your friends will love. One of the most popular I do at workshops is the “fork bow". It always gets “oh’s, ahh’s and wows"! Book a workshop with me this fall and we can plan to include some great bows in the demonstrations and make n’ takes. You and your friends will love knowing how to make a variety of bows for cards, scrapbooks, crafting, and even basic gift giving! The Elegant Bow is one of my favorites because it is easy, flat, and looks like you know a secret bow-tying trick, which you will! I’ve included a quick tutorial for you below that I hope you enjoy! Elegant Bow Tutorial To create an Elegant Bow you will need 5" and 2" strip of ribbon. 1. Lay a 5" piece of ribbon out flat. Add a dab of SNAIL to the center. 2. Fold in the right end of the ribbon and adhere to SNAIL. Add a dab of SNAIL on top of the ribbon end. 3. Fold in the left end of the ribbon and adhere to SNAIL. Add a dab of SNAIL on top of the ribbon end. 4. Place one end of a 2" piece of ribbon over the center of the folded ribbon creating an upside down “T" shape. Add a dab of SNAIL on top of the ribbon end that is over the folded ribbon. 5. Wrap 2" piece of ribbon around the folded ribbon until it overlaps and adheres to itself. Pull ribbon snug so it is flat, but not so tight that it causes the ribbon to gather. 6. Trim off excess ribbon. 7. The Elegant Bow is complete. Press it flat or push the ends gently to puff it up a bit based on your preference. Adhere the elegant bow to your project alone or layered on a strip of ribbon. Summary I hope you enjoy creating the Elegant Bow. I’d love to teach you and your friends a whole variety of bows, tips, and tricks that will really add that extra-special touch to your cards, scrapbooks, décor, and other crafting projects. Contact me today to book your workshop and we can decide what types of bows will “wow" you and your friends with!
© CraftyPerson Production. Images © Stampin' Up!

NEW HOSTESS BENEFIT PROGRAM

	Q: I’ve heard a lot of buzz about the new Hostess Benefits. What makes it so exciting? A: You’ve heard right, there is a lot of excitement out there about the new Hostess Dollars program. People are excited because the new program is simple and hostesses get a whole lot more in terms of choices and flexibility. Based on the order total, you get Hostess Dollars to spend any way you want! Sounds worth getting excited about, right? Hostess Dollars The old hostess benefits program used a chart that included a combination of exclusive hostess products and free merchandise based on the order total. Frankly, the whole chart thing could be a bit confusing, and getting the exclusive hostess products you really wanted could be challenging. The new Hostess Dollars program is all about simplicity, flexibility, and giving hostesses exactly what they want! Whether online, through a workshop, or even just a personal order, if you have a merchandise total of $150 or more, you get Hostess Dollars to spend on anything in any of the current catalogs. Simple as that! Anything You Want Don’t you just love how that sounds? I do, too! With the new Hostess Dollars program, you earn Hostess Dollars to spend with any order of $150 or more (merchandise total before tax & shipping). Orders of $150-$199.99 earn $25 Hostess Dollars, orders of $200-$249.99 earn $30 Hostess Dollars, and so on. No complicated charts to worry about. Plus, once your order total reaches $400, you also earn an item at 50% off! (More on that below). So what do you do with your Hostess Dollars? You get to spend them on anything in any current catalog. Yes, you heard that right, anything! You want ribbons, stamps, Designer Series Paper, SNAIL, ink pads and re-fills — you got it! You can shop from both the Idea Book & Catalog and the current Mini Catalog. Definitely worth getting excited about! Plus, you can still choose from exclusive hostess products. Exclusive Hostess Products Yes, we still have the popular exclusive hostess products like stamps, Designer Series Paper, and CDs with My Digital Studio content. We haven’t forgotten how much hostesses like to have exclusive perks, we’ve just improved the choices and value that you receive. With the new Hostess Dollars program, the exclusive hostess products are given a Hostess Dollar price and you can use your Hostess Dollars to purchase any exclusive hostess product you want with no more levels to worry about. The exclusive hostess products are specially priced at a discount so you get extra value when you choose them. For example: the highest value exclusive hostess product is a stamp set called Happiest Birthday Wishes. You can get the set of 11 birthday-themed stamps in wood-mount (#122615) for only $21 Hostess Dollars even though the actual value would be $36.95 if it were sold as a regular item in the catalog. It’s also available in clear-mount (#122617) for only $15 Hostess Dollars (valued at $25.95). Even though the hostess products have a regular dollar value listed, they can only be purchased with Hostess Dollars. Exclusive hostess products are available for as little as $8 Hostess Dollars and even the largest set is only $21 for wood-mount and $15 for clear-mount! So, with the smallest workshop order of $150 you could get the highest value exclusive hostess product and still have $4 left to buy some ribbon, ink, or embellishments. You choose if you want to spend all your Hostess Dollars on exclusive hostess products, on regular catalog merchandise, or a combination of both. Isn’t it great to be in charge? 50% off Items If you have a workshop of $400 (only a bit above the average workshop total), you’ll also earn any full-priced catalog item at 50% off! You can choose the Big Shot (#113439) which is normally $99.95, My Digital Studio software (#118108) which is normally $79.95, or your favorite stamp set, and pay only half price. It’s like making your own 50% off sale! Plus, as your order total goes up, you can earn even more 50% off items! The only exceptions to what you can choose as your 50% off item are the Professional Print Services for My Digital Studio which don’t qualify for the 50% discount since they are not catalog merchandise. What will you choose for your 50% off item? Get What You Want It’s never been simpler or more rewarding to be a hostess! Call or email me today and you can be one of the first to benefit from the exciting new Hostess Dollars program! With so many new goodies in the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog and complete flexibility, you’ll love how spoiled you can be!
© CraftyPerson Production. Images © Stampin' Up!