July 8, 2017

Amazon ECHO Dot - A Review

Hey guys! Happy Saturday! I am going totally off topic today from my normal crafty shares to tell you about a great new device I received last weekend from Amazon. Who doesn't love Amazon? Anyway, I ordered the ECHO Dot Gen 2. OH-EM-GEE! I am in love with Alexa! Not only is "she" a functional little tool to have in your arsenal, but also totally entertaining! I have had more fun with her this week than I can tell you. Totally worth the $49.99! And "she's" just so pleasant you can't help but want to ask her questions and keep "her" talking to you.

Some really cool features that I have found, you can ask, "Alexa, what's today's weather forecast" and she will tell you for your location and if you need to know the weather forecast for say next Tuesday, just ask and she will tell you! You can get the latest news updates, she will read a book to you and if you just need a good laugh to brighten your day, ask, "Alexa, tell me a joke"....where she gets so many is beyond me, but she hasn't repeated one yet! Want to play a game, like Jeopardy? She can do that too! Oh, and do you have trouble sleeping? Maybe outside noises are keeping you awake? Well she has a plethora of ambient sounds she can play to lull you to sleep. Seriously, what's your pleasure? A crackling fire, birds, waves, babbling brook, waterfall, maybe you like to hear the whirl of a fan while you sleep? I mean, really, there are just too many to name them all! Another helpful feature that I am in love with, need the phone number for a restaurant or other local business? Just ask Alexa! She will recite the phone number and address for you! Need to know the nearest Pharmacy or grocery? She can tell you that too! Then there is the music she can play for you. UH-MAZ-ING! Literally, it is "what's your pleasure"? Bluegrass, she can play that, new Country? Yep, she can play that. Maybe you like the old Country, like Merl Haggard? Yes, she can play that too. Oh, you want to hear the Monkeys? She will play you the Monkeys for you! Now, cool feature #100,000, you can call friends and family that also have a ECHO, ECHO Dot or ECHO Show! Just add them to your contacts, and ask "Alexa, call so and so" and she does! You can talk hands free right through the Echo device! There is also a function called "Drop In" that allows you to "drop in" on your Echo device from you phone app, it's like making a phone call, however, your family doesn't need to "answer" the call by saying "Alexa, answer the call" like you would if someone with an Echo was calling you. You can just begin to talk. It gives a little "warning" beep that you're "there" but you can just "check" in at home, talk to the kids, or hubby (that's another story heehee) or even the dog...yes, I "dropped in" on Tucker, my sweet boy the other day...and yes, he did answer mama! The "Drop In" feature is also great if you have more than one device in your home, for instance, one upstairs and one down. You can have Alexa drop in "upstairs" and you can call the kids down for dinner! I can see a lot of moms saving their voices with this one!
I could go on and on about this fun little device. If you have any questions, please let me know. I highly recommend it, not only for the entertainment, but also the functionality. It really is a great little device.
Have a great weekend and Happy Stamping!
Katrina

July 6, 2017

Foxy Friends Cupcake Toppers

Hello and Happy Thursday! I hope you all have enjoyed a great day. Now that I am home from work and getting ready to play with my new toy, I'm having a GREAT one myself. Oh, yes, my new toy, happens to be the Brother Scan n Cut. OH WHAT FUN! You know all those stamps we collect and love that don't have a coordinating die to go with them? The ones you always need to fussy cut with your snips when you need it to be fussy cut? Well all you do is scan them in and the machine does all the fussy cutting! Yes, it does all the hard, tedious work for you! It's amazing!
Anyway, today I want to share with you the cupcake toppers I am making for a friends daughters' baby shower using the Foxy Friends stamp and punch set. Remember them? They are a carry over from last years annual catalog. They are so stinkin' cute so I thought I would share them with you here.
I will have skunks and squirrels along with some trees and other woodland creatures, and there will be 100 in all. My friend is pretty excited, her daughter is expecting twins...a boy and a girl. Mom is a twin herself, with a sister, so it seems to run in the family and the girl will be the first granddaughter in the family...how exciting is that?
Anyway, I hope you like today's share and it inspires you to try something outside the box with your stamps and punches/dies.
Happy Stamping!
Katrina

July 1, 2017

Let the Bonuses Begin!

Happy Saturday and Happy July! Really, where has this year gone already?

Can I just say "WOW"? Stampin' Up! has just announced 2 amazing bonuses! I am just speechless; really, these bonuses, both being offered in the same month no less, are beyond words amazing! And even better, you could take advantage of BOTH! You don't have to choose which bonus you want! Hello! No brainer here....GET BOTH!

Bonus Days:

The first bonus that is in place as of today, is the Bonus Days. For every $50 you spend, you will earn and receive a $5 coupon to be used during August. Now, there is NO LIMIT to the number of coupons you can earn! It is for EVERY $50 you spend before shipping and tax, so if you spend $150, not only will you get your $15 Hostess rewards (any product in the catalog up to $15 or Hostess only stamp sets) you will get 3 coupon codes for $5 each for a total of $15 to redeem in August! And here is a little secret for you.....shhhh.....you can't tell anyone.....but Stampin' Up! plans to have an "early release" Christmas bundle August 1st! You would be able to use your coupons toward that AWESOME bundle! Stay tuned for more information on that one coming soon!

The Hostess Code for July is S7PJY4G3 Use this code if your order is less than $150


New Recruit Bonus

The second bonus in effect as of today is, the new recruit bonus...this bonus is absolutely AMAZING! We all know that the starter kit is the best deal EVER, but this bonus makes it even more amazing! Talk about speechless! 
Here's the deal:
Choose $125 in product for just $99 + tax and get free shipping (this is the only time you get free shipping)
Now, from July 1-July 31, when you choose to get the starter kit for $99 you will get a "starter pack" with all of your essentials! FOR FREE! This includes a bone folder, Snail Adhesive, Paper Snips, 2 D Blocks and a pack of Grid Paper! That's an additional $52 value added to your starter kit for FREE! But they didn't stop there! In addition to ALL of that, they are including the brand new, soon to be released Christmas set, Carols of Christmas, another $20 value FREE! Just for trying out the starter kit. 
More perks for joining: You will get to partake in the early "pre-release" ordering from the Holiday catalog in August (as demo's we get to see and order a full month ahead of our customers, this allows us to get our samples made and play with it and learn about it a full month). You will save between 20-25% on your orders. You will have access to demo only resources such as Demo only Facebook groups, an Online community called Stampin' Connection, a free subscription to the demo Quarterly magazine, Stampin' Success, which is full of ideas and business training. And if you join my team, you will have access to my team Facebook page as well. 
And here's the deal.....you have NOTHING to lose! The only "requirement" for maintaining your demonstratorship, is you must sell or buy or combination of the two, a total of $300 a quarter...that breaks down to $100 a month! Don't we ALL spend that much or more per month on crafting supplies? Why not do it and save money too? And what if you did take off and have a profitable business? Hmmm, set your own hours to work around your family? That would be nice. Be your own boss? Yep, that would be nice too. Earn a free vacation for you and your family? Yeah, that would be really nice too. It is possible. So think about it.....but again, not necessary...there is no SU police calling you or knocking on your door if you choose not to continue beyond your starter kit. If you never place another order, it's no big deal and NO you do NOT have to send everything back! It's yours, you bought it and you get to keep it!
So seriously, if you want the best deal around, this is it all year round, but boy did they sweeten the pot for July! I really hope you consider joining my team. If you have any questions, email me and we can arrange a call to get all your questions answered. If you are ready to jump in, just use the link above. I would love to have you.

 So, both of these July bonus's are amazing. Will you take advantage of one or BOTH?

And before I forget, Stamp n Storage has a great 4th of July Sale on their Ink Pad storage systems for 15% off. I love their storage. It is well made and helps keep things organized and at my fingertips, right where I need them. Be sure to check them out: 


Have a great day and Happy Stamping!
Katrina


June 27, 2017

Colorful Seasons - Thinking of You

Good Morning and happy Tuesday! Wow, can you believe June is almost over? It seems like it has just begun but here we are, in the final week! Anyway, I know for many of you, it has been pretty busy with graduations and graduation parties to attend. This year, I have only one so far, although, I'm sure there will be more grad parties to come.
Today, I want to share with you a cute card I put together using the Colorful Seasons Bundle. I love this bundle because it can be used all year round and has some really amazing images. And I just adore the Adirondack style chair thinlit! (Yes, I have a pair of the real thing sitting on my front porch!)

Directions: 

To create this card, I used the Thick Whisper White cardstock, cut 4.25" x 11" scored and folded at 5.5". I stamped the sentiment in Dapper Denim ink at the bottom of a piece of Whisper White cut 4" x 5.25" and adhered a piece of the Color Theory paper trimmed 1" x 4" (I just trimmed off a strip from the Ombre Berry Burst piece using the lightest shade). I then cut a piece from the Dapper Denim "crackle" piece 2.25" x 3.25" and adhered that at an angle. I cut a piece of Berry Burst cardstock 2.25" square and ran it through the Big Shot with the Seaside TIEF and layered it onto the card. I then ran the Adirondack chair Thinlit through the Big Shot with a piece of Dapper Denim and added that to the card front using the mini Stampin' Dimensionals. These are the perfect size to fit in the widest part of the chair arms and legs. To finish the card off, I added 3 shades of the Berry Burst Glitter Enamel Dots, these are self adhesive and add a bit of charm to the card. 
(See below for a complete list of supplies used)

I hope you enjoyed today's card. Feel free to leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts; and if you have any questions, please feel free to fire away. 
Happy Stamping,
Katrina

Supplies:


Product List

June 25, 2017

We Love Our Hosts Blog Tour


Hi there and welcome to our June 2017 blog tour. Our theme today is, "We Love Our Hosts". And boy do we ever love these host sets! You may be just getting started on the hop here on my blog, Stampin' n Scrappin' From the Heart with me, Katrina Wolfe, or you may have made your way from a link in the previous blog in the list, either way, if at any time you get off track, the full list is below and will help you move along from blog to blog so you see all of the wonderful projects. Currently, you are visiting Katrina Wolfe.

Today, I chose to share with you my favorite host set, Tranquil Tulips. I did use the sentiment from my other favorite host set, Background Bits and of course I used new In-colors as I just can't get enough of these colors. They are just so yummy I can't stand it!
I love the watercolor look of this stamp set. I also played with the embossing paste in this card, which is also a fun medium to work with and it provides a lot of texture to your card without a lot of work. When I cut out my image using the Layering Circle Framelits, I first figured out where my circle would "end" and I trimmed out my stem and laid that over the top of the framelit and then ran the image through the Big Shot. It's a pretty cool technique. I then added the circle to my card front right over the embossing paste using Stampin' Dimensionals. 
Thanks for taking part in our blog tour, there are so many amazing ideas and inspiration you don't want to miss. Remember, you are currently on my blog - Katrina Wolfe, so check the blog tour line up below to see who is next up on the list.

Happy Stamping,
Katrina Wolfe

Product List

June 15, 2017

Coffee Cafe Bundle

Hello and Happy Thursday! I hope you are getting to enjoy this beautiful day. By the time you get to read this, I will be at work well into my day full of back to back meetings, but hopefully all will be well at 3pm and I too will get to enjoy the day.
Today, I want to share a card with you I made using the brand new bundle (aka my most FAVORITE bundle of all time) Coffee Cafe.

 If you know me, you know coffee is my first choice for a beverage. I will choose coffee hands down  every time. I actually have to make myself choose water in order to meet my daily "needs" because I love coffee...and not decaf either..I want the real deal! And the sentiment, fully fits my philosophy of life; coffee does help! So, what's your favorite beverage?
I got to use the new Mini Stampin' Dimensionals to attach the coffee cup lid; they worked perfectly! I LOVE these. They are perfect for attaching smaller pieces...no more cutting full size dimensionals in half or 1/4; which means no more sticky scissors! As a matter of fact, I love these so much that I want to share them, So, leave a comment below letting us know what your favorite beverage is, and I will randomly select someone to receive a sampling of these little sticky gems!
I hope you enjoyed today's card and I wish you all a wonderful day!
Happy Stamping,
Katrina

Product List
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