Sensational Summer Promotion! Want a FREE stampset? This summer over July and August (beginning with the BOGO  event June 30th)I will be running a promotion to make sure that you all have the oppoetunity to receive aFREE stampset valued $29.95 or less, from the new catalog! Just collect 10 Tokens and choose for yourself! Attend any event = 1 token      (BOGO, Shoppe, Christmas in July, Club Scrap, Scrapbook in a day) Spend $50 (before shipping and tax)= 1 token Bring along a friend to any event = 1 token Host a Private Class = 5 tokens Join my Team = 10 tokens See how easy it is to earn a free stamp set? Start choosing yours now! Don't have a new catalog yet? Let me know and I will get one to you with your first order! Reserve these dates now! BOGO - June 30th Shoppe - July 20th/21st    - August 17th/18th Club Scrap - July17th    - August 21st Christmas in July  - July 28th Scrapbook in a Day - August 4th Kids Stamp Camp - July 10th BOGO! Saturday June 30th 10 am - 4pm YFC Building, Englewood Get there early - first come first served! Did you miss out on some of the stamps that you really wanted from the last catalog? Come and see if I have them for sale! This event will let you browse from my inventory of retired stamps, papers and accessories and then to shop from the new catalog! How does it work? For every dollar that you send on retired product, you will receive the same amount to spend from the new catalog(plus shipping and taxes)! What a fantastc deal! The cost is $10 and for that you you will create 4 fantastic projest with all new stampsets to show you what you my 'must haves' from the new catalog. When you purchase $50 (before shipping and taxes) then you will receive your fee back!) This also begins my Sensational Summer Promotion - receive your first token for attending! (Check out the information a bit further down) RSVP by Friday June 29th, noon - to make sure that you have a packet filled with goodies to make the projects. 720 220 2156 June Sketch use this sketch as a springboard to create your own cards! Sketches make is simple and easy to create your own hand made card that wil make anyone feel special! Just adapt it to the cardstock and stamps that you have on hand to make i your own! I would love to see what you come up with - bring along your creation to the next Stamp Shoppe (July 20/21st) and earn a ticket to be entered into a draw for a stampset!    See how easy it is to use this sketch? Here are 2 very different cards, both of them using this sketch. One uses DSP for the side panel and the other uses a stampin' wheel. When was the last time you broke out your wheels? Use them to create your own designer paper to match any color combination you have going on!

MDS Monday

So I got back from Leadership in San Antonio last weekend - and those fantastic people at Stampin' Up! have decided that soon EVERYONE will be able to have a go at this great software for FREE (for a month's trial!) FANTASTIC!!!!
Of course, that means that I need to be a bit more up to date with this software and all that it offers. Hence MDS Mondays!
Oh - SOME of you might not have heard about MDS - seriously? Where HAVE you been??? Well - it stands for My Digital Studio - and it is SU's digital software program. What's so special about this? It has our artwork and stamps. How cool is that? It allows you to create cards, scrapbook pages, calendars, post cards and swatch books to name just a few.
I'm going to attempt to add some new pages every week to try to show you what it can do.
These pages are very simple and easy to do. I sometimes get a bit overwhelmed with this software and all that it does offer - so I just grabbed 2 colors and remade a layout that I had made for Club Scrap. So these pages took me about 15 minutes - not too shabby!
Oh - and SU have their own printing company that guarantees the colors when they print it. What that means for you is that if you want to make hybrid pages (add actual product onto the pages) then the colors that you have bought form me will match perfectly. Way too cool!!! So what do you think?

I can't wait for you to show me what you create with this program. Check back in February and I'll have the link for you download the program to give it a go!
Hugs
Megan

NEW Take it to Heart stampset

Tomorrow the NEW Occasions mini goes live! Believe me when I tell you that this is THE BEST mini that I have seen - and I was blown away by the Christmas one!!
There are some new products in the mini, and one of my favorites (today at least!!) are the new Framelits. These beauties are a stacking set of dies that you use with your Big Shot, and they co-ordinate with some stampsets. Ah-mazing!
We had our monthly meeting of the Orange Delights (my own fabulous team of demonstrators) and this was the swap that I made. I love the chance to get together with my girls and have some fun, share the newest fun and fab stuff from Stampin' Up! and learn how to make the most of the opportunities being a demo give. If you are looking to make some income to perhaps pay down some of your credit cards after Christmas, email me now to see how Stampin' Up! can help you.

Isn't that just so gorgeous? The base of the card is Pretty in Pink (8.5" x 5.5" folded in half) and then the layer on the front is Cherry Cobbler (5.25" x 4") Do you see that little strip of hearts embossed on the front? Another fun new product - Embossing folders that are just little strips - 5.5" x 1" - just perfect for a little element on a card! They come in a set of three - you need these!
The star of the show though is the new stampset "Take it to Heart". This is such a sweet set - and it coordinates with the new Framelits hearts. SO easy to use and such a fun way to cut out your stamping. You stamp first and then the die goes over the image, and because it is so thin, you can see your image under it so it is in the right position. Way to go SU!
The ribbon is also Cherry Cobbler - you know that this is one of my favorite things about SU! All of their products coordinate - and that makes it pretty hard to make anything ugly!!!!!!
You can go right to my website here and order straight from there. Make sure that you take a look at the clearance rack - especially the punches. They are the same images but just the older style - so this is a great time to get all of those punches that you have been eyeing off all this time!
I can't wait for you to come join my team - I know that you will just love being part of the Orange Delights!
Hugs
Megan

New Year's Scrapbook Pages

Happy New Year!!
Did you make a New Year's Resolution to get 'up to date' with your scrapbook pages? Let me help you! When you join my Scrapbook in a Year Club (Club Scrap), you make all of life's important scrapbook pages ready to pop your on photos so that you can make sure that this year's photos are at least scrapped. That overwhelmed feeling will start to leave - promise! And I give some great tips on how to get going on all of those piles of photos from Christmases past too.
I know - what a great idea! Want in? If you are local to me (SE Denver, CO) you are welcome to come and join us on the third Tuesday of the month. All you need to do is bring your order for at least $25 (before shipping and tax) and you come and create 2 double page layouts (that's FOUR 12" x 12" pages) with the page protectors. You commit for 10 months and one of your months YOU get to be the hostess and receive hostess benefits ($45 FREE merchandise!).  I know - why would you NOT???
But I know that a lot of you are long distance customers, so for you -  place a minimum of $30 a month and I will send you all that you need to create the pages at home (all of the stamping will be done for you!) Another screaming deal!!!
Email me here to let me know that you are ready to start getting your scrapbook pages done this year!
Here 's a look at the New Year's layout that we created in January of 2010 - and remember, YOU could be creating these pages ready for your photos to place right on.
I can't wait to have you as part of our Club!
Hugs
Megan

60th Wedding Anniverary Mini Scrapbook Album

I have to tell you that this has been the most ambitious project that I have ever undertaken! I am more than thrilled with how it turned out and hope, hope, hope that Piet's Mum and Dad love it too!

I managed to put a little video of it on Face book here, so head on over and have a little peek! Make sure while you are there to "Like" my page too!
I had a fair bit of interest in this album and so I am considering making it into a club. We would meet once a month to work on it. I would need at least 6 of you to commit to it - so if this is something that you are interested in, shoot me an email here, and we'll see about starting it in January.
Thanks for looking - and leave me some love about the album (I wont hear back from my in-laws about the album for a while - and I like a little positive reinforcement now and then!!)
Make sure you go and create something fun today - and make sure you get inky!!
Hugs
Megan

Scrapbooking Starbucks!

Scrapbooks are NOT just for your family and what you did with them! I wanted to show you a scrapbook that I have been in the process of making for a couple of years. Yes - you did read that right - years!
It all started when I began collecting Starbucks cards. I made a 12x12 page about it - but knew that I needed somewhere fun to keep them. I have collected every coffee related stamp SU has produced since I came to the States, and so I just knew that I was going to use them.

This is the final product - I have just stuck down the final cards in it this week. (They tend to get collected in my purse for a while before they find their home in this book!)

Here is some of the inside pages - they all pretty much look similar to this.
I just wanted you to take a look outside of what you have traditionally thought that 'scrapbooks' were.This is still a 'scrapbook' - but it holds a collection of Starbucks cards.
How fun is THAT????
So I want for you to think outside of your box with scrapbooking. What do you have a collection of? Think about taking a photo of every item and then putting them into of these cheapo little brag books,(I wait for them to go on sale at either Target or Walgreens and then I stock up!)
These little brag books make fantastic little books for baby showers too! Just slide a piece of cardstock into every slot and add a little stamped image onto it - and you have a stinking cute present - which is both personal and practical!!!
Want to learn more of these fantastic tips about scrapbooking? Make sure that you sign up for email notifications right here on that left hand side and then wander over to my SU blog here and ask to get added to mailing list. I know that you are not going to want to miss any of my scrapbooking classes. In fact you might join my club - and that way you will get your year scrapbook done AND receive hostess benefits once a year! Email me now to get in on the action!
So I hope that I have inspired you to go and get creative today - and make sure those fingers get a little inky!!!!
Hugs
Megan

"Sparkle"

Scrapbooking doesn't get any easier than this!!!!!
This is simply a story about what God did with my daughter last night and a group of her friends at the Youth Group Worship event. I love the way God shows up in unexpected ways, and Lauren is just starting to learn about it!
Anyway - this is one of those pages that is all about the words... God told Lauren that He has given her a "sparkle" - and anyone who has met her would have a hard time disagreeing with that!!!
So...this is just paper, a Big Shot and a marker!! Sometimes you just have to let the photo and words so their thing!!!!

So here is my "Sparkle"!
The sparkly paper is the new glimmer paper from the occasions mini that is out right now. It ROCKS!!! You can kind of tell in the photo that it has a nice sparkly quality, but IRL (in real life) ti is really really sparkly and shiny and just gorgeous. So get some! Order #124005
Did you know that SU!'s 12" papers are TRUE 12"x12"? Fabulous news for those of you who are a little sick of cutting off title strips and cutting elements like titles to find that they don't actually fit????  Love, love love that I don't need to worry about that with SU!'s paper!
This was the case with that piece of lined paper that I wrote on. It's one of the sheets from the Beau Chateaux DSP collection. This is some of the most beautiful paper I have ever seen - you need some of that too!!! So while you are buying that, make sure you grab some of the matching card stock to make creating pages a snap!
I'll give you a shopping list - you ca create a whole scrapbook full of gorgeous pages with just a few simple supplies.
But of course you will NEED a Big Shot machine to create the letters, wont you? What was I thinking??? Well - I was thinking that you should get one for FREE!!!! And until the end of this month when you join Stampin' Up! they will give you one! Aren't they amazing??? I just LOVE this company! And I know that you will too!!
So go here - and click on "Join the Fun" button on the right there. Everything in the starter kit is pretty much customizable, so you can get what you need. And THEN you can choose either a Big Shot for FREE (worth $100) OR get $100 in FREE product. The kit has well over $300 and it just costs you $175 +tax - why would you NOT??? I can't wait for you to become part of the Orange-inal Inkers!!!!How fun!!!
Now if you just want to shop - then go here- and hit the shop 24 hours button and put in these codes - you'll get what you need to create this wonderful page - plus some extra to make some other fabulous pages!
Silver glimmer paper - #124005
Beau Chateaux DSP - #122357
Neutrals 12"x12" cardstock - #119711
Black Stampin' Write marker - #100082
Dotto adhesive - #103305 (refill - #100902)
Big Shot - #113439
Serif Essentials Alphabet - #113464

So what are you waiting for? Get on to my site and sign up - or go shopping! Or BOTH!!!!!
But make sure that you get creative today - get inky and have fun!
Hugs
Megan

Stop feeling behind with your scrapbooking! Join my club now!

It's time to stop feeling behind in your scrapbooking and to do something about it!!

My Scrapbook Club - "Club Scrap" (I know - not so original, but at least it's catchy!!!)- meets once a month and we make 2 full 12"x12" double paged layouts. I hit every major holiday and event so that if you stay with me for the entire year, you will have a great skeleton look at what your year was like. Even if you do nothing else, you will feel accomplished and that guilt will have magically left. AND you will have had a great night out once a month!

Need some more motivation? Becoming a member of Megan's Club Scrap means YOU will be hostess one of the 10 months that you commit to. So just by placing a minimum $25 order (before taxes and shipping!) every month - one month YOU will get another $40 FREE! And they are not just any old dollars - No Sir! They are Hostess Dollars - good for all of those fabulous Hostess only products in the front of the catalog!
I know, I know - you are already there, aren't you? But wait - THERE'S MORE!!!!

Yep -  we also have super cool raffles that are specific for and geared towards my scrappers. I love my scrappy girls, so you get HEAPS of ways to get raffle tickets - bring a friend to have a look see, complete some or ALL of the monthly challenges, place a $50 order.... And sometimes just because I'm feeling generous!

SO now that I've convinced you that you just cannot not be part of this - what can you do???? Easy - sign up now!!!! Shot me an email here - tell me that you want o be part of Club Scrap, and I'l send you a form to fill out so we can make you 'official'!!!

We meet on the third Tuesday of every month - but if you can't make it, I have fairies that will make the pages for you and I'll just place your order from your 'just in case' order. Simple huh???

But what if you are not local? I know I have a lot of girlies taking a peek here that are from long ways away! You can have all the benefits of this amazing club too! I will get everything ready for you and post it all out to you along with emailed detailed photos. You just need to commit to a $40 a month order that I will have shipped directly to your house. And one of your months you will still get to have all the added bonuses of being hostess!!! Why WOULDN'T you do this????

So now - the fabulous October pages!!!! You get the page protectors as well - oh and I forgot that if you decide to recommit to the club for another 10 months, I will give you an album FREE after your first year anniversary (second, third and forth if you hang around that long!!!)

Are these owls just the cutest things ever???

 SO what are you waiting for???? Email me now so that I have you down for next moth's Club Scrap!!!

Here is the right hand page - my fave this month!

Faithbooking with Stampin' Up!

Who knew that God would use Stampin' Up! to lead me on such a faith journey??

It's been coming on for quite a while, but yesterday and today God has really shown me what I believe to be the direction of my life from here on. And I am so pleased that Stampin' Up! will be such a huge part of that.

Here's the page that I made about it:

(I think that I may have to re-do the printing of the verse. I hit the 'crumples' with soft  suede ink and I think it might be too dark)

The verse at the top is Joshua 1:6-9 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

 ⁷ “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. ⁸ Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

I had a great quiet time with God this morning and I was led to these verses and it just resonated within me. Yesterday the whole process started - I had a great prayer time with my good friends Marcy and Kim, and we did a lot of work on some of the things that had been holding me back from being all that God had created me to be.

So this morning when I was working through what all of that meant, I really felt that God was saying that He wanted me to use SU! as a way to reach out to other women who might need Him. At the beginning of the year when we were still studying Isaiah at BSF, He had given me the verse  Isaiah 54:2 1 Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back, lengthen your cords, strengthen your cords."

I still felt that there was something holding me back (which is what led to the prayer time with the girls) and then 2 verses down He had these gems for me: "Do not be afraid, you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated."  How precious is our God?

So am I enlarging me tent with this blog. Have you ever noticed that the little sub title of this blog is "Meaningful Creativity"?  I really feel that that is not a mistake - and now is the time to make thi joy of paper crafting become more meaningful. So I'm asking you to join this journey with me and see what God has to teach us and to show us.

the journalling on my page says, "This morning began a new and very exciting chapter in my life. Well - I guess it began yesterday with a prayer time with Marcy & Kim - but today God gave me these verses, and a bit of a vision for my life. Who knew that Stampin' Up! would be more than just a great hobby, & a way to make money? God has shown me (again & again actually!) that this will be His instrument for me to reach the people He has called me to. I'm so excited - & overwhelmed by His love. =)


I can't wait to add more and more pages to this album as a way to travel along this journey. I would LOVE it if you would join me. Add a link to your pages so I can see hat God is doing in YOUR life too!!!

 Th paper on this page is the new Pumpkin Spice in the holiday mini - it's gorgeous and my new favorite. Remember you can by things directly from my SU! site (meganv.stampinup.org) and don't forget to pick up some Pool Party cardstock (the blue on the page) - it's just delicious and you will be sooooo sad if you don't start using it straight away. It's one of our In Colors and so it will only be around for 2 years.

I can't wait to see what God is going to do girlies - so I hope I have inspired you to go and get inky!!!

Hugs

Megan

Get your FREE Big Shot NOW!

I cannot tell you how exciting this offer is! Not only do you get the fabulous stater kit worth $340 for only $175 - but now Stampin' Up! is giving you a FREE Big Shot as well!!! AMAZING! (Of course if you already have a Big Shot - they will give you a $100 shopping spree!!!) Love it!
AND then you get all the benefits of joining Stampin' Up! AND be part of my amazing group. It really doesn't get any better than this so give me a call right now - or just hit this link and sign up right NOW online!

I cannot wait for you to join my group of stampers and a great group of supportive women.

Hugs
Megan