Friday, April 30, 2010

Fresh Idea Friday- Home Decor Style

Happy Friday Everyone!!

This is Kelly here and I am so happy that you came by the {ippity} blog today and hope that you had a fun time on the Hip Hop yesterday!!  Lots of visitors stopped by all the Unity and {ippity} blogs yesterday and for that we are very thankful!!

I got called in to work yesterday right at my time to chat with you guys on the Unity forum so I didn't get to give a prize away!!

So do you all mind if I give one away today????

I have chosen one random commenter from my blog comments yesterday to win

Because of You




and the winner is...
Toni K
blog: Kool n Krafty Mom

Toni to claim your prize, email Eryn at eryn@unitystampco.com

Congratulations!!

Scroll down to Eva's post below to see the winner 
from yesterday's {ippity} post comments!! 


We all really appreciate your comments and hope that you will continue to come back and visit us regulary!

Just a reminder that you can sign up on our side bar here to be a Follower of this blog so you won't miss any of our posts... and also you can become a Facebook Fan of {ippity} too!!  There are lots of way to stay in touch with us and we would love to get to know all of you better!!

So on to today's Fresh Idea Friday post!

Excuse the glare in the photo please!

For today's project I used an inexpensive framed canvas to make an object of art that is designed to be used for Home Decor.  The beauty of stamping is that you can make your projects to match the color or mood you need for any room in your house.


For this project I used the Bible verse from the {ippity} Devoted stamp set 
and the Fleur de Lis stamp from the Regal Greetings set. 

To fancy it up I added some dew drops to the fleur de lis and some ribbon around the whole frame tied into a bow and then attached a black satin ribbon to the top to hang it by.

For more details about how I made this project, please visit my personal blog

If you are interested in purchasing any of the {ippity} stamp sets you see used here today, just click on the {ippity} chick locator on the left side bar and find a rep near you!  Have a great Friday!!

Hip Hop candy WINNER!!!

Thank you for all your sweet comments and we have a winner of 

The Straight from the Heart set


CONGRATULATIONS MARY!!!!


Mary Friederichsen said...



Heather, this project is adorable!!
Thank you for taking the time to do such a wonderful tutorial!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Thursday, April 29, 2010

That's How Thursday-A Crafty Gift

Hello everyone! Happy Thursday! Hip Hop! Hip Hop!

Ok, so today is my LAST post as an Ippity Design Team Member! I will be playing along for the next few weeks til the new release, but this is my LAST official duty! (Haha...I said duty! LOL)
This isn't just a team, it is a close-knit family that I've grown very fond of...So after 3 months, it is going to really hurt to not be a part of this family anymore. Even though I still will be with them in the art that I draw, it still isn't the same. Not at all...So I am definitely going to miss each and every one of these gals so very much! They are my inspiration to keep my art going and seeing what they create with them!!!
ANYWAYS..Enough mushy mush!

So as my last post, I will be bringing you a fun tutorial recycling baby food jars!
{You don't have to have a baby to purchase 56 cent baby food jars, just purchase and clean out and create!
Just a littel FYI for this project}

Step by Step Instructions:

1. Make Box (8x3" with 1.5" sides, 2" with fencing)
2. Assemble box.
3. Make dividers for the inside of the box
4. Jars fit in the box

5. 6-11x.5" strips, the cut in 2" slices
6. Cut tops of white strips to a point for the fencing
7. Glue ribbon around box as part of the fence.
9. Use mini glue dots on each fence post and glue to box over
10. Decorate as you see fit.
(Flowers are handmade)
11. Decorate jars as well.
12. Add goodies to the jar and give to someone special!

ALSO, LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS BLOG FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN

STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART

{to see who's won, be sure to stop by tomorrow, never know, it could be you!!!}

Ok, so that is my tutorial and a chance at a free stamp set, so now you gotta scoot cause you need to go see all the wonderful creations created for you by the dt's as part of Hip Hop Thursday!!!

So Scoot! Get out of here! Go now! Shoo! Get your booty on over to the Unity Blog for the beginning of the hop! I double dog dare you!

After you are done hippity hopping, stop on over to the Unity Forum on SCS for lots of chatter, prizes, anniversary fun, etc! Just a fantabulous time! I know I won't want to miss out on that action!!!

To the world, you are just one person, but to one person, you are the world.

Hugs all!

Heather R.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

{ippity} Matters ~ by Michelle Ogdahl

There is quite a BUZZ going on in the {ippity} world!! 

If you are an {ippity} chick, you already have been able to view the AWESOME new SPRING COLLECTION from {ippity}.

 The response has been INCREDIBLE as many are sharing that "THIS is the BEST COLLECTION YET"!!  If you are an {ippity} chick, you can pre-order NOW and you will receive your orders in plenty of time to ink up your new stamps before they are released to the public on May 13th. 

We will be starting SNEAK PEAKS on May 10th...YAHOO!!!

Each week, I am also going to highlight the NEW {ippity} chicks that have joined our FABULOUS {ippity} family :)  To see the complete list of all {ippity} chicks, make sure and go to the {ippity} locator list on the ippity site or click here

I would like to welcome
these FABULOUS NEW {ippity} chicks to {ippity}:

Erika Polley from West Jordan, UT

Christine Sheffield from Petal, MS

Diane Standish from Emlenton, PA

Angie Reece from Lehi, UT

Virginie Villiere from FRANCE

Sarah Stoelting from Ellinwood, KS

Jennie Kaderabek from Edgerton, WI

Wendy Peatross from Idaho Falls, ID

Debbie Ziegelmann from Alexandria, MN

Tracy McCann from Webster, NY

Ruby McGuire from ENGLAND

Angius Daniela from Daytona Beach, FL

Stacey McCracken from Washington, PA

Janice Gamble from Charleston, SC

Teri Chinen from Sterling, VA

Carla Lee from Dayton, OH

Emily Wilson from Kingman, AZ

Danielle Marcus from American Fork, UT

Susan Gray from Lilburn, GA

Chris Dickinson from Racine, WI

      WE ARE EXCITED TO HAVE YOU ON BOARD!!!

Also, I wanted to share 2 cute layouts that I came across in the {ippity} Gallery
Our kits are so versatile...here is a scrapbook layout and a card layout...
created from the same kit "Moon Beam and Heart Strings" 



                                           SUPER CUTE scrapbook layout by Lisa Henke
                                                                        


ADORABLE card by Eva Dobilas

LET YOUR IMAGINATION SOAR with {ippity}!

Have a GRAND WEEK!!

~Michelle

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Tippity Tuesday- Using Email Campaigns to Promote Sales



Hello there and Happy Tuesday!!  


It's Kelly here today and I have a little topic to share with you today that you {ippity} chicks may not have thought of before.


Are you looking for ways to promote your {ippity} business and notify your past and present customers of your current sales?  If you answered yes to that question, you should consider making a newsletter that you can send out to your customer base in the form of an Email Campaign.


Here are a few reasons to consider Email as a tool for communicating with  your customers...

  • Email marketing is easy and not very time consuming.  There are even software programs that you can use or online companies that you can join to make it even simpler 
  • Email marketing is inexpensive.  There are no stamps to purchase or paper to buy or pages to print.  Some companies have fees for this service, but you can also send your own emails out free of charge.
  • Email is an instantaneous way to communicate with others.  
Keep in mind that your best customers are the people who have purchased from you before. So simply use the email addresses that you have collected from previous sales and begin sending out emails to them to keep them informed of what your sales blog has going on.  

To get your email to reach even more people, you might consider adding to the bottom of your newsletter a statement requesting your reader to forward this email to people they feel may also be interested in learning more about {ippity} stamps.  Offer an incentive to a client who refers a new customer to you!

Don't have any previous customers that you can mail to?   Why not ask for the readers of your blog to email you with their email address to receive a coupon of some sort and to be placed on your blogs mailing list.  Gradually your email list will grow.  As you continue to send emails about what you are offering on your blog, you will be increasing trust and familiarity with your contacts so that they eventually will  feel comfortable enough to place an order with you.

Now would be a good time to send out an email to your customer base and let them know that the new {ippity} releases are coming soon!  Let them know what type of promotion you are planning on having.  You also might be able to secure some pre-orders which will let you order in advance enough stamps so your customers won't have to wait for their stamps to arrive!

Here are a few Email Campaign Companies that you might consider learning more about...

Constant Contact (sixty day free trial period)
Easy Contact (sixty day free trial period)
Mail Chimp (free for up to 500 subscribers)


I hope that this might be a suggestion that could assist you in promoting your business. If you give it a try, we would love to hear how it goes for you!




Monday, April 26, 2010

H{ippity} Hop Monday!

Are you ready for another fabulous week! It's a big one here in {ippity} land, as we gear up for our new release (sneak peeks start May 9, and the release party is May 13th!!!)!!!!! And Unity is celebrating their 2 year Anniversary with a HUGE celebration!!! Let's start the week off right with a little H{ippity} Hop fun!

The Challenge this week, by me, Lisa....is to use a 3-D flower on your card! I would really challenge you to make your own 3-D flower (there are so many ways to make one, and most of them are really easy!), but in all fairness, if you need to use a store bought one, that's okay, too! Please use keyword: IHHC21 when uploading to SCS gallery so we can enter you for the prize!



Check out what the oh-so-talented DT came up with this week!!!




















and now for the rest of the {ippity} peeps! enjoy the show, I always do!






































Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget you still have time to play along with the Virtual Scrapbook Challenges over on SCS. Most of our DT was involved in the fun over the weekend! In case you missed it, Check it out!


Join us for some Chit Chat today, HERE in the Ippity forum!


Have a great Monday!


Hugs, Lisa

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Sunday Favorites, Heather Style...

Hello everyone!

Happy Monday! Heather Rolin here with a Sunday full of fun and creative designs from you all! These are just a few of the many wonderful creations that have caught my eye! There are many many more, so I'm sorry for not naming everyone, but just take THAT as me naming everyone! LOL...(Little mumbled I know...)

Ok, so here are some of my favorites from viewing around this week.

1. This is a card using What Matters Most...LOVE the pop of color and use of sentiment & butterflies!
Christy-Lone Pine Designs2.This card also uses What Matters most and is a wonderful way to showcase the images in this set!

Cindy Coutts 3. This card uses Love in Return, and I just LOVE the way she made this into an elegant baby card! Fabulous!

Lynn Miller4. THIS one uses Simply Home and is absolutely FABULOUS in technique! LOVING the smokey affect! Just fabulous!

Chris Severs 5. Love the classic elegance of this card using Regal Greetings! LOVE the ribbon that ties this card together!

Cheryl
There are many more out there, but here are 5 off the top of my head that I saw this week that caught my eye!

Now here are the DT members creations that have totally inspired me! These ladies are beautifully talented and I thought it would be appropriate for me to pay respect to those that inspire me on a daily basis and have befriended me with open arms! Totally LOVE these girls! Beautiful inside and out!

EvaKellyErynMariaLisa H.KarenLisa A.
I'm so proud to be among this group for the time that I have with them in my life! So thank you to all you wonderful and talented ladies, both on the design team and off because you inspire me on a daily basis!
Super big hugs!
Heather R.
P.S. So now it's time to leave you with this inspirational quote!
To the world you may be only one person, but to one person, you may be the world!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Flatterday Saturday

Happy Saturday everyone!!!
I'm so ready for this weekend...it's time to chill :)

It's Maria here today and I am the lucky person who gets to post about the WONDERFUL {Lisa Henke}.

I only knew Lisa from her creations before we were on the {ippity} design team and I thought she was AMAZING then :) Now that I get to work with her, I have to say I'm so honored to have such a BEAUTIFUL person like her in my life. She is always so willing to help out {like with tonight's VSBN challenge} and her postive attitude is contagious!!! She is just one of the reasons this design team is so AMAZING!!
Lisa you are a SUPERSTAR!!
Let's kick this thing off with a little info from Lisa :)


· Tell us a little about yourself.
Hello, It’s Lisa Henke here. I live a very blessed life here in the Midwest in the big city of Cincinnati, OH. I’m originally from Michigan and my family is still up there. It’s only about a 4 hour drive, so I get to go home regularly. I attended college at the University of Michigan where I met my wonderful husband, Tim. I followed him back here to Cinci, his hometown, and we’ve been here ever since (12 yrs now!). I get to stay home with my 3 very active, rambunctious, and sweet little guys-love that! It’s the hardest job I’ve ever had, but it’s the best job and I wouldn’t have it any other way-plus it allows me to be home and stamp when I can. There is rarely a day that goes by where I don’t create something. I love this craft/hobby/passion!! And feel so fortunate to work with such a great company!Lisa with her boys {Tim (dh), Nicholas, Joshua and Ryan} at a UM football game

·How did you first get involved in stamping?
Same a lot of you-a stampin’ up! workshop, thanks to my MIL!!
·What is your stamping style?
I don’t know….I used to think CAS, but now I add so many layers and embellishments, I don’t think it counts. I’ve been told I have a scrappy style-I like that!
·Tell us about your creative process.
I actually have it all in my head before I get started (now it doesn’t always turn out the way I envision, but it’s often close). While I stamp and create daily, my actual stamping time is limited, so I pretty much have to know what I want to create before I sit down. I love a good sketch, and am always inspired by great dp-those are probably my two starting points. Other times, it is the stamp that dictates what I want to make.
·What is your favorite {ippity} stamp set and why?
Where you Should Be-is that a shocker???? LOVE the sentiments, and THOSE leaf images-awesome!
·How often do you stamp?
daily
·How long does it take you to make a project you are happy with?
Varies, but probably 20-30 minutes on average.

I'm SO happy that she sent me this card to post because it's one of my faves!!
·What does your craft room look like?
Messy! I am not good about putting stuff away. The floor is always cluttered with papers and stamps.
·What is your biggest paper crafting challenge?
Getting out of a rut. Sometimes I feel like I am creating the same thing over and over, you may not see that, but it is how I feel some weeks.
·If you were stranded on a desert island what are the three things you would bring?
my 4 favorite boys (yes, DH is included here!), ice cream, and my Ipod
·What is your favorite quote?
hmmmm, I am not a quote person, but Unity/ippity is making me into one. I love this verse from Proverbs 16:24
Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
·What would I find in your refrigerator right now?
Lots of condiments, stuff to make salads, diet coke, beer, milk, cheese!
·If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?
I know he’s not a super hero, but Inspector Gadget-how cool would it be to have go-go gadget arms
·What would your dream vacation be?
Hawaii, or some other tropical island-beach, sunshine, and crystal clear waters, ahhhh
How about one more Lisa creation!!!

I hope you enjoyed getting to know Lisa as much as I have!! Make sure you check out the {ippity} sponsored {Virtual Scrapbook Night} tonight on Splitcoast. You can {CLICK HERE} to be taken to the forum. Lisa and I got to work together for a ROCK OF LOVE challenge that we are very excited about :)

COME JOIN US!!!

"Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible."

Friday, April 23, 2010

fresh idea friday with eryn...creating "pretty" gifts....

HELLO!!  It's Eryn posting today with a FRESH IDEA!!
{well, maybe it's not "fresh" but it is an idea!} ;)

I decided to put my {ippity} stamps to work and create some "pretty" gifts for my friends & family...

GLASS PENDANTS...

I uesd the LIVE LAUGH LOVE stamp from the, Simply Home set to create this first one.
I like to add additional charms when I wear these....I love the BE YOU one on this one.
{I actully cut the stamp apart to do this...remember Michelle's tip about cuttin your stamps?}

Here are those BEAUTIFUL Butterflies from the kit What Matters Most...
oh and as I type this I am thinking about all the other {ippity} stamps that will be fun to use...like that MUSIC background...hmmmm, thinking...thinking...thinking!  ;)

Just a quick pic of the back.

These were so hard to take a photo of...
that glare takes away from the "cuteness" of them! " :)
But I thought a little set of MAGNETS would be FUN as well...using those same butterflies from What Matters Most.

A wonderful co-worker of mine had this quote posted on her facebook page the other day...
I LOVE IT!
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

-- Maya Angelou


ENJOY your weekend!


Thursday, April 22, 2010

Hip Hop/Bird House tutorial

Happy Hip Hop!!!!

Are you ready for another fun Hop??  Well, get ready, as the Unity and the Ippity DT is bringing you another amazing hop today with full of eye candy!  But before you hop along, I have a fun little tutorial for you.   Remember my little bird house???


So, how would you like to make one of these?????  Well, here is what you need to make it:

Silhouette bird house cutting file (yes, you will need a Silhouette cutting machine for it.
Cardstock:  Georgia Pacific
Patterned Paper:  Pink Paislee
Stamps:  
Sweet Thoughts of Spring
What Matters Most
Fishy Philosophy
Ink:  Memento, Ranger Distress, Powderpuff
Copic Markers
Scor-it
Helmar Craft Glue

So, first you need to cut out your little bird house template and here is what it will look like.  I also scored all the lines, event hough they were already perforated by my Silhouette machine.


Than I scored my roof piece, which I cut out of plain white cardstock, as I was going to cover it with the scallops anyway.


In the next step I built my little bird house and glued it together everywhere except on the bottom, just in case I want to put something inside.  For this I used Helmar's Craft Glue.


Next I stamped my scallops on the Pink Paislee patterned paper using Ranger Distress ink and cut them out individually.  In all fairness after looking at my finished project, you can really just keep stamping on top of each other and just cut out one big roof, instead of the individual scallops..but, I had to do it the hard way...LOL


Next I glued all the scallops on top of my roof piece.  And again, I used Helmar's Craft Glue, because it is the best quick drying liquid glue out there.


Next I inked up all the edges of my little house using Ranger Distress inks.


Finally I just had to assemble the house and the roof again with my Helmar Craft glue.  And this is what my finished little bird house looked like before adding all the decorations.  Cute, huh???


After this, I just added all the stamping.  For this tutorial, I wanted to focus on the little house building with the scallop roof top, so I don't have photos of the rest, as that was just stamping and cutting out, but here is what the final product looked like.


And that is it.....hope you like this little tutorial.  I love making cards, but once in a while it's good to play with something other than a card.  In fact today I am going to make a layout using Ippity stamps...as Ippity is sponsoring the VSBN this weekend on Splitcoaststampers, so if you would like some fun scrapbooking challenges, make sure you stop in to have some fun!

Also please leave a comment below to win the Ippity stamp set
Because of you
And please make sure to come back tomorrow to check out if you won!!!  You never know!!  :)

Now hop on over to the Unity blog if you haven't done the Hip Hop blog hop yet!

Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow.
Doug Firebaugh

Have a FABULOUS day!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

{ippity} Matters - by Michelle Ogdahl

Important {ippity} info:


APRIL 22nd...If you are ENROLLED with {ippity} and you are an {ippity} CHICK...you will want to make sure and visit the PRIVATE IPPITY SITE TOMORROW...it's a BIG SURPRISE!!!  You won't want to miss it!!

Also tomorrow... HIP-HOP with {ippity} and Unity on Splitcoast Stampers site!

May 10th - May 12th...sneak peaks of the NEW SPRING 2010 IPPITY COLLECTION! 

May 13th...BIG RELEASE PARTY!!!

Did you know:

**that {ippity} is on Facebook?  Make sure and check it out "ippity by Unity"...you will "LIKE" it :)

Our stamps can be used for cardmaking, scrapbooking, crafting and more...so much versatility with {ippity}!



Such an ADORABLE Scrapbooking layout by Maria Gurnsey!




CUTE WALL DECOR made by Eryn Hagen

and so much more inspiration in the {ippity} gallery!


Have a GREAT WEEK

~Michelle

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

T{ippity} Tuesday

Hello ladies....today I thought I would share a few tips I found, that perfectly fit any home based business. I actually found this at www.allbusiness.com.  Not my write up, but I thought it would be perfect for today's post.  So here are a few really great ways to approach your Ippity business.

  1. To market, to market. First identify your target market and the unique solution your product or service has to offer. Don’t try to be everything to everybody.
  2. Make a plan. Don't approach your marketing plan haphazardly. You can't wait for new clients to come to you, even if your business is doing well. Schedule times to do specific marketing tasks, such as making cold calls, attending networking events, and looking for new markets on the Internet.
  3. Create alliances with influencers. If you are an accountant, for example, a local Web designer may be helping launch new businesses, and can refer the new business owner to you for your services. Seek out informal partnerships such as these that can recommend you to prospective clients.
  4. Offer incentives. Let friends, colleagues, and family members know you are actively seeking new clients and offer incentives to them for recommending you. You can give them certificates to their favorite store, tickets to a play, a trip to a spa, or a small percentage of the signing fee.
  5. Track results. Since your time is precious, you can't afford to waste it on ineffective marketing tactics. And you will only know which tactics are effective by tracking their results. Track exactly how many clients come in from each marketing tactic, and use only the ways that are most efficient.
  6. Collateral materials. It pays to create and distribute brochures and other materials that describe you and your firm. They tell potential clients what you do, how you do it, why you're good at it, and the types of clients you work with. The best brochures are written from the client's point of view and always tell prospective customers what's in it for them.
  7. Making contacts. Engage in professional activities, such as joining professional associations, giving speeches, or teaching a course. This will elevate your credibility and stature in the field and introduce you to people who may need your services. Speaking at seminars and workshops helps get you recognized as an expert in your field, enhances your reputation, and increases your visibility. All this adds up to a larger pool of potential customers.
  8. Community service. Sitting on boards of directors for nonprofits or performing volunteer work can help introduce you to influential people, both in and out of your line of work. If you make the right impression, these people could be potential clients or referral sources.
  9. Expert advice. Write an article and submit it to a publication that is read by your target market. Newsletters also give you an opportunity to demonstrate your expertise and give your readers useful information at the same time. The newsletter is a constant reminder to your customers that you are in business and interested in helping them.
  10. Personal follow-up. How actively you choose to follow up on the leads you generate will depend on how busy you are and how aggressively you want to seek new customers. Just remember that the more follow up you do, the more effective your marketing program will be. Your main objective in following up with a phone call, email, or mailing is to get clients and prospects to talk. Find out what they need, and let them know how you can fill that need.
Hope you find these helpful and utilize them in your Ippity business.  And here is a wonderful inspirational quote I found on Success....

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude. 

by Thomas Jefferson

Monday, April 19, 2010

H{ippity} Hop Monday!

Good Morning Everyone!!!  Happy Monday!

First of all, thanks everyone for the sweet Birthday Wishes...I had a really nice day and your comments made it even sweeter!!!  THANK YOU!!!!

Anyway, today we have our H{ippity} Hop and I am so excited to visit your blogs and see what you all created.  Today I also bring you this week's challenge, which is:

CREATE A PROJECT USING SCALLOPS WITH IPPITY STAMPS

This week's prize:

2009 PAPER Package with INK


It's EASY to play along:
1. Simply create an {ippity} project using scallops.
2. THEN upload it to your SCS gallery by midnight on Sunday the 25th, the th with keyword: IHHC20
3. I will randomly choose a winner next Monday and post it in a thread in the {ippity} forum


Here is the snippet of my sample and I tell you, I had so much fun to create this little project, as the stamps were just perfect for it.


For some inspiration, please visit our participating DT members

And hop on over to see all the other amazing Ippity projects created by you, lovely ladies!


Sure hope you are going to enjoy the hop and find lots of great inspiration!!

Have a Fabulous week coming up and tomorrow I will be back again with another Tip!