StampMonkeys

Final Newsletter Announcement

Hi everyone,

The following was published a week ago in my March Newsletter...

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You read correctly above that this will be my last Stampin' Update newsletter. After almost 10 years of putting my heart and soul into my Stampin' Up! business, I've decided that it's time to move on and change my focus.

It has taken me a LONG time to finally make this decision and even longer (it seems) to let everyone know and actually "close" my business! There are a lot of reasons, and the only thing that really stood out as the "decision-maker" for me is my family. When my sister passed away last April, I took a hard look at what my priorities are. The time that we have is finite, and I want to make the most of it. (Stamping and creating is STILL very important to me...I just won't be doing it as much.)

My experience as a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator has been fabulous! I've had the opportunity to work for most of my 10 years with a fantastic business coach, who taught me so much about how to run my business and how to succeed in the end! Most of all, I've been blessed to meet SO MANY incredible women. A great number of you I can also count as my friends - I wouldn't have met you if it weren't for my business. I also appreciate those of you I don't know, because you took the chance and time to sign up for my newsletter and actually read it! Thank you! :)

There have been MANY changes in my life (and yours) these past 10 years, and there's so much that I owe to my business and the relationships I've formed through my business. I can't say THANK YOU enough for all the support you've given me. THANK YOU!

Now - for some "housekeeping"...

On the "books", I will remain a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator until the end of April. You will still be able to place online orders until then. In addition, feel free to call or email to place orders. I won't turn you away...promise! :)

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My website will remain up until it expires in the fall. I won't be adding anything to it, but the many hundreds of projects, RGB Color Codes, and other resources will remain until then. If you normally use "www.stampmonkeys.com" to get to my site, you will want to change your bookmark to http://stampmonkeys.typepad.com. (If you normally followed my postings in a blog reader, there's nothing you need to do.)

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My "www.stampmonkeys.com" domain name has expired, which also means that my email address has changed. The new address is [email protected] Please use this for any communication - that way your messages won't get lost!

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LAST, and this is the most important. I will not sell your email addresses to anyone, or give them any other Stampin' Up! demonstrator. If you are local Southern New England and would like to find someone new, I know a few great gals who are still very active that would be happy to help you. Just let me know and I'll give their info to you!

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Once again, I appreciate all of your support. I wish you the best in all you create! *hugs* to all of you!

Happy Stamping!

Marni :)

Time to Sale-a-Brate!

Yes, I know, it's been a while (changes and announcements coming soon!) In the meantime, don't miss this year's Sale-a-Bration! Here are ALL the details:

Our biggest sales event of the year--Sale-A-Bration--is here! This year we've got four great Sale-A-Bration sets for you to choose from--as well as a Designer Series Paper & Quick Accents pack, a Ribbon & Button pack, digital downloads, and Décor Elements!

Download the entire SAB catalog (pdf) right here.

Just spend $50 and pick one free product! Spend $100 and pick two! It's that easy! BTW - instead of the SAB catalog, you can also pick any $14.95 Wood mount stamp set or a $11.95 Clear Mount stamp set from the current Idea Book and Catalog or Occasions Mini Catalog. There's bound to be something for everyone!

You can shop online or call/email with an order. So what are you waiting for? Let's Sale-a-brate! :)

TODAY ONLY! Surprise! :)

In case you happen to be doing a little shopping today I thought I'd help you out by offering FREE shipping for any order over $50 TODAY ONLY! (December 7th)

In addition - everyone who places an order will be placed into a drawing for a $10 gift certificate to use at a later time!

You can browse through the current Idea Book and Catalog (Flash or PDF) or the Holiday Mini Catalog (Flash or PDF) OR you can go to my online store and check out the products there.

Once you know what you'd like, email your order to me and I'll pay for your shipping! (Because I can't turn off the shipping when you shop online, if you choose to place an online order I will refund your shipping amount.)

Not sure what to purchase? Don't forget that I offer gift certificates in any amount! In addition to the gift certificate, I'll include a handmade card - perfect for the stocking!

FREE SHIPPING for the next FOUR DAYS!

Happy Day After! While you're busy shopping, don't forget about your "stamping" friends and family! (Or even yourself!) Enjoy FREE shipping for orders placed through Monday 11/19 at midnight!

 

• Place an order of $30 or more, and I'll pay for your shipping!
• Orders placed directly through me (via email or phone) are preferred so that I can deduct the shipping as the order goes into the system.
• For orders placed online, I will refund the shipping amount. (Unfortunately, I can't "turn off" the shipping when you shop online.)
• To make sure that the order is processed quickly, I will call you for a debit/credit card number. (Sending and waiting for a check to clear will delay your order past the promotion end.)
• Don't forget that Stampin' Up! is also offering discounts this weekend - don't miss those as you put your list together!
• Not sure what to purchase? I'm happy to help and I offer gift certificates in any amount, just email or call for details!

Welcome Frugal Living and Having Fun Readers!

Welcome to StampMonkeys!! To be eligible for the $25 Stampin' Up! Gift Certificate, sign up for my mailing list and make sure that you mention that Frugal Living and Having Fun sent you!

While you are here, make sure you "like" StampMonkeys on Facebook and if you tweet - follow me on Twitter. I have HUNDREDS of Art Gallery projects to inspire you and tons of techniques, tutorials, and videos to help as well! Enjoy your stay!

(Note: If you are already on my mailing list, leave a comment here and I'll double check your email address and put you in the drawing too!)

It's Spectacular!

ONE WEEK ONLY! Enjoy discounts on MANY of the Stampin' Up! products you love!

Including...My Digital Studio for 50% OFF!

Download a PDF file that lists all the specials OR go right online to see them up close and personal!

 

Happy Shopping!

(Everything you order WILL be delivered in time for Christmas!)

Color Contest Winners!

I FINALLY have a few minutes to finish this post!

First....to announce the colors I chose:

Marina Mist, Real Red, and Certainly Celery. YEP - colors you wouldn't think would go together, but look FANTASTIC on the walls! It might be hard to see with all the work still going on - but hopefully once the flooring is in this week and I finally start to move in, everything will come together!

Here are the pictures:

This is my laundry area. We've built the opening so that eventually folding doors will close it off. I plan to also add more shelves and cupboards for all the laundry goodies that need to be stored.

Isn't Certainly Celery pretty on the walls?

Oh, I also installed a motion sensor light, so that when you walk by or open the doors, it turns on. LOVE IT! :)

 

 

 

I wanted one bright wall - and I thought that Real Red (actually Glidden Red Delicious) would be perfect! It's such a pretty color! This little area is going to be my desk and probably some shelves. The color just makes me happy! :) What do you think?

 

 

 

 

 

The last color is Marina Mist - I was worried that it would be too dark on my walls, but since I have the recessed lights in the ceiling and the sliding door, it looks GREAT! (In fact, I tried a lighter color, but it was too "baby blue" for me, so I went back with my cardstock and got Marina Mist instead.)

The left wall in this picture will be covered with white storage cabinets and hopefully a nice countertop that will give me space to put the big tools, like the Big Shot, or my sewing machine.

The right wall will probably have a table for now, and doors will cover the storage area above.

 

Last, I'll show you the pattern we've chosen for the floor. I was lucky enough to score a HUGE deal on Craig's List for some vinyl tile (commercial grade) AND I was able to pick my own colors! I chose to use some red tile accents and then keep everything else neutral. After playing with different designs, this is what we're going to do...

The large red squares made the room look bigger - so I went with that. The rest make a "windmill" pattern, if that's what it's called.

I'm SO excited to finally see the end of this project - almost! :)

 

Now for the winners:

There were only 5 entries total - where did everyone go? Because of that, I've decided to make everyone who entered a winner! Each person who entered wins a $25 Stampin' Up! Certificate from me! So congratulations goes out to:

Dana S.

Lisa W.

Diane R.

Rachel P., and

Lisa808

Contact me (because I don't have all of your email addresses) and I'll give you the details of how to use your gift certificates!

A Quick Note! Winners to be announced!

Hi!

This week got away from me so I'm a little late with the results of my contest. I'll have them for you later today! :) WITH PICTURES!

 

Happy Friday!

Once upon a time...Once upon a contest!

So about a year ago, my husband and I spotted a tiny little leak in our oil tank, which happens to be in our garage. The end result was that we needed to replace our oil tank with a bright shiny new one and "while we were at it" we decided to start a project that we had been talking about since we bought the house in 2004.

(Notice...there's really no car in the garage, just STUFF! I'm sure we're not alone here, right?)

The project was to take the back half of the garage and create a studio/office for me, yay! The front half will be a workshop for my husband.

Time marches on...way to quickly, I might add.

Now here we are a year later and FINALLY, the walls have been built, the electrical done, the insulation is up, we cut a hole in the back of the house and installed a sliding door, we've drywalled, plastered, AND PAINTED! (Yipppeeee!)

Whew! I definitely need to stop watching those shows on DIY and HGTV! hehe

The question now is...what colors did I choose for my new room? You can bet that I used Stampin' Up! colors - in fact, I took the cardstock and my Color Coach to the store to have the paint matched!

 

So now it's time for a contest! I'll give you a few hints, and the rest is up to you!

What could you win?

The person who guesses all three colors will win a $50 Stampin' Up! Gift Certificate. (In the event that more than one person is correct, a name will be randomly chosen from those who guessed correctly. If no one guesses correctly, the person who chooses 2 of the 3 will win, etc.)

Anyone else who enters has the chance to one of two $25 gift certificates - just for entering! If you want to boost your chances of winning one of these, refer people to my mailing list and you'll get one more entry for each person who signs up for the StampMonkeys mailing list. (Make sure that they put your name in when they sign up!)

 

Now for the hints:

*    The first color is in the Brights Collection and is only painted on one "accent" wall.

*    The second color is in the Subtles Collection is just pained in the "laundry room" area.

*    The last color is also in the Subtles Collection and covers everything else.

The next thing on the list is to put down the flooring and install cabinets and other finishing touches. I can't tell you HOW excited I am to move in and have classes again! Of course I'll have a BIG party to celebrate with food AND stamping too! I hope that you'll all be able to join me! (Hopefully, it won't take ANOTHER year to do that! heh)

So what are you waiting for? Start guessing!

This contest will end THIS Friday (10/29) at 10:00 pm EST.) Please leave your guess here in the comments and list all three colors in one guess. Winners will be announced this weekend or next Monday at the latest! (Probably after all the little ghosts and goblins - or Pretty in Pink Fairy Princesses - come to my house!)

Good luck!

 

(PS - I LOVE all my readers and followers, but unfortunately, I can't give away gift certificates to anyone outside of the US, sorry!)

 

 

 

Monochromatic Hummingbird For You

If you can't decide what colors to put together, or you consider yourself "color challenged", why not go with just one?

Isn't Marina Mist a pretty color? It reminds me of the color of the ocean when the sun sets.

I stamped the images from the Elements of Style stamp set on to the card stock in Marina Mist Ink as well. So simple and pretty, don't you think?

(Products used for this card.)