SUO Challenge #43 – Occasions Mini Catalog Goodbye!

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We definitely know that not everyone who frequents and participates in our challenges is a Stampin' Up! demonstrator. But our Design Team Members are all demonstrators, and we in North America are about to say, "Goodbye," to the 2012 Occasions Mini Catalog. Yes, there are lots of other retirements underway. Heavens, there was just this past Sunday the announcement of over 200 Stampin' Up! Stamp Sets that will retire for North America come May 31st of this year!

Nonetheless, the Occasions Mini Catalog has a special place in our hearts. So we've created some "goodbye" projects to show off to our audience. If you have a favorite item or items from the 2012 Occasions Mini Catalog which you're going to miss, we hope that you, too, will share that with us. And even if you don't, we hope that you will join with us by sharing a card or other project made with a Stampin' Up! product that has retired or it otherwise no longer available to purchase. And, believe me, we all have a lot of those! So you may just give someone else a great idea for using that stamp set or other product that's been gathering dust in a drawer or closet!

You know the routine – make a card and post a photo of it to your blog or a gallery on the internet, and come back here and use our link tool at the bottom of this post to share the photo with us! We're looking for cards posted to the internet after April 16, 2012, and (of course!) made with Stampin' Up! products only. The products may be those that are in current catalogs, or they may be retired products. But (as our blog title says) SUO – Stampin' Up! Only!

Oh, and a heads up on the closing time for this challenge. It's going to be one day shorter than usual to accommodate a bit of a vacation for your SUO Challenge Coordinator! There will be a few other timing adjustments around the end of April/beginning of May, but we'll announce them in plenty of time.

SUO Challenge #42 – Our Top 3!

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We are very happy that so many of you decided to join in our "Congratulations" challenge. Congratulations to all of you! And, as always, a special Congratulations to our Top 3 for Challenge #42!

Bonnie Klass. We all loved the use of the white space in this card, perfectly accented by the "stamped-off" images from the Herbed Expressions stamp set. This clean and simple design is just stunning!

Cathy Parlitsis. Those rosettes are adorable, and the layering of the whole card sets them off so beautifully. Cathy used so many techniques in this card, and they all blend together to make a really spectacular Congratulations greeting.

Erna Logtenberg. The fold in this card is one that many of us haven't used in a long time – and now we wonder why! Of course, the colors and the stamped layered motif of this card are what truly make it special – and one of our favorites of the week!

Thank you ALL for being a part of the SUO Challenge!

SUO Challenge #42 – Congratulations!

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We at SUO Challenges have a Design Team Member who just this week celebrated her 10th Anniversary as a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator. This a big anniversary for a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator to celebrate, and the rest of us decided that this would be a perfect week to feature Cards of Congratulations.

So please help us as we congratulate Michelle Laycock for all her years past and years to come as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator. You may know her best for her fab blog design work, including the SUO Challenges Blog and those of several of us on the Design Team. But she's also very talented with card stock and ink and embellishments, as I'm sure you've noticed in her Design Team samples over the weeks.

I'm sure that every one of you has someone who is going to be deserving of congratulations for some achievement this spring. So why not take this opportunity to make a Congratulations Card with your stash of Stampin' Up! supplies and share it with us here at SUO Challenges!

You know the routine – make a card and post a photo of it to your blog or a gallery on the internet, and come back here and use our link tool at the bottom of this post to share the photo with us! We're looking for cards posted to the internet after April 2, 2012, and (of course!) made with Stampin' Up! products only. The products may be those that are in current catalogs, or they may be retired products. But (as our blog title says) SUO – Stampin' Up! Only!

To get you started in thinking about what you might make for a Congratulations Card, here are some samples from our Design Team. I can hardly wait to see what you come up with!

SUO Challenge #41 – Our Top 3!

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Oh, my! Another week where over half of the challenge entries received Top 3 votes from our Design Team! The change of seasons brings out the best in all of us, it seems! Thank you all for being so creative AND sharing your creations with us at the Stampin' Up! Only Challenge!

So, a drum roll, please, for those who received the most votes for this week's Top 3!

Tonya Denton. I think that one team member's response to this card says it all: "That lily rocks!" I'm sure that anyone that looks at this card will wonder why they can't sniff the scent of the Stargazer Lily, it's so realistic. What a beautiful job you did on this card, Tonya!

Paula Sievers. Last week's challenge was to "Think Spring (or Autumn)" because many of our readers and contributors are from the southern hemisphere. Paula is in Australia, and she created this lovely card to welcome Autumn. I particularly like how Paula made that lovely background with squares of Cajun Craze and More Mustard, and how well the colors in the "Lovely as a Tree" stamp make that central layer just pop off the background!

Patty Gorka. There are so many little details in this card that just make it a joy to look at! The rows of piercings, the way that the cherry blossoms are colored, the whole color combination – these all combine to make a very beautiful card!

Thank you ALL for being a part of the SUO Challenge!