Archive for Inspiration Book
Don’t miss out on the 2009/2010 Inspiration Book, Cardstock & Designer Paper Sampler Pre-orders!
Posted: Monday, June 22nd, 2009 | CommentsScroll down to see today’s post of my Scrappy Birthday Card.
One of the questions I’m often asked is where I get my inspiration. Last January, as I was answering that question in a blog post, I shared with you all a handy reference tool that I first created for myself two and half years ago. It’s what I call my ”Inspiration Book”. It’s basically a “sampler” of all of Stampin’ Up!’s Designer Papers, ribbons, and embellishments. I keep my book out and open while I’m papercrafting so that if I’m looking for that extra little touch to finish off my project or I’m trying to figure out what DP will match the “mood” of the stamp set I chose, I can then flip through my book and see all of my choices first hand. I use it for mixing, matching, coordinating, visualizing…you get the idea I’m sure!
Although I initially created this book for myself, as my customers would ask me what a certain pattern of DP looked like, or what ribbon would best go with a DP they liked, I found myself pulling out my Inspiration Book more and more. The reaction was universal - my customers went CRAZY for it! It’s so hard to get a good feel for what Stampin’ Up!’s products look like from the catalog pictures alone because the pictures are so small, and the colors/patterns can be distorted by the photographic process. My customers really appreciate being able to SEE the products first hand. Of course an added benefit from a business perspective is that I’ve seen an increase in my sales. The most frequent comment I hear when I pull out my Inspiration Book is “Oh my goodness, that product is just gorgeous …. I didn’t think I liked it when I just saw the picture in the catalogue…I think I’ll just have to order that now.”
Much to my surprise, I started having papercrafters and Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators asking me if I’d be willing to make these Inspiration Books available for sale. I was quite hesitant to do so because of the cost – as I’m sure you can imagine, these books are not cheap – not just because of the products themselves, but because they’re time intensive to make. The templates alone took me about 10 hours to create and the book itself ended up being about 9 hours to put together. But, despite my reservations, I decided to go ahead and sell them. The feedback I received was fantastic. Everyone who bought one – whether for themselves or for their business – LOVED it. I’ve already had emails asking me if I’m going to sell them again, and the answer is yes.
This year I’m once again offering the whole book, the decorated binder, the printed charts and an upgrade pack to those that bought the binder this past catalogue. I’m also offering CS and DP Sampler rings. These are available for sale in both US and Canada, as they are considered “finished product” and comply with Stampin’ Up! policy.
Just in case you didn’t see my Inspiration Book in January, here’s the pictures of last year’s pages to give you an idea of what they look like- I don’t yet have this year’s pages assembled as I can’t order my new product unti July 1st.
Spring-Summer 2009 Designer Papers. This years pages will have the same design.
Spring-Summer 2009 Ribbons. Chart on the left will remain the same and the other three charts will change.
Spring-Summer 2009 buttons, brads and eyelets (brad and eyelet chart will remain the same):
Spring-Summer 2009 clips, designer brads, flowers – these pages have been completely redesigned.
Pretties Kit and Hodgepodge (this will be the same for this catalog):
Inspiration Book Pages with Product: $275 CAN + shipping (about $235 US)
-
a 2″ x 2″ sample of the In Color and Textured In Color CS
-
a 2″ x 2″ sample of all the Neutral CS (Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Sahara Sand, Going Gray, Basic Gray, Basic Black, Confetti White & Cream, Naturals White & Ivory, Kraft, Glossy White)
-
a 2″ x 2″ sample of the specialty papers/CS: Bride, Groom, Bridesmaid, Shimmer White, Brushed Gold, Brushed Silver
-
a 2″ x 2″ sample of all the color families of CS (regular texture): Bold Brights, Earth Elements, Rich Regals, Soft Subtles – each on their own page
-
a 2″ x 2″ sample of the 18 Designer Papers, 3 Specialy Designer Papers and 14 Patterns Designer Papers – each on their own sheet (you see all 12 patterns)
-
every single ribbon, Ribbon Originals, linen thread, hemp and twill tape
-
Silver and Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware,
-
Jumbo brads (both sizes), Build-a-brads, Designer Brads, regular Brads, Jumbo eyelets, Grommets, Clips assortment, Library clips (1/2″ and mini), eyelets, rhinestone brads
-
flower fusion and fleurettes II
-
All the buttons: Corduroy, clear designer, coloured buttons
There are 52 pages in all. I custom designed all the templates for the products. They are printed out on Whisper White CS using a high quality solid-ink laser printer (it gives a raised glossy finish to the black ink). Binder and page protectors are sold separately.
Decorated Binder and Page Protectors: $80 + shipping (about $68 US)
The binder is Stampin’ Up!’s 8 1/2″ x 11″ Linen Ring Binder decorated with the flourishes Decor Elements (the exact flourish on the cover will vary), Melon Mambo Polka dot ribbon, felt flowers from the Flower Fusion collection and rhinestone brads. I can customize what your book actually says (if you don’t like 2009 Sampler). You will also receive 26 page protectors.
Printed Charts ONLY: $25 + shipping (about $21 US)
-
52 charts, printed on Whisper White CS with a high quality solid-ink laser printer that gives a raised glossy finish to the ink
-
blank charts only – NO product is included - YOU provide the product and then assemble them onto the charts
-
if you ordered the whole inspiration book then these charts are included in that and do NOT need to be purchased separately
Printed Charts UPGRADE: $15 + shipping (about $13 US)
-
about 28 charts, printed on Whisper White CS with a high quality solid-ink laser printer that gives a raised glossy finish to the ink
-
these are an UPGRADE package and are intended for those that purchased the Printed Pages in January.
-
blank charts only – NO product is included - YOU provide the product and then assemble them onto the charts
-
if you ordered the whole inspiration book then these charts are included in that and do NOT need to be purchased separately
Inspiration Book Upgrade Package: $135 + shipping (about $114 US)
This package is for those of you that purchased the book last year. It includes the following:
-
A 2″ x 2″ sample of the In Color and Textured In Color CS
-
a 2″ x 2″ sample of all the Neutral CS (Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Sahara Sand, Going Gray, Basic Gray, Basic Black, Confetti White & Cream, Naturals White & Ivory, Kraft, Glossy White)
-
a 2″ x 2″ sample of the specialty papers/CS: Bride, Groom, Bridesmaid, Shimmer White, Brushed Gold, Brushed Silver
-
a 2″ x 2″ sample of the 6 new Patterns DP, the 10 new regular DPs and the 3 new Specialty DP
-
a 3″ piece of 5/8″ Black Grosgrain ribbon that you can add into your grosgrain ribbon chart (the one that had the 1/4″ and 5/8″ Grosgrain ribbons)
-
3 ribbons charts with all the rest of the ribbons
-
All the new accessories (you can re-use the Pretties, Hodgepodge Hardware and the two brads/eyelets pages)
*NEW* CS Sampler Ring: $15 + $5.50 shipping US OR $4.50 shipping Canada
The CS Sampler Ring is shown right – it includes a 3″ x 3″ swatch of the CS listed below. Each swatch is labelled with a small clear label that has the name and item number of the CS.
-
- In Color CS and Textured In Color CS
-
- Neutrals (pg. 155) and all the Naturals CS (pg. 159)
-
- the 48 regular colors of CS
The swatches are carefully packaged in their own little baggies in between chipboard pieces to protect them. You will have to assemble them onto the binder ring (which is included) once you receive your CS sampler.
Canadians Click Here to Order your CS Sampler ring.
$15 + $4.50 shipping
U.S. Click HERE to Order your CS Sampler ring.$15 + $5.50 shipping
*NEW* DP Sampler Ring: $20 + $5.50 shipping US OR $4.50 shipping Canada
I don’t have a picture of the DP Sampler Ring because I can’t order the new DP’s until July 1st. The DP sampler ring will include a 3″ x 3″ swatch of each double sided design from ALL the regular Designer Papers, Pattern DP, Specialty DP and the Bride, Groom, Bridesmaid CS – that’s 225 swatches in all. There will be a Divider Sheet between each assortment that includes the product name, item number, description and list of coordinating colors – very similar to the ones that SU sold back in January/February. The DP sampler ring will be packaged and shipped in a similar manner to the CS Sampler Ring. If you order both the CS sampler and the DP sampler ring then you save $5.
Canadians Click Here to Order your DP Sampler ring.
$20 + $4.50 shipping
U.S. Click HERE to Order your DP Sampler ring.
$20 + $5.50 shipping
Order BOTH the CS and DP Sampler Ring and SAVE.
Canadians Click Here to Order your CS & DP Sampler ring.
$30 + $8.00 shipping
U.S. Click HERE to Order your CS & DP Sampler ring.
$30 + $10.00 shipping
An Important Note about Shipping:
The items will be shipped in the order in which I received the orders. They will begin shipping end of July (I have to wait for my order to arrive and then factor in time for assembly). For the Inspiration Books and Upgrade packs – I will be shipping out 10 books/upgrade packs a week starting 1st week in August and it’s first come first served. So the first 10 people will have their books shipped out the first week in Aug., the next 10 books will be shipped out the second week in Aug., etc. You will receive an email shortly after you place your order giving you an estimated shipping date.
Some additional information:
- Once again I am not making a profit on these books. The price is based on product at my demonstrator cost, includes paying my assistants to assemble the books, adhesive to assemble the books (i.e. sticking the DP down) & packing materials (these are VERY carefully packaged with chipboard pieces in between the embellishments, wrapped in plastic and packaged in a sturdy box)
- This is available for sale in the US and Canada – because it is “Finished product” I am allowed to do so according to Stampin’ Up! policy.
- The price is in Canadian funds – your credit card or Paypal will do the currency conversion for you automatically.
- This year’s book does not include beads and glitter – I tried two different adhesives with the glitter (Crystal Effects and Heat and Stick) and it didn’t work well – my glitter is flaking off in mine.
- This year’s book only includes textured CS in the In Colors – enough to give your customers an idea of what textured CS looks like.
- I will be releasing upgrades with the Mini Catalogs
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to email me at andrea@demotodemo.com.
Inspiration Book Update – another option for you!
Posted: Thursday, February 5th, 2009 | Comments
I’ve received a ton of emails about the inspiration book I posted yesterday (you can see full pictures including a full content listing HERE). Because it is something that obviously a lot of people cannot afford to buy already made, I’ve been asked if I will offer the blank pages for sale. To check out the available options click HERE.
Some additional Fine Print:
- The price will show up in CAN in the shopping cart – your credit card company or Paypal (which ever you choose to use) does the conversion for you automatically.
- I have updated the binder to include CS samples for the four color families and in colors – including textured CS.
- Yes I CAN sell this in the US – I checked with Stampin’ Up! compliance – because it is FINISHED product.
- No, I cannot sell just the PDF file of the templates – I am sad to say that I have had pdf files abused in the past (resold without my permission). At least this way if someone wants to CASE what I’ve done for profit, they’ll have to put the time in to create their own (it took me about 7 hours to create the templates and another 7 hours to assemble the book).
My Inspiration Book
Posted: Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 | Comments
I’ve often been asked where I get my inspiration from. That’s a simple question that has a big answer. I get my inspiration from a lot of places, but I would have to say that my top three sources are : browsing the Stampin’ Up! catalogue, surfing the internet and looking at inspiring blogs & paper crafting/scrapbooking magazines. I immerse myself in these things. For example – wherever I go, I carry one of my Stampin’ Up! convention bags filled with the Stampin’ Up! Catalogue, paper crafting magazines, a pencil, an eraser and a notebook. Then as I sit in the van waiting for the kids to come out of school, or if I’m early for an appointment, etc. – I pull out my magazines and browse. As something “speaks” to me, I mark the page. If what I saw inspires an idea, I then sketch my layout or template idea along with some notes which might include color schemes, stamp set, accessories I want to use, etc.
Once I have my idea, then comes the actual process of creating. When it comes down to actually making the project, even though I may have an “idea” in my head, I don’t always know what I want the finished project to look like. Sometimes I may know what designer paper I want to use, but have absolutely no idea what accents and embellishments to use. Some times it’s the other way around – I might know I want to create something with the new crocheted flowers, but I might not know what papers/ribbons to go with them. At other times, I’ve assembled the whole project, but find that there’s just something “missing”…. So, I pull out my inspiration book. Below I show a picture of what it actually looks like. I used Stampin’ Up!’s 8 1/2″ x 11″ Linen Ring Binder. I started by decorating the front cover with the Level 1 hostess Decor Elements flower on it. I then used my Big Shot and Stampin’ Up!’s Top Note die and die cut the Top Note out of thin tin. I lightly sanded the tin to take the extreme shine away, and give it more of a brushed silver look. I die cut my letters using the Big Shot and the new Stampin’ Up! Billboard letter die. I stuck them to the tin using Crystal Effects (and brushed a thin layer of Crystal Effects over them). I also used the following embellishments: 5/16″ Chocolate Chip Jumbo brads, the Pig Tails Ribbon Originals, Flower Fusion Felt Flowers and clear rhinestone brads.
My inspiration book is my “reference” tool. Rather than having to pull out all my packages of paper, ribbons and embellishments and cluttering up my workspace (not to mention overwhelming myself with the sheer choice) – I turn to my inspiration book. In it, I’ve put together a sampler of all of Stampin’ Up!’s designer papers (yes, all 34 of them!), all their ribbons, glitters, brads, buttons, clips and assorted doodads. So for example, if I’ve got a project that I want to add some glitter too – I can look at my glitter chart below and see which one will give me just the look I want! As you can see, from the picture below – I created charts for myself. I have one page per pattern of DP which holds twelve 2″ x 2″ swatches of EACH pattern. I made my swatches nice and big so that I can get a better idea of the colors/patterns (they always look so different in real life than in the catalogue picture)
You can see how I did my glitter below – I have it grouped by “package” in which SU sells it. My ribbons I have grouped according to type.
While I always keep this inspiration book out while I’m paper crafting, the biggest reason I created it is for my Stampin’ Up! business. This is actually the second book I created – I made my first one when the last catalogue came out and found that my customers went CRAZY for it. Because the catalogue pictures are so small, and the colors/patterns can be distorted by the photographic process (after all the camera makes US look like we gained 10 lbs *lol), I find that my customers don’t always get a good feel for what the products look from the catalogue pictures alone. By actually being able to SHOW them the product, I find that it’s increased my sales. The most common comment I hear when I pull out my inspiration book is “Oh my goodness, that is just gorgeous …. I didn’t think I liked it when I just saw the picture in the catalogue…I think I’ll just have to order that now.” I use my inspiration book the following ways in my business:
- for my personal papercrafting – as I’ve shared above. It’s fantastic for mixing, matching, coordinating, visulizing.
- I bring it to all my workshops and pull it out at all my customer classes & stamp camps
- I bring it with me to trade shows and craft shows – I’m actually going to be bringing it with me to a huge trade show I’m doing next weekend.
- I use it in my downline training – they can really see what the product looks like.
Okay, I know what some of you are thinking….” OMGosh – I WANT one!” (that would normally be me). So here’s the good AND the bad news. YES, I can and have made them available for sale. The only problem is, they are not cheap. I strongly debated with myself as to whether or not to even offer them for sale because of the price. But I know myself – I personally would have bought one if another demo was selling it because I think it is an AMAZING resource for both my personal paper crafting, but more importantly my business. So, I figured it would be only fair to offer it to you guys. Before I tell you how much it is, let me tell you up front – I am NOT making a profit on this. How I determined the pricing:
- I tallied up the cost of the product INCLUDING the demonstrator discount (so yes, I’ve deducted our 20%)
- I figured out how much I would have to pay my assistant per book to assemble it (it took 7 hours to assemble this book – never mind the 7 hours I spent designing & fiddling with the page templates)
Revised Mar. 7th – All orders placed for the inspiration books were sent out by Tuesday March 3rd. As this was my first time doing this, it was a real trial and error process. The books ended up taking much longer to assemble than anticipated (averaging 9 hours per book) and used more supplies than I had factored in (printing costs, shipping was too low, packing materials and shipping supplies, adhesives to assemble the books etc.). As a result I have had to revise my prices in order to make this a break-even project. For more details and options click HERE.
So let me make a couple things really clear so there is no confusion:
* I am NOT making a profit on this. So why am I selling them? Because I strongly believe they are a valuable tool for your business if you can afford to invest in it. If you were to buy all the product to make this yourself – you have to spend over $1500. Plus, I’ve already spent hours and hours designing the page templates
* Yes I CAN sell this in the United States as well as Canada (I checked with Stampin’ Up! compliance) because it is considered FINISHED product. As you may have noticed – the price does not include the decorated binder or page protectors – that unfortunately costs extra (Yikes!) – see bottom of page.
* No, I am NOT selling any of the components individually at this time, as that would get more complicated than I want to right now.
* Next catalogue, I WILL sell “upgrade” packs where you can buy just the pages with the new product”
* If you order it today you will receive your book before the end of February – I need to factor in time to order the supplies I need and have the books made.
* Updated Feb. 5th: No, I cannot sell just the PDF file of the templates – I am sad to say that I have had pdf files abused in the past (resold without my permission). At least this way if someone wants to CASE what I’ve done for profit, they’ll have to put the time in to create their own *lol*
* I cannot sell to Australia and the UK because your products are different than ours so it it really wouldn’t be as much of a help, also, shipping would be KILLER.
WHAT it includes (you can see pictures below of exactly how all the pages are laid out – those are what you will receive):
- a 2″ x 2″ sample of all 34 patterns of designer paper – all 12 designs for each.
- every single ribbon, twine, hemp, ribbon originals, twill tape
- Rhinestone brads, jumbo brads, build-a-brad, small colored brads (including gold and silver)
- Metallic eyelets and Jumbo eyelets
- All the Designer Brads (flower, circle, star, filigree, flower assortment)
- The Designer Hardware (Soho and Hooray)
- Silver and Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware (1 piece of each design)
- Pretties kit (1 piece of each element)
- Colored buttons, corduroy butons, designer buttons, clear buttons
- Clips assortment, 1/2″ library clips, mini library clips
- Fleurettes, Flower Fusion, Flower Fusion Too
- Every color of glitter
- Bead Duos
That’s over $1500 of product if you were to order it all yourself!
The Designer Papers:
The Ribbons:
The glitter & beads:
The buttons, brads and eyelets:
The clips, designer brads, flowers:
The Pretties Kit and Hodgepodge.
Does NOT include the binder and page protectors. You can really use any kind of binder and page protectors you want. and slide it into the page protectors:
.png)
Andrea Walford 
