The Twenty Dollar Post!

Here's the story. I put in my first SAB order just days ago, the day after the Occasions and Sale-A-Bration catalogs went live. Tonight I went to see if the order had shipped yet. To my shock, the UPS status said that my box was DELIVERED! I ran to the door and "SURPRISE"! My first thought was, "Wow, Stampin' Up! was so generous to 2-day ship this to me!" Then soon after, my second thought was, "Oh my gosh, did I pay $20 extra to have this ship in 2 days?". Sure enough, the latter would be correct.

I am a pretty patient lady so I have really never expedited an SU order. This would be a first. I was contemplating it, but then decided to spend the $20 on more product. I guess I forgot to un-check the expedite box, and here I am with a boatload of goodies three days later!


SO, to celebrate this once in a lifetime occasion where I am in the company of expediting demos, I thought I would take advantage of this prime position and show off some of the new product! I really, really think that SU has stepped up to the plate with these new minis. I love ALL of the SAB items, the Occasions offerings, the new clear mount style stamps, the new punch design....and I still need to delve into the jewelry line, the digital scrapbooking, and all that jazz.

Without further adieu, here are some peaks into my expedited SU box!

These are the satin ribbons! There are 9 colors in the Occasions Mini, and I am adding the white from the big catalog to my ribbon share.

Ribbon Share for just $7! One yard of each of these 10 colors.


What could be better than SU's double-sided designer papers? Double-sided GLITTER designer papers! This is the Sending Love Specialty paper. Isn't it divine! I love Valentine's Day. I was supposed to be born on that day, but decided a week earlier was better. Last time in my life I've been early for anything, ha, ha! Anyways, this picture shows ALL the 12 designs.


Here are the yummy designer brads in the Sending Love line.


And here are the pink and red corduroy buttons atop my favorite of the papers. See the sparkles?!

Sending Love Share for just $16!


Now how about the Sweet Pea line? STITCHED felt! And awesome coordinating paper in 12x12....TONS OF IT! This is one of my favorite of the TWENTY-FOUR patterns.


These paper pictures show two different papers together when the pad is opened up. Yes, the Sweet Pea DSP comes in a huge 12x12" PAD.

Butterflies!


Gingham and swirls...


Pumpkin dots and a beautiful flower border...


Trees from the coordinating Trendy Trees stamp set. Don't we all own that one?

Sweet Pea Share for just $12!


My most favorite thing in the EXPEDITED box? The new clear acrylic blocks! Oh my goodness, these babies are high quality! Here are A, B, C, D, E, G, and H.


They each have the SU logo and the block letter printed on them. And check out the grooves! There are deep grooves on all four sides for comfortable handling. I just LOVE that feature!


The dryness of my hands aside, I wanted to show you the size of the D block. Many have already said that the square sizes seem to be the ones they reach for the most. D is the largest square block, but as you can see it's not too big. If you were to ask which is a good starting block, I would suggest D.


Now let's move onto the clear mount stamp sets. This is how they come. You get the clear DVD case with the rubber and stickers inside. The rubber is still die-cut so no trimming is needed. Just punch them out. Then there are directions on how to adhere the stickers to the rubber. Make sure you read the directions carefully. This part can be tricky...or very easy if done correctly.


Here is the Love Bandit set put together. You can see the tree stamp sticker side up and how it looks when clung onto the acrylic block! How spiffy is that?! You can see exactly where you are stamping with this clear-mount system. But we aren't giving up the great quality of RUBBER stamps. This is my absolute favorite method for stamping.


While clear-mount stamps give you the same quality rubber stamp images that you are accustomed to with Stampin' Up! stamps, check out the storage benefits over wood mount! Here I have stacked 10 wood mount in plastic cases next to 10 clear mount in DVD cases. And check out the new clear mount labels! You can see the name of the set clearly AND every single image in that set is shown on the label. Another benefit of clear mount...they cost less than wood mount! Stretch that stamping budget, baby!


Want to see some of those sets up close and personal? Yeah, I'm a sucker for cuteness!


And here are the two new hostess sets that can be earned from the Occasions Mini! Cuteness, again!


What if we love clear mount so much that we decide to go with it exclusively? SU is selling empty DVD cases in sets of four. I got a package just in case. Someday we can discuss unmounting wood stamps if you'd like.


How about we talk about some FREE stuff, shall we? These are the 6 Sale-A-Bration items! For every $50 you spend on any SU product, you can choose one of these items for free! No shipping, no tax, these are completely free! And for the first time ever, there is a list of Idea Book and Catalog stamp sets at the back of the SAB brochure that you can choose for free instead, retail values $15.95 or less. But who would not want to earn these adorable SAB items first?! This year they are ALL good in my book.

You can get the four stamp sets in wood or clear mount. See what I picked???


The SAB double-sided paper pack is so cool. It coordinates with the little house set, Good Neighbors. You get 72 sheets in the pack, holy cow! And I couldn't help but notice that several of the sheets had a heart theme. These would be great for Valentine's projects. If you are going to earn a few SAB items and don't know what to get first...I would suggest the paper pack in time for Valentine's Day!

Although, some of the designs are springy, fall-ish, and summery. A great item for all year round!


And oh my gracious, flat storing punches where have you been all my life?! Check out how snug these punches are! They click open for use, and then go happily back to sleep for easy storage. Love it! And SU giving a border punch as a free SAB item?! GET OUT!!


Now onto all things tiny. Are you a sucker for anything miniature like me? Well then, here you go! These are the new glassine notes and envies from the Occasions Mini. Pictured is the Kisses notes in the small square glassine envelope. Glassine reminds me of vellum, it's see-through. I did order the scalloped rectangle notes but forgot to order the envelopes. Those are tiny too but about twice the length of one side of the kiss note. The rectangles are called HUG notes. These are called KISS notes. How clever.

I can see these used as scrapbook embellishments, card embellishments, valentines, tiny notes tucked into lunches, or as cards placed decoratively on special gifts.


Lastly, this is the Sweetheart stamp set and heart cups that come from a new flyer...not included in the Occasions Mini. The full heart punch and padded envelopes also coordinate with this line.

SO, what did you think about my expedited SU order?! What new stuff are you most excited about?!

Remember, I am offering 3 Occasions Mini Product Shares including the Sending Love line, the Sweet Pea line, and the Satin Ribbon. I am also offering an extra designer paper bonus for individual Sale-A-Bration orders in January!

You can see the Occasions Mini and the Sale-A-Bration Brochure by clicking on their pictures on the right sidebar of my blog.

Expedited order: $20
Delivery time: 3 days
Drafting post: 3 hours
Showing cool new stuff to my stamping friends: PRICELESS!

Thanks for hanging out!