Hey there! It's the last day of 2017! How fast time flies whether you're having fun or not! I would have to say 2017 has been a good year for me, filled with lots of fun with family, a couple of great trips with my hubby for our 40th wedding anniversary, and of course, fun stamping! I reached my 15 year anniversary as a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator this year too, and am happy to say that I feel like I am still growing in my stamping style as well as growing my business!

I thought today would be a good opportunity to share some of my favorite cards created in 2017. I'm going back all the way to January, so this post will be long!

To start off, here's a card I created in January using the Cool Treats set. I love that Stampin' Up keeps giving us fun images and coordinating dies to make cutting them out a breeze!

Note: the stamps and dies are still available to order, but the designer paper is not (sad face) See the supplies list at the bottom of this post for links to my online store for the supplies you can order!

Here's the link to the original post: http://www.carolpaynestamps.com/2017/01/stampin-up-cool-treats.html

Next is a card I've been enjoying sending every month of 2017 with our monthly share as members of Samaritan Ministries. It's fun to create flat cards sometimes. I tend to be a "lots of layers girl", so it's a fun challenge to create something flat and beautiful that will go through the mail without extra postage or fuss!

Here's the link to the Sheltering Tree card: http://www.carolpaynestamps.com/2017/02/stampin-up-sheltering-tree-for-samaritan-ministries.html

Note: I do not receive any compensation for the link provided to the Samaritan Ministries website. It is an organization I believe in, and if you are searching for an alternative to crippling health insurance premiums, check them out.

High Tide is a beautiful set that is so versatile: masculine, birthdays, sympathy, thinking of you, for anyone! I created this easel calendar in February 2017 and am happy to report that with the exception of the cording used, all is still in my store!

The link to the original post: http://www.carolpaynestamps.com/2017/02/stampin-up-high-tide-calendar.html

I loved the flat (mostly!) card I created for my mother-in-law's 89th birthday with the Big on Birthdays set. Here's the link: http://www.carolpaynestamps.com/2017/03/stampin-up-big-on-birthdays-for-dolores.html

 I really enjoyed creating with the Flourishing Phrases and Timeless Textures sets for this card I posted in April. The embossing folder and the sparkly embellishment are retired, but the stamps are not! Here's the post link: http://www.carolpaynestamps.com/2017/04/stampin-up-flourishing-phrases-kissing.html

Daisy Delight and the Daisy Punch were INSTANT HITS in the new Annual Catalog! Stampin' Up! has never sold so many of the same punch, EVER, and the punch spent many days on the backorder list. Happily, this set and punch are still available, separately and as a BUNDLE to save you 10%! Post link: http://www.carolpaynestamps.com/2017/05/stampin-up-daisy-delight.html

Beautiful You is a set from last year's Occasions Catalog that carried over to the Annual. After reviewing this post and the ones after it, I need to get this set out and play again!

Did you know you can choose Host Sets as part of your Stampin' Rewards when you place an order of at least $150? You can! Tranquil Tulips is still available as a Host-Only set and uses only $10 of your Stampin' Rewards! I paired it on this card with the Label Me Pretty stamp set and Pretty Label Punch Bundle. Reviewing these cards are making me itch to play!

I used the Birthday Memories Suite on pages 68-69 of the Annual Catalog to create this "Golden Book" card. The images and designs in the Birthday Memories Designer Series Paper are so reminiscent of my childhood! Here's the link to the blog post: http://www.carolpaynestamps.com/2017/06/stampin-up-birthday-delivery-little-golden-book.html

With Valentine's Day right around the corner it's always a good idea to be thinking about the stamps you already have that you can use for a valentine. Lots of Love is one of those stamp sets. Here's a card I made in June that I just might have to CASE for February 14! Check out the blog post here to see what I really mean!

Finally for today, a Christmas card I created back in June with the Annual Catalog set, Merry Mistletoe. Although Christmas was only last Monday, it's never too early to start your Christmas cards. Here's the link for the full post: http://www.carolpaynestamps.com/2017/06/stampin-up-merry-mistletoe.html

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post where I finish my "year in review"! As I'm scrolling through all of the posts here on my blog for the past year, there's just too many favorites not to share!

Use the December host code  ETH3RQQS to receive a thank you card (un-signed so YOU can send it to someone else!) and a little embellishment gift from me when you place your order in my online store: http://bit.ly/shopwithCarolPayneStamps

Cool Treats Photopolymer Stamp Set [142982] $27.00	Frozen Treats Framelits Dies [142756] $27.00	Polka Dot Basics Textured Impressions Embossing Folder [143709] $7.50	Sheltering Tree Photopolymer Stamp Set [137163] $25.00
High Tide Photopolymer Stamp Set [143006] $26.00	Big On Birthdays Photopolymer Stamp Set [142877] $27.00	Flourishing Phrases Clear-Mount Stamp Set [141534] $37.00	Timeless Textures Clear-Mount Stamp Set [140517] $20.00
Daisy Delight Photopolymer Bundle [145361] $31.50	Beautiful You Clear-Mount Stamp Set [143637] $28.00	Sunshine Wishes Thinlits Dies [141489] $27.00	Tranquil Tulips Photopolymer Stamp Set [143767] $10.00
Birthday Delivery Photopolymer Bundle [145294] $62.00	Lots Of Love Clear-Mount Stamp Set [143802] $19.00	Whole Lot Of Lovely Designer Series Paper [144110] $11.00	Layered Leaves Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder [143704] $9.00
Merry Mistletoe Clear-Mount Stamp Set [143655] $19.00	Stampin' Pierce Mat [126199] $5.00

 If your order is over $150, please don’t use this code, because YOU ARE THE HOST and get to choose free Stampin’ Rewards. You will still receive your thank you card and embellishment gift from me!

Stampin' Up!'s Year End Sale will end on January 2nd, but there are still great discounts available on stamps, dies, and embellishments. Don’t wait any longer, they are only available while supplies last!

Here’s the link to the Retiring and Surplus List:

https://su-media.s3.amazonaws.com/media/Promotions/NA/2017/Year%20End%20Sale/Year%20End%20Sale%20Event%20US.pdf

If you prefer to not use my online store but would still like to place an order, you can always give me a call or a text:  618-237-6281

Or send me an email: carol@carolpaynestamps.com

That's all for now. until tomorrow, have a Stampingrox! day!

All images ©Stampin' Up!™1990-2017