Harvest Hello Teacher's Gift

Hello and welcome to my blog; today I am going to share with you a super quick and easy project to give to your favorite teacher when you head back to school.  I used products from the 2019 Annual Catalog and some new products from the 2019 Holiday Catalog that will release on September 4, 2019.  I used the upcoming Harvest Hello Stamp Set and matching punch from the Holiday Catalog.  Here's a look at the project.

 Tips & Tricks: 

I used the Kraft Pillow Boxes (#147018) as the base of my gift holder.  I secured one end with Tear & Tape Adhesive (#138995) and a few Mini Glue Dots (103683) just for added security.  I then closed that end and pressed it really well with my Bone Folder (102300) both on the outside and the inside.  

I left to top of the pillow box open so I could slip the pens on the inside.  I could fit five pens comfortably in the box without any issues.  The Craft Pillow boxes are such a great buy for treats because you get ten in a pack for only $5.00 US.  You can not beat that.  I then wrapped about 15" of the 1/2" Granny Apple Green Textured Weave Ribbon (146920) around the pillow box and tied it in a bow.

I created the tag with the Tags & More Accessory Kit (149652).  And, let me just tell you that if you are looking to make a lot of tags for all occasions this is another great buy.  You get 10 tag bases (5 each of 2 designs) 10 layering tags, 3 different thick baker's twines, Copper washi tape, and 10 copper library clips to use on your projects.   So basically you are averaging about twenty-six cents a tag, not bad at all.  And that's only if you are using everything on each tag, which I did not.  When you start pricing things out you can see that the $9.00 for the kit is a super great deal.
I picked one of the Granny Apple Green tags and wrapped a little of the Copper Washi Tape around at the bottom.  I secured it on my project with a little of the Granny Apple Green and White Baker's Twine from the Kit.

I made the apple on the tag using the NEW Harvest Hellos Bundle from the Holiday Catalog which will release on September 4, 2019.  I stamped everything on scrap cardstocks in Real Red, Soft Suede, and Granny Apple Green.  I stamped everything using the Harvest Hello Stamp Set in Tuxedo Black Ink (132708) and then punched it all out using the matching Apple Builder punch (Available September 4, 2019).  I put the apple together using mini glue dots and then used a few Stampin' Dimensionals (104430) behind to secure it in place and then popped it up on the tag.  And, that my friends is my super quick and easy project.

Happy Stampin'
Rick 

Stampin' Up! Shopping List

Harvest Hellos Bundle (En) [153037] $35.00	Kraft Pillow Boxes [147018] $5.00	Tags & More Accessory Kit [149652] $9.00	Real Red 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [102482] $8.75
Granny Apple Green 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146990] $8.75	Soft Suede 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [115318] $8.75	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708] $6.00	Tear & Tape Adhesive [138995] $7.00
Bone Folder [102300] $7.00	Mini Glue Dots [103683] $5.25	Granny Apple Green 1/2" (1.3 Cm) Textured Weave Ribbon [146920] $7.50	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430] $4.00

You have to ways to get the August Creative Stampers Tutorial Bundle.  1.) Earn it FREE with a qualifying order (see above host code information).  2.) You can purchase it from my Tutorial Store for $20 US by clicking here as a Instant Download.  This month's Creative Stampers Tutorial Bundle features projects using products from the Come Sail Away Suite.  

Find out more information and register for my Holiday Catalog Product Shares Here!

With the Extra Extra Joining Special, you earn 2 times the Extras!  Join my family of Kinsmon Crafters now and earn an extra $30 in FREE items to add to your $99 Starter kit.  That means you can pick out $155 of wonderful Stampin' Up! Products for only $99.  And you get FREE shipping on your starter kit.  Extra #2 You will receive a $10 Coupon Code if you Sign up in July to use in August. If you sign up in August, your will get the Coupon Code to use in September.  Have questions visit my Join my Team Page and my FAQ page for more details.  

Three main reasons to Join!  

1.     You Get at least a 20% discount on all your orders while you are a demo.   

2.     You get to join my fun Kinsmon Crafters Team and Private Facebook Group.

3.     Access to directions to all my online classes 

I All Ready Know I Want to Join!  Sign Me UP!

Redeem Your Coupons Now before August 31, 2019 Click here to find out how!

 Subscribe today! 

Slizzin’ Summer Promotion:

Summer's here and I am ready to beat the heat!  To celebrate Summer, I am going to run a three month promotion with the chance to earn a prize in September!  I will be giving away a few prizes from the Holiday Catalog in September and you can get your name in the Coconut now! 

Details: 
Get your name in the Coconut for some free Holiday Products to be given away in September!  Here's how you will earn tokens during June, July, & August!  

• 1 token for purchasing one of my Online Classes 
• 1 token for every $30 you spend during June, July, & August!*
• 2 tokens for referring a friend and they sign up for a class with me & mention in their email that you referred them
• 5 tokens for joining my team 
• 10 tokens for hosting a party online or in your home

Names will all be put into a hat and drawn live on Tuesday, September 17th at 4 pm CST during my Facebook Live! 

Fine Print: 
*Can not be combined with any other special offer   This is not a promotion ran or endorsed by Stampin' Up! This promotion is solely ran by Rick Adkins Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator This offer is only good for those that live in the United States and prizes can only be won by a US Resident 

August Christmas Card Club Card using this months featured set Making Christmas Bright

Hello and welcome to my blog; today I am going to share with you one of the cards from this month's Christmas Card Club.  This month I featured the Making Christmas Bright Stamp set for my August Christmas Card Club.  If you would like to join my Christmas Card Club there's still three months left to do so.  We make about eight or so cards each month.  I send you a card kit each month and a goody bag to use on your projects and you provide the stamps, ink, and adhesive.  All for only $40 each month.  Here's one of the cards that we made this month.

Each month in my Christmas Card Club I do a card with a nontraditional color scheme as well as more traditional ones as well.  I know that not everyone likes to send traditional cards so I try to create a design for everyone's taste.  If you would like to learn more about my Christmas Card Club you can do so by clicking here.  If you sign up by the 20th of this month you can still get this month's Club packet sent to you.

Thanks for dropping by today.  I hope that you will join us for the next three months of my Christmas Card Club.  I will be featuring products from the 2019 Holiday Catalog for the next three months in club, you will not want to miss out.

Happy Stampin' 

Rick 

August Christmas Card Club Featured Stamp Set: 

Making Christmas Bright Photopolymer Stamp Set - 148046

Price: $21.00

Supply List

Rodney's Memorial Card and How Grateful I feel Right Now and why I feel Grateful Even with Him Gone!

Hello and welcome to my blog; today I am going to share with you the card that I made in honor of my little brother that passed yesterday and to show how grateful I am for him and the last few month's that he spent with me as I took care of him.  Something that I never thought I would have to do was to be a caregiver to my baby brother.  But, I am grateful for the opportunity to be his caregiver.  I used the Botanical Bliss stamp set and matching dies to create my card today.

A Little Backstory: 

As must of you know that follow me on Facebook knew that Rodney had been very sick since January and had been in and out of the hospital, physical rehab and staying with myself and Charles as we helped him to recover.  Rodney had been on dialysis for the last four years and he had started missing some appointments after my mom died.  He didn't want to bother myself or my sister because he didn't have a way so he just wouldn't go.  If you know any one on dialysis you know that this is very dangerous and can cause the potassium in your body to build up and can lead to losing the use of limbs and even death.  So we made the decision that he would come and stay with us and I would make sure he made his appointments.  So we moved him into one of our downstairs bedrooms back at the end of April first of May and we started going to our appointments and he had physical therapy and occupational therapy a couple times a week at the house.

During this time he had some issues and got sick again and again.  He had swelling in his stomach and we tried to get appointments with different doctors, but before the appointments he would be hospitalized.  During his time in the hospital no one would listen to him about the feeling of nauseated and not being hungry.  That didn't seem to be the concern even with us telling them that he was eating before this very good.  That doctor sent him home without care.
Well the next trip to the ER was a couple weeks later and they were sending him home because they couldn't find anything wrong.  As we were in the parking lot, about to get him in the car because he was so weak to stand, he throw blood clots to his lungs and was rushed back in.  He actually died that day and they got him back.  He was in the hospital for a little over a week and they sent him to rehab.

He was in rehab for about a day and a half and had to go back to the ER his oxygen levels was way to low.  This time he coded in the ER again and was gone for three minutes.  They had to put him on a ventilator when they got him back.  He was rushed to the CCU1 unit and that's were he stayed for the last week and a few days before he passed yesterday.  The CCU1 team was fabulous, they took very good care of him, and we all thought he was making a great turn around.  One thing I can say is that my baby brother was a fighter this last week or so.  He fought harder than anyone I know to stay with us but eventually his body gave out.

Working Through the Pain: 

As I sat back and had my emotions yesterday, I thought about all the good times and how grateful I was to have been able to spend these last few months with him again as we did growing up.  I am thankful for being able to be his caregiver, even during the hard times.  And, believe me there was many over the last few months.  There's nothing more painful than to see someone you care about suffer or in pain.  So as I sat in my studio yesterday and tried to create I thought I needed to do a card dedicated to Rodney's memory and to all those that are caregivers out there in the world, and I know there are many out there.

I picked one of his favorite colors for this card; blue!  He loved blue as a child I am pretty sure that everything he owned was blue at one point and time.  So I picked three different shades of Stampin' Up! blues.  I went with Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana, and Pool Party and threw in a little Whisper White.  I then picked the stamp sets  I wanted to use.  I knew the Botanical Bliss set had this little bird image in it and I thought it was fitting since he was now soaring high with the angels.  Plus, birds are symbolic of freedom, since they can walk on the earth and swim in the oceans like humans but can soar in the sky and be free.  Many cultures believe that they symbolize eternal life, and are the link between earth and heaven.  As you can see I have the ocean theme as well as the bird theme throughout my card today.

I picked the sentiment from the Praiseworthy Prose Stamp Set and stamped it on Whisper White Cardstock in Bermuda Bay ink and then cut it into smaller sections to piecemeal it back together to fit my card.  That is one of the great things about Stampin' Up! sentiments they can be cut down to make them fit your own projects with ease.  But, the reason I picked the grateful sentiment was because I am very grateful for having been his caregiver the last few months, I am very grateful to having grown closer to him, I am very grateful for him being part of my story.  For all things, that have happened over the last few months that have made us closer, and more loving of each other and to other people I am very grateful.

Will I miss him YES, terribly!  Is this painful right now YES!  But I hope that others will learn from his story and take action and remember all the people out there in this world that are caregivers and be grateful towards them.  This entire experience has changed my life and for that I am very grateful.  Thanks for dropping by today, I hope that you have a blessed and grateful heart after reading this post, and remember that life is short and to cherish every moment and memory that you have of a sick loved one. 

Happy Stampin' 

Rick 

Product List

Botanical Bliss Cling-Mount Stamp Set [151284] $19.00	Praiseworthy Prose Cling Stamp Set [149454] $21.00	Bermuda Bay 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [131197] $8.75	Coastal Cabana 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [131297] $8.75
Pool Party 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [122924] $8.75	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [100730] $9.75	Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin' Pad [147096] $7.50	Pool Party Classic Stampin' Pad [147107] $7.50
Bermuda Bay Dark Stampin' Blends Marker [144579] $4.50	Botanical Tags Dies [146824] $27.00	Layering Squares Dies [141708] $35.00	Stitched Shapes Dies [145372] $30.00
Paper Snips [103579] $10.00	Rhinestone Basic Jewels [144220] $5.00	Multipurpose Liquid Glue [110755] $4.00	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430] $4.00