What's New?

It beginning to look like a slow week at the store for new product. I've got a call into Sharon to see if we've got any new stuff and with my luck I'll get this post finished and on line and then the new stuff will come in!

In a carry over from last week I've got a couple of my favorites. Mama Elephant's new release has a set I should get. The set in the lower right is called Bookworm. I'm married to a bookworm and it's so hard to find stamp sets that encompass his hobbies because outside of Yankee baseball; books are it! (I apologize for the blurry photo. I need to take my time or put less in the photo!)

Right before I was set to hint 'Publish' Sharon came through with some new product photos. 

First up is graduation! We've got a nice selection of graduation papers, stamps and dies for all those 2018 grads out there.

We're also into themed displays. I mentioned last week that many of our favorite companies are going with an 'under the sea' theme this summer. We've got dies from IO, stamps and stamp sets from almost every company we carry along with some great inspiration pieces for you.

Next up is Concord and 9th. For those of you who follow Jennifer McGuire she used all of these sets in recents videos. Jennifer used the first two stamp and dies set to demonstrate how to create 'off the edge' die cut cards. To see Jennifer's post click on the word video.

This final stamp is one of Concord and 9th popular Turnabout stamps. Just in time for the Fourth!

I'm in love with the new set of stamps from My Favorite Things, Gill Friends. These next photos show a creative aquarium done by Kathrin Donahauser-Ruth from Germany and posted on the My Favorite Things Insiders Facebook Page. She used Gill Friends, Mermaizing and an older cat stamp set to create this 3-D aquarium. In the second photo you can see how she incorporated layers like we use in box cards to create the 3-D effect.

I cannot lie, I get a ton of ideas which leads me to buying a ton of product based on projects and cards I find on Facebook and Pinterest postings! This little gem is adorable and I hope I've documented it correctly to ensure Kathrin gets the proper credit for this project.

The Fourth of July is coming up and we've got a section devoted to the Stars and Stripes. Sunny Studios, Lawn Fawn, Sizzix, Taylored Expressions and MFT (and more) all have stamps, dies and embellishment that are July 4th and patriotic themed.

Lastly, are you a bag lady? No, that's not a rude question. We have lots of bag ladies here at Buffalo Stamps because they have one of these: 

Our canvas tote bag with a zip closure, gusseted bottom, outside pocket and side pockets make this a great way to carry around your basic kit for classes. Keep the bag in your car for BSS shopping trips! There's even a little pocket to keep your frequent shopper card so you don't forget it! The bag costs $12.99 and does not count towards your frequent shopper card, BUT - it will entitle you to special discounts and you are helping the environment by not using those awful plastic bags. Plus it's really cool to be a BSS Bag Lady!

I'm on the road again this weekend, heading down to the Philadelphia area to visit our daughter at her summer internship. She's a hardworking girl and we're going to try and give her some down time. We're also going to hit the ball park and hope the Yankees are hitting as they are in Philly on Monday night for a game. What a coincidence! Think they planned the schedule knowing we were going to be in town?! I'll continue my European travelogue next week and I'll say Happy Crafting until then!

BSS IDEA -A big Thank You

Welcome to the Buffalo Stamps and Stuff Idea.

 Summer brings with it a lot of celebrations, like Graduations, Weddings,

and birthdays.  So the card I made for this week is a Thank you card.

I am loving these new stamps from Stampendous with the big words.

Hope you like the card I created with the big Thank you.

Stamp -  Stampendous - Great Big Thanks (CRW-200)

Inside sentiment - Pretty Pink Posh -Everyday Greetings clear set

Papers - White card stock base card is 5x5, Gold

 Glitter Paper (DCWV Glitter Metallics Mat Stack), Black Card stock

and black with white dots designer paper (Bazzill)

Stamped and embossed image with gold embossing powder

Colored with Copics and dotted with a a white Sharpie Poster Paint pen.

LOVE this big words card!  Get ready for the Thank you's for all

the upcoming summer events.

Thanks for stopping by today.  Have a good week

Until later........

Sue Drees

Call me Goldilocks!

What a beautiful week we've had! If summer was like this all the time I'd be a very happy girl. Not too hot, not too cold - Just right! Call me Goldilocks! I've got some new things from last week along with some new stuff from this week and another little travelogue too so let's get to it!

First up from IO, what faces! Ostrich and llamas if I'm not mistaken. Janelle, these are for you! We've arranged them on animal print paper, perfect for zoo layouts and cards.

Many of the stamps companies we carry are going with a 'Sea' theme this summer. Everything from mermaids to sharks to all kinds of fish in every shape and color you can make are featured. IO is big on the mermaid craze.

Neat and Tangled came in this week and we are again, animal focused with a little floral fun added. Doesn't this dog die remind you of Rolf on the Muppets?

How cute is this flying giraffe and elephant! I know so many little boys who are really into pirate birthdays this year.

And we haven't forgotten the florals. Sweet blooms that remind me of the Hawaiian flower, plumeria.

Holiday coming up! Get your stars for the Fourth of July!

My little travelogue continues: One of our stops was Naples. We chose not to stay in Naples for the day but to take the Hydrofoil to Capri about 90 minutes away. When I saw this paper from Alexandra Renke I knew it would be the base for my scrapbook pages about Capri. Capri is known for it's lemon liquer, Lemoncello. 

We met our guide at the ship and she took us via boat to Capri and then by bus to the top of the island and Anacapri.

Once in Anacapri we noticed this vibrant bright flowering bush. The flower looks just like a bottle brush!

I wanted to show the plentiful lemons from Capri and along the Amalfi coast. They are huge! You can see a cantaloupe next to the lemon on the bottom right. Our guide told us that these larger lemons are sweeter than the smaller lemons we are used to and they are used to make lemoncello. My daughter made sure to bring a bottle home with her!

Alexa also enjoyed a delightful spritz cocktail with lemoncello in it at lunch. Taking pictures of food and drinks was a requirement on this trip!

I took pictures of the market stalls. Everything so fresh!

The other Capri product my daughter made sure to get was handmade sandals. We went to a shop where a gentleman sat in the window and handmade, to order, sandals. Alexa picked out the style she wanted, the leather color and width and in about 10-15 minutes she had a pair of sandals, custom fit! She was a happy girl!

That's it for this week. If I get more product photos I'll post again over the weekend. Until then or next week, Happy Crafting!

BSS IDEA - HUMMNGBIRD

Welcome to the Buffalo Stamps and Stuff Idea.

Good Monday Mornng.  Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

Short and Sweet today as I am running behind in everything

in my everyday life these days.

Love this wonderful Hummngbird  die.

Paper - Coral and White Card stock.  Designer Paper is Carta Bella Spring Market

White Glitter Paper 

Dies- Hummingbird Die-Tutti Designs (157)

Bow die - Impression Obsession (063-I)

Sentiments, inside and outside, Stampendous-Birthday Wish clear set (SSC1115)

Oxide Inks used to color the Hummingbird die using a finger sponge applicator

Hope you have a great week ahead.

Thanks for stopping by today

Sue Drees

Weekend Goodness

I thought I might find more fun things when I worked Thursday so I thought I'd do another post this weekend.  Here's what I found.

This may be old for you but it's new for me. I'm calling it 'MFT's Party Hearty' collection. So cute and I love the little toucans!

It may be hard to see but the martini glass is suspended on a string and if you wind up the glass before you close the card, when the recipient opens the card the glass will spin around!

Both the martini and margherita glass have shaker inserts that you can load with MFT's little ice cubes, sequins glitter etc. How about the drink charms? Stamp your martini glass on shrink plastic, cut out, punch a little hole, heat and Cheers! So fun!

These next two samples were brought back by Sharon from her MFT Retreat in Florida. The background on this first one was done with Distress (oxides, I think) Inks and the new Distress Glaze. Looks like you are looking into an aquarium!

As 'crabby' is my middle name, I love, love, love this box card designed by Stephanie from MFT (the Stephanie who teaches a class once a month here at BSS) and made by Sharon. I'll have to get this set!

I bugged Sharon for some more photos because we got several boxes in Thursday and Friday. I didn't want to wait for next week for all of them so here is a little sneak peek for your weekend!

First up is Impression Obsession (IO). They have great vacation dies and word dies.

We have a card on display directly behind the counter that features the lighthouse die. Very creative!

I believe I posted some of these earlier. They are from Birch Press which is a division of Memory Box. The layered dies come three to a pack and when you use them together they create this gorgeous, what looks to me like, stained glass effect. It also has the added plus of dimension as you layer one color over the next. I may have mentioned Jennifer McGuire recently posted a video here on the variety of combinations you can make with these dies. The price point is $45 - which may seem like a lot BUT - you get three large dies in each set. Check out our samples below and click over to Jennifer's site for more great ideas.

Lastly, a little Neat and Tangled combined with the small shadowed 'Hugs' die.

I'll be back on Thursday with more goodies from IO and a taste of Italy from Alexandra Renke! Have a great weekend!

Back in the swing of things...

We're all back and ready for summer and hopefully a relaxing time. Sharon is back from her My Favorite Things Retreat and everyone is back before the next round of vacations, trips, and weekend getaways start. Dimitra will be leaving the end of June for a summer is Greece so it will be up to the rest of us to help hold down the fort. Several of us have short trips planned throughout June/July and August so you will probably see a revolving door of people when you come in. We pestered Sharon for photos of new product so let's see what she sent.

Frantic Stamper has new dies! Everything from baby themed to adult beverages with some nested shapes in between.

Graphic 45 has several new collections coming out. We've got the first one in. It's like a French Around the World in 80 Days motif.

Pretty Pink Posh is following the summer trend of under the sea stamps with these delightful little sea creatures along with florals, koalas and cute kid stamps for us land lubbers!

I thought I'd share a few photos each week of our trip. We started in Barcelona, which I really liked, and where we boarded our cruise ship. I love the narrow European streets. We spent a day or so wandering around, eating tapas and churros (Alexa's favorite, dipped in hot melted chocolate!)

I love that in cities around the world you find bicycles to rent. Pick up at point A, drive to your destination and leave at point B!

 There was a large arc near our hotel with great detailed relief work. It anchored a large plaza that ran several blocks.

Barcelona is know for it's examples of architecture by famed artist Gaudi. We visited the Casa Batllo also known as the House of Bones. Look carefully at the terraces and the supports on the 2nd floor windows. The terraces look like skulls and the supports look like bones!

Nothing was left untouched by Gaudi. Up on the roof of this 6+ story building even the chimney stacks and roof itself were decorated. 

Walking through streets, not knowing exactly where you are going is a fun way to see these beautiful old cities. I loved the hanging plants and the way people brought the green of outside into the tiny spaces of their terraces and windows.

I'm on the lookout for anything Arts and Crafts - and I found it in this shop of beautiful mosaic pieces.

A display outside a shop, all paper! (Don't look at the reflection of the lady in the glass!)

This was a beautiful theatre/museum around the corner from our hotel. We ate lunch in a little tapas restaurant across the street.

The beautiful arched bridge connecting the two buildings caught my eye but it was even more fun watching this newly wedded couple trying to take wedding photos with it in the background as people kept walking by.

 Beautiful painted lacquer ware in a shop.

Alexa took us to the tapas restaurant where she celebrated her 21st birthday back in February. The food was excellent! (We had to take pictures of the food the whole trip long so she could post to SnapChat!)

That's it for this week. I'll see you next week, happy crafting!