Happy New Year to my stamping and papercrafting friends! 

I'm particularly excited about this upcoming year and looking forward to the many opportunities it holds….. and one of the things I'm *particularly* jazzed about is my new "Banner for all Seasons" class series! 

I'm going to be presenting a new banner class every month of 2014, so if you were to choose to participate in every class, you'd finish the year with 12 seasonal banners covering themes from Valentines Day, to Springtime, Patriotic occasions, birthdays, fall, Christmas and more. 

Here's a glimpse at January's banner – minus a few additional bling items I'm still waiting to receive from Stampin' Up! – but complete enough I think you'll get the idea.

 
This banner is built on a neutral base (the 4 individual pennants you can see here) to which the monthly themes will be (temporarily) attached.  Think of it as dressing up your basic banner for the occasion! (Your basic banner will consist of 6 of these neutral pennants…… 2 each of the 3 shown below…. and January's class will actually consist of a "two-fer":  preparing your basic banner PLUS creating the Valentines embellishments.)

Now here's the really cool part:  You can take this class regardless of where you live in the United States!

That's because I'll be offering it in two formats:

• My traditional face-to-face class where we sit around a table together
• And also as a "To Go" class, where your monthly class kit will arrive via snail mail (complete with papers, die-cut items & as many elements of bling as practical).  You'll also receive your step-by-step PDF instructions via email.

Now here's what makes this particularly time-sensitive, though:  The base kit (which consists of enough canvas pennants to make 3 banners, heavy twine for hanging 2 of 'em, and 30 stencils) is in Stampin' Up!'s Holiday Catalog, which expires tomorrow, January 2nd!  So if you want that banner kit (only $19.95) I'd certainly encourage you to place your order for it today.  That kit will provide enough pennants to make 3 banners, but if you'd like to make more than 3 (think gifts, maybe?), a refill kit with enough pennants for 3 additional banners is available here. BTW, I will provide additional twine for your 3rd banner at no charge when you take this month's class.

Here are some other details you might like to know:

Q:  What is the cost of this class? 

A:  The class itself is FREE, but you'll need to sign up to participate each month and submit a product order of at least $40 – using the monthly Banner Class hostess code – by the 10th of the month.  If you're choosing the "To Go" class option there will also be a $3 fee to apply towards additional prep and shipping.

Q:  Will my kit include absolutely everything I might need to create these monthly designs?

A:  If you are taking a face-to-face class with me, probably in most cases, yes.  "To Go" class kits will include embellishment papers, die-cuts & bling items as far as practical, but Stampin' Up! does not permit me to include stamped images, and of course I cannot include inks, stamp sets, or basic crafting tools, so you'll probably want to use your product orders to collect the items you don't already have.  I also highly recommend sharing basic supplies among "To Go" class members who live near each other.  Schedule a time to get together at a central location, and work on your banners together.  If you plan ahead, one person might provide one stamp set, another person another set, and someone else the ink pads, for instance.  A little planning in advance could be fun and beneficial to all!  Don't already know someone in your area?  Then start up a little "banner" group with your own friends! I can help coordinate those groups if you'd like, and if kits are delivered to a single location we might even be able to save each of you a few pennies on your shipping fee!

Q:  Do I have to join in January? And do I have to commit to participate for a full year?

A:  Unlike a "Club" format, there is no ongoing obligation to participate every month.  While I hope most WILL choose to do so, this series of "classes" will operate as any regular monthly class….. meaning you'll need to sign up monthly and submit a qualifying order in the months you want to participate.  The advantage of joining in January is that the Basic Build-a-Banner Kit will only be available through January 2nd. (And of course January is when the Valentines banner class will be available.)

Q:  What if I'm unable to get a Build-a-Banner basic kit by January 2nd?  I know sometimes Stampin' Up! puts retired products in the online Clearance Rack. If I don't order the Build-a-Banner basic kit by January 2nd, will I be able to get it for less in the Clearance Rack later on? 

A:  I don't have any advance notice of that, but it's always a possibility.  But it's been my experience that items do not reach the Clearance Rack until several months after retiring, and sometimes they never show up at all if Stampin' Up! chooses to do something else with specific left-over items. If you are unable to order a banner kit by January 2nd, you may wish to make something equivalent on your own.  The individual pennant sizes are 5" x 7", and you'll need 6 of them per banner.  I may also devise a substitute item at a later time if demand is sufficient, so don't count yourself out altogether if you miss the January 2nd date!  🙂

Q:  If I join in a month after a specific banner has been featured, can I get that class later?

A:  I wouldn't count on it.  While I MIGHT make up a small handful of extra monthly kits that I could offer for sale in that case, I will not be able to go back and recreate past kits once those extras are gone. Sorry 'bout that.

Q:  So I want to get started!  What do I do now?

A: 

Step 1)  Order your Build-a-Banner kit at my online store by January 2, along with any other products you want, that add up to at least $40 in product (before s/h & tax).  If doing this for January 2014's Banner Class, please apply Hostess Code HCYPACUY to your order (lower left of page once you add your first item to the shopping cart).  Other items you may wish to consider ordering if you won't be meeting face-to-face with me include:  Rhinestones, Glue Dots, SNAIL & refill, Sponge Daubers, Soft Suede Classic ink pad, Early Espresso Classic ink pad, Stampin' Dimensionals, Grid Paper, Stamping Sponges, and other papercrafting basics you may need such as scissors, bone folder, paper trimmer, etc. It's likely that most of you already have many of those items.

Step 2)  Email me to let me know you want to participate in January's Banner Class, and whether you'll need a "To Go" kit. (Eventually I'll get an online system set up to make this process easier, but for now we'll work via individual email.)  If you're in the Post Falls, ID (or surrounding) area and you'd prefer to host or attend a face-to-face class, let me know that too, and we'll set it up!  🙂