Everything and more you ever wanted to know about Stampin' Up! Starter Kit

This will probably be a long post just to warn you in advance. There has been a lot of excitement about Stampin' Up! and signing up with them during their Sale-A-Bration event. I just joined on March 3rd and waited so ever patiently for my kits (I also ordered the Stampin' Memories Add-On Kit - see below post for details) to arrive this week. It felt like Christmas morning when the packages arrived!

The starter kit normally costs $199 (valued at more than $335), but during SAB, it's discounted for 15% off. And if you join during SAB, you may select any set (value up to $47.95) from the Spring-Summer 2009 Idea Book & Catalog for free! This is definitely a great time to sign up and SU! also does free shipping on their starter kits and add-on kits.

So what are you getting for that hard-earned $169 (after 15% discount)? Here's the list and if you see an "*" next to the item it means that item is recommended but you can choose a set, color, or assortment of the same price of less. I noted my change outs in purple and you can see I swapped out most of my stamp sets...okay, back to all the goodies...

Here is what's all included in the Starter Kit:

• Eastern Blooms Stamp Set*
• Fun & Fast Notes Stamp Set* changed to Flight of the Butterfly stamp set
• Big Bold Birthday Stamp Set* changed to Simply Said stamp set
• Fundamental Phrases Stamp Set* changed to Frames with a Flourish stamp set
• Fast Flowers Wheel* changed to Wheel Tailgating
• Stampin' Around Self inking Handle
• Pixie Pink Ink Cartridge* changed to Chocolate Chip Ink Cartridge
• Stampin' Pastels
• Bold Brights Assorted 8.5" x 11" Card Stock (2)* changed one set to the Soft Subtles
• Kraft Parisian Damask* Decor Elements (large) changed to "Direction of your dreams" in chocolate medium
• Decor Elements applicator tool
• Stampin' Scrub
• Stampin' Mist
• VersaMark Pad
• Blender Pens
• Whisper White Card Stock*
• SNAIL Adhesive
• Basic Black Classic Stampin' Pad
• Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad
• Brillant Blue Classic Stampin' Pad
• Green Galore Classic Stampin' Pad
• Pixie Pink Classic Stampin' Pad
• Business Forms and Tools
  

And here are lots and lots of pictures. The first picture shows it all except for the business forms and decor element and applicator tool.

Here's the Eastern Blooms Stamp Set...
Here's the Flight of the Butterfly Stamp Set...
Here's the Simply Said Stamp Set...
Here's the Frames with a Flourish Stamp Set...
And let's not forget about that *free* set. SU! automatically selects Define Your Life Stamp set which is sure to be an all-time favorite, but you can pick any set valued at $47.95 or less. There are "life" definitions for every letter of the alphabet...this will be perfect to use in scrapbook layouts!

This picture shows the DVD "Getting Started," Blender Pens, Stampin' Mist, SNAIL Adhesive, Stampin' Around, Chocolate Chip Ink Cart, and Tailgating wheel stamp...

And here are the pretty assortment of ink colors and the VersaMark pads...

And here's the Stampin' Scrub and Stampin' Pastels...
And here are the Bold Brights Assorted Card Stock in 8.5" x 11"...total of 12 vibrant colors!

And here are the Soft Subtles Card Stock in 8.5" x 11"(there's also 12 colors, but I already used 2 color sets for a card swap already!)...

And here's the staple in any stamper's paper pantry....Whisper White Card Stock. All card stock in this kit is 80 lb. pure color card stock and is acid free.The demo starter kit also includes 8 Idea Book and Catalogs...
And here are the business forms and supplies...

And more forms and supplies...

Well, I hope you enjoyed my blog tour of my SU! demo starter kit. Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments! Once we find that special place in our home for our decor element, I will be sure to post a picture of it.