Stampin' Central

Creating Butterfly Antennae

2011-02-07T23:01:00.001-06:00

I’ve received many requests for instructions on how I make my butterfly antennae. Once again this is something I can not take credit for. My very talented friend, adopted sideline and fellow demonstrator Susan Kubira taught me everything I know. <big grin>

For a large layered butterfly I start with a length of ribbon or hemp about 10”-12” long. You want it long enough to be able to go entirely around the body of the butterfly and thread easily through the loop. Fold the ribbon in half lengthwise and knot close to the folded end, creating a small loop at the top. To cut down a little on bulk, try to pull that knot as tight as you can.

Working from the back side, hold the ribbon loop at the top of the butterfly so it hangs over the top slightly. With your other hand, twist the bottom strands of ribbon once or twice.

While still holding the loop on the back side, continue bringing your ribbon around to the front and up the body of the butterfly. Thread it through the exposed loop.

Pull the ribbon strands and tighten up the loop, adjusting if necessary. Depending on the thickness of your ribbon, you might have to play a little to get it nice and tight. Trim the top of the ribbon to your desired length and admire your work … see how pretty it looks!!!

The knot on the back can cause a little bit of lift, so I always adhere these butterflies to my work with dimensionals.

Sweet Summer Sale-A-Bration Gift Box

2011-01-31T14:42:00.001-06:00

I want to clear up any confusion regarding the box I created for this past week-ends blog hop. I apologize if I led anyone to think that the template for this box was included on the SAB Digital Content CD. The CD contains only the new items in the SAB catalog: So Happy For You, Punch Bunch, Ice Cream Parlor DSP & Quick Accents Pack, Ice Cream Parlor Ribbon & Button Pack, Sweet Summer, Notes décor elements, Bliss. The box template I used is an add-on for the My Digital Software program and is sold seperatly: Mini Project Boxes - Item # 120171 which sells for $1.95 and contains 2 mini project boxes.

In order to create this cute little box, I went through several steps. None were time consuming at all, the entire design process came together in about 10 minutes – then all I had to do was print, cut, color and tape.

I started by selecting the multiple output option and a blank landscape 8 1/2” x 11” canvas area. I found the Mini Project Boxes in the Designer Kits section of the Stamps area. This box is mini box #1. When I applied it to my project I had to rotate it right and then select mirror. It then looked like the photo above and I was ready to “stamp” away.

The template gave me a nice idea of where to begin my design and what the end result would be like. I used various stamps in the Sweet Summer set, placing, coloring and resizing as necessary until I had my desired result. I rotated and resized the butterflies, bees and bird so they would fit into the tiny spaces.

When I had it all completed, I highlighted the original box template stamp and selected “remove” from the options. This allowed me to print it out without having my cut and scoring lines printing onto my design. At this point I printed it onto copy paper so I could check out alignment issues in the next step.

Now I needed to get that wonderful box template to print on the reverse side of my cardstock. I added a new page to my project, again selected the Mini Project Box #1 stamp, rotated, mirrored and then selected “flip”. I printed on the reverse side of the copy paper I used in the previous step, held it up to a light and I could see exactly where my design was going to fall when I actually printed it on cardstock. I did have to go and make a minor adjustment to my stamps – easily accomplished by using the Arrange menu and “select all” – then my arrow keys on the keyboard to slightly move all the items at the same time. I inserted my cardstock, and printed only the template page first. Then reinserted my cardstock to print my designed area on the reverse side (try to remember if the right or left side of the page prints first so your alignment is correct).

You could also just print the template onto copy paper and use temporary adhesive to apply it to the back of the cardstock you printed the design area on – then cut. I like having it right on my cardstock, it’s just a personal preference.

My last step was to create the flowers for the lid of my box. Once again I added a new page to my project. I went back to the page of my original design, selected the flower I had stamped on the lid and copied it (edit menu – copy). Then back to my new page and pasted it (edit menu – paste). I pasted three copies of this stamp, then moved them into one row and printed onto copy paper. Using the Dotto temporary adhesive I adhered colored cardstock over the images on the copy paper, reinserted into my printer and printed this page only. My multiple flower layers were now printed on cardstock and ready to cut and put together.

I hope I haven’t totally confused you with my instructions. This really is a quick, easy and fun project to complete!

Stampin’ Addicts 2011 Sale-A-Bration Hop

2011-01-28T06:42:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Stampin’ Addicts Sale-a-Bration blog hop, I am the 4th stop along your journey. There are 21 talented stampers on this tour, all are eagerly awaiting your arrival so they can share with you some of the wonderful products that you can earn for FREE during Stampin’ Up!’s Sale-a-Bration promotion. If you started at the beginning of the tour, you have just seen the bright and cheery creations Twila created using the fun Ice Cream Parlor Designer Paper & Quick Accents Pack. If you are starting the tour with me, you can continue on to visit all participants by using the link at the end of my post. If you get lost anywhere along the way don’t worry, you can find links to all the stops on the Stampin’ Addicts website.

I was so excited when I saw the Digital Content CD offered in the Sale-a-Bration catalog. What a great way to have access to all the new stamps, Designer Papers, ribbon, buttons … well … EVERYTHING! Did you see the Décor elements chalkboard piece on page 9 of the catalog? Guess what? With the digital CD, you are not limited to only hanging it on a wall and using chalk. The individual elements are available on the CD as separate stamps!

When I saw this I knew I was going to have fun with it. I decided to make a cute journal, complete with lined paper inside. In addition to the Chalkboard elements, I added paper, borders and an accent from the Ice Cream Parlor set; and a few buttons for good measure. You may have noticed that the colors of my notebook are not as bright as those in the paper pack. By creating this with the My Digital Studio software, I was able to lower the opacity and get lighter color tones. I can also submit this to the printer through the software program and have it professionally printed as a hard-bound journal. How fun is that!

While I was wandering around the software program, I stumbled on a template for a box and wanted to see what I could do with it. I decided to use the Sweet Summer set this time. The cute border at the bottom of the box is once again from the Ice Cream Parlor Quick Accents. When I was done with placing all my items where I wanted them, I printed it out. The majority of the coloring was done with a blender pen, markers were used for the center of the flower blossoms and the bees. A few strategically placed pieces of sticky tape and it turned into a beautiful little gift box!

Here’s a closer look at the larger flower on the lid of the box. This was printed out on scraps of colored cardstock and the individual layers cut out. I topped it with a glimmer brad, and surrounded it with lots of bling!

For my last project I decided to play with the Bliss stamp set and make a hybrid card. Believe it or not, I do not yet have this stamp set in my possession … all images were created using the Digital Content CD! It is one layer printed on Very Vanilla cardstock, which I trimmed and mounted to an Early Espresso card base. I’ve found that one of the greatest perks of using the My Digital Software program is that you aren’t limited to using a stamp in just one size. If you look closely at this card you will see that the background is the same stamp as the main image – just scaled much smaller. I also lowered the opacity of the back panel so I could achieve a tone-on-tone designer paper look.

Thanks for sitting with me and letting me share my creations with you. I hope you enjoyed these projects as much as I did making them! Follow the arrows below to continue on the tour. Your next stop is Sarah’s Ink Spot, where Sarah is going to share her gorgeous creations using the Sweet Summer set (yes, I have peeked already!).

Sidetracked Valentine

2011-01-12T13:50:00.001-06:00

I have decided that I am my own worst enemy, I’m getting sidetracked way too easily lately. Yesterday I found some time to escape into my stampin’ quarters with every intention of getting things in order so I could post details and photos regarding the butterfly card I made last week. In order to accomplish this task it meant I had to first clean up another pile of stuff that managed to get shoved on my desk. Oh my, all that stuff just happened to be the latest order of new toys I decided I just couldn’t live without. Here’s where I get in trouble, a little peak into how my brain works (or doesn’t, you decide): “I better first sort through the box to make sure this order is correct” … “Ok, now put this pile away so you have a place to work” … “oh wait, maybe I’ll quickly mount just this one stamp set”. I’m sure you’ve already figured out where the brain takes me next … “I’ll just play a little bit, the butterflies will wait”. Yup, they are still waiting – I was having so much fun that I totally lost track of time.

This is what my playtime resulted in (along with another mess – it’s a vicious circle). I have now decided that the Framed Tulips embossing folder from Stampin’ Up! is my new BFF! I love that with a few runs through the Big Shot and minor placement adjustments, this frame can be used on almost any layer size.

If you look closely, you can see that the main image panel is using the debossed side of the cardstock. I think it looks as beautiful as the intended embossed side! Many thanks to Sharon Field for her wonderful tutorial on how to accomplish this!

Once again, I chose to let this elegant frame speak for itself and not clutter things up too much. I used the Valentine definition stamp and surrounded it with some free-floating hearts. Those tiny little hearts were the scrap pieces left behind from using the Pinking Hearts border punch on the bottom of the red panel, scattered randomly and affixed with a very small dot of Tombow multi-purpose glue. They were laying all over my desk and I really hate throwing away perfectly good paper, figured I should use them for something!

PROJECT RECIPE:

Stamps: Valentine Defined
Paper: Naturals White, Real Red
Ink: Real Red
Accessories: Framed Tulips embossing folder, Big Shot, Pinking Hearts border punch

Vintage Puffy Heart

2011-01-07T13:57:00.001-06:00

The cold temps here in Chicago-land are keeping me inside once again – not that I get out much anyway (my children will confirm this little tidbit of information), but now I don’t WANT to leave the warm refuge of my home and at least have an excuse that others understand. <grin>

I’ve finally found a little shred of “quiet time” and am going to share details of one of my projects from last weeks blog tour. As previously noted, my task was to ~~play with~~ showcase the Springtime Vintage Designer Fabric line available now in Stampin’ Up!’s new Occasions Mini Catalog. I adore the bright cheerfulness of the colors, as well as the variation of fabric designs. In each package you will receive these three beautifully coordinated 100% cotton fabrics, each piece measuring 28” x 18”. That’s a whole lot of fun all wrapped up in one little package!

I know you’ve seen this photo before, but I like this card so much I just couldn’t resist posting it again. <hehehehe> To make the two scallop circles I cut a square of each of the fabric designs I wanted to use and applied them to a sheet of Big Shot Multipurpose Adhesive paper. I took my trusty bone folder and applied pressure over the entire pieces to make sure the adhesive stuck well. So I wouldn’t gunk up my paper snips or other good scissors, I used my craft/rubber scissors to cut those out and ran the pieces through the Big Shot using various scallop circle die cuts – resulting in perfectly cut fabric swatches!

I decided on a 5” square card and stamped the base layer with a background stamp, then sponged the edges for more of a vintage feel. I very lightly sponged the edges of my largest scalloped circle fabric piece, removed the backing paper and applied it directly to the card base, again using the bone folder to make sure it adhered well … layered a circle cut from cardstock … then another scallop circle cut from fabric using the same process as above. A bit of unsolicited advice when doing this (sure wish I would have thought of this procedure first) – only remove a small corner of the backing paper and start positioning your die cut, remove more of the backing and smooth the fabric as you go. This way you will get your piece affixed exactly where you want it with no creases, folds or bumps.

The dimension on this heart was hard to capture in a photo, it pops up about 1/4”. To achieve this I started by finding a portion of the fabric piece I wanted for my focal point – I loved the two little flower blooms, cut a small square of that section of fabric. I then cut a piece of card stock and punched a heart in the center, turned this piece over and applied snail adhesive around the edges. I began sticking my fabric to the adhesive, pushing a bit of the fabric through the heart as I went. When I was happy with the results, I ripped apart and stretched a cotton ball, smooshed those pieces into the fabric from the reverse side until the heart was puffed out – then attached it to another layer of coordinating card stock. I had a few spots that weren’t sticking well, so I used a very tiny bit of Tombow Multipurpose Liquid Glue and applied pressure for a few moments. The resulting piece was popped onto the center of the card using dimensionals which I double stacked for extra “lift”.

Lots and lots of Basic Pearls were used to finish this card off. I deliberately chose not to use a sentiment, thought I’d just let the card speak for itself!

Project Recipe:

Stamps: Bella Toile background, Wonderfully Worn background, Confetti background
Cardstock: Not Quite Navy, Rose Red
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Rose Red
Accessories: Big Shot, Scallop Circle die, Scallop Circle #2 die, Clear Circle die, Full Heart punch, Corner Rounder punch, Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets, Basic Pearls, cotton ball, adhesive, dimensionals

Stampin’ Addicts SU! Occasions Mini Blog Hop

2010-12-31T08:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Stampin’ Addicts Occasions Mini Blog Hop. Once again we’re ringing in the New Year by showcasing many products found in the newly released Stampin’ Up! Occasions Mini Catalog. These items will be available for purchase beginning January 4, 2011.

If you started this hop from the beginning, you just came from InkPaperStamps where Holly previewed some beautiful projects using the Petal Cone Die. If you’re starting the tour at my blog, you can continue on to visit all participants by using the link at the end of my post. If you get lost anywhere along the way don’t worry, you can find links to all the participants on the Stampin’ Addicts website. All links will remain live until Sunday evening, so take your time visiting, enjoy and come back often!

I chose the Springtime Vintage fabric as my item to showcase. I love the colors and patterns in this fabric, so bright and cheerful and definitely scream springtime! I haven’t used any fabric in my paper crafting endeavors, honestly never once thought about the possibilities.

I dug in deep for my first project – have to admit making that first cut into these gorgeous fabrics was darn right scary … but once I did it, I never looked back!

This 5” square card started with the puffy heart in the center and grew from there, layering scalloped circles of fabric with a circle of card stock. For more of a vintage feel I sponged the blue cardstock, if you look closely you’ll see I even sponged the edges of the blue scalloped fabric circle. Ink on fabric, wooohoooo!!!

My next project is also a card. In case you didn’t know, I LOVE cards! I also can’t get enough of butterflies so was super excited when this idea popped into my head. It isn’t often when I am able to keep a project clean and simple, but this was one of those items that less was definitely more.

For the body and antennas I dyed white 1/8” ribbon to match the Not Quite Navy, then looped it around the back. The butterfly is double stacked on dimensionals to give it extra lift. I wish you could see this up close, it looks like it is really ready to take flight.

For my last creation I broke out of my comfort zone, dug out my sewing machine and dusted it off (it was REALLY dusty!). Thank heavens it was still threaded (probably from the 1990’s) as I’m not sure I’d remember how to do it again.

I used one of those cardboard coffee holders from a local coffee store as a template, layered felt and fabric, hand gathered a strip of complimentary fabric for the ruffle and sewed it all together. I decided it still needed “something” for more interest so I cut some flowers using the Big Shot and layered them all together, then added one of the new big buttons. What did I end up with? My very own one-of-a-kind coffee cozy! (the red at the bottom of the cup is part of the cup design, NOT a sample of the Springtime Vintage fabric line)

Thanks for stopping by and visiting, I hope you enjoyed the projects I’ve shared with you. I’ll post more details and project recipes during the next month. Please continue on the hop and visit Lisa, who will be sharing some fun ideas using the Easter Blossoms stamp set.

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The Christmas card that wasn’t

2010-12-30T04:06:00.001-06:00

I had everything planned out well ahead of time, all paper cut and ready to go. This card was not overly involved, should have been a quick and easy thing to get out in the mail. Then all heck broke loose …..

First, I found I cut the top layers too small … went and recut it all, only to have my daughter (who is brilliant by the way!) ask me, “mom, why didn’t you just cut the lowers layer 1/8” smaller. Not like anyone would have noticed”. DUH! Now why didn’t I think of that! I put things off a little longer while I tackled some other holiday tasks, procrastination seems to be my middle name these days … then came down with the worst bug I have ever had in a long time. It took me out of the game for close to 2 weeks, took my husband as well and now has a firm hold on my brilliant daughter.

I probably should put them all together anyway and be ahead of the game for next year … and hope I don’t lose them in the meantime.

PROJECT RECIPE:

Stamps: Peaceful Season
Paper: River Rock, Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke
Ink: Always Artichoke
Accessories: Blender Pen, Basic Pearls, Always Artichoke Seam Binding

Holiday Bag Topper

2010-12-21T12:13:00.001-06:00

I love making toppers for cello bags. They add a special handmade touch to your small hard-to-wrap gifts, and are another one of those fast and easy projects to pull together at the last minute.

This is one of the toppers I made recently. A piece of cardstock, designer paper, a punch, button and trim … strategic placement and call it DONE! Best of all, it was made using only paper from my scrap pile!

The large button can be found in the new Stampin’ Up! Occasions Mini catalog, available for purchase January 4, 2011. It is actually the Pear Pizzazz color, yet still coordinated perfectly for this project. Ok, I will admit I didn’t pick up on this fact until now. <sigh>

PROJECT RECIPE:

Stamps: Bright Christmas
Ink: Old Olive
Paper: Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, Jolly Holiday designer series paper
Accessories: snowflake punch, button, gold cord, dimensionals

Embossed Snowflakes

2010-12-17T14:00:00.001-06:00

Arrrrrgh … the last few weeks before the holidays is NOT the time to be sick! Whatever this bug is that has decided to take up permanent residence in the family, has successfully zapped every ounce of energy from my body (not that there was much there to begin with). In a valiant attempt to get back to my blog (I’m sure ya’ll have missed me terribly!), I’m going to try to keep this short and sweet.

This is another card that was made at my holiday card stamp camp, inspired by many other creations I have seen. I have this thing for snowflakes, just can’t seem to get enough of them. When Stampin’ Up! released the Northern Flurry embossing folder, I swear my neighbors could hear me squeal with delight!

The snowflakes are embossed on vellum cardstock. The heavier weight of this paper didn’t shred during the embossing process and is still light enough to give the desired effect. I added several of the new self adhesive rhinestones in various sizes to give it a touch of bling, along with a bow made with matching satin ribbon. Did you notice the sentiment? I love how the new Decorative Label punch layers with the Holiday Windows movers and shapers die – perfect!

PROJECT RECIPE

Stamps: Snow Swirled, Serene Snowflakes, Northern Hearts
Paper: Marina Mist, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White, vellum cardstock
Ink: Whisper White craft, Marina Mist
Accessories: Northern Flurry embossing folder, Decorative Label punch, Holiday Windows movers & shapers, Big Shot, satin ribbon, Basic Rhinestones, dimensionals

It’s a Party!

2010-11-27T18:31:00.001-06:00

I know I’ve been teasing you for over a week now, as to what that mega project I was involved in actually turned out to be. Welllllll, without further ado … they are birthday invites for my grand daughters 1st birthday!

My grand daughter has a security blanket which is a combination blanket and stuffed owl – she carries it with her everywhere. Actually, she has several of these just in case one is forgotten somewhere, misplaced, in the wash, whatever – we do not want our little darling to be in distress! Since Cam is so enamored with Owlie, her mom really wanted to do an owl theme for her birthday. I didn’t have to be asked twice to be in charge of the invites, I was truly excited to have the opportunity to play with my new 2-step Owl punch. Those that know me well, know I don’t think in “simple” mode. I also tend to be somewhat of a perfectionist, am not happy leaving well enough alone. <sigh> So what should have been a quick and easy 26 invitations, turned out to be quite an ordeal – but here is the finished product:

This started out as bits and pieces of several other cards I had viewed online, then off in my own direction I went. The silliness kicked in when trying to figure out what wording we wanted on the front … I think my idea is rather self explanatory. <grin> I couldn’t find any current designer papers in Pretty In Pink that looked right on this card. My neighbor let me dig through her stash of retired papers and I found a few pieces that were perfect! I love the polka dot balloon, which is covered with crystal effects for more dimension; pink crochet thread added for the balloon string. The party hat is a small pennant shape cut from a scalloped square punched piece. Prior to punching and cutting, I lightly brayered Melon Mambo ink on the Square Lattice embossing folder and ran it through the Big Shot – LOVE how the design turned out!

The invitation is a postcard style, this is the back. I designed it using the Stampin’ Up! My Digital Studio software. I honestly could not believe how quickly this portion came together.

After completing the graphics and text boxes, I selected all elements and copied/pasted this design three more times so I ended up with a total of four invitation sections per page. I then printed it on Pink Pirouette card stock and trimmed each quarter page to fit the back of the invite. No embellishments were added to this side. Since all the details were typed in the MDS program, all my daughter-in-law had to do when I turned these over to her was to put them into a stamped envelope and drop into the mail.

For my public blog posting, I did edit out all the personal info … am pretty sure my son will not be thrilled with me if you all show up on his doorstep. <grin>

Unlimited Possibilities

2010-11-24T06:38:00.001-06:00

Have you been searching for something just a little different than the norm for your cards? You can make your very own embossed backgrounds in any design you wish with just a few die cut pieces, some cardstock and a crank of your Big Shot!

I stumbled on this technique totally by accident quite a few months ago, then quickly forgot about it as I became busy with other demands. Imagine my surprise when I started seeing many more unique creations using the same basic principle I thought I discovered! hehehehe, just goes to show you that great minds really DO think alike!

This is a sample of my original “discovery” … I used the Lattice die and embossed it into the background panel. I liked the end result so much that this became one of those cards I just couldn’t bare to part with, so tucked it away for safe keeping. Evidently I created this card before the color renovation became official, so please forgive the use of retired product. I felt it was a great example of this technique and photographed very well, so decided to include it in this post.

When I came across that card a few weeks ago, I decided it was a wonderful idea to teach to my club members. This time I went with a more seasonal theme … snowflakes.

I chose to use the new Northern Frost decorative strip from the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Mini, using several of the snowflakes and trimming some off at the edges of the cardstock. I now have a new “texture plate” of my own that I can use over and over again!

And the finished product this design was used on? Since one of their projects for the evening was a holiday themed item, I wanted to go with something just a little different. I felt this design could be easily used as a non-traditional holiday card, with a bit of a vintage feel … or simply as a winter themed greeting card.

PROJECT RECIPE:

Stamps: Fabulous Phrases, Serene Snowflakes
Paper: Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler, Deck the Halls dsp
Ink: Early Espresso
Accessories: Northern Frost decorative strip, Swirly decorative strip, Crochet Ribbon, Cherry Cobbler seam binding, snowflake punch, 3/4” oval punch, photo corner punch, antique brad, linen thread

Mass Production

2010-11-12T02:58:00.001-06:00

I’ve been busy, busy, busy the past few days – working on a very important project for a very special person in my life. My stampin’ quarters are in total disarray at the moment as I’ve spent the past 3 days (I am not exaggerating) doing nothing but cutting out all the little pieces for this project. My Big Shot got a huge workout, as well as a few favorite punches. I’m tellin’ ya – my arms are screaming at me right now!!!

Here are a few snapshots of my over-organizational skills …

notice the little containers that are holding all those tiny pieces; they are the plastic containers that Stampin’ Up! puts their buttons and brads into. I knew I needed to hang onto them for some reason!

All I have left to do is cut out all these circular shapes, then the assembling fun will begin.

Have you guessed yet what all these pieces of paper are going to be turned into? Stay tuned … I’ll be posting the finished project in a few days!

Winter Greenery

2010-11-08T10:15:00.001-06:00

I’ve been wanting to make a Christmas card that was created using minimal supplies and mostly white cardstock – thinking most everyone has an abundance of white in their personal paper stash. It all came together rather quickly – gotta love it when that happens! Once finished, I thought that this card might be a conglomeration of several cards I’ve viewed recently … there have been so many I can’t seem to clear my head of all the wonderful ideas I’ve seen. I guess I shall call it a loose case of too-many-to-name talented artists.

I did a lot of sponging on this card, covering the majority of the card stock with two complimentary shades of green. Then cut the brightness by dabbing a bit of very light brown ink on top of those greens.

See those little branches on the center panel? Look very closely … did you notice they are from the Lovely As A Tree stamp set? I inked only the tips of the single tree and stamped randomly around the corner of the cardstock. How wonderful to find yet another use for this fantastic set!

PROJECT RECIPE:

Stamps: Peaceful Season, Lovely As A Tree, Christmas Greetings
Paper: Whisper White, Old Olive
Ink: Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Ornament punch, sponges, linen thread, dimensionals

The Winner Is ….

2010-11-06T11:46:00.001-05:00

The past few weeks I’ve been working on and off to create some Holiday greeting cards. I’m not so sure how I feel about this card, for some reason it screams “County Fair Ribbon Winner” to me … something about that waffle paper and circle combo. It did get rave reviews from everyone else though, so I’ve decided I’m going to allow myself love it!

Once again I found myself playing with my newest Stampin’ Up! toys (isn’t that what we’re supposed to do???). I created this in one of my favorite holiday color combinations … Navy and Burgundy. I know, it’s not exactly traditional – but I’m not really a traditional kind of gal. While it appears there is a lot to this card, don’t let it fool you. It surprisingly all comes together very quickly with a few cranks of the Big Shot handle

I have to tell you … the waffle paper is tons of fun to work with and really goes a long way. I enjoyed it so much I just had to place another order so I could have even more colors to play with!

PROJECT RECIPE:

Stamps: Dasher, Four the Holidays
Paper: Night of Navy, Bravo Burgundy, Very Vanilla, Brushed Silver
Ink: Platinum Shimmer Paint
Accessories: 2 1/2” circle punch, circle scissors, Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die, Petals a Plenty embossing folder, Metallic Silver Waffle paper, basic rhinestones, dimensionals

Decorative Candles part 2

2010-11-01T00:40:00.000-05:00

Here is the second project that was made at my candle stamping class last week. Transforming these tealight candles into a decorative gift item was so quick and easy, I’m planning on creating more of these for holiday gifts!

I sure wish I could take credit for this clever idea, but must admit to finding it in my wanderings. Many thanks to Tanya Boser for generously sharing her talent and directions. I modified the size of the gift box to hold 3 tealight candles and added a divided insert. The images were initially stamped with one color, then markers were used to highlight various portions of the leaves to add some color and depth. I suppose a disclaimer should be added when burning the tealights. Since the image is stamped on tissue paper, it may burn – so never leave these unattended! I did a trial run on one candle and it only singed a bit of the image, but you never know … it is paper and we all know paper and fire do not mix well!

Of course, no gift is complete without a coordinating card. I love this simple layout using Stampin’ Up!’s square punches, layered with a wide strip of matching designer paper and contrasting scallop edged borders.

Project Recipe (all projects included)

Stamps: Day of Gratitude
Paper: More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Autumn Spice DSP
Ink: Old Olive, More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso
Accessories: Markers, square punches, corner punch, Scallop Edge border punch, brads, tissue paper, heat gun, scallop oval punch, wide oval punch, 1/8” grosgrain ribbon, 1 1/4” striped ribbon, linen thread, dimensionals

Decorative Candles

2010-10-30T00:30:00.000-05:00

Using your favorite rubber stamps is such an easy way to personalize those inexpensive plain white candles into a one-of-a-kind piece of artwork. I often turn to this technique when I’m looking for that perfect item for someone special who already seems to have everything. I can choose images and color combos that fits into their home décor, making it a heartfelt gift that is definitely for them alone.

For this candle I used my current favorite Stampin’ Up! stamp set Just Believe. To add a bit more interest to this solid image, I used markers to color in the flowers and stems before stamping. I added a coordinating greeting card, masking off a horizon line and sponging in various hues of greens and blues.

I finished this gift by wrapping it in a clear cellophane bag and adding a quick gift tag and piece of ribbon. Who wouldn’t love receiving (or giving!) this wonderful gift!

PROJECT RECIPE:

STAMPS: Just Believe, En Francais, French Filigree
PAPER: Whisper White, Not Quite Navy, Marina Mist
INK: Not Quite Navy, Wild Wasabi, Certainly Celery, Garden Green, Bashful Blue, Marina Mist
ACCESSORIES: Basic Pearls, Taffeta Ribbon, sponges, dimensionals, XL Oval punch, Two Tags die, cellophane bag, tissue paper

Missing Spring

2010-10-29T00:30:00.000-05:00

With these cooler fall days we are having in the midwest, I’m finding myself spending more time inside. Today I decided to sift through the pile of my cards that I just can’t bare to part with. Do any of you have that problem … you know, make a special card and then can’t handle the idea of sending it off in the mail because you will miss it too much? Maybe I’m just weird, but this seems to happen to me quite often. Anyway, this was one of those cards I absolutely adored.

I have seen the butterfly pansies used in many others cards, wanted to try my own hand at creating something with them. I must say, after my very first attempt, I was completely hooked. I love every idea I come across that is quick, easy and gives GREAT results – this is definitely one of those!

Many of the products used in this card are now retired, but this can still be recreated using any current items.

PROJECT RECIPE:

Stamps: Watercolor Trio
Paper: Orchid Opulence, Old Olive, Whisper White, Cottage Wall DSP
Ink: Old Olive, Orchid Opulence, Yo Yo Yellow, Elegant Eggplant
Accessories: Butterfly punch, Scallop Oval punch, Small Oval punch, 5-petal flower punch, ribbon, rhinestone brad, brads, markers, aqua painter

Playtime

2010-10-28T10:29:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago I found some time to play with more of my new toys, now am finally finding some time to share this quick little gift project with all of you.

These fun treats were made using the new Candy Wrapper die, then decorated quickly with a strip of designer series paper and some trim cut from the Tasteful Trim XL die. It took a little bit of playing around for me to figure out how to twist the ends properly, but once I successfully accomplished this task it went super fast! I’ll admit … I’m slow to catch on to stuff like this. <sigh> Four mini Dove chocolate squares stack perfectly inside!

Both of these dies can be found in Stampin’ Up!’s new Holiday Mini Catalog and are available for sale now through January 3, 2011. I can already see that these items are going to be added to my FAVORITE list!

PROJECT RECIPE:
Stamps: Tiny Tags
Paper: Soft Suede, Baja Breeze, Elegant Soiree Designer Series Paper
Ink: Soft Suede, Baja Breeze
Accessories: Big Shot, Candy Wrapper BigZ L die, Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die, Vintage Trinkets brad, Jewelry Tag punch, ribbon

Black & White

2010-10-17T10:12:00.001-05:00

Things have been hectic in my little corner of the universe, leaving very little time for me stamp. While I find the time to rediscover my stampin’ quarters, I’ve decided to revisit some “oldies but goodies” that for one reason or another never made it to my blog.

Black and White is one of my favorite color combinations, always seeming to leave the impact of clean and simple elegance. If you look closely these two cards are made using the same basic products, but have completely different looks (I think so anyway).

On this first card, I broke up the “whiteness” by wrapping a length of ribbon under the main image, tied it in a bow and hung a simple layered sentiment from the bow. The single red gem in the center of the floral petals gives an eye-catching splash of color. This card can go from birthday, anniversary, sympathy, etc., with a quick change of the sentiment.

I changed up the layout in this next card, opting for a quick and easy layering of punches. Since I still had all my embossing folders, texture plates and butterfly die sitting on my desk, I decided to use them once again. A single piece of gingham ribbon wrapped around the butterfly draws the eye naturally to the focal point. Adding a border punch to a single edge of the bottom layer retained the clean lines yet added the touch of elegance I was hoping for.

Project Recipe:
Stamps: Tiny Tags, Hope Happens
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Elegant Bouquet embossing folder, Backgrounds 1 texturz plate, Beautiful Wings Embosslit die, Scallop Edge border punch, Scallop Square punch, square punch, Jewelry Tag punch, rhinestone brad, Organza ribbon, gingham ribbon, dimensionals

Spooky Witch

2010-10-02T13:03:00.001-05:00

While wandering around the internet, I came across a card made with one of the newest Halloween stamp sets offered from Stampin’ Up!. I love how the originator used a piece of ribbon to create the illusion of a skirt (sorry, I don’t remember who I cased this from – really need to remember to write these things down!). I hoped my club members would have fun with this during their last meeting. I was not disappointed, it was definitely a HIT!

This is my take on the original idea. I added some shimmer to the background, lots of bats, sponging and even a spooky moon peeking out from behind the “witch”.

Here is a closer look at the shimmering background.

I’ve taken several photos of the card and can’t quite seem to be able to pick up just how beautiful the sparkly background truly is. A few drops of shimmer paint mixed with some rubbing alcohol and sprayed over a background is a great finishing touch.

PROJECT RECIPE:

STAMPS: Wicked Cool, Bring On the Bats (jumbo wheel)
PAPER: Concord Crush, Pumpkin Pie, Pear Pizzazz, Very Vanilla
INK: Concord Crush, Pear Pizzazz, Pumpkin Pie
ACCESSORIES: brads, blender pen, dimensionals, crochet ribbon, oval punch, decorative label punch, Scallop Squares Duo Bigz Die, champagne mist shimmer paint

Autumn Inspired

2010-09-27T04:04:00.001-05:00

We’ve had a busy and fun-filled week here at Stampin’ Central. Spending time with friends while stamping and chatting the night away is always a great way to spend an evening!

This project I’m sharing is one of the items my club members made at their most recent meeting.
I was inspired by one that I made while at a pre-convention event and thought the gals would have fun re-creating it. After a bit of trial and error, I did successfully resize it to use standard 8 1/2” x 11” cardstock. I love the changing seasons and all the colors of the fall leaves, so pulled out my new French Foliage stamp set (found in the new Stampin’ Up! Holiday Mini Catalog) as well as a few new ink colors and had a grand time putting this together. This is what it looks like when it’s opened for display:

As you can see, plenty of room for your favorite Autumn photos and journaling. This little scrapbook card was a huge hit!

PROJECT RECIPE:
STAMPS: French Foliage, Wonderfully Worn (background), Elements of Style, Friends Never Fade
PAPER: certainly celery, cajun craze, crumb cake, old olive
INK: certainly celery, cajun craze, crumb cake, old olive
ACCESSORIES: Leaves #2 die, Two Tags die, embossing stylus, dimensionals, craft knife, sponges

Quick and Easy

2010-09-09T13:05:00.001-05:00

While playing around with Stampin’ Up!’s My Digital Studio software, I found the most beautiful background paper images. These can be printed out on cardstock or computer paper and turned into incredibly quick, easy and gorgeous projects. I completed the two cards above in just a matter of minutes!

Don’t you just love how sparkly the background is? I used my favorite new Stampin’ Up! product … Gold Glow Smooch Spritz and sprayed it all over the front of the card base. The trick to not getting it too blotchy is to keep your bottle about 12” from the area you want to spray – this resulted in a nice even mist.

PROJECT RECIPE:
My Digital Studio Software: Summertime Splendor – Gerbera background paper
Stamps: Vintage Vogue
Paper: Whisper White, Dusty Durango, Daffodil Delight
Ink: Dusty Durango
Accessories: Hodgepodge Hardware, ribbon, piercing tool, smooch spritz, scalloped oval punch

Frayed Ribbon

2010-09-03T10:37:00.001-05:00

I’ve spent the past few weeks peeling, cooking and freezing 500 pounds of tomatoes. Ok, so I’ve definitely exaggerated on the 500 pounds – but if you’re the one doing all that peeling and cooking, you can call it any amount you want! Anyway, I’ve have these photos on my desktop for a few weeks now and finally have some time to get this little tutorial for the frayed ribbon posted … before I start the tomato process all over again next week.

I found this idea for a cute pocket card somewhere on the internet last year, it has become one of my favorite ideas to play with and the frayed ribbon looks beautiful with this. I’ve also found that the new In-Color ribbon from Stampin’ Up! is so incredibly easy to work with for this process.

First: Take a piece of ribbon approximately 8” long and cut off one of the binding edges as shown in the photo below:
Next, begin pulling out the individual fabric strands and set them aside in a nice little pile.

What you do with the leftover scrap piece is up to you … I sometimes toss them in a jar and use them under layers for a “fringed” look … sometimes I just throw them away because my collection has grown too large.

Take the pile of ribbon strands and twist them around a few times, like you were making a rope (this makes it a little easier to poke through your hole). Fold it in half and push it about halfway through the front of your eyelet (or punched hole). Now take those loose ends hanging out the front of your eyelet and push them through the resulting loop, carefully adjust and tighten the loop and trim the top of the strands to your desired length.
If you don’t want the looped finish, you can just twist the strands at one end, poke them through your hole, pull about half of the length through and tie the front and back – just like you would do with a regular piece of ribbon. Again, trim the ends as desired.

Did you follow all that? It really is a super easy technique that gives a wonderful and different finished effect. I hope you give it a try and would love to see your end results!

Tea Light Box

2010-08-07T01:00:00.000-05:00

Please forgive the photo quality of my pictures, my camera seems to be trying my patience today … it won! Remember, if you want to see any of the photos larger, just click on them.

As promised, over the next few days I will be posting the instructions and/or project recipes for items I created for Stampin’ Addicts Stampin’ Up! New Catalog blog tour. Today I am going to reveal how I created my Tea Light holder box. For the sake of photography, I used a scrap piece of white paper and drew lines in pencil to show where the score/fold marks are on the fancy favor box. While this die does call for a 12” sheet of cardstock, I used an 6” x 11” piece – making sure that I placed the paper at the very end of the die that did NOT have the overlap. This resulted in the overlapping tab (on the right side of the photo) being cut at approx. 1/4”, definitely enough for a piece of sticky strip to hold it all together.

After cutting the base of the box, I used the Clearlits Scallop Rectangle die to cut the inserts on the narrow side panels only. I eyeballed this, trying to center it on the panel – then cranked it through my Big Shot … repeating the process for the second narrow panel.

Now grab your ruler, this is where the real technical (NOT) stuff comes in! In the photo below, see how I have my ruler running right along the scalloped edge of those 2 scalloped panels? I marked a dot about 1/2” in on each side, then drew a line between those two dots … moved to the top of the box and did the same thing. MAKE SURE TO DO THIS ON THE INSIDE OF YOUR BOX! Then I connected the top and bottom dots to create my cut lines.

Using a craft knife and ruler, I cut out on those lines – leaving a nice little opening for my decorated vellum cardstock piece. Do the same thing on the last panel. You should now have 4 openings in your candle holder and the hard part is done!

I wasn’t sure as to the result of heat embossing on normal vellum paper so I opted to use the heavier vellum cardstock from Stampin’ Up!. I measured the openings, added approximately 1/2” to the top and side measurement, then cut my vellum pieces. I inked my stamp up with Versamark, colored with markers, stamped the image on the vellum, sprinkled with iridescent ice embossing powder and heated it all up. The result was exactly as I hoped! Attach these pieces to the inside of the panels with snail (I placed the embossing on the outside). A few pieces of sticky strip to put the box together and you are finished!!!

Again, I opted to use battery operated tealights (2 fit nicely inside this box) – I did not want to test the waters and see if paper really burned. <grin>

Project Recipe:

Stamps: Just Believe
Paper: Cajun Craze, Peach Parfait DSP, Vellum Cardstock
Ink: Peach Parfait, Not Quite Navy, Old Olive (marker), Not Quite Navy (marker)
Accessories: rhinestone brad, paper flower, sponge, 1/8” ribbon, iridescent ice embossing powder, circle punch, birds & blooms die (scalloped circle)

On a lighter note …

2010-08-06T14:47:00.001-05:00

Because I’m feeling rather sentimental today, I thought I would share one of my recent family stampin’ moments.

A few weeks ago my grand daughter wanted to make a special card for her father. I let her loose in Stampin’ Central, the only thing off limits to her are my precious markers! After a few minutes of watching the little tornado, I decided it best to cover her up and save her clothing from potential disaster. Here she is hard at work choosing the perfect stamps for daddy’s card and in deep concentration to get those images placed exactly where she wants them. She totally rocks that Stampin’ Up! apron!

Notice the almost empty spool of sticky strip on the top of the mat … it will come into play later.

Like all good little demos, she takes time to focus on her admirers and flash them that gorgeous smile of enthusiasm. She definitely loves what she does, and is more than willing to share!

Welllllllll ………

Until Auntie decides to get into the act – she wants her turn at a photo op too!

I suppose I do need to give kudos to Auntie, for supervising our little devil in disguise throughout this adventure.

Remember back at the beginning of this post when I told you to not forget about that almost empty spool of sticky tape? Leave it up to the mind of a 6 year old to find a way to recycle and repurpose an item that screams “trash bucket” to the rest of us.

A beautiful flashy bracelet that all of her friends would die for (no, this was NOT a gift for her father)! There was no additional adhesive used for this creation. All those beads stuck wonderfully to the residue left behind from the tape. Now we know our Sticky Strip truly IS amazing stuff to work with!

Thanks for letting me share this with you. I’m sure going to miss these precious moments when she and her family move across the country in the next few days.

Something Little

2010-08-06T11:56:00.001-05:00

I wanted to play with the new designer paper I “won” at convention so I created these little notepad folders for each of my club members, as a small token of my appreciation. They were each tucked inside a coordinating Stampin’ Up! reusable tote bag which was purchased at Momento Mall. Of course, their special bags also included the merchandise they ordered for the current meeting. This is the front and back of the folder – notice the cute Stampin’ Up! pen peeking out!

… and this is the inside. A pocket on each side…one to keep your important notes safe and one to house a mini legal notepad.

Project Recipe:

Stamps: Apple Blossom (level 2 Hostess)
Paper: Play Date DSP, Real Red, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Real Red
Accessories: Brads, Modern Label punch, Large Oval punch, Scallop Oval punch, Scallop Trim Border punch, corner rounder punch, Dotted Scallop Ribbon punch, 1/4” grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals, sticky strip

Just Believe – SU New Catalog Blog Hop

2010-07-30T07:17:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Stampin’ Addicts New Catalog blog hop. Are you loving the new Stampin’ Up! catalog already? I have really had to exercise some major self-control as I once again find myself wanting everything! If you are loving this catalog as much as I am then you will definitely want to make sure you visit each and every stop on the tour, 26 in all, each showcasing a different product offered in the 2010-2011 SU Idea Book & Catalog.

If you jumped on the bus at the beginning of the tour, you entered my blog after visiting DawnMarie at DMdesigns. Didn’t you just love what she did with the Cottage Garden stamp set? Bet you want to run right out and purchase it now! If you started the tour from my blog, follow the link at the bottom of this post to continue on your journey. If you get lost along the way, you can always jump right back on by visiting Stampin’ Addicts for the complete list of tour participants. This blog hop will remain active through Sunday, August 1st. Please check back often … and enjoy!!!

I am sharing a few projects I have made with the brand new stamp set “Just Believe”, found on page 109 of Stampin’ Up!’s new catalog. I swear this set screamed my name LOUDLY when I came upon it. Hopefully after you look at my creations, you will love it just as much as I do. If you want to see the photos larger, just click on the images!

I originally used this criss cross card box design for a shoebox swap I participated in while at the Stampin’ Up! convention, had so much fun making it I decided to do it once again – this time including cards! The piece of ribbon peeking over the top corner of the box is some of the new 1/2” stitched poly-ribbon. This ribbon is absolutely wonderful to work with, and gorgeous to look at!

Can you see I’ve also been playing with the new Basic Pearl jewels? Love, love, love these!!! They are self-adhesive – just run the tip of your scissors underneath and slide the pearl over – glue and pearl sticks to your scissors and allows you to place it exactly where you want. If you look closely under the “friends” sentiment on the card, there is a row of 3 of the tiniest pearls in the package.

This is the little note that slips inside the criss-cross card. Once again, the 1/2” poly ribbon appears – this time shredded and looped through the top to use as a “pull”.

For my next project I pulled out tons of my new toys and had a great time playing with them all … you really do not want to see my stamping quarters right now! On the main image I used my brayer and newly acquired skills to make a quick scenic background, added a few strategically placed leaf branches from the Two Step Bird punch and one of the new Bitty Buttons. The scalloped borders are are pieces of cardstock punched from the brand new Dotted Scallop Ribbon punch – yet another new love of mine.
Last but not least … a candle holder! Ok, so I am deathly afraid of fire and opted to use battery tea lights – but you get the idea. I used the fancy favor box die to create the box, as well as the new scalloped rectangle clearlet to cut the sides – and even more fun new products!. Be sure to stop back later this week, I will be posting more photos and details on this holder!
Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting me. I hope you’ve enjoyed the creations I’ve shared with you, as much as I did making them. Please stay on the bus and continue with the tour – your next stop will be Cindy, who will be showing you some fantastic ideas using the Countryside stamp set.

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Stampin’ Addicts “Last Chance” Mega Hop

2010-06-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Stampin’ Addicts Retiring Sets Mega Hop. We’ve all been busy playing with a few of the stamp sets that Stampin’ Up! has announced will no longer be for sale as of July 1st, 2010. I’m so glad you decided to stop by and see what wonderful creations this group of gals … oh, and even 1 guy … have designed to share with you.

If you started this tour from the beginning you came upon my blog after drooling over the beautiful creations Jennifer made with the Garden Whimsy set. If you're starting the tour at my website, follow the link at the bottom of this post to continue on your journey. If you get lost along the way, you can always jump back on the tour bus by visiting Stampin' Addicts for the complete list of participants. This tour will run through Sunday evening (June 13) ... so sit back, relax, enjoy and come back often!!!

I have chosen to share with you a few samples I made with the stamp set “Le Jardin Botanique” and maybe … just maybe … convince you that you can’t live without it! (giggle)

I recently splurged and took brayer classes offered by the “famous-to-the-stamping-community” Michelle Zindorf, and thought this set would be perfect for me to practice my newly learned technique on. Remember … I’m a beginner so please be gentle with me! In this first project I decided to make a 5 1/2” square card and try my hand at a landscape type artwork. I’m definitely NOT a botanist, have no clue as to what kind of flowers, berries, whatever I am using – so just went with my imagination. I thought those little berry leaves would make a fun “bush” (of sorts), nestled on a hill with a lonely tree and a bunch of random wildflowers. After this project was completed, I proudly showed it to my daughter who lovingly told me it was beautiful and looked like a fantasy picture. I’m hoping she meant that in a good way. What do you think?

I enjoy creating different sized cards than the standard, so once again chose a larger 6 1/4” x 4 1/2” size to focus on the floral image from this set. Since my brayer was still sitting on my desk, I thought it would be fun to play with it once more … this time brayering at an angle and only about 2/3 of the way up the main image panel (I’m definitely getting better at this!).

I embossed the image to make it pop a bit, colored the blooms, highlighted a few petals and the stem with a white gel pen – then stamped a few random leaves on the lower corner. Then I had to do it all over again because I “somehow” managed to drop the inked up brayer on the completed image. <sigh>

Did you notice the fun corner treatment I used on the Really Rust background panel? I used the very edge of the curly label punch and snipped off the corners of the paper … just enough to form that cute shape and let the designer paper peek through. How fun is this!

If you want a larger view of any of the images, just click on the photo.

Ok, so I’ve put away my brayer and taken out my spritz bottles for a change of pace … added some water and a few drops of re-inker and sprayed away on some whisper white card stock which had already been adhered to a heavy duty magnet sheet and run through the big shot. I used 3 colors for this process, but the photo isn’t showing it well. After it was dry, I stamped the images and colored the tree with an aqua painter. I really like the effect of this technique. This would make a quick, easy and useful gift for anyone … who doesn’t love magnets!

Thanks so much for joining me on the tour bus, I hope you enjoyed what I shared with you! Please continue on the journey by visiting Krystal who will be showcasing some fun ideas using the Good Friends set.

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Fun with Stencils – Part 1

2010-05-11T10:09:00.001-05:00

Once again I’m behind schedule with posting details of my blog tour projects … I think I should have an official motto … “better late than never”!

I have really enjoyed playing with the stencils, love the different appearance they give to cards and paper projects. These monogrammed note cards were very easy and so much fun to create, took only a few minutes from start to finish. I began by using some painters tape to mask off the middle section of the Mostly Vintage decor stencils – post it notes will work just as well, tear them into little pieces and cover the areas you do not want in your design. I used the 1 1/4” circle punch and punched from a sticky note to cover the middle image, it was the perfect size! Now the fun begins … place your stencil over your cardstock, take a sponge and dab, dab, dab your ink until you reach the depth and color intensity you desire. Carefully remove your stencil and admire your work! (if you would like to see any of these photos larger, just click on the image)

Now it’s time to add your monogram – since I drive myself nuts about placement, I used my trusty Stamp-a-ma-jig for stamping the monogram letter. I popped out the gems from a few brads and glued them on the cards using Tombow multi purpose adhesive and set them aside to dry. After completing the number of cards I wanted, I gently removed all the tape from the stencil. Now I masked off the outer sections and left the center circle exposed, placed my stencil over a corner of an envelope, grabbed my sponge again and dabbed some ink … voila, coordinating envelopes!

The tin container was purchased from Stampin’ Up! several months ago (or was it a year ago???), just waiting for me to finally do something with it. It is the perfect size for 3 1/2'” x 5” note cards and envelopes. The entire stencil image was used for this tin. This time I used craft ink to sponge with, as the color was a deeper intensity. I sprinkled the stenciled image with clear embossing powder, melted it and once again popped out a gem from a Rhinestone brad and glued it on. Tucked the cards inside the tin and tied a pretty piece of ribbon around it. A few tidbits of advice …
1: do not use rubbing alcohol to clean your tin of fingerprints (or whatever mess is left behind) – I found out the hard way that this will remove your embossing!
2: Be very careful when sponging and cleaning the middle section of this stencil! The design is very intricate and will rip. I found the best way to clean it was to just run the stencil under hot water – the ink came off very easily. Craft ink does stain the stencil, but I think it gives it that “loved” appearance.

Project Recipe:
Images: Mostly Vintage Decor Stencil, Lovely Letters Alphabet Stamp Set
Paper: Whisper White
Ink: Old Olive Classic, Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive Craft
Accessories: Circle Ice Rhinestone Brads, Old Olive 1 1/4” striped ribbon, Eyelet Border punch, Tombow Multi Purpose Adhesive, clear embossing powder

Stampin’ Addicts SU Summer Mini Blog Tour

2010-04-30T07:05:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Stampin’ Addicts Summer Mini Blog Tour. This tour is a preview of many wonderful creations made using items included in the new Stampin’ Up! Summer Mini Catalog. Items from this mini catalog will be available for sale beginning on May 1st.

If you started this tour from the beginning you came upon my blog after visiting Holly. Didn't you just love her marvelous creations made with the Elements of Style stamp set? If you're starting the tour at my website, follow the link at the bottom of this post to continue on your journey. If you get lost along the way, you can always jump back on the tour bus by visiting Stampin' Addicts for the complete list of participants. This tour will run through Sunday evening ... so sit back, relax, enjoy and come back often!!!

I am showcasing the “Mostly Vintage” Decor Stencils. I adore all the stencils in the Definitely Decorative line, this is quickly becoming my current favorite. I love the versatility, and that the set comes with an additional mask stencil. Fun, fun, fun! I don’t want to hold up the tour bus, so am going to keep things brief. Please check back later in the week for card recipes and more details.

My first project I decided to use both the main stencil AND the mask – wanted to play around a bit and see how these two items worked together. I wish I had taken a few pictures along the way as the original colors in this came out uber-bright … they actually kind of hurt my eyes looking at it. Figuring I was going to probably toss it and start over, I decided to soak it down with my water spritz bottle ……let it sit awhile to dry, added a few details and finishing touches. I decided I loved the muted colors and the final outcome!

My next project was so much fun to make, I used several different items from the Summer mini-catalog. The circle focal piece is actually the very center of the Mostly Vintage mask stencil. I sponged a bit of the mask, punched it out and decided to sponge the edges a bit to give it some depth. I felt this project needed much more of a vintage look, used the new embossing folder and sponged the heck out of it – then sponged some more. The Bashful Blue satin ribbon gives it a little touch of elegance.

For my final creation I chose to use the main stencil from the set, once again using only a portion of it. I masked off the unwanted areas – then sponged until I had the color depth I wanted.
I thought this area of the stencil was perfect for a cute little set of monogrammed note cards and coordinating envelopes. I was amazed how quick and easy these came together, might just sit down and make another batch for myself!

Of course, these wonderful note cards would not be complete without a matching tin to present them in!

Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting, I hope you enjoyed my preview of the Mostly Vintage Decor Stencils. Please continue on the tour by visiting Michelle who will be showcasing some great ideas using the Rough Type alphabet set.

Catching Up

2010-04-05T11:27:00.001-05:00

My apologies for not keeping up with my blog lately. I’m used to the craziness that seems to be a constant state in our family, but this past month things have been busier than normal – leaving me little time or energy for much creativity. I’m trying hard to work through the emotional roller coaster we seem to currently be riding, but sometimes it does get the best of me.

On to bigger and better things! I never got back to giving you the details on the projects I made for the birthday celebration blog hop. If you need a little refresher, check the post directly below this one!

Transforming one of Stampin’ Up’s new file folders into a “designer folder” was so much fun and surprisingly easy … a few cuts and folds, embellish as desired and look what happens:

Below is a close up picture of the cover details and what you find when you open it up. I cut a small strip of matching designer series paper and inserted it into the pen, making this a completely coordinated ensemble!

PROJECT RECIPE:
Paper: Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Thoroughly Modern DSP
Stamps: Define Your Life
Ink: Rose Red, Soft Suede
Accessories: Thoroughly Modern File Folder, jumbo grommet, button, polka dot grosgrain ribbon, linen thread

I love coming up with packaging ideas, sometimes feel the containers are so much more exciting than the actual contents! This carrier was another “easy-to-put-together” project. I used the Box #2 Bigz XL die for the boxes, laying my paper so the top closure was cut off. Sandwiched two pieces of cardstock between the boxes, punched a “handle” and DONE!

One side holds a bottle of bubble bath and body lotion, the other side holds 3 small bottles of instant hand sanitizer. I cut a strip of card stock, folded and adhered it inside to make compartments for each of the smaller bottles. Isn’t this cute!?!?!

PROJECT RECIPE:
Paper: pretty in pink, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper Pack
Ink: rose red, pretty in pink
Accessories: sending love epoxy brad – pretty in pink, pretties kit flower and pearl, 5/8” satin ribbon, 1” circle punch

Keeping in the birthday theme, I have a new project to add. When wrapping up a recent gift, I realized I had no gift bags to fit the items (dvd’s). I quickly ran into my stampin’ quarters (thank heavens the desk was clear for once!) and decided to design my own using some of my massive collection of designer papers. I added a quick tag made using the Kisses Sending Love notes offered in the current Stampin’ Up! occasions mini catalog, punched a decorative top, added a paper bow created using more designer papers, ribbon, tissue and presented the gift. Once again, I think the packaging is so much more exciting than the gift inside. AND … it’s a double gift – the recipient can use this cute bag on THEIR next gift-giving occasion!

PROJECT RECIPE:
Paper: whisper white, cameo coral, Pink Flamingo dsp, Kisses Sending Love Notes
Stamps: Whimsical Words (SAB)
Ink: tempting turquoise, cameo coral
Accessories: jumbo eyelets, 5/8” grosgrain ribbon, curly label punch

Stampin' Addicts Birthday Blog Hop

2010-02-20T04:56:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Stampin' Addicts first Birthday Blog Hop! Stampin' Addicts is a free website dedicated to all things Stampin' Up. They offer SU-oriented galleries, challenges and special events. This Birthday Blog Hop is one of several events being held this week-end to help them celebrate their 1st birthday. Membership at Stampin' Addicts is free of charge, and is open to Stampin’ Up! fans everywhere. When you're done following the hop here, pop on over and check them out!

If you started this tour from the beginning you came upon my blog after visiting Allison. Didn't you adore the young boys birthday ensemble she created? If you're starting the tour at my website, follow the link at the bottom of this post to continue on your journey. If you get lost along the way, you can always jump back on the tour bus by visiting Stampin' Addicts for the complete list of participants. This tour will run through Sunday evening ... so sit back, relax and enjoy!!!

I have created a sister - practical and pampering gift ensemble to share with you. My sister is very special to me and I don't get to see her often as she lives "fur fur away" as we say in my house - but I still like to make something special for her when I can. I decided to take a "celebrate your entire day" kind of approach at this ... are there any of us who wouldn't enjoy celebrating every step of our day? Without further ado, let us begin a journey through my sisters special day ...

*** SPOILER ALERT*** If you are reading this sis, stop now unless you really want to know what your belated gifts are!!!

The alarm clock rings, sis stumbles out of bed and finds her very first birthday gift is eagerly awaiting her ... just look at that trio of pretty boxes stacked high, bright red polka dotted ribbon cascading down the sides and a most beautiful paper bow perched atop (all Stampin' Up! items of course!). Whatever could be hiding inside? Should she open the boxes quickly or just sit and admire them ... this is almost too beautiful to take apart! Alas, curiosity gets the best of me her and she decides opening would be the best way to start off her day. And what a start it is! Gently removing the bow (don't want to destroy this!) and untying the ribbon, she lifts up each of the colorful box lids to reveal ... an assortment of coffees, teas and mini creamers, specially designed for her to use in her Keurig coffee brewer.

After several minutes she finally decides which flavor to enjoy, then makes her way to get ready to head out the door ... unfortunately, sis still must go to work on her special day.

... which brings sis to the second stop of her birthday celebration. As she picks up her keys she finds another package sitting right next to the door - guess she best open that up before heading out for a busy day at the office (or where ever she heads to). Oh my, now who wouldn't want to be seen with this darling note pad holder (and matching file folder!) in their arms?

Unfortunately, due to time restrictions I can not show you today just how cute this is inside ... a junior legal pad sits on one side, with a coordinating pen, and a monthly calendar so I always know what day it is (I seem to forget this little detail quite often).

Sis has had quite a busy day, gets back home to all those nightly household chores, and finally sits down to put her aching feet up ... and sees one last gift sitting on the coffee table. What more could she possibly ask for, this day has already been perfect. Ahhh, something special to help her relax at the end her day ... a lovely hand stamped scented candle and a gift tote of bubble bath and body cream. Wait, turn that tote around (sorry, I can't show you this today) ... there are 3 tiny bottles of instant hand sanitizer neatly snuggled in the box on the other side! Ok, I will admit that my sister is a nurse and I am sure she could use those little bottles of sanitizer!

Thanks so much for stopping by, I hope you've enjoyed spoiling my sister as much as I have! Check back later in the week for more photos of these projects as well as recipes. Please continue on the tour by visiting Carmen who will be showcasing boys birthdays.

Bitty Box surprises finally revealed!

2010-02-11T12:09:00.001-06:00

You would think being home alone would give me all the time in the world to stay caught up with posting to my blog - evidently that isn't true. I'm sorry I'm so late posting the details on the cute Bitty Box note card set you all loved, things have been a bit hectic around here. I've made a promise to myself that I WILL get this done today ... and hopefully have some new things to post soon.

I mentioned I found a few surprises I made while creating this, you might already be aware of these but they were new to me and I was very excited when I made the discoveries.

Discovery #1:
We all know how nicely Stampin' Up's Full Heart punch layers with the new Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit die, but did you know you could also make those cute little polka dots coordinate perfectly by inserting your heart into the same embossing die after punching it out? Easy peasy, and I love the subtle difference in the hearts when layering as above!

First, punch out your heart and position it inside the embosslit die as shown in the first image below. Close the die and run it through your Big Shot ... perfectly sized and positioned polka dots - yet no scalloped edging!

Discovery #2: Did you know you could add shimmer paint to your color mixture when dying ribbon to coordinate with your project? I am unable to achieve a wonderful photo to show you just how shimmery this ribbon is when sitting in front of you, just let me assure you ... it is gorgeous! The tiny glimmering light spots are pieces of the glitter in the shimmer paint, now embedded in the ribbon!

To achieve this all I did was put about 25 drops of water into a small plastic bag, add 12 drops of refill ink and 2 drops of Champagne Mist shimmer paint (amount of ink, water and paint depends on how much ribbon you are dying). Squish it all up, roll up the ribbon and put it in the bag. Squish it around again, making sure all the ribbon is covered with your homemade die. Pull out the ribbon and lay it on a thick layer of paper towels, fold over the towels and apply some pressure to "soak up" the excess liquid. Lay your piece of ribbon aside and let it dry ... which only takes a few minutes. Pick up the dry ribbon and admire your creativity!

And finally, the cards cards and envelopes which were super quick and easy to assemble. I took a 2" x 4" piece of textured Pretty In Pink cardstock, used the Pinking Hearts border punch to make the pretty edging at the bottom of the card. Punched out a few hearts using the SAB Welcome Neighbors dsp paper pad and layered them with the Scalloped Heart embosslit die. Using a coordinating piece of paper, I lined the inside of the card and made matching envelopes - stamped on the envelope and DONE!

On a special note, I have to give credit (as promised) to my darling daughter for her aid in designing and making this project. THANK YOU CASSIE!!! She claimed to suffer from "sizzix elbow syndrome" after so many hearts were cut and embossed ... could we possibly see a new medical diagnosis in our future?

Project Recipe:

Stamps: I {Heart} Hearts
Ink: Pretty In Pink
Paper: Pretty In Pink textured and regular, Rose Red, Welcome Neighbor DSP Paper Pad (SAB)
Accessories: Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, Organza ribbon, corduroy button, Full Heart Punch, Small Heart punch, Pinking Hearts border punch, Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit die

2 Tier Desk Caddy

2010-01-22T12:53:00.001-06:00

I was hoping to get details for this project posted sooner, somehow this week has totally gotten away from me and I've found it's Friday already!

Most of you guessed correctly that the larger piece of this desk caddy was made using the Stampin' Up! Fancy Favor Box Bigz Die. What no one figured out was that the border edging I created on the bottom box was NOT.

What I discovered was that using the Curly Label punch continuously on the edge of cardstock gave this interesting border very similar to the Fancy Favor box but not an exact duplicate!

This is how I achieved that pretty border on the bottom tier of my desk caddy:

I aligned the very edge of the paper with the edge of the punch, but not quite going all the way to the end of the punch. In the first image see how you can see the edge of the paper still showing in the punch window?

I inserted the paper into the punch again, this time aligning the punched out curve at about the mid point of the left end curve on the punch. I continued doing this across my entire piece of cardstock - then scored and assembled my box. I was thrilled and very surprised with the end result!

Here is a close up picture of the "grass" I made on the bottom edge of the box, just below the houses. I cut off the edging on one side of a piece of 1/4" grosgrain ribbon to give it a frayed appearance, then used tombow glue to adhere it to the box. SU says the color in this paper is Old Olive, but I chose to use Always Artichoke ribbon - the color truly was a better match for this!

To create my flowers I took a piece of each color cardstock I was using and ran it through the big shot with the Daisies #2 Bigz die; layered and glued them all down and spritzed several times with a mixture of Champagne Mist shimmer paint and rubbing alcohol. There really isn't a magic formula for this, I use a small spray bottle filled about halfway with alcohol and add 8-10 drops of the shimmer paint. Shake it up well and spray away! I let it dry and sprayed again - repeating this process 3 times. My photos still don't show how shimmery these flowers really are. I also popped out a few rhinestones from the SU rhinestone brads and glued them on the center of Stampin' Up's flower brads, for a bit more color and interest.

Project Recipe:

Paper: Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo, Old Olive, Welcome Neighbor Designer Series Paper Pad (SAB)
Punches: Curly Label, 1/2" circle
Big Shot: Fancy Favor Box Bigz, Daisies #2 Bigz
Accessories: 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, 1/2" polka dot grosgrain ribbon, flower designer brads, circle ice rhinestone brads, shimmer paint, sticky strip, tombow multi purpose adhesive, 2-way glue pen

Thanks for stopping by and checking out the details on this cute little desk caddy. Check back again, I'm hoping to get details for my bitty card box up this weekend!

Sale-A-Bration Blog Hop - Stop #5

2010-01-16T04:51:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Stampin' Addicts SU! Sale-A-Bration Blog Tour. All participants in this tour are featuring creations they made with items you can earn for FREE during Stampin' Up's SAB period (January 5 - March 31). For every $50 purchase of Stampin' Up! merchandise you get to choose one item from the SAB catalog free. It doesn't get much better than that!

If you started this tour from the beginning you came upon my blog after visiting Sarah. Didn't you love the wonderful projects she made using the Good Neighbors stamp set? If you're starting the tour at my website, just follow the link at the bottom of this post to continue on your journey. If you get lost along the way, you can always jump back on the tour bus by visiting Stampin' Addicts for the complete list of participants. This tour will run through Monday evening ... so sit back, relax and enjoy!!!

I am showcasing the "Welcome Neighbor" designer series paper pad. I'm tellin' ya, this pad is HUGE and the selection is fantastic! 72 total sheets of 6" square papers ... 3 sheets each of 24 different designs ... I had such a tough time deciding which designs I wanted to use, I love them all! I'm not going to go into too many details, don't want to hold the bus up ... check back next week, I'll be posting more details on these projects.

My first project is a magnetic post-it note holder. This cute little heart design makes a great background paper, the colors are so vibrant and fun yet not overpowering. The bird is punched using the brand new Two-Step Bird punch from the reverse side of the heart paper. I added one of SU's rhinestone brads, a bit of ribbon and a magnet on the back.

This next project was super fun to design and make, an idea I've had in my head for quite some time. I've been looking for something cute and small to keep my notepapers and writing utensils in, which seem to always be hiding from me when I need them. You could use this for almost anything - I found a few bottles of SU ink refills fit perfectly in the bottom section!

My last item is a set of mini gift cards and envelopes in a matching box - perfect for a quick and easy last minute gift! Once again, all these cute designer prints can be found in the SAB Welcome Neighbor paper pack. Can you spot the two discoveries I found when making these? They might not be new ideas to you, but they sure were to me.

Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting, I hope you enjoyed my projects as much as I did creating them. Please continue on the tour by visiting Sharon who will be showcasing the Whimsical Words stamp set.

Stampin' Addicts presents: 2010 Sale-A-Bration Blog Hop

2010-01-14T00:41:00.001-06:00

It's almost Sale-A-Bration time, one of my favorite times of the year! Mark your calendars for yet another wonderful blog tour presented by Stampin' Addicts! The tour opens at noon on Saturday Jan. 16 and will run through midnight Monday, January 18.

23 SA forum members will be showcasing items from the Stampin' Up 2010 Sale-A-Bration mini catalog - giving you some great project ideas to use with these items that you can earn FREE (one item free with each $50 SU purchase)!

Dedicated to all things Stampin’ Up, Stampin’ Addicts offers SU-oriented galleries, challenges and special events. Membership is free of charge, and is open to Stampin’ Up! fans everywhere. Click here to check it out (tell 'em Joyce sent you!), it's a great place to hang out!!!

Occasions Mini Blog Tour, Stop #15

2010-01-01T05:38:00.002-06:00

Welcome to the Stampin' Addicts SU! Occasions Mini Blog Tour. We're kicking off the year in grand style, showcasing many of the products in Stampin' Up!'s newly released Occasions Mini brochure. These items will all be available from your demo on January 5.

You may have arrived here after visiting Dawnmarie's site, didn't you just love all the wonderful creations she made using the gorgeous Shades of Spring designer series paper! If you are starting the tour at my blog, you can continue on to visit all 23 participants via the link at the end of my post. If you get lost anywhere along the way, you can find links to all the participants on Stampin' Addicts website. All links will remain live until Sunday evening, so sit back, take your time, visit often and ENJOY!

I am showcasing the stamp set Vintage Vogue, available in wood mount and NEW clear mount. I decided to be brave and try the clear mount set, must admit I was totally thrilled with how easy they are to work with.

The first project I'm sharing is a stamped picture frame. I purchased this several months ago with the intention of altering it - this stamp set seemed perfect for this project. I used Brocade Blue and Soft Suede inks, and the "rock and roll" technique to get some variation in coloring; then stamped randomly all over the frame. Since these were the clear mount stamps, I was able to eyeball the placement. What a super easy project and I love how it turned out!

RECIPE:

Stamps: Vintage Vogue
Paper: Bashful Blue
Ink: Brocade Blue, Soft Suede

Next I chose to try my hand at stamping on a tumbled tile. This was totally new to me and a fun learning experience. The distressed look of these tiles just seemed to go wonderfully with this stamp set.

RECIPE:
Stamps: En Francais, Vintage Vogue
Ink: Pale Plum, Rose Red, Elegant Eggplant, Mellow Moss

For my last project I decided to make a stair step card. This was once again my very first attempt at this so please excuse my imperfections! I discovered (by mistake!) that the new Beautiful Wings butterfly embosslit layers PERFECTLY with the Bigz Beautiful Butterflies diecuts. I had so much fun making this card and it seemed to continue to grow with each and every step. I finally had to call it quits before it became too busy.

RECIPE:
Stamps: Vintage Vogue
Paper: Bravo Burgundy, Pretty In Pink, Mellow Moss, Sweet Pea DSP
Ink: Bravo Burgundy, Pretty In Pink, Versamark
Accessories: White EP, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Modern Label Punch, Pretty In Pink Corduroy Button, Regal Rose brads, Little Leaves Sizzlet, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die, hemp twine

Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting, I hope you enjoyed my projects as much as I did creating them. Please continue on the tour by visiting Marie who will be showcasing the brand new stamp set "Tiny Tags".

SU! MINI OCCASIONS BLOG TOUR - BOLO (be on the lookout!!!)

2009-12-31T00:01:00.000-06:00

Woohoooo, it's almost here! Mark your calendars for Friday, January 1st when another fun blog tour will be presented by Stampin' Addicts! The tour opens at noon and will run through Sunday, January 3rd. 23 SA forum members are participating and each will showcase a different item from Stampin' Up's brand new 2010 Mini Occasions catalog - giving you some wonderfully creative previews of the new products available for order on January 5th. Your copy of the new mini catalog should be arriving in your mailbox soon!

Dedicated to all things Stampin’ Up, Stampin’ Addicts offers SU-oriented galleries, challenges and special events. Membership is free of charge, and is open to Stampin’ Up fans everywhere. Give it a look, it's a great place to hang out!!!

Forgotten Stash

2009-11-14T13:16:00.001-06:00

I was working on reorganizing the closet in my stampin' quarters yesterday and came across a package of cork trivets I had purchased several months ago. I'm sure you understand ... one of those things I saw that I thought "hey, I bet I can do something wonderful with that!", and it magically jumped into my shopping cart. Once home, it was put into the closet where it was quickly ~~buried~~ forgotten (I prefer to believe it was hiding from me). With the holidays quickly approaching I thought I would finally take some time to play and see what I could come up with ...

... a nifty message center! On the left side is a dry erase marker board for those quick little notes I'm always needing to jot down, the right side is a mini calendar and bulletin board. Lucky me, I just happened to have some push pins that color coordinated with the Stampin' Up! Cottage Wall designer series paper. I cut the prongs off of a jumbo white grommet, attached it to some ribbon and used it as a hanger. Below is a picture of it hanging proudly on display!

Recipe

Stamps: Flower Fancy, Grateful Greetings
Paper: Whisper White, Old Olive, Cottage Wall dsp
Ink: Old Olive, Orchid Opulence, Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Old Olive 1 1/4" striped ribbon, Rich Razzleberry polka dot ribbon, jumbo grommet, corner rounder punch, sticky tape

Slump-buster

2009-11-01T05:00:00.000-06:00

Need a card and have no idea where to start? In one of those creative slumps? Take a peek in your Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog, it's a wealth of wonderful inspiration at your fingertips!

On this card I used a layout from page 27 in the IBC, chose some of my fun new holiday toys to play with. Do you see the tiny bit of shimmer on the Santa and reindeer image (ok, so you have to really squint to see it - the photo doesn't do it justice) ... just ink up your stamp with classic ink, then use a dauber and lightly dab with the new shimmer paint - I used Champagne Mist. It really gives the card a sparkly glow! The smaller snowflake (Merry Details sizzlet) was cut from Night of Navy cardstock, then sponged with more shimmer paint ... oh how I love this stuff! If you're wondering, the background is just wadded up wax paper, which I smooshed in the ink pad and "stamped" it randomly in Brocade Blue and Night of Navy (saran wrap works well too). I really like the results of this technique.

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Wandering Words
Paper: Brocade Blue, Night Of Navy, Real Red
Ink: Brocade Blue, Night of Navy, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint
Accessories: Jumbo Snowflake Punch, Merry Details Sizzlit, Big Shot, Polka Dot Ribbon, brad, dimensional, sponge dauber, Scallop Edge punch

Finding Inspiration

2009-10-29T10:15:00.000-05:00

I saw an ad in a magazine last month, I loved the way they had patterned papers scattered for display. This idea has been rolling around in my head ever since and I was wondering if I could actually bring it to life. Stampin' Up! has so many cute designer papers, all of which I thought would be perfect for this project! Using a full 12" length strip of dsp allowed me to complete two cards.

I do have to thank a wonderfully kind and talented friend (thanks Susan!!!) for teaching me how to make the beautiful butterflies ... and if you are reading, you're right ... I WAS making those antennae much harder than they were!

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Great Friend, Wings of Friendship
Paper: Sage Shadow, Basic Gray, Apricot Appeal, Nouveau Chic DSP
Ink: Sage Shadow, Basic Gray, Apricot Appeal
Accessories: Big Shot, Matchbox die, Beautiful Butterflies die, brads, hemp twine, dimensionals, sponge

Paper Scraps

2009-10-26T15:20:00.001-05:00

I hate throwing away all those little scraps of paper I seem to create and it doesn't take long for my desk to become somewhat buried. This weekend I decided to finally put them to good use!

What more perfect way to use them up than to make some birthday cards using Stampin' Up's new Sweet Centers stamp set. These cards were my first attempt at this 3-D balloon ... it was a bit of trial and error to achieve the dimension I wanted.

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Sweet Centers, A Little Birthday Cheer
Paper: Ruby Red Textured, Certainly Celery, Crushed Curry, Whisper White, Happy B-Day SS
Ink: Brocade Blue
Accessories: Rhinestone brad, scallop circle punch, marker, dimensional

I was much happier with how this second card turned out. Using four scallop circle punches instead of the three that were used on the first card seemed to make a huge difference. I also popped the rhinestone gem out of the brad and glued it on the banner.

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Sweet Centers, A Little Birthday Cheer
Paper: Pretty In Pink, Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Happy B-day SS, Tea Party DSP
Ink: Almost Amethyst
Accessories: Rhinestone brad, marker, scallop circle punch, ticket corner punch, Tombow Multi Purpose adhesive, dimensionals

I Love a Clean Desk!

2009-10-16T11:30:00.000-05:00

I am all caught up, have spent this entire week finishing up several projects that have been patiently awaiting my return. I can't tell you how good I felt finishing those items AND finding my stampin' desktop clutter free once again. As my children used to tell me many years ago ... "this is the bestest day ever"!

My now clean creative corner kept calling my name, finally luring me back into it's web ... to make yet another mess (just a slight mess this time). I have always loved the look of those "pleated flowers" I have seen others make but honestly was quite intimidated to give it a try myself. Thanks to a dear friend who incorporated this idea into a class project (which was one of those many things I needed to finish up!), I discovered how very simple these were and decided to try my hand at making one for a card.

I started with the pleated flower, felt that the size and shape warranted a 5" square card for a change of pace. It is matted with the exclusive Stampin' Up! Bigz Clear Scallop Square Die. See that purple scalloped mat in the back??? That is made using 4 cuts from the same die, overlapping and adhering to make a wonderful mat for the original die cut. I love it when an idea in my head works out the way I envisioned it!

Card Recipe:
Stamps: From the Crypt
Ink: Versarmark
Paper: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Cast-A-Spell designer series paper
Accessories: black embossing powder, mini glue dots, pop-up glue dots, Bigz Clear Scallop Square die, circle punch

It's Party Time ... MDS Style!

2009-10-03T02:06:00.001-05:00

It's finally time to celebrate the official rollout of Stampin' Up!'s My Digital Studio software. Some of us from Stampin' Addicts have come together to throw a blog party to show you some samples of what we have been having fun with the past few weeks. This blog party is a little different in that it will be active for the entire month of October ... you don't have to rush through all the blogs in one weekend ... please come back and revisit as often as you would like! There is a button in my sidebar on the left side of the page that will take you to my announcement post where you will find a list of all the party participants. Without further ado, I'd like to show you what I've been up to, and maybe, just maybe, spark your interest in the MDS program a bit more.

For my first project I decided to make a birthday card using a photo my daughter had taken. Long story short ... my grandson is the ultimate Star Wars nut - when we were in Las Vegas a year ago my daughter saw someone dressed up as a Storm Trooper and was kindly allowed to take a photo to take home to her fav nephew. I have always wanted to make him a Star Wars birthday card, but alas, Stampin' UP! has no Star Wars stamps. What a breeze this was to make with MDS - took all of about 15 minutes.

I love the ability to create oval crops of your photos and mat them perfectly! I then located a star stamp in the software, resized to fit my needs and scattered a few in each corner - again, matting perfectly with a click of a button and adding drop shadows for depth. Then I chose a black brad, copy and pasted to add one to the center of each star. Gray grosgrain ribbon is in this program ... woohoo, perfect!!! Did you notice that little staple I added to connect the ribbon pieces? Yup, in the program also!

The first photo is straight from the MDS program, which you could then have printed through their professional service if you would like. The second photo is a "Hybrid" card I made using the same project. I just printed it out, cut and matted onto red cardstock - added brads to all those tiny stars and added a piece of hodgepodge hardware and red brads around the sentiment. How cool is that!!!

I am super excited about my next project, and LOVE how this turned out. I started out playing with the software to make some "designer" cardstock of my own. I used a script background paper in MDS, then added the damask stamp from Friends 24-7; copy and pasted, lined it all up and printed on whisper white cardstock. Then I decided it MUST be double sided so back to work I went, this time using a soft flower background - then "stamping" a torn edges floral border on the edges and in the middle. I turned the whisper white cardstock over and printed this design out. So what do you think so far???

Stay with me ... the next part is what I think is the really cool part! I took this card stock and cut out two envelopes using the Sizzix Bigz Scalloped Envelope die. Used the remaining pieces of scrap designer paper to form the bottoms and sides to appear more "tailored". Added a felt flower, large brown button from the Button Latte collection and a snip of celery ribbon to the front ... jumbo eyelets to the sides and Old Olive grosgrain ribbon to form the handle for this cute little purse box! Do you see the double sided paper in action and are you loving it so far? There's still more!

Can you see those cute little note cards peeking out of the box? Those are 3x3 cards (they fit perfectly!!!) which were once again designed entirely with My Digital Studio to create custom designer cardstock, then printed out on whisper white cardstock. I cut the paper into 3x6 pieces, to form the three gift cards. All I added was a photo corner punch using leftover scraps from the original box cardstock, a felt flower and a brad. I think these would make a really special gift!

I hope you have enjoyed my creations as much as I enjoyed designing and sharing them with you.

Remember, this is an ongoing party and all links will remain active until November 1st. Take your time, visit these Stampin' Addicts blogs often for more ideas on using MDS to its fullest!

DMDezigns/Dawnmarie: My Digital Studio - The Birdseye Overview
HowManyCats?!/Comeka: Digitize Your Sketch Library with MDS
Yapha: Turning Templates into Treasures
Willysgirl/Sarah: MDS Xmas and Extras
Hollylogic/Holly: MDS as a Design Tool (or How Not to Slice Up All Your Brushed Gold)
Lyssa: Playing with Stamps You Don't Own
Lilysinkpad/Sara: Simply Scrappin' Kits Go Digi
JulieA/Julie: Wanna Little Music with Your Slideshow?
lovetostampandscrap/Cheryl: Creating a Calendar to Beat All Calendars
Melina Stamps!/Melina: Man-Scrapping with MDS
BroncoMom/Joyce: Build Your Own DSP
Britiney: Clever Album Covers - A Piece of (Cup)Cake
S1itcher46/Kim: Hybridizing and Cataloging Collections
Kelli: Side-by-Side Test: Is it Actual or Is It MDS?
Scrapbookmama/Ellie: Keeping the Spotlight on Your (Adorable!) Subjects

You're Invited ... to a My Digital Studio blog party!

2009-10-01T02:25:00.001-05:00

We're trying something a little new and different for this upcoming event. Starting at noon EST on Saturday, October 3, Stampin’ Addicts will be hosting a Blog Party that will be done carnival style. I will be posting links to ALL of the party participants creations in this post. Each blog will also have a sidebar button that will link you to the entry with the master list of blogs, which should make it easy for you to find your way back. All links will remain in place and active until November 1st, so you can visit and revisit at your leisure!

This party will be showcasing many fun, exciting and different ideas on how to use the My Digital Studio software. Don't think just digital scrapbooking ... this software is so much more, limited only to the extent of your imagination! We all have had so much fun getting ready for this event and can't wait to show you how incredible My Digital Studio really is.

This is the party you won't want to miss (no special attire is necessary!!!). Be sure to join us this weekend as we celebrate the launch of Stampin’ Up!’s My Digital Studio!

Here's a list of all the blogs participating in this party. Enjoy!

1. DMDezigns/Dawnmarie: My Digital Studio - The Birdseye Overview
2. HowManyCats?!/Comeka: Digitize Your Sketch Library with MDS
3. Yapha: Turning Templates into Treasures
4. Willysgirl/Sarah: MDS Xmas and Extras
5. Hollylogic/Holly: MDS as a Design Tool (or How Not to Slice Up All Your Brushed Gold)
6. Lyssa: Playing with Stamps You Don't Own
7. Lilysinkpad/Sara: Simply Scrappin' Kits Go Digi
8. JulieA/Julie: Wanna Little Music with Your Slideshow?
9. lovetostampandscrap/Cheryl: Creating a Calendar to Beat All Calendars
10. Melina Stamps!/Melina: Man-Scrapping with MDS
11. BroncoMom/Joyce: Build Your Own DSP
12. Britiney: Clever Album Covers - A Piece of (Cup)Cake
13. S1itcher46/Kim: Hybridizing and Cataloging Collections
14. Kelli: Side-by-Side Test: Is it Actual or Is It MDS?
15. Scrapbookmama/Ellie: Keeping the Spotlight on Your (Adorable!) Subjects

I'm Back ... and playing with my MDS software!

2009-09-28T13:45:00.001-05:00

Due to a serious creativity slump, my tiny little blog has been feeling very neglected. I'm sure there aren't many people who check my blog on a regular basis anyway, but I still hate posting just anything - it has to be perfect ... at least in my goofy mind! So today I finally took some time to create something I felt was actually "blog-worthy".

I saw a card similar to this in one of the many craft magazines I read, loved the concept and layout and thought it would be fun to see if I could CASE it using SU's new My Digital Studio software. I'm amazed at how quick and easy projects are to complete, as well as the ability to perfect them without all that paper waste and frustration I put myself through. I think I have fallen completely in love with this program (surprise, surprise)!!!

Card Recipe (all items from the MDS software):
Stamps: Cheep Talk, Season of Cheer
Colors: Real Red, Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Basic Black
Paper: Real Red, Very Vanilla, Christmas Jingle
Punches: Modern Label Punch
Embellishments: Christmas Jingle Borders, Christmas Jingle Elements, straight stitching, buttons, brads

Think Fast! Think Easy!

2009-09-06T15:30:00.001-05:00

As promised, I've finally found some time to post more details on the Autumn Meadows card set I created for the Stampin' Addicts recent blog tour. Admittedly, thinking fast is NOT something I am proficient at ... but it is something I'm working on. I've found (for me anyway) that using SU's designer papers is a great way to make quick, easy and great looking cards.

On this card I colored the acorns in with blender pens and covered with crystal effects. I love this organza ribbon, so easy to die to match your project and always looks so elegant!
Card Recipe
Stamps: Grateful Greetings, Autumn Splendor
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, Taken With Teal
Paper: Autumn Meadows DSP, Really Rust
Accessories: Organza ribbon, tag corner punch, crystal effects, dimensionals

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I was having a hard time deciding what I wanted to do with the random leaf print in the series, which had a lot of white space - decided to use it on the inside of the card with just the border peeking out the bottom. PERFECT!

Card Recipe
Stamps: Grateful Greetings
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Paper: Autumn Meadows DSP, Really Rust
Accessories: 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, scallop border punch

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The large bold prints work very well as the main focal point of a card, then simplify with plain coordinating colors and a single stamped image/sentiment. This card really didn't need any embellishments, sometimes less really IS more.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Wandering Words
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Paper: Autumn Meadows DSP, Taken With Teal, Really Rust, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Scallop Border punch

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I know my tastes are different from others, but this has become my favorite card of the bunch ... again, quick and easy! I cut 4 rectangles of the same size in two different patterns, then just layered them onto a card base alternating the patterns. Topped with a single stamped image, a sentiment, piece of ribbon and a brad. I twisted the ribbon before affixing the brad, going for a "different" look.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Autumn Splendor, Grateful Greetings
Ink: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip
Paper: Autumn Meadows DSP, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: brad, ribbon, ticket corner punch, dimensionals

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Last but not least is the cute little purse box that all these cards get put into if needing something for a gift-giving occasion. The leaf was stamped with shimmer paint, embossed with clear EP and cut out - then sponged with various colors to give it some depth. It doesn't show in the photo well, but leaves are randomly stamped in Taken With Teal ink on the bottom section of the box.
Recipe:
Stamps: Autumn Splendor
Ink: Really Rust, Chocolate Chip, Taken With Teal
Paper: Autumn Meadows DSP, Taken With Teal, More Mustard
Accessories: Champagne Mist shimmer paint, grosgrain ribbon, large eyelets, scallop border punch, dimensionals, sponge, thin magnet or velcro for closure

Stampin’ Addicts Happy Holidays Tour – Autumn Meadows DSP

2009-08-29T08:00:00.002-05:00

Welcome to the Stampin’ Addicts Happy Holidays Blog Tour! This tour will take you through 20+ blogs, each showcasing different items debuting in the new Stampin’ Up! Holiday Mini Catalog … available for purchase beginning September 1st.

I’m stop #8 along your journey. If you’ve been following the tour in order didn’t you just LOVE Holly’s gorgeous creations at Ink Paper Stamps! If you’re beginning the tour with me, don’t fret – the tour is a continuous circle so you can see all the wonderful and inspiring projects. Just follow the arrows at the bottom of my post. Without further ado here are the fun projects I’ve created featuring the new "to die for" Autumn Meadows DSP!

This paper SCREAMS fall to me, so my first project of course had to be Autumn themed with lots of leaves. I stamped the leaves with Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint then embossed with clear powder – sponged leaves with Really Rust and Chocolate Chip inks and cut them out. Each leaf is stacked and mounted with dimensionals to achieve the layered look I was hoping for. I love how they sparkle!

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Autumn Splendor, Grateful Greetings
Paper: Really Rust, Taken With Teal, More Mustard, Autumn Meadows DSP
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, More Mustard
Accessories: Champagne Mist shimmer paint, ribbon, large grommet, clear EP, sponges, dimensionals

In my next project I tried very hard to think "outside of the box" (ok, so it was a very small box) ... a Christmas card using fall themed paper! I started with a piece of the blue chevron patterned paper (I think that's what the little wavy lines are called), stamped random flakes using the Serene Snowflakes set with white craft ink. Back to the new shimmer paints (don't ya just luv 'em!), stamped a design from the Delightful Decorations set using Platinum shimmer paint, punched it out with the new Ornament Punch - then layered it using the Holiday Windows Movers & Shapers. I did this twice (so it looks the same when you open the card) and sandwiched silver elastic cord between the layers. The inside of the card is another patterned piece from the Autumn Meadows DSP, felt it was perfect peeking through the window. This was my very first attempt at a suspension card, hope you are as happy with it as I am!

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Serene Snowflakes, Delightful Decorations, Four The Holidays
Paper: Very Vanilla, Taken With Teal, Chocolate Chip, Autumn Meadows DSP
Ink: Chocolate Chip, White craft
Accessories: Platinum Shimmer paint, Ornament Punch, Holiday Windows Movers & Shapers, Circle Scissors, silver elastic cord

For my final project I incorporated the remaining papers and made a set of cards with a cute little purse box to tuck them into. I came across this box template long ago (so long ago that I have no clue as to who/where) and altered the size to fit just a few cards. The main box is stamped with the Autumn Splendor set using Taken With Teal ink, covered the lid with a piece of Chocolate Chip large leaf patterned paper. Cute, cute, cute! I will post more details on this project later in the week.

I hope you enjoyed my projects with the new Autumn Meadows DSP, as much as I did creating them. Use the arrows below to continue on the tour and see what Lyssa has in store for you at Song of My Heart Stampers!

Links to all blog tour participants:

1. Tracy: Sweet Centers (Tracy’s Stamp Therapy)
2. Michelle: Grateful Greetings (Come Stamp with Me)
3. Sarah: Pumpkin Patch (Sarah’s Ink Spot)
4. Twila: Twick or Tweet (Stamp a Little Longer)
5. Sara: Haunting Hill & DSP (Lily’s Ink Pad)
6. Marie: Night & Day DSP (From Combat Boots…)
7. Holly: Autumn Splendor & Tablesetting Die (InkPaperStamps)
8. Joyce: Autumn Meadows DSP (Stampin’ Central)
9. Lyssa: Calendar Kit with Magnetic Box (Song of My Heart Stampers)
10. Trina: Gifts of the Earth (Stamps and Whiskers)
11. Kim: Wandering Words (Stitchin’ N Stampin’ on Paper)
12. Carmen: Cold & Cuddly (Stamping Addiction)
13. Ashley: Just Beclause & Christmas Cocoa DSP (Stamp with Ashley)
14. Dawnmarie: Berry Christmas (DM Dezigns)
15. Rhonda: Holy Family (The Stampin’ Bunny)
16. Kat: Delightful Decorations and Punch (Kat’s Kards)
17. Cheryl: Icicle and Merry & Bright Rub-Ons (Love to Stamp and Scrap)
18. Holly: Serene Snowflakes (Holly’s Stampin’ Mania)
19. Paula: Décor Elements & wood blocks (Stamping with Paula)
20. Linda: Charming (Olive Stamps)
21. Barbara: Simply Adorned (Creative Stampin’ Spot)
22. Yapha: Bear Bigz Die and clothes (Yapha Stamps)

It's Almost Tour Time!

2009-08-27T09:47:00.002-05:00

I haven't posted to my blog for quite some time, wanted to send a quick reminder that the Stampin' Addicts Happy Holidays Tour will be starting on Saturday! All blogs will be ready to go at noon and run through Monday August 31. Come back here to jump on the tour and see lots of wonderful creations!

In the meantime, I thought I'd post this cute little teabag container I made a few weeks ago. This is another idea I found when hopping around the internet, and of course once again I forgot where I found it (if it's yours please give me a shout and I'll be thrilled to give credit and link back!). I altered the size to contain 3 teabags and changed the lid up a bit. Doesn't the frayed ribbon look just like one of those oriental fans (use your imagination!)? I used tiny thin magnets for the lid closure, but velcro would work just as well. This is such a great idea if you are looking for a small and quick gift!

Project Recipe:
Stamps: Dream Gardens
Paper: Always Artichoke, Whisper White
Ink: Always Artichoke
Accessories: color spritzer tool, scallop border punch, tag punch, large tag punch, magnets, sticky tape, dimensionals, eyelet, 1/4" grosgrain ribbon

Quilted Calmness

2009-08-03T16:02:00.009-05:00

After the craziness of last week, I've been looking forward to today ... quiet, calm, no plans other than time in my stampin' quarters. Well there were a few interuptions, but ya know I had to take a break to play with that cutie little baby next door ... and to visit with my favorite daughter-in-law for a bit. THOSE are the kind of interuptions I appreciate and welcome!!!

After looking at the SSC110 sketch challenge at Stamping 411, I was excited to participate once again. I decided on making the circle portion of the layout into a "quilt" using the Cottage Wall designer series paper, cut it out with the clear circle Bigz die and layered it with the scallop circle Bigz die. I love it when I have a picture in my head and it actually turns out even better than I imagined!

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Flower Fancy, Heard From the Heart
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Orchid Opulence, Certainly Celery
Paper: Old Olive, Orchid Opulence, Rich Razzleberry, Cottage Wall DSP
Accessories: 1 3/8" square punch, 1/2" circle punch, Big Shot, Scallop Circle Bigz die, Clear Circle Bigz die, Build-a-Brad, brads, ribbon, dimensionals

Arrrrrrrr - Beware!

2009-08-02T00:09:00.012-05:00

Today we were celebrating my little pirate's birthday ... ok, so 25 years old and 6' 3" really isn't little, but all of you with children know they will forever be little in your mind. Anyway, once again my stampers block coupled with one heck of a week left me running way behind. I MUST have a card for my baby and it MUST be handmade!

The pirate thing seems to be a running joke among my kids (ie: where do pirates eat? .... ARRRRRRbys) so I thought it fitting to use my new "Beware Pirates" set. The red bandana is from the "Pirate Time" set, was a tad too small for the skull so I trimmed the skull to fit. I embossed the ship, sponged and distressed the layers; stamped the skulls, sponged, distressed, etc. then felt they really needed to be matted on "something" - but nothing looked right to me. I grabbed those wonderful new wood sheets from SU and cut a rectangle, sponged the edges, mounted with antique brass brads and loved the end result. I topped the card off with the ARRRRRR stamped on another piece of the wood sheeting and punched with the wide oval punch (super easy!!!), gave it a tad more sponging then tied a piece of the retired SU rope on top and frayed the edges. DONE, just in the nick of time. Baby boy loved his original card ... of course I told him he had to cherish it forever and ever.

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Beware Pirates, Pirate Time, Texture Wheel

Ink: Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Chocolate Chip craft

Paper: Very Vanilla, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Wood Sheets, brads, clear embossing powder, distressing tool, wide oval punch, sponges, dimensionals, rope (retired)

Dream, Dream, Dream

2009-07-26T10:05:00.012-05:00

I fell in love with this stamp set the moment I saw it in the new catalog, but since it's arrival in my hot little hands I've drawn a complete blank.

The house was quiet yesterday so I took advantage and sat down to play ... decided to take a look at the Saturday Sketch Challenge at Stamping 411 for some (hopefully) inspiration.

I composed this a bit backwards, thought the caramel floral ribbon from the Masterpiece ribbon originals would be perfect with this image. From there I chose coordinating colors, backgrounds, etc. The most difficult choice was those teeny tiny embellishments in the corner - Yikes, what to do??? I tried using Chocolate Chip craft ink on some eyelets - after 3 hours they are still not dry. That's ok, I discovered pearls from the Pretties kit finished this project off perfectly! What do you think?

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Dream Gardens, Woodgrain, Medallion
Ink: Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip
Paper: Very Vanilla, Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Circle Scissors, Masterpiece Ribbon Originals, Pretties pearls, dimensionals

New Toys In The House

2009-07-15T15:27:00.017-05:00

I've seen some wonderful projects done using the new SU Decor Elements stencils, couldn't wait to order (and receive!) my very own ... which arrived on my doorstep yesterday afternoon. I found some time to play this morning, thought I would also make a submission for the Saturday Sketch Challenge SSC107 at Stamping 411.

I used sponges instead of a stencil brush, sponged the flower first on shimmery white cardstock (which doesn't show well in the photo) - then masked and sponged the ornament. For those that know me and are wondering ... yes I really DID cut out the entire scroll flower to use as a mask. I amaze myself sometimes (hehehe)!

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes, Soft Holly wheel

Decor Elements: Vintage Ornaments #1 stencils

Paper: Shimmery White, Rose Red, Certainly Celery

Ink: Rose Red, Certainly Celery

Accessories: Gold eyelets, sponges, ribbon, Movers & Shapers Modern Label die, Modern Label punch, Word Window punch, black marker, dimensionals

Razzle Dazzle Swap

2009-07-05T08:24:00.020-05:00

Have you seen Stampin' Ups new catalog? Oh dear, I am in so much trouble - not sure that I can resist anything. I know I say it with every new release, but I swear this is the best one ever! In preparation for my delivery tomorrow (yeah, I'm bad and felt I HAD to pay for that expedited delivery) I decided to sift through my stacks of retired stamps and finally let go of some. I know I should have parted ways with many more, but it is so hard to see them go! If you're interested in some of the "oldies but goodies", check out the link to my sale list at the top of my blog (shameless plug!).

I can finally post this last card I made for a pre-order swap, now that all participants have received their sample. I was really on the fence about the new Razzle Dazzle set, but now that I've had a chance to play I'm glad I purchased it. It is so much fun, very whimsical and I see many future possibilities. Once again I used SU's new In Colors, along with a few other new toys that can be found in the latest catalog. Having the In Colors in marker form now opens up a whole world of opportunities!

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Razzle Dazzle

Ink (markers): Crushed Curry, Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo

Paper: Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP

Accessories: Modern Label punch, Modern Label Movers & Shapers XL die, Word Window Punch, Eyelet Border punch, Rhinestone brad, markers, dimensionals

More Stampin' Fun, SSC104

2009-06-24T14:49:00.011-05:00

Oh how I wish Baja Breeze wasn't retiring in a week, it looks so nice paired with the new Soft Suede. I'm also loving the new Modern Label punch, layers wonderfully with the word window punch! It's so much fun to find new uses for our old toys.

I took a little liberty with this weeks Saturday sketch challenge over at Stamping 411 and offset my main image just a bit. This is the very first time my Classic Sketches stamp set has seen ink, I'm sure it was feeling very neglected. This image just screams "distress me" so I sponged heavily. This is my end result:

Stamps: Classic Sketches, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Soft Suede, Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Parisian Breeze DSP
Ink: Soft Suede
Accessories: brads, word window punch, modern label punch, sponge, dimensionals

When I Can't Sleep ...

2009-06-23T09:26:00.012-05:00

I play with my stampin' toys! I'm blaming these recent sleepless nights on the nasty midwest weather ... many heavy storms, followed by blazing heat and humidity. I suppose I can sleep through the heat, but the rain and lightning through my bedroom skylights make it dang near impossible. Anyway, I decided not to fight it last night and wandered into my stamping quarters and dug out these lovely window sheets to play with. Ok, I totally messed one up trying to figure out how to affix them without the adhesive showing - there has to be a clean and simple way to do this that my brain is refusing to process. Any suggestions???

I ended up using glue dots in the upper corners to stick the window sheet on - then covered them with a photo corner and pearls from the SU Pretties kit. I would have rather left the entire card blank, but those dang glue dots stick out like a sore thumb (as did everything else I tried)! The bottom I did use regular adhesive, just covered it with an eyelet punched piece of cardstock and ribbon. I fiddled with the ribbon a bit to have the polka dots only on the bow edges, decided I really like this new in color ribbon since it can be used plain or printed. While I'm not 100% sold on the card, I really do like how the bow turned out! hahahaha

Stamps: Hope Happens
Paper: Dusty Durango Textured, Crushed Curry, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP, printed window sheet
Ink: Soft Suede
Accessories: Soft Suede polka dot ribbon, photo corner punch, SU pretties kit/pearls, eyelet border punch

Lots of Dots

2009-06-20T08:52:00.008-05:00

Just messing around yesterday with my stamps, seems I've been procrastinating bigtime on starting my final swap project that is due next week (it has to be mailed on Monday!). A group I participate in had posted a color challenge for the week, thought I would try my hand at that first ... a lame attempt to get those creative juices flowing again. That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it!

This color challenge inspiration came from a blanket (I think), the print was so gorgeous - colors were Rose Red, Taken with Teal, Elegant Eggplant and Whisper White. I've never thought about putting these colors together, but I really like the end result. The background was made with the polka dot background stamp from Stampin' Up!, I hand colored all those little dots to mix up the colors. Unfortunately the teal stamped more like the color eggplant. Oh well ...

Stamps: Simple Friendship, Polka Dot background

Paper: Rose Red, Whisper White, Taken With Teal, Elegant Eggplant

Ink: Taken With Teal, Elegant Eggplant, Rose Red

Accessories: scallop border punch, markers, scallop circle punch, 1 1/2" circle punch, circle scissors, pennant Bigz XL die, little dots texturz plate

A Happy Sunday! SSC103

2009-06-15T12:10:00.033-05:00

I can't believe it's Monday already, not sure exactly where I lost last week ... guess time really does fly when you're having fun! It also means it is once again time for the Saturday Sketch Challenge over at Stamping 411, I'm determined to get my entry submitted on time this week.

Yesterday it was bright and sunny, I felt a teeny bit guilty toying with the idea of staying inside to stamp. When hub decided to get caught up on the yard work, the decision was made. I really hated to give up that rare opportunity of uninterupted stampin' time. I know you know what I mean ... no telemarketing calls ... no silly favors being asked ... no crises to attend to ... just good old fashioned, all alone, quiet, ME time! I took full advantage of it (thoroughly enjoying every minute) and got quite a bit accomplished. I finished one swap that I am participating in, which is what I based this card from. I had a very difficult time finding something for those thin upper and side panels - everything I tried seemed to take away from the softness of the main image. I finally decided to dig through my designer paper stash (aka: hoard) ... WOOHOOOOO, I found some Old Olive Patterns DSP that I was happy with! So here's my creation:

I must have stamped 100 various color/image combos with the new SU hostess set Kind & Caring Thoughts, finally hit on something that I was thrilled with. I applied Crushed Curry ink to the entire image, then used those little finger sponge daubers to edge the flowers with Dusty Durango and the buds with Old Olive. I used a marker to color the stems in Old Olive. I love how those flower buds look kind of yellowish green, yet the stem is so much bolder ... and I thought the flowers were so bright and cheerful. Give this a try, you won't belive how easy it is!

Stamps: Kind & Caring Thoughts, Tres Chic (background), Itty Bitty Backgrounds
Paper: Whisper White, Old Olive, Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, Old Olive Patterns DSP
Ink: Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango, Old Olive
Accessories: Dusty Durango polka dot ribbon, rhinestone brad, large oval punch, scallop oval punch, wide oval punch, corner rounder punch, sponge, sponge daubers, marker, dimensionals

Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch; SSC102

2009-06-11T22:59:00.040-05:00

It seems I've been having a bit of a creative slump lately, and I've really been wanting to play with all my new "toys" from the recent SU catalog preview. I thought maybe trying my hand at the Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge would be a great place to start ... instead of sitting at my desk staring aimlessly at piles of paper, ink and stamps.

I started by using versamark on this wonderful wildflower image from the Asian Artistry hostess set, colored over the versamark with the new In Color markers (are you as excited about them as I am???) then heat embossed with clear embossing powder.

I tore a strip of paper to mask the background for the main image and sponged in some color. The tag is also an image from the same set, heat embossed and colored with blender pens.

The card base is one of the new In Colors ... Soft Suede. I LOVE this color, such a great addition! Sponging around the base gave it just a bit of added depth and the softness I was hoping for.

Stamps: Asian Artistry, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Sanded (background), En Francais (background)

Paper: Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Dusty Durango

Ink: Old Olive, Crushed Curry, Soft Suede, Dusty Durango

Accessories: Clear EP, markers, blender pen, circle punch, small and large tag punches, hemp twine, distressing tool, sponges

One Color Challenge

2009-06-06T09:06:00.024-05:00

I finally found some time to stamp yesterday, this is the end result for my monthly demo swap challenge ... which was to use ONLY one color. You are reading this correctly, ONE color -
that means cardstock, ink, accessories - everything!

I admit, I will always without fail cuss about the challenge before I can finally get down to business and actually create something. I decided the only way to add more color was to sponge ... and sponge ... and sponge. When I thought I had done enough sponging, I sponged some more. Seriously, after making a dozen of these cards I thought my arm was going to fall off!

Don't you love SU's new In Color Dusty Durango though? With all the sponging, this color looks so incredibly rich (to me anyway). And how do you like that creative photo corner I came up with? I'd love to hear your comments. Please be gentle, I'm new at this blogging world!

Stamps: Font of You, Sanded
Cardstock: Dusty Durango
Ink: Dusty Durango
Accessories: Clear EP, small oval punch, scalloped oval punch, scalloped square punch, 1"circle punch, sponge, dimensionals, Big Shot Ovals original dies (to mask flower pot)

Fun, Fun, Fun

2009-06-04T11:01:00.013-05:00

This card was so much fun to create! I've been wanting to make this darling little dress I saw on Patty Bennett's website, thought my daughters 22nd birthday was the perfect opportunity. I decided to make the belt with a ribbon rose, love, love, love the end result. The double sided satin ribbon really makes that rose POP. My daughter studied the card and declared that it looked like a replica of an old Homecoming dress she had. I took that as a wonderful compliment!

Stamps: Wonderful Favorites

Ink: Kiwi Kiss

Cardstock: Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss, Bella Rose DSP

Accessories: Kiwi Kiss satin ribbon, eyelet border punch, Bigz Scallop Die, Little Dots texturz plate

Blog Hop History

2009-01-04T11:44:00.001-06:00

Blog Hops I've participated in:

Sale-A-Bration Catalog Blog Hop (Jan 2010)

1.   Heather - Vintage Labels
2.   Stella - Happy Moments
3.   Barbara - Happy Moments
4.   Sarah - Good Neighbors
5.   Joyce - "Welcome Neighbor" Designer Series Paper pad
6.   Sharon - Whimsical Words
7.   Marie - Whimsical Words
8.   Cindy - Scallop Trim Border punch
9.   Holly P - Bella's Bloom
10. Yapha - D is for Dog
11. Jean - Elegant Thank You
12. Kim - Extreme Dirt Bike
13. Trina - A Flower for All Seasons
14. Holly K - Forest Friends
15. Allison - Hello Again
16. Sarah M-B - Just Football
17. Lisa - Ribbon of Hope
18. Rhonda - Spring Song
19. Melina - Thank You Kindly
20. Heidi - Things I Love
21. Twila - Very Thankful

Occasions Mini Catalog Blog Hop (Jan 2010)

1.   Stella - Garden from the Heart
2.   Sharon - Pinking Hearts Border and Corner Punch
3.   Sarah W - With All My Heart
4.   Barbara - Sending Love Specialty DSP & I{Love} Love Wheel
5.   Melina - I {Heart} Hearts
6.   Krystal - Scallop Heart Embosslit
7.   Cindy - Love Bandits (& maybe Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder)
8.   Kim - Folk Flower Stencil
9.   Cheryl - Well Scripted
10. Heidi - Something Sweet
11. Rhonda - Eggcoutrements
12. Holly P - Mini milk carton die
13. Holly K - Abundant Hope
14. Dawnmarie - Shades of Spring DSP
15. Joyce - Vintage Vogue
16. Marie - Tiny Tags
17. Lyssa - Messages for Mom
18. Sara M-B - Fox & Friends
19. Twila - Sweet Pea DSP w/ the matching Sweet Pea Stitched Felt
20. Heather - Chipboard Books
21. Melissa - Little Angel
22. Yapha - My Matryoshka
23. Deb - Chocolate Bunny

My Digital Studio Blog Carnival (Oct. 2009)

1. Dawnmarie: My Digital Studio – The Birdseye Overview
2. Comeka: Digitize Your Sketch Library with MDS
3. Yapha: Turning Templates into Treasures
4. Sarah: MDS Xmas and Extras
5. Holly: MDS as a Design Tool (or How Not to Slice Up All Your Brushed Gold)
6. Lyssa: Playing with Stamps You Don’t Own
7. Sara: Simply Scrappin’ Kits Go Digi
8. Julie: Wanna Little Music with Your Slideshow?
9. Cheryl: Creating a Calendar to Beat All Calendars
10. Melina: Man-Scrapping with MDS
11. Joyce: Build Your Own DSP
12. Britiney: Clever Album Covers – A Piece of (Cup)Cake
13. Kim: Hybridizing and Cataloging Collections
14. Kelli: Side-by-Side Test: Is it Actual or Is It MDS?
15. Ellie: Keeping the Spotlight on Your (Adorable!) Subjects

2009 Holiday Mini Happy Holidays Blog Hop (Aug. 2009)