jumping into Fall

Boy, the Fall weather is right on time, isn't it? There was quite a chill in the air this morning at the bus stop! It made me want to stamp a quick Fall card... so I did.   :} 
Of course I was limited to the meager supplies I've managed to unpack so far. But I think my card turned out pretty nice... 

After putting together the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set, it quickly made friends with some Summer Starfruit, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, and Wild Wasabi ink. Before adhering the Very Vanilla layer, I wrapped a teeny bit of Witches' Brew Washi Tape around the right side, and added Wild Wasabi pieces from the Chevron Border punch on the left side. 

Then I quickly assembled my Magnificent Maple stamp (yeah, yeah, yeah). I first inked the entire leaf with a Summer Starfruit marker. Then I added spots of color with Pumpkin Pie and Wild Wasabi markers. After coloring the edges with a Chocolate Chip marker, I spritzed the rubber with a little water before stamping.  *cheesy grin*  I like the "artsy" look of this!  :} 
Of course now I want to go nuts and stamp every project idea I've been thinking about all summer, but I know I need to pace myself, or I'll end up with an even bigger disaster than I have now! I'll be a good girl and clean up the mess from this morning. (sigh) Cross your fingers for me to sneak in a little stamping time on Wednesday!

the return of Soft Sky

It will be a few days before I get my goodies from the "new Cattie pre-order," but I'm too darn excited about some of the colors that are retuning. Sooooo, I got into my vault (aka "paper-crafting stuff I'm hoarding"). I pulled some Soft Sky card stock, retired ribbon, and retired DSP from my vault, and paired them with this week's Mojo Monday sketch to create this pretty card- 

I might be getting a little obsessed with the Papillon Potpourri stamp set, but it's so pretty, and has punches that coordinate! Technically it's Groovy Guava in that retired DSP, but I think it works nicely with Calypso Coral on this card. I'm so happy Calypso Coral is moving into our "core" colors!

To add a subtle look of four "boxes," I added score lines an inch apart on the Whisper White card stock.   **Tip: Before adhering punched butterflies (or flowers) to your project, curl the edges up slightly to add more interest. 

So how do you start playing with these fun new colors like Soft Sky if you don't have a vault of retired goodies??? All you need is a good color combination! Here's what Soft Sky looks like when paired with Pumpkin Pie and Wild Wasabi- 

Love this color combo!! I see a lot of "boy" cards in my crafting future using these colors. 
FYI - those Pumpkin Pie brads are on the "chopping block." The retiring accessories are available only while supplies last, so be sure to shop now before all the good stuff is gone!   ;) 

one sketch... two cards

Yesterday was such a beautiful day! It was sunny and kinda warm (51 degrees in the afternoon!), so the boys spent the day running around outside keeping you all safe from pirates, dragons, storm troopers, and aliens. AND, I had soooo much fun at my afternoon stamping class. Do you know what we will be doing today? Shoveling!

How do you like the contrast of our palm branches in the snow??? Crazy Spring weather! 

For both of the cards I'm sharing today, I used the same card sketch:

Here's the simple birthday card from yesterday's class-

stamp sets: Spring Sampler, Made for You

Embossing Folder: Chevron

DSP: Tea for Two 

And here's the card from the craft night I held at the grade school last week- 

stamp set: Madison Avenue 

Embossing Folder: Vine Street 

DSP: Sycamore Street 

Well, whatever kind of weather Spring has brought to your door today, I hope your day is fabulous! Thanks for stopping by my blog... now go stamp something!!  :} 

Ribbon Wreath

I finally finished a project on my "really-really want-to-make" list!!! For those of you who have a 2010-2011 SU catalog handy, my inspiration comes from the ribbon wreath on p190. It's not like it takes a long time to make a ribbon wreath - I finished in a few hours. I probably would have finished sooner if I didn't take breaks to draw outside with chalk, lose a lightsaber battle, and have a snack in the shade... but those are some of the best parts of working from home  :}  It's just one of those projects that kept getting pushed to the side, but I had time today since I didn't want to get a ton of supplies out while the drywall was being sanded. For this project, all you need is a hoop, ribbon, and Craft & Paper Scissors. I have two of these high quality scissors - one for paper, and one for fabric and ribbon.

Isn't it pretty??? Since I have several miles spools of ribbon in my craft room, this is the perfect project for me! All of these ribbons are from Stampin' Up! ... some are current, some are old, some are really old. I chose a variety of pinks, yellows, oranges, and greens for a bright, summery look.

I started with a hoop (approximately 13" diameter) that I purchased from my local craft store (I think I found it in the same aisle as the mirror pieces). Then I tied all my ribbons on... that's it! So easy!! 

A few tips for you: 
I used approximately 1 to 3 yards of each ribbon.
Push the tied ribbons close together as you're working.
Trim the ends as you go; don't wait to trim them all at the end.
Use a good amount of the wider ribbons first; it's much easier to fill in with skinny ribbons.
Try to use a variety of ribbon textures (satin, twill, grosgrain, scalloped edges) on your wreath for visual interest.
Mixing solid, striped, stitched, and dotted ribbons of varying widths is fun!
If you are using Pleated Satin Ribbon, pull gently when tying.
Ribbons with a heavier stiffness hold up to being cut longer; floppy ribbons should be cut shorter.

I bought more than 1 hoop because I have plans to make more. I will definitely create a Ribbon Wreath for Christmas... what else... oooh! Fall colors would be pretty!!  :}  What colors do you think I should try next?

a green anniversary

I'm posting a bit late today... such a busy one for me! I chaperoned Aaron's field trip this morning to a loud, but fun, place. The kids got to have hands on experiences in different rooms. Each room had different themes and activities, with a large indoor play area in the center. They were moving SO much, I hardly took any photos. This is my favorite, from the room filled with dress-up clothes:

The kids took turns going up on the stage and acting for us... what a bunch of "hams"! This skit is titled "Pirates in Green Bay."  ;)

On to "greener" things...
As promised, here's a mega-layered card, which I made for Aaron's bus driver:

 Her wedding anniversary is also on St. Patrick's Day, and she wanted a special card. She LOVED the cards I made for her! (click here to see the card for her sister's birthday)
 There are so many layers and details on this card... I'll just list a few:
* Poppy Parade DSP from Everyday Enchantment, a Sale-A-Bration choice
* grassy background and stem stamps from the Inspired By Nature stamp set
* the Basic Black card stock has one edge distressed, one edge border punched, and dry embossing

* the lucky four-leaf clover is made from a heart stamp in the I {Heart} Hearts stamp set
* I used the Boho Blossoms punch and a Large Pearl for the center
* I printed my sentiment onto Very Vanilla card stock before punching it out with the Large Oval punch

Even the inside of the card got the royal treatment. I used a Wild Wasbi marker to ink the sentiment from the A Word For You stamp set. Then I distressed the edges of the Very Vanilla card stock before adhering it inside. For a final loving touch, I stamped the smallest heart image from the I {Heart} Hearts stamp set in Poppy Parade ink, punched it out with the Small Heart punch, and attached it with a mini Glue Dot.



After such a busy day, it would be nice to kick back and relax tomorrow... HA! Not going to happen - the kids are off from school, so it will be a noisy family day  :}  Thanks for dropping by tonight - I hope I get to sneak in a few minutes tomorrow to stamp something...

Workshop Card

I'm so excited for this afternoon's workshop - I get to stamp with some friends that I haven't stamped with in a long time :)
Here's 1 of the projects guests will make today. My 4-1/4" square card was inspired by the card on page 202 in the new Idea Book & Catalog. I LOVE that there are HUNDREDS of project samples right at my finger tips!

card stock: Wild Wasabi, Baja Breeze textured, Early Espresso textured, Poppy Parade textured, Early Espresso, and Whisper White

Designer Series Paper: Just Add Cake

Markers: Poppy Parade, Wild Wasabi, Baja Breeze, and Early Espresso

punch: 1-1/4" Circle

Happiness Always cards

Every month a pretty magazine arrives in my mailbox from Stampin' Up! This demos-only publication is FULL of great ideas and projects. I fell in love with a card in the May issue, and had to make it right away. It uses some of my favorite products: the Top Note Die, Tangerine Tango and Wild Wasabi embossing powder, and the Aqua Painter®. I LOVE using the Aqua Painter® to watercolor stamped images!! Just be sure you either heat emboss your stamped image, or use a permanent solvent ink such as StazOn® before you start to watercolor.

I have been having so much fun using the Flower Fest stamp set from page 20 of the Summer Mini. For these cards, I stamped the largest flower in VersaMark® ink onto Confetti White card stock, and heat embossed with Tangerine Tango embossing powder (123106).  The leaf image is also stamped in VersaMark® ink onto Confetti White card stock, and then heat embossed using Wild Wasabi embossing powder (123224).  I used my Aqua Painter® with Wild Wasabi ink to lightly brush a little color onto the leaves. For the flower, I used my Aqua Painter® with So Saffron and Tangerine Tango ink to dab color randomly onto the petals. The flower and leaf images are adhered together, and then attached to the card with Dimensionals. A medium Basic Pearl fits perfectly into the flower center.
The card on the right is my version of the sample in the May Stampin' Success magazine. I cut about three-quarters of the Top Note shape from Greenhouse Gala DSP. Then I rolled the straight edge around a skewer, and adhered the roll down with a bit of Multipurpose Liquid Glue (110755). White Baker's Twine (124262) is wrapped around the Top Note shape before adhering it to the card front. The sentiment comes from Happy Greetings (Summer Mini p26), which is a great set with six sentiments :)
The card on the left is the Make & Take from a workshop I did on Monday. I really like the simple ribbon treatment; it's super easy for those of you who are still working on getting your ribbon to tie the perfect knot. The Daffodil Delight 5/8" grosgrain ribbon is simply folded around the Top Note die cut and tied at the top with a bit of white Baker's Twine. Easy peasy... no knot to fuss over. All colors of the 5/8" grosgrain ribbon are retiring, so be sure to get yours before they are gone!

**Mom note: My boys have their own set of Aqua Painter® brushes (103954). If your children like to paint with watercolor paints or use "paint-with-water" books, you must get a set for the kiddos. The water stays in the handle, so there's no cup of dirty water to spill. After my youngest tried a sip (yuck!!) of the paint water one day, I thought I would have to ban painting. I'm soooooo happy I decided to get them their own set of Aqua Painter® brushes!!

Wild Wasabi

When I found out that Wild Wasabi was coming back when SU did the big color renovation, I was soooooo happy! I love Wild Wasabi - I think I like saying it as much as I like stamping with it ;)

The "Dynamic Duo" colors are Wild Wasabi and Garden Green. This 3x3 card was super easy to make using 1 of the stamps from Engraved Greetings. The Basic Rhinestones add the perfect touch of bling :)

I really like this Hostess stamp set. Right before the current catalog went "live," Demonstrators were allowed to purchase a level2 and a level 3 Hostess stamp set... Apple Blossoms was definitely on my order. It looks great with the "Creative Combination" colors: Wild Wasabi, So Saffron, and Perfect Plum.

The "Sweet Set" colors are Wild Wasabi, Marina Mist, and Early Espresso. The images are from the Aviary stamp set.