time to play "catch-up"

I can't believe how long it's been since I could steal a minute to post! It's been crazy busy around here, so now I have a little catching up to do. Last week was my oldest son's last week of school. His wonderful teacher retired at the end of the school year :( along with three other teachers in the school. Of course I volunteered to make the retirement cards! The colors I used are super-retired (as in, they probably have their own condos down in Florida by now), but they layout is great, and there's a really cool technique I wanted to share.

This square card measures 5"x5". (If you can't live without knowing which retired colors I used, they are Marigold Morning, Vintage Violet, and Baroque Burgundy.) I stamped the lovely message in Vintage Violet onto Whisper White card stock that I cut on the BigShot with the 3" Circle Die. I stamped again in Marigold Morning and used my Paper Snips to cut out the arrow image. After adhering the arrow image, I sponged the edges in both Marigold Morning and Vintage Violet. The 3-1/2" Circle Die makes a perfect layer behind the focal point. I used the Beautiful Wings Embosslit (118138) to make those fabulous butterflies, on which I sponged a little color around the edges.

Here's the cool technique I wanted to share with you. See that single "row" of dry embossing on the Vintage Violet card stock? Before spritzing the card stock with my Shimmer Paint mixture, I used the Finial Press Embossing Folder (115963) and my BigShot to add this subtle detail. Here's how I did it:

I actually bought two of these Embossing Folders. I used my second folder to dry emboss a layer of card stock. Then I drew out my cutting plan with a pencil onto the card stock. When I was satisfied, I used my Craft & Rubber Scissors (103179) to cut the plastic folder into strips. Just be sure to open the folder before you start cutting so you only cut one layer of plastic at a time.

Place your platform on your BigShot, using "no tabs." Build the layers as you normally would with an embossing folder - Standard Cutting Pad on the platform, cut embossing folder strip with card stock inside, another Standard Cutting Pad on top. Roll it through and you get a nice little detail to use on your project.

I hope you get a chance to try this technique on your own. It works really well when you want a subtle detail on a larger piece of card stock, but you don't want to add another layer.
After finishing these cards up, I had to pack all of my fun tools and toys for a weekend alumni event at a local college. I ran the cropping room and taught a class, where I got to introduce stamping to several people. It was an exhausting weekend, but so much fun!

In Color fun

I really like how the new "In Colors" look together! Scraps of each color were out on my desk this morning, which made me want to create a card to show them off. And that just made me happy :)

Supplies: Delicate Doilies and Heard from the Heart stamp sets; Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Calypso Coral, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Pool Party, & Wisteria Wonder card stock; Calypso Coral, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Pool Party, & Wisteria Wonder ink; Basic Rhinestones, Doily Triple Layer Punch.

New Stamps! (Spoiler Alert)

I am in LOVE, LOVE, LOVE with the new Idea Book & Catalog!! It is sooooo stinkin' pretty, and filled with many, many goodies.  I can't wait to share it with everyone at my Cattie Party on July 1st  :)
One of my favorite reasons for becoming a demonstrator is getting to order from the Sneak Peek in June. I got to stamp a little today with one of my new stamp sets- My Friend.

Supplies: My Friend stamp set and Woodgrain background stamp; Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Calypso Coral, and (a tiny bit) Lucky Limeade card stock; First Edition DSP; Crumb Cake, Soft Suede (for sponging edges), Lucky Limeade, and VersaMark ink; clear embossing powder, Heat Tool, Crumb Cake marker, Color Spritzer Tool, a punch from Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack; Owl Punch (for the teeny tiny circles in the flower centers).

Ribbon Fibers

Looking for a fun new way to use your ribbon? You can create your own fibers using the 1/2" Stitched-Poly Ribbon. This ribbon is available in Blushing Bride, Peach Parfait, Poppy Parade, Concord Crush, and Pear Pizzazz. To create the fibers, start by cutting your ribbon to the desired length; make sure you have enough length to tie the knot. Using your Craft & Paper Scissors (108360), cut one edge of the white stitching off. Hold the uncut edge in one hand, and use your free hand to pull the colored "threads" out of the weaving. Let the small pieces that were on the cut edge fall away. You will be left with the colored fibers, which you can tie onto your project. Easy and fun!

 Supplies: Baja Breeze, Tangerine Tango, and Whisper White card stock; 1/2" Peach Parfait Stitched-Poly  Ribbon; Peach Parfait DSP from the Hostess Pack; Bold Blossom stamp set; Baja Breeze, Tangerine Tango, and Pear Pizzazz ink.

time to say "goodbye"

The lists of retiring stamp sets, accessories, and Home Decor items are now posted. Retiring stamp sets are available until June 30, 2011. Retiring accessories and Home Decor products are only available while supplies last. Get your favorites today!

Anyone who places on Online Order through my Stampin' Up! website by June 10, 2011 will be mailed (from me) a surprise card kit. Your kit will contain a hand-stamped card and supplies for you to make 5 more!

My first "movie" using My Digital Studio!

I stayed up really late last night getting ready for today's My Digital Studio class... not because I was trying to get everything done... but because I couldn't stop playing around! I can't wait to share what I've learned so far!! This program is so amazing! There's so much you can do with it... more than I'll probably ever figure out. The good thing is that the program is really easy to use... whew! If you would like to know more about My Digital Studio, go to www.mydigitalstudio.net to see information, training videos, and projects.
Here's a little 'something' I made to show off some of the neat things you can do with My Digital Studio. I started with some pre-designed pages from "Christmas Jingle." Then I edited the pages to fit my photos and added more pages that I built from scratch. When I was finished with the whole project, I added the music (We Wish you a Merry Christmas, by Kenny G) from my iTunes library. Hope you enjoy it :)

Blossom

If you haven't tried the Triple Layer punches yet, drop everything, grab some card stock, and start! They are so much fun to use!!  You get three different punches in one... woohoo!! The Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch (122464 $23.95) coordinates nicely with the Bold Blossom stamp set (wood 123232 $12.95 / clear 122232 $9.95). For this card I punched pieces from the "first" and "third" setting.

The base of this card is Pear Pizzazz card stock. I used a 4"x5.25" layer of Daffodil Delight DSP from the Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack: Brights (117155 $19.95). After punching and layering the flower pieces, I added a flower center by using one of the punches from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack (118309 $16.95 for three cute little punches). I also added a tiny drop of Moonlight Smooch® Pearlized Accent Ink (119969 $4.95) to the center of each flower. And, well, I just have to add ribbon to almost everything ☺,  so I chose the Daffodil Delight 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon (119766 $6.95) to finish off my card.

Aloha

One of the new goodies from the Summer Mini that I am super excited about is the new embossing powder... in colors! You can now get embossing powder in Tangerine Tango (123106), Wild Wasabi (123224), and Melon Mambo (123223). I just love to heat emboss... there's something about that moment when the powder melts :)

I stamped the image from the Summer Splash stamp set in VersaMark ink onto Early Espresso card stock. Then I just sprinkled on the Tangerine Tango embossing powder, and heated the powder with my Heat Tool. Easy Peasy! I used the Sweet Shoppe Alphabet Lower stamp set to stamp the greeting in Early Espresso ink, and the Baker's Twine is a simple and economical accessory.

A "Success"-ful card :)

Each month, SU demos receive an awesome magazine called Stampin' Success. Inside there are great business ideas, as well as more project samples than I will ever have time to make. At the back of the magazine is a card template than has been used to create a project or two featured in the articles. I use the card template as a challenge to myself - and my downline, too! It's good to step out of your comfort zone once in a while, and it's super awesome to have a new template to experiment with each month. This card uses the template from the April issue of Stampin' Success.

The 4-1/4" square base is Tangerine Tango card stock. The Peach Parfait DSP is from the In Color Hostess Pack. I used the Petal Pizzazz stamp set to create the flower layers, which I cut out with my Snips and attached with Dimensionals.
To get multiple colors on each stamped image, I used the 'Rock & Roll' technique... First I inked the stamp in Daffodil Delight. Then, with the stamp at a slight angle, I rolled the edges in Peach Parfait ink. Finally, with the stamp at a steep angle, I rolled the edges in Tangerine Tango ink.
The sentiment is from the Tiny Tags stamp set and punched out with the Jewelry Tag punch. A clear Bitty Button makes the perfect flower center.

Basic Black

Today's card from the Color Coach is Basic Black, which is in the Neutrals Collection. If you can't tell from the pictures, I L♥VE the Top Note Bigz die. This die is one of my absolute favorites, and it is exclusive to Stampin' Up!. So, I thought it would be fun to use it three different ways for these cards. ☺

The "Dynamic Duo" colors are Basic Black and Basic Gray. I was thrilled to find I had DSP in those colors! It's from the Wicked Fun Specialty Designer Series Paper. But, my excitement subdued a bit when I was trying to think of a way to use it that was not for Halloween. Hmmm... get those thinking gears in motion... gears... Cogs punch! I love finding a different way to use something, like DSP that was made for Halloween! Anywho... I used the Lots of Bots stamp set for this 'get well' card. The robot is colored in with a Blender Pen and a few drops of ink.

 The "Creative Combination" colors are Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler, and Baja Breeze. This card turned out so pretty. ☺ I used the Artistic Etchings stamp set for this card, and the music notes are from the Newsprint DSP. The 'crown' image is stamped in VersaMark ink, and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. A scrap of Cherry Cobbler card stock that I punched out with the Dotted Scallop Border punch peeks out from behind the focal point. 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon and a pin from the Vintage Trinkets top it all off.

The "Getting Started" colors are Basic Black, Daffodil Delight, and Old Olive. For this card I used the technique called 'embedded embossing'. First, I die cut the flowers and flower centers from the Fun Flowers Bigz L die and the leaves from the Little Leaves Sizzlit. After adhering them to the Top Note die cut, I dry embossed the whole piece using the Square Lattice Embossing Folder and my Big Shot. The sentiment is from Fabulous Phrases, punched out with the 1-3/4"x7/8" Oval punch, and layered onto a scrap of Basic Black card stock punched out with the Modern Label punch.

WOW!!! I am at the end of my Color Coach! I have now made EVERY color combination suggested. Whew!! Hmmm... what to challenge myself with next... Off to my stamping desk! ☺