Secret Garden

My mother-in-law loves to garden. She's even won awards for her flower gardens. So a Mother's Day card for her using the Secret Garden stamp set was perfect!

After stamping the leafy image twice in Pear Pizzazz ink, I die cut the leaves with the Secret Garden Framelits, and adhered them to my Island Indigo card base. Over those leaves, I added a strip of the new Gingham Garden DSP (look for this pretty paper in the upcoming catalog) down the center of the card. 

Onto Very Vanilla card stock, I stamped one flower in Melon Mambo ink, and another flower in Daffodil Delight ink. After using a Blender Pen to color the flowers, I die cut both of them with the Secret Garden Framelits. My sentiment is also from an upcoming new-cattie product --- Banner Greetings (a new Hostess stamp set). 

I wish I had even 10% of my mother-in-law's green thumb. Unfortunately, plants don't survive long around me. Perhaps that's why I make so many flowers out of paper... 

trends in papercrafting

Sometimes it's fun to be trendy... run with the IN crowd. Just be sure to put down your craft scissors before you run.   ;) 

This card is the "cat's meow," and has some of the latest craft trends all over it! I started with the idea of wanting to make a card using blues and purples. Then I thought giving it sort of an ombre look would be great. And you can't leave out chevrons or flags. Throw in some Baker's Twine and a good amount of white space, and you've got yourself one of the hippest cards in town! 

I used the Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die to cut scraps of (from top to bottom) Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Perfect Plum, Baja Breeze, Island Indigo, and Pool Party card stock. Wisteria Wonder Baker's Twine tied into a bow around the 1-1/4 x 2-1/2" Pool Party DSP looks pretty darn cute. 
What? What stamp? Oh! You want to know where I got that neat-o greeting that's stamped in Elegant Eggplant? Um, yeah. That's from an awesome (and very trendy!) Hostess stamp set in the upcoming catalog. That's right, Banner Greetings is a Hostess stamp set. Why? Because we know that you want to be like all the other super-cool people and host your own stampin' party so you can get cute, trendy, free stuff too! C'mon... you know you want too...   ;) 

Thanks a Million

Well, after yesterday's post, it's time for something a little more normal.   ;) 

How about a simple "thank you" card? I love surprising people with a random act of kindness, and the teachers at the boys' school were due for a treat. I've said it before, but I'll say it again, I am so blessed that my boys attend one of the best schools around. The staff is fabulous! So I took in a pretty "thank you" card and left it in the teacher's lounge with some yummy goodness. Inside I wrote a message about sharing something from our old home with our new home.   :}

The Summer Smooches DSP and Bright Blossoms stamp set are so cute together. I chose my greeting from the Word Play stamp set to compliment my crisp, clean design. 
Isn't that Printed Brad through the Button cute? Somewhere... somewhere, in my craft stash are some craft pliers, but since I couldn't find them, I borrowed the manly garage pliers and squeezed the "legs" of the brad to a narrower width so I could thread them into the button holes. I simply poked two holes into the card stock for the brad "legs" to go through. 

For all of the teachers who read through my fabulous and amazing blog posts (wink, wink)... wouldn't you love to find this waiting for you in the teacher's lounge on a Monday morning? I loved the reaction from one of the teachers who said she'd never heard of Kringle, because neither had I until we moved to Wisconsin thirteen years ago. Now, after moving again, I know my tastebuds will miss it (not my waistline!). 
I might just have to plan a visit with some friends soon... I'm getting hungry.   ;)

Hey... Happy Birthday!

Today is my little brother's birthday! Sooooo, I'm sharing the card he'll be getting (late - aagh!) in the mail. 

I wanted a masculine card, but with a brighter color combination. I turned to the Color Coach for "advice" and chose the Creative Combination on the Island Indigo card, which suggests adding More Mustard and Lucky Limeade.  (Be sure to read to the end of the post for some information about More Mustard!) 

So what makes a "masculine card"... masculine? 
- texture (Argyle Embossing Folder, distressed and torn edges)
- masculine colors (I'll let each individual decide what that means, but for me it means neutrals, blues, "fall" colors) 
- a simple and/or clean design (I made this card in less than 10 minutes by keeping the details and layout easy) 
- no ribbon (in my humble opinion, Baker's Twine and Linen Thread are exempt from this rule  :P)

I also like to add "extra ink" by sponging edges and/or spritzing with markers and the Color Spritzer Tool. 
I'll bet you're wondering about those stamped images. Other than the "happy birthday" greeting from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set, the rest of the images are from the new Designer Typeset photopolymer stamps. They are completely clear, and are used with acrylic blocks. 

Apparently, even though my birthday isn't for another 2-1/2 weeks, I got an early birthday present this morning! 

I couldn't be more excited. I am especially pleased with the changes to the Subtles Collection! I have really missed Pear Pizzazz, and for those of you who haven't been stamping forever, you will really like Soft Sky.   :}     

 And here's a little "birthday present" for you... for whenever your birthday is! It's the card sketch for today's card - yay!! It would make me super happy if you "pinned" this sketch. After all, it's nice to share.   ;)  All you have to do is click that tiny little red "Pin it" button at the bottom of the post. Thanks!

  

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!!  :} 

how to stamp a bloomin' marvelous card

Today's card is just "bloomin' marvelous" if I do say so myself  ;) 

I wanted a clean background with lots of "white space," so I chose a layer of Whisper White card stock and added simple texture using the Vine Street* Embossing Folder. 

Before adhering the embossed layer, I tied on some Sycamore Street* ribbon. Just for fun, I added a bow of Pool Party Baker's Twine over the ribbon's knot. 
Using the Bloomin' Marvelous* stamp set, I stamped the sentiment in Island Indigo ink and the flowers in Pool Party ink. The Decorative Label Punch creates the perfect shape for this layer. For a pop of color, I stamped the leafy image in Summer Starfruit and the butterfly in Tangerine Tango. I "fussy cut" the leaves with my Snips, but the butterfly image punches out ever so nicely with the Bitty Butterfly Punch.


*Sale-A-Bration items 
 
And because I think you are all so "bloomin' marvelous," here's the simple card sketch...

Thanks for stopping by my blog... I hope you all have a "bloomin' marvelous" day!

simple, modern Christmas card

Hello stamping friends! Sorry for the inconsistent posting the last few days. Between traveling out of town for the holiday and fighting this cold, my head is "in the clouds." The cold, which started Thursday night, is winning the battle - grrr!  And while I really wanted to pound my phone into the floor when the alarm went off this morning, life goes on, and I didn't want to wait another day to share this cute card with you. 

This is my modern style Christmas card from my class at the bakery. To create that modern feel I used a clean design, eye-popping and unexpected colors, and lots of "white space." 

The Whisper White layer has two scored lines an 1/8" apart, a little strip of  Primrose Petals DSP folded over the top edge, and is adhered with Dimensionals. 

I stamped the greeting (Curly Cute stamp set) in Lucky Limeade ink, and then adhered the images. Those cute little Christmas images from the Merry Minis stamp set are stamped in Lucky Limeade, Primrose Petals, and Island Indigo ink, then punched out with the Merry Minis punches.    ***TIP: to adhere the images as evenly spaced as possible, I attached the center image first, then the outside images, and then the remaining two. 

While you are burning up the keyboard this Cyber Monday, don't forget all the great deals in the Online Extravaganza in my online store. Happy shopping!  :}

shoebox swap - part 3

I'm wrapping up the shoebox swap posts today with a Christmas card designed by Lynn. You know how much I love all those yummy little details, and this card is full of them!!  :} 

I mean, how can you not love a card that has both heat embossing AND dry embossing??!! 
We used the Northern Flurry Embossing Folder on the Whisper White layer before adhering it to the Island Indigo card base. The images (Ornament Keepsakes) are stamped in VersaMark ink, with the smaller image heat embossed using White Embossing Powder and the ornament heat embossed using Silver Embossing Powder. Both images were die cut in the Holiday Ornaments Framelits. 

I tried something a teeny bit different... instead of trimming the straight ends of the DSP strips, I left a tiny bit to go past the edge of the Brushed Silver card stock, and then folded the ends under. I really like this "finished" look, and I'll be trying it again soon! 

Well, I'd better get my rear in gear. I'm volunteering at the grade school's Book Fair today. It makes my heart so happy how much these students love to read!   Have a wonderful day  :}

CASEing the cattie for Fall

It's Friday, it's Friday!! I think I'm going to sleep in tomorrow until... like, 6:30 or 7 -- ha!  I'm sure the boys will be up before that. Do your kids always wake up early on weekends, even though it's torture to get them up on school days? Aaagh! Oh well... more time to stamp, right? 
My up- up- upline does a really great job of utilizing the projects in the catalog as inspiration during her stamping time. The card on p178 really grabbed her attention, so she "CASEd" it to make a Fall card. I liked her CASE so much, that I CASEd her card to make my own version for Fall.  :}

stamp sets: Friendship Preserves, Perfectly Preserved 

ink: Island Indigo, Early Espresso 

card stock: Raspberry Ripple, Core'dinations Early Espresso, Lucky Limeade, Very Vanilla, More Mustard 

DSP: Orchard Harvest 

Embossing Folder: Woodgrain 

Framelits: Window Frames, Apothecary Accents 

punch: Small Oval 

embellishments: 1/8" Mini Brads

** a few TIPS: After embossing the Core'dinations card stock with an Embossing Folder, remove it carefully from the folder so that it doesn't tear. I snipped the end of the strip after embossing it, because the skinny points will be more likely to rip if they are trimmed prior to embossing. Use the Sanding Block very gently to expose the inner core color.

Thank you for dropping by my blog today. I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

more Christmas "mojo"

Today is one of those Mondays when I just didn't want to get out of bed. It was chilly this morning, and I'm so tired - a combo that makes me want to snuggle deep into the covers for hours. But, we all know life doesn't work that way  :( 
So, before I even got up, I went online to peek at today's Mojo Monday Sketch. LOVE it! So now I had an "incentive" to get my rear in gear (as if I really need one when I have two kids to get ready for school). I was already planning my card in my head, and anxiously waiting for my stamping time. It took every ounce of restraint not to speed home after my volunteer time at the school!

Ta Da!! Did you ever make a card you love so much, you don't know if you want to even send it to someone? How crazy am I?! Don't answer that. I really will have to make a second card to send, just so I can keep this one :}
It's not just the layout and the images (Ornament Keepsakes) that are really "speaking" to me... I love this color combo I ended up with - Baja Breeze, Cherry Cobbler, Island Indigo, and Very Vanilla. The DSP layer from the Festival of Prints Stack pulls it all together.

These ornaments are so pretty, and easy to use! And having the Holiday Ornaments Framelits to cut them quickly makes me a happy girl. Because the ornament images are the star of the show here, I chose a simple sentiment (More Merry Messages).

I was worried that the card base would be too plain, but I didn't want anything that would be too busy. "Shimmer Mist" to the rescue! Just mix rubbing alcohol with a few drops of Shimmer Paint in a Stampin' Spritzer or travel-sized spray bottle and spritz the mixture onto your card stock. I even added shimmer to the ornaments, because, well, why not??!! It's even prettier in real life  :} 
If you've never tried adding Shimmer Mist to your projects, I encourage you to give it a try - I think you will love the results. If you have any questions, feel free to ask  :}  Happy stamping!!
 

blue and orange

Here are two more of the crayon gifts that Aaron brought to help celebrate Blue Day and Orange Day. His teacher told me the kids are loving it! It's nice to be able to make something as simple as a new crayon into a fun gift :} 

 Blue Day

I kind of "hit a wall" when I was planning the Blue Day gift, because Stampin' Up! doesn't really have a color that matches the crayon wrapper. If I were one of those Moms who gets everything done months in advance, I could have used the "color picker" tool in My Digital Studio and designed a perfectly matched tag. But... well, I'm not even close to being that prepared. Soooooo, I solved my dilemma by using every shade of blue! And I love how it turned out! It's even more fun and "kid-like" than a perfectly matched tag :}

I used a Window Sheet (acetate) to create a window for my little astronaut. And I had to add a heavy layer of shimmer to that cute alien (rubbing alcohol in a Spritzer with a few drops of Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint) :} 

Orange Day

Drawing on my creative use of color from the Blue Day project, I chose Peach Parfait, Tangerine Tango, and Cajun Craze to create this fun flower tag. Stamp set: Printed Petals. Framelit: Floral Frames. 

I'll bet you can't wait to see the next two colors...  ;)

making progress

I finally feel like maybe things are settling down... maybe :}  I found an excellent dentist for our family, who does a fabulous job with children (more on that later). I am also blessed to have found a wonderful pediatrician! And because both the dentist's and pediatrician's office staff knew I would be needing 'proof of visit' paperwork and 'signed forms for keeping medication at school' to start the boys in their new school, they had it ready for me, saving me those second trips to collect everything - yay!  And the pediatrician's office even scheduled Ben's appointments for an allergist and a pediatric urologist for me.  Now I just have to get the kids to the eye doctor, and I think all of the requirements will be met... whew!

I literally used up an entire pen to fill out a mountain of paperwork in the past month. Some of those papers were for the new school district, and on Tuesday, I registered the boys at their new school.

I can't believe my little Aaron will be starting Kindergarten!! He looks so small compared to this huge building! Of course I couldn't show up to school registration without some cute little gifts... 

There's nothing like chocolate to help a teacher's day get a little better, especially a 12-hour day! We also met with the school nurse - one of the sweetest people on earth, I think. And we met one of the "Parent's Club" moms and the librarian, too. Everyone was super helpful! 

Here's a side view so you can see the details of this simple card:

I cut my card stock base to measure 3-1/2" wide by 10-1/8" long. Then I used the Simply Scored to score at 5" and 5-1/8" so that the card would close a little easier over the chocolate square. The Whisper White layer is cut 3" wide by 4-1/2" long. (Stamp sets: Friendly Phrases and Bright Blossoms)

Well, I'm off to get the boys a snack before heading to the church's zoo night. Happy stamping!!

my new friend, Eleanor

I might just have a new best friend. Her name is Eleanor. I have barely had any time to get to know her, but the time we've spent together stamping has been wonderful. Want to meet her???

I'm sure you think she's as pretty as I do! Today I'm sharing the first card I made using my new stamp set called Everything Eleanor  :}  I used three stamps from this set on my card - the "label" shape, a flower, and the bird - all of which I fussy-cut with my Snips.

I started with a 4-1/4" square More Mustard card base. Then I added a 4" square of Fan Fair DSP, which I dry embossed using the new Chevron Embossing Folder and lightly sanded the raised surfaces. The sentiment, from the Loving Thoughts stamp set, is stamped in Island Indigo ink onto Island Indigo card stock. 

Isn't the layered flower pretty??? I used 4 layers of Fan Fair DSP, which I die cut using the Floral Frames Framelits, and then sponged the edges with Riding Hood Red ink. An Antique Brad holds the flower together and makes a lovely flower-center.

I'll bet you would like more details on that flower, wouldn't you... Surprise! I have a video for you today!!  :} 

Easy, right?!! I can't wait to make more  :}  Thanks for dropping by today!

oh boy... get ready for a long post :)

Where, oh where, did April go??? I can not believe today is the last day of April!! The month just flew by. I know this is going to be a long post, but I have so much to share... It will be worth it, I promise ;)

Okay... so today is the last day you can get your hands on the Summer Smooches product suite until the new catalog is available June 1st (and the very last day ever that you can get this awesome coordinating stencil). Here are some projects I had fun making with these goodies...

The stenciled Whisper White card stock on the right page was inspired by a card sample in the April Newsletter I sent out. (If you would like to receive the May Newsletter, head on over to my Stampin' Up! website and click on "request my newsletter".)

I used a sponge dauber and Lucky Limeade ink to create the stenciled strip. Then I stamped the dotted image from Bright Blossoms randomly in Island Indigo, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, and Rich Razzleberry. Using the Boho Blossoms punch, I added Rich Razzleberry and Daffodil Delight flowers (with Basic Pearl centers) for more detail.

The stencil makes another appearance on the left page, but this time using Island Indigo ink - so pretty!

The 1-1/2" wide strips of Summer Smooches DSP add a playful touch at the top of the page. Even though the Summer Smooches brads are sold out, you could easily copy this look with buttons.

The stencil works great on cards, too! For this 5" square card, I used Lucky Limeade card stock and ink. I also used Island Indigo ink for the stamped background images and the sentiment.

A strip of Summer Smooches DSP behind the sentiment adds another pop of color. Oh, and it's always fun to stamp your envelope!

Okie dokie - so now that your creative juices are flowing, here's another reminder...TODAY is the LAST day to order from the Occasions Mini Catalog!! And I have to bid it farewell with a project using my favorite stamp set from this Mini:

I really hope the Mixed Bunch stamp set and the Blossom punch carry over into the new catalog... I guess we'll find out June 1st. If you haven't ordered it yet, you just have to! It's so easy to use!!

Don't you just LOVE these colors together??!! Tangerine Tango, Blushing Bride, and Pear Pizzazz - FABULOUS!!  *** Technique Tip: You can create fun backgrounds by dry embossing a piece of Designer Series Paper with an Embossing Folder and your Big Shot. For more detail, lightly use a Sanding Block to expose the white core of the paper.

Okay,  this post has probably gotten long enough  :}  I could add more, but I'll give you a break so you can get back to your stamping - or at least wishing you were stamping. Have a wonderful evening!

big and bright

Even though it doesn't feel like summer outside (not even close!), it sure does in my stamp room  :}  I am having the best time playing with my Summer Smooches goodies!!
Today's project uses a super fun card sketch from Connie & Mary:

It's a great sketch, so I had a ton of ideas. As I was clearing a spot to create my masterpiece (I am such a messy stamper), I came upon an envelope left over from a My Digital Studio 5x7 card project that I had printed from the SU print service. I would never waste a perfectly good envelope, so I decided to create a 5x7 card. I LOVE how it turned out!
To the Daffodil Delight card base, I added two patterns from the Summer Smooches DSP. To hide the seam, I added a strip of Island Indigo Ruffled Ribbon.
After die cutting an oval with my Big Shot, I used the Bright Blossoms stamp set to stamp my focal point. I wanted a very simple "mat" around the oval, so I adhered more Island Indigo Ruffled Ribbon to the back of the oval.
**Technique Tip** I find it a little tricky to use a marker to color tiny little leaves and stems, so I inked the whole image using a Lucky Limeade stamp pad. Then I used a Blender Pen like an "eraser" to remove the ink from the flower-dots. It's much easier to use the markers on just the dots  :}
I used Circle punches to create the flowers and leaves. Then I added Basic Rhinestones (one of each size) to my flowers for a fun little touch.
**Bonus Technique Tip** Here's a short video to show you how I rounded the corners on the bottom layer of DSP-

Thanks so much for dropping by today... I think I'll go clean up from this project and start another one  :}

Summer Smooches

Even though it's cold and windy outside, the sun is shining and my hands are gravitating toward the bright colors in the Summer Smooches product suite. The lovely colors playing together nicely in this collection are: Island Indigo, Daffodil Delight, Lucky Limeade, Tangerine Tango, Rich Razzleberry, Real Red, and Tempting Turquoise.

www.stamp_pad.stampinup.net

These are "sneak peek" products from the upcoming catalog, which is available June 1st. You have until April 30th to get your hands on these goodies early. The fabric-covered brads and the stencil will NOT be in the upcoming catalog, so if you need them, get them now!

I used my new goodies to make this bright and cheery card:

Stamp Set: Bright Blossoms

Ink: Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo, Daffodil Delight

Card stock: Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White

DSP: Summer Smooches

Ribbon: Daffodil Delight 1/2" Seam Binding

Tools: Big Shot, Designer Frames Embossing Folder, Extra Large Oval punch, Paper Snips

I stuck a length of Sticky Strip along the DSP seam, and then pleated my Seam Binding as I pressed it down. Then I wrapped the ends under the DSP (before I adhered it to my card base). The oval focal point is adhered using Dimensionals, and I used mini Glue Dots to adhere the snipped flower and vase.

I hope it's bright and sunny wherever you are, and if it's not, I hope this project added a little sunshine to your day  :}  Thanks for stopping by!!