love... and a new sketch!

Here's another card we made at the class I taught on Saturday: 

love... love... love...
I used Sahara Sand for the card base. The Strawberry Slush layer needed a little texture, so the Chevron Embossing Folder was put to work. 

After stamping the Positively Chevron background stamp in Bermuda Bay ink onto Coastal Cabana card stock, I used a Framelit from the Hearts Collection to die cut my focal point. Don't you just love that little stamped banner??!! This perfect little sentiment is from the Banner Blast (Sale-A-Bration) stamp set, and I punched it out using the Banner (Sale-A-Bration) punch. Three Basic Rhinestones add just the right amount of bling... love.  :}

P.S. - I love you... so here's my sketch. Enjoy!!

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!!  :} 

last day to sale-a-brate

(sigh)... I can not believe today is the last day to "sale-a-brate." It doesn't feel like two months have gone by since Sale-A-Bration started! There were so many fun goodies this year... I am sad to see them go. To "sale-a-brate" the last day of Sale-A-Bration, I have TWO cards to share with you today!!  Yay  :}

I really, really like how this card turned out! I like the colors, texture, layout, flower... everything! I like it so much, I had to make a second card using the same layout!  

On this card, the Honeycomb Embossing Folder adds texture to the Tangerine Tango layer (3-3/4 x5").  For a bit of whimsy, I cut the bottom end of the Sycamore Street* DSP into a flag, and adhered the strip slightly above the edge of the Tangerine Tango layer.

I used the Madison Avenue* stamp set for my flower image. I just trimmed the top corners of the Whisper White card stock to create the look of a tag. And the Sycamore Street* ribbon and button are perfect on this card, right?! 
*Sale-A-Bration items 

So, where is the second card??!! Bwahahahaha  :}  It's on my Facebook Page! Click on over and "vote" for your favorite! Thanks for dropping by and have a fabulous day!

Feeling Sentimental? Celebrate!

On Friday I had one the most fun classes ever! I hosted a card making class for the Community Club (it's like PTO / PTA) at the boys' school. I had all girls (and their Moms) for this class. These girls were so adorable and had so much fun. Here's one of the cards we made together- 

We used the Sale-A-Bration stamp set Feeling Sentimental. I loved listening to the girls as they made their cards and decided who was going to receive each one. I also enjoyed teaching them a technique or two along the way! 

On this card they learned about 2nd-generation stamping/ stamping off. The ferris wheel image is inked in Soft Suede, stamped off, and then stamped onto the Crumb Cake card stock so that it is a lighter shade. The "celebrate" greeting is stamped (full strength) in Lucky Limeade ink. 
After adhering a torn strip of First Edition DSP and then adhering the Crumb Cake layer to the Certainly Celery card base, I wrapped Lucky Limeade Baker's Twine around the card twice and tied the ends into a bow. You will need about 32" of Baker's Twine to wrap twice and have enough for a bow. 

Now, since Sale-A-Bration (aka: free stuff) ends tomorrow night, I'll do the "math" for you so you can get all the goodies and make a bunch of these cards yourself.  Isn't that just so nice of me???  ;} 

If you order:
$6.95     8-1/2x11 Certainly Celery card stock (pkg has 24 sheets) 
$6.95     8-1/2x11 Crumb Cake card stock (pkg has 24 sheets)
$12.95   First Edition DSP (pkg has 24 sheets) 
$5.95     Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad  
$5.95     Lucky Limeade Classic Stampin' Pad  
$2.95     Lucky Limeade Baker's Twine 
$6.50     Very Vanilla or Crumb Cake medium Envelopes (a pkg has 40 envies) 
$3.95     Multipurpose Liquid Glue
--------- 
$52.15 (plus tax, shipping)

Then you can choose the Feeling Sentimental stamp set for FREE (you can only get it during Sale-A-Bration... you can't buy it, and tomorrow is the last day). 

If you have any questions about online ordering, Sale-A-Bration, or stamping, feel free to ask - I'd be happy to help. 

 

Just Because

I can not believe Sale-A-Bration is almost over! Where has the time gone???
I have a super cute card to share with you today! This card was designed by Laura for the shoebox swap I recently participated in. Can you spot the two items you can get through Sale-A-Bration?

The Basic Black card stock layer features the "chalkboard art" technique.  Click here for technique directions and another card.  I love, love, love the Hearts a Flutter Framelits for making this fun little banner!

Ok, did you find the Sale-A-Bration goodies? I chose the "just because" greeting from the Vintage Verses stamp set. And the silver Glimmer Paper is from the FREE package you can get with a $150 merchandise order. Can't order $150 by yourself right now? Grab a few friends a put your orders together! You will not only earn the free Glimmer Paper, but also enjoy our fabulous Hostess Benefits (aka - more FREE stuff)! Hurry... Sale-A-Bration ends March 22nd.  Happy shopping... and stamping!  :} 

quilting... my way :}

If only I could sew (sigh). I've tried, many times. And still, I can barely sew on a button, and it looks terrible when I'm finished! Taking some sewing classes/ lessons is definitely on my "to do" list... just as soon as I get some free time - ha! Anywho, I get a bit of a "fabric fix" by making quilt cards. Here's one I made for a swap last month-  

Two blocks of paper (Tea for Two DSP) instead of fabric have a quilted look and feel, and it's really easy to do! I adhered the DSP to a Lucky Limeade card stock layer, and dry embossed them in the Square Lattice Embossing Folder.

After adhering the "quilted" layer, I tied on the grosgrain ribbon over the "seam." I stamped the greeting (Pretty Petites*) three times in Lucky Limeade, punched them out with the Petite Curly Label* punch, and adhered them with Dimensionals. Easy Peasy! 

*Sale-A-Bration items


Want to see two more examples of quilt cards?  Woohoo!!  :} 

stamp sets: Ornament Keepsakes, Greetings of the Season

for the Big Shot: Petals-a-Plenty Embossing Folder, Holiday Ornaments Framelits, Lattice Bigz Die

card stock: Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla

accessories: Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding, Basic Pearl

stamp sets: Ornament Keepsakes, Tiny Tags

for the Big Shot: Petals-a-Plenty Embossing Folder, Holiday Ornaments Framelits

card stock: Cherry Cobbler, Lucky Limeade, Very Vanilla

DSP: Festival of Prints Stack

punch: Jewelry Tag

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!

THANKS! I love free stuff!

I love freebies... especially stampin' freebies. And Sale-A-Bration has the "bestest" free stuff ever!! I used some of these free goodies to create this card... 

This card came together in only a few minutes (it helped that the Summer Starfruit layer was already die cut - Apothecary Accents Framelits - and waiting in my scrap drawer). The Color Spritzer Tool made a quick, subtle background on the Rich Razzlebery layer. 

If you aren't familiar with how Sale-A-Bration works, you get to choose a free item for every $50 you spend on Stampin' Up! merchandise. Yay!! So which items from the Sale-A-Bration brochure did I use? 
 - Madison Avenue stamp set (for the stamped flower)
 - Vintage Verses stamp set (I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig to align my stamp before stamping) 
 - Sycamore Street DSP 
 - Sycamore Street Ribbon & Button Pack 

There are some really awesome free choices - including an Embossing Folder and a Punch!! - so be sure to get your favorites before Sale-A-Bration ends on March 22nd.

gettin' sketchy during Sale-A-Bration

Hello again friends! A while back,  Hmmmm, about a month ago??? Yikes! Anywho, at some point in my "recent" past I found an awesome sketch on Splitcoast Stampers. I knew right away that I wanted to use the Madison Avenue stamp set (a Sale-A-Bration choice) with this sketch. And I did... it's just taken me this long to post it... sigh.

Don't you just LOVE how the colors play together on this card?! You have the softness of the Sahara Sand and Pool Party, and then, "HELLO" -  Tangerine Tango. Fun!  :}

The Sycamore Street DSP layer (also a Sale-A-Bration choice) reminds me of the ceiling treatment we had in the basement of the house I grew up in!  :}
I used the Vine Street Embossing Folder (yup, another Sale-A-Bration item) to add texture to my Pool Party layer of card stock. And the Sycamore Street button (hey, guess what... another Sale-A-Bration goodie!) adds just the right "pop" to the card. 

Well, I'm off to tend to the eight trillion things that need to get done today. Or, maybe I can put some off until "later" and stamp for a bit... 

 

Framelit Fun

Happy 1st day of March!! Even though we've had such a mild winter, I totally have Spring Fever... well, more like Summer Fever because Spring in Wisconsin isn't going to be much different than a mild Winter (sigh). So today I'm sharing a bright, pretty card perfect for Spring:

This is another card from my class on Tuesday  :}  The colors are Poppy Parade, Peach Parfait, and Pear Pizzazz. After stamping the large label image in Basic Gray ink, I used a Blender Pen to watercolor the flowers and leaves.

Before adhering the focal point with Dimensionals, I used my magic potion of Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint mixed with rubbing alcohol in a travel-sized spritz bottle to add some shimmer to the background layer. The golden sparklies look so pretty on the Everyday Enchantment DSP!

Well, thanks for dropping in today... let's all think warm thoughts and try to convince Spring to come early  :}

fun colors

Good morning! I hope you all had a nice weekend. Ours was busy, as usual. The highlight was last night's Blue & Gold Dinner for Ben's Cub Scout pack. Good food, funny skits, and great family time   :} 
Today's project is a nice, simple card we made at my last Team Meeting. I love it because it's super easy, and you can make it in minutes, without leaving a mess in your craft room. 

The Peach Parfait card base has a top-fold. I scored the Whisper White layer at 1/4" and 1/2". The heart image from the Sprinkled Expressions stamp set is stamped in (from the bottom) Poppy Parade, Calypso Coral, and Peach Parfait. I used the same color markers to ink the sentiment stamp. For a simple embellishment, I added a brad from the Everyday Enchantment Ribbon & Brad Pack. Then I attached the Whisper White layer using Dimensionals.
That's it! Super easy!! And what makes it even more awesome is that the stamp set and brad were free! Yeppers, they are Sale-A-Bration choices  :}  You can earn these items free for yourself by placing an order online or by calling/emailing me with your order.

Happy stamping! Enjoy the rest of your day  :}

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...

It's Finally Friday!!

Happy Friday, stamping friends! Whew, it has been a long week. I'm looking forward to a quiet weekend  :}
For today's project, I made a card using a sketch from Stampin' Connection - an online forum just for Stampin' Up! demonstrators.

The Crumb Cake layer is dry embossed using the Square Lattice Embossing Folder. After embossing it with the Big Shot, I smoothed it back down, so that the texture would be more subtle, and then I spritzed it with a Peach Parfait Marker in the Color Spritzer Tool.
I cut four 1/2" wide strips of Everyday Enchantment DSP in different lengths, and then snipped the flaggie-thingies into the ends.
The flower image from Mixed Bunch is stamped in Peach Parfait ink onto Peach Parfait card stock, and then punched out using the Blossom punch. I stamped the flower center (also from Mixed Bunch) in Lucky Limeade ink onto Very Vanilla card stock, and then punched it out using the 1" Circle punch. I added a Crumb Cake Flower Brad to the center for just a simple embellishment. Instead of punching out some leaves, I decided to use three snips of Lucky Limeade Organdy Ribbon, which I curled up by running them along the edge of my Snips (closed).
Here's a close-up so you can see those details:

Access to Stampin' Connection is another great reason to join the Stampin' Up! family. There are over 200,000 project samples, made by Demos at every experience level, with more samples added every day. Plus, there are tons and tons of discussions about workshop ideas, business tips, and product knowledge. And if that's not enough, thousands of Demos are available to offer you a kind word and a virtual "hug" if you ever need one  :}  There are so many benefits for joining "the family," including a discount. Click here if you would like more info.

Thanks for stopping by today... have a wonderful day!!!  :}

another sketch challenge

I am having so much fun with these blog challenges! It really does a good job stretching my creativity. And while using the uber-pretty Everyday Enchantment DSP goes a long way to make such a lovely card, I think this sketch is pretty awesome, too. 

There's not a lot of stamping on this card... guess I'll have to stamp some pretties on the envelope  :}

I stamped the background image from Elementary Elegance in Poppy Parade ink onto the DSP. The sentiment from Fabulous Phrases is stamped in Poppy Parade ink onto Calypso Coral card stock, then punched out with the Curly Label punch.

Adhered to each piece of card stock (punched using the Postage Stamp punch) is a tiny medallion. I scored 1/2" x 6" strips every 1/4" using the Simply Scored Scoring Tool to create the cute little medallions. I also added a brad to the center of each before I adhered them with a liberal amount of adhesive.

Here's a close-up of all the details-

If you like this sketch, you can find more great sketches to try on the Stamping 411 blog. There are some good basics there for stampers at all levels of experience  :}

Well, thanks for stopping by today - have a wonderful Thursday!!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!! I hope everyone's had a "lovely" day so far  :}  My project for today is a little treat I made for my hubby. 

The Poppy Parade DSP (Sale-A-Bration: Everyday Enchantment) was cut on the Big Shot using the Pillow Box Bigz Die. Using Soft Suede ink, I stamped the border image (Sale-A-Bration: Fresh Vintage) onto a strip of Very Vanilla DSP (Neutrals Collection Paper Stack). Before adhering the DSP strip to the front of the Pillow Box, I adhered to the top edge a small strip of Pool Party textured card stock, which has been distressed and sponged with Soft Suede ink.
After I tucked some yummy chocolate inside, I tied Pool Party Seam Binding around the box. Since it's for Valentines Day, I made a heart-shaped tag. The bottom layer of the tag is Very Vanilla DSP die-cut using the Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit. To create the next layer, I stamped the floral image in Soft Suede ink onto Poppy Parade card stock, and punched it out using the Full Heart punch. The tiny little Pool Party heart was die-cut using the Fashionable Hearts Embosslit, and adhered to the tag with a Glue Dot. I tied the tag onto the Seam Binding using the Pool Party colored thread, which I separated from the Pool Party Baker's Twine.
The color inspiration (Poppy Parade, Pool Party, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla) for my hubby's little Valentine treat came from the color challenge on The Paper Players blog. I'm sure my hubby will like the chocolate inside more than the packaging, but I had fun making this little treat.  May the rest of your day be as "lovely" as mine!  Mmmmmwaaah!  ;)

February Team Meeting

Last night I got to meet with my team - they are a super fun group of girls! We always have such a good time stamping and chatting  :}  Here's one of the projects I had for them-

I took pictures of the front, back, and side so you could get a better idea of how stinkin' cute this little pouch is. And it's super easy to make! All you need is a 6"x6" square of DSP, a Simply Scored™ Scoring Tool, and some ribbon to tie the top closed. This pocket-pouch would be a great hostess gift (wink, wink - I'd be happy to come make one at your house), a cute Valentine for a co-worker's desk, or a nice little thank-you.
The front pocket has a punched flower (Mixed Bunch stamp set; Blossom punch) and the back pocket has a little notecard for a nice message. During our meeting we discussed other treats you could include, like little chocolates- yum!
Something to think about... joining Stampin' Up! is like joining a big family. A family that likes to stamp and create, and share ideas! A big "thank you" to Becky Roberts for sharing this pocket-pouch goodie  :} 
I hope you enjoyed this cute little project... I know my "girls" did. Contact me anytime, if you have questions or would like to know more about joining Stampin' Up!

traditional and digital crafting

Wow... yesterday was super busy. But, a good kind of busy  :}

Here's the cute little project I had for my Breakfast Club:

Who says your shopping list has to be boring to look at??? You can get these mini legal-pads at office supply stores, where they can also cut them in half lengthwise for you. I used a 9" long strip of Everyday Enchantment DSP, which I scored at 8" and 8-1/4" to cover the back and top. The Everyday Enchantment DSP is a Sale-A-Bration choice, along with the Lucky Limeade Organdy Ribbon & Brad, and the stamped image from Fresh Vintage. I cut a section of a Magnet Sheet, which already has adhesive on one side, and attached it to the back so I can keep my pretty grocery list on the fridge.

After a lunch break, I got busy with my MDS beginner's class. Here's one of the card fronts from a "thinking of you" card we designed:

And here's one of the card fronts from another card we designed, which I couldn't resist tweaking a little after class was over:

I love making cards and projects, using traditional products as well as My Digital Studio. If you have ever thought about joining the Stampin' Up! family, you can choose either the Standard Starter Kit or the Digital+ Starter Kit. Both kits can be personalized, and are being offered for the special price of $125. Not only is that a great price for a ton of goodies, but joining during Sale-A-Bration means you can get a free pack of DSP or digital download every month for the rest of the year! Click here to learn more. And if you are in the southeast Wisconsin area, I am meeting with my team tonight at 6pm - you are welcome to stop by and ask questions.

Have a wonderful day!!

a card for EVERY occasion!

My project today just makes me giggle  :}  Today is Aaron's 100th Day of School, and they are celebrating with a "Circus Day in 4K." Well, I can't let a celebration pass by without a card to acknowledge it, right???

So, I made Aaron's teacher and teacher's aide Happy 100th Day of School cards. I like these cute little 3x3 cards for a quick just because note. And, they are an easy way to use up some scraps  :}
Attached to the Real Red card base is a strip of Tempting Turquoise (punched with the Pinking Hearts Border punch), a strip of Daffodil Delight, and a piece of 'Big Top Birthday' DSP.
The clown and sentiment (Under the Big Top stamp set) are stamped in Basic Black ink. I used Peach Parfait, Real Red, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, and Tempting Turquoise markers to color the clown.
The Tempting Turquoise button adds a cute finishing touch. Did you know that the Brights 'Designer Buttons' are one of the Sale-A-Bration choices? For every $50 you spend not including tax & shipping, you get to choose a freebie from the Sale-A-Bration catalog. Want more freebies? Host a workshop and earn even more goodies. Like getting freebies every month? Join the Stampin' Up! family and get freebies every month for the rest of the year. Whether you want to get a discount on the supplies for your hobby or build a business, there's room for everyone on my team. You can shop, learn more, and contact me if you like from my website.
Have a great day and a wonderful weekend!

a fun day!

I've had so much fun in my craft room today! It all started yesterday when I was fooling around doing artistic research on Pinterest. I kept seeing all these great colors I wanted to play with. Sooo... I made a board called "Color Inspirations," and I've been playing around with some of the combinations. Oh my goodness, this is so fun! For those of you who have been reading for a while, you know how much I love playing with color, and how much I LOVE Stampin' Up!'s color palette. (If you'd like, you can do a search for Color Coach to get an idea.) Today's post is a card using an unusual color combo - very "outside the box" for me:

Garden Green, Lucky Limeade, Very Vanilla, and Basic Black - wow! 

I used two Sale-A-Bration stamp sets on this card. The images are from Fresh Vintage and the sentiment is from Elementary Elegance. You can earn your free Sale-A-Bration goodies by shopping from my website. Something you might want to add to your cart is the Paper Doily Large Sizzlit. I am sooooo loving this doily, which I trimmed down to work on this card. Here's a close-up of all the yummy details:

Like the layout on this card? I do!! It's from the Create With Connie and Mary blog - Sketch Callenge #188. And speaking of the Connie & Mary blog... guess who got picked as one of the top 3 in last week's color challenge??? ME!! Woohoo! That was a great way to start my day  :} 

Just curious... do you have a favorite color combination? How about a combo that you find hard to work with? Any combinations you'd like me to try? - just leave me a comment and I'll give it a whirl.
 

Mojo Monday sketch challenge

I really liked the awesome sketch on the Mojo Monday blog this week! It's a great layout, that you can add as little or as much as you want to. I used my Sale-A-Bration goodies to play along:

Ink: Soft Suede          Designer Series Paper: Everyday Enchantment

Card Stock: Poppy Parade, Soft Suede, Calypso Coral, Very Vanilla, Lucky Limeade

Accessories: Everyday Enchantment Ribbon & Brad Pack

Tools: Curly Label punch, Stamping Sponge, Paper Piercing Tool

Did you know you can curl up the ends of the organdy ribbon? Just run your Snips (closed) along the length like curling ribbon. Here's a closer look:

Isn't that a fun look??? It's pretty easy to tell what my favorite Sale-A-Bration goodies are... do you have a favorite yet?