Finishing Fall

I tell ya... I really could use a few more hours in the day. Ever feel like you are so far behind that you may never catch up??? That's exactly how I feel. And that's not a good way to be heading into the holiday season... yikes! Time for some stamping therapy, right?  ;)
Sorry I missed so many days posting. I wanted to share a few more fall projects before I put them away and decorate for Christmas.

All of these projects were part of my "Spice Cake" display. The colors are More Mustard, Soft Suede, Pool Party, River Rock, and Very Vanilla. While I am excited to start sharing my Christmas projects, I have to say I'm a little sad to be putting away the Spice Cake DSP and Gently Falling stamp set - I've loved and used them so much.  I hope you have enjoyed seeing my fall projects, and have found a little time to stamp some for yourself.
I'd better get to bed... it's already way past my bedtime, and it's another long day tomorrow. See you soon!  :)

Give Thanks card

As promised, here is the other "make-and-take" project from Kimberly's workshop:

I love using this layout for quick and easy cards. The layout is simple, but you can make the individual pieces as complex as you like. Click here to see another card using the same layout.
For this card, we used Soft Suede for the card base. The strip of Spice Cake DSP has a Basic Pearl at the corner for some pretty elegance. To create the focal point, we stamped the solid image leaves from Gently Falling in River Rock, Pear Pizzazz(stamped off), and Soft Suede(stamped off) ink. The outline images are all stamped in Early Espresso. To add some texture, we ran the stamped piece of Very Vanilla card stock through the Big Shot using the Houndstooth Embossing Folder. The sentiment from Hand-Penned Holidays is stamped in Early Espresso onto Pear Pizzazz card stock. Then we distressed the edges for more texture.
Here's a close-up so you can see the added details:

Thanks for stopping by today - what cards will you make using this layout???  :)

a "step up"

At my last Technique Tuesday class (held the last Tuesday of each month), we made cards with fun and unique folds. The "center step" card has a really unique look. I like that it starts out with a half-sheet of card stock, and ends up the same size as a "simple fold" card.

stamp sets: Gently Falling, Hand-Penned Holidays

DSP: Spice Cake

card stock: River Rock, Very Vanilla, Soft Suede

ink: More Mustard, Soft Suede, Pool Party Marker

ribbon: Chantilly Crochet Trim, Hemp Twine

other: Simply Scored, Color Spritzer Tool, Snips, Dimensionals

I stamped one (solid image) leaf in More Mustard ink at full strength; the other leaf is stamped off first to get a lighter shade. The outline image is stamped in Soft Suede. I know it's nearly impossible to see in the photo, but I spritzed a little Pool Party ink onto the leaves with the Color Spritzer Tool.

To get a little bit softer look with the Hemp Twine, I cut the length I needed, frayed one end, and then pulled it apart into two sections. The sentiment barely fits at the bottom, so I used my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to make sure I stamped in just the right spot.

As a bonus, I made up a little template for you so you can see where to score and cut your card stock to make these pretty cards at home  :)

Oopsies, one little detail that I forgot to add to the template... The "cut" lines are 1" in from each edge.

I look forward to sharing the rest of the Fun Folds cards we made at that class. I already posted the Diamond Fold card - click here to see that post. Have fun folding and stamping!!  :)

Gift Tag

One of my husband's hobbies is making wine... and as a good wife, one of my hobbies is making sure he has enough empty bottles to refill  ;)
The handy part of having a good amount of wine in your basement, is that it makes a really nice gift. But, of course you can't give a friend a "naked" bottle.

The Pool Party card stock measures 5-1/2" x 4". I dry embossed the Very Vanilla layer using the new Snow Burst embossing folder. Very Vanilla Seam Binding makes a pretty bow, and holds the tag onto the bottle.

To make the medallion from the Spice Cake DSP, I used the Simply Scored to score a 12" long and a 6" long (1-1/2" wide) strip every 1/4". After accordion folding both strips, I adhered them together, and then adhered the ends together to form a loop. Then I pressed the loop flat onto a punched circle covered in Multipurpose Glue. I cut the Soft Suede scalloped circle using the Perfect Pennants Bigz L die and my Big Shot. I stamped the Triple Treat Flower three times in Soft Suede, More Mustard, and Pool Party ink, then punched each layer using the Fancy Flower, 5-Petal Flower, and 1/2" Circle punches. A Basic Pearl adds a nice finishing touch.
I love making the medallions with the Simply Scored! Right now I am working on a wreath similar to the one on p6 of the Holiday Mini Catalog. I can't wait to get it finished and share the pictures. Guess I'd better get back to work!  :)

September à la card

Every month I look forward to getting my Stampin' Success in the mail. Stampin' Success is a monthly magazine from Stampin' Up! exclusively for demonstrators. It's full of great project ideas & samples, business tips, product & technique instructions, and demonstrator recognition. Each issue has a card template (or two), for one (or two) of the cards featured in an article. And each month I challenge my team to make a card using the à la card template. Then we have a little "show and tell" time to start our meeting... you're never too old for "show and tell, right???
The September à la card proved to be a bit of a stumper, as it was a rather unique design with three larger elements on the front. (The sample card from the article had die cut letters for the word "boo.") So here's my take on the September à la card template:

The leaf and acorn images are from the Gently Falling stamp set; the sentiment is from Grateful Greetings. The More Mustard card stock has a top fold, and the folded card base measures 5-1/4" square. The 4-1/2" square layer of Pool Party textured card stock is crumpled and distressed, spritzed with my Soft Suede marker, and lightly sponged in Soft Suede ink.

Leaf on the left: I inked the solid image in River Rock, then I used a sponge dauber to apply random spots of Soft Suede ink before stamping onto Very Vanilla card stock. It's very subtle, but I think it adds depth. I stamped the outline image in Soft Suede.
Middle leaf: The solid image is inked in More Mustard, but stamped off one time before stamping onto the Very Vanilla card stock. The outline image is in Soft Suede.
Leaf on the right: I inked the solid image in Pool Party and very lightly stamped off first. The outline image is in Soft Suede.
Acorn: I used More Mustard and Soft Suede markers to ink the solid image, and very lightly stamped off first.
All of the images got a light spritz with the Color Spritzer Tool & my Soft Suede marker AND several spritzes of my rubbing alcohol / Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint mixture. Oh, how I wish the camera could capture the beauty of this shimmer.
Tip: the beautiful 2-step images in Gently Falling will not line up exactly - very close, but not precise. When you want to snip out the images, follow the lines of the outline image and you will have great results.

Stampin' Success is just one of the MANY perks of joining the Stampin' Up! family. There are still a few days left to join and get a FREE Big Shot. Click here for details on this promotion, watch a short clip, and to learn more about Stampin' Up!. You can even join my team right from my website. If you already have some of the goodies in the Starter Kit, you can swap for a different item - it's super easy to change when you sign up online. Click here to watch some short clips showing you projects you can make with your new Starter Kit.
If you have any questions, just email me (stamp_pad@wi.rr.com).

October Team Meeting

I really enjoy getting together once a month with "my girls." It's great to catch up, share creative ideas and projects, and have some "grown-up" time. At the end of each meeting, I have a project or two for everyone to stamp. This month we made two cards using the Gently Falling stamp set.

The River Rock card stock base has a light spritzing with the Color Spritzer Tool and a Soft Suede marker. The solid leaf image is inked in More Mustard and "stamped off" before stamping onto the Very Vanilla card stock. I used Soft Suede ink to stamp the outline image, as well as to sponge around the edges after punching the leaf out with the 2-1/2" Circle punch. The Color Spritzer Tool and a Pool Party marker add a nice little detail to the focal point.

I spritzed the Pear Pizzazz card stock with my mixture of rubbing alcohol and Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint. The strip of Spice Cake DSP is sponged with Soft Suede ink. Each solid leaf image is inked in Pear Pizzazz and "stamped off" before stamping onto Very Vanilla card stock. I stamped the outline image in Soft Suede ink, and then used my Paper Snips to cut out each leaf. I used dimensionals to adhere the leaves to the Soft Suede card stock pieces punched with the Postage Stamp punch.

Now is a GREAT time to join my team! Stampin Up! is offering a FREE Big Shot (or $100 in free product) for demonstrators who join in October. This is IN ADDITION to the fabulous Starter Kit. Holy cow!!! I would love to answer any questions you may have about starting your own business as a demonstrator or what it means to be a Hobby demonstrator. Just think... having amazing projects and ideas right at your fingertips, and getting a discount on your favorite crafting supplies  :)
Feel free to email me any questions you may have (stamp_pad@wi.rr.com).

Click here to learn more about this amazing promotion.

Well, I'm off to finish getting ready for Kim's workshop tomorrow. I can't wait to stamp with my new friends!

Fall Mini Album

It's no secret I am not crazy about Fall... to me it's dreary, and just means winter is right around the corner. That being said, I LOVE Fall craft projects. I really like the colors used in Fall projects, and this year I have taken my color cues from Stampin' Up!'s Spice Cake Designer Series Paper. The colors in this DSP are Soft Suede, More Mustard, Pool Party, Pear Pizzazz, River Rock, and Very Vanilla. I love how I can make a ton of projects, and everything just coordinates!
This mini album is just like the one those lucky-duck demonstrators made on the Alaskan Cruise. They made a stinkin' cute mini album using the Sweets for the Sweet stamp set. Sometimes it's just fun to make a cute mini album for a single holiday or event :)
I thought a Fall-themed mini album would be nice for Thanksgiving. Dinner guests could each take a card and write a few things they are thankful for. Then you could add small photos or a family-favorite recipe. Cute, cute! Each of my Scrapbook Club members got to make this album at our October crop night. I'm so glad they liked it as much as I do!!

This is the front of the album, which is held closed by the "belly-band" of Pool Party card stock. This mini album uses one 12" x 12"sheet of More Mustard Textured card stock. The finished size of the album measures 3" x 4".

I can not get enough of the Gently Falling stamp set!! I highly recommend choosing this set in clear-mount. It's so easy to line up the outline image over your stamped solid image! As I've worked with this set, most of the time I "stamp off" the solid image before stamping onto my card stock. After stamping the images, I spritzed the Very Vanilla card stock lightly with my Color Spritzer Tool and a River Rock marker. Then (even though it's almost impossible to see in the photos) I spritzed the card stock with my mixture of rubbing alcohol and Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint.

The album opens to reveal eight little pockets, ready for you to add photos and journaling. I really like how this turned out, and I will definitely have to make a Christmas mini album.