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!

sketch happy

Yay, yay, yay! I had a good chunk of time to stamp yesterday!! It was fabulous. I made a ton of cards, and tried out a few sketches. Here's what I came up with for the Paper Players Sketch 143:

I chose all of my papers from the same package (Patio Party), so my card came together very quickly. The two Paper Daisies and the Summer Starfruit Dahlia layer nicely, and are adhered with my favorite liquid glue. 
Do you spy something new and fabulous??? My sentiment is from the Label Love stamp set, which coordinates ever so nicely with the Artisan Label punch.
Well, I'm off to sub again today... Kindergarten - the BEST! Don't have too much fun without me!   :}

one card, two ways

In my last post, I shared the card I made for the shoebox swap I participated in. It was tons of fun, and everyone had such pretty cards. This is the card that Lynn designed for us - 

Don't you just love these colors together? So pretty. She chose the Secret Garden stamp set and Framelits (as well as the Window Frames Framelits) for the focal point. 

I thought it would be fun to try using the same pieces and create a birthday card for my hubby - 

Ta da! After stamping the sentiment (Make a Wish), I used the Argyle Embossing Folder to create a masculine look on my card. I also switched the card stock layer die-cut with the smaller Window Frame Framelit, for a layer of Print Poetry DSP.

The 1-3/8" Circle punch works great with the images from the Blue Ribbon stamp set to create the focal point. 

Don't you just love it when you can use a great card design more than once??  Yay!!  :}

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.

THANKS is for giving

I love making hand-stamped thank you cards. It's such a wonderful, personal way to show someone you are really thankful. I get especially happy making fall-themed thank yous. I think it's because you can create so many pretty details with fall "leaves."

A strip of Comfort Cafe DSP gave me my color palette for the leaf colors. And I love the extra details on the greeting stamp (Seasonal Sayings). 
Using a technique always makes a card extra special, and for my leaves I used two easy stamping techniques. 

All the leaves use the technique called two-step stamping. The Gently Falling stamp set comes with both a solid and an outline stamp for each image.  
Onto Very Vanilla card stock, I stamped the solid maple leaf in Summer Starfruit ink. Then, I stamped the outline maple leaf in Early Espresso ink right over the top. This stamp set is very forgiving - an easy one for beginners who want to "step up" their cards. You don't have to stamp the outline exactly lined up with the solid image - I aim for close enough. 
For the second technique, take a look at the oak and the aspen leaves (far left pointing downward; top on a dimensional pointing to the right). The solid image oak leaf is stamped in Soft Suede ink, and the outline image is stamped over it in Early Espresso ink. I wanted the aspen leaf to be a slightly different shade, so I inked the solid image with Soft Suede ink, stamped first onto scratch paper, and then stamped onto the Very Vanilla card stock. This technique is called "stamping off" or "2nd generation stamping." It's a great technique to use when you don't necessarily want to add another color to your project. I find myself using this technique a lot when working on masculine, vintage, and monochromatic cards. 
I hand snipped all of the leaves... it takes some time, but looks oh so pretty.   ***TIP: when snipping images that use the two-step stamping technique, don't try to cut around the outside edge of everything stamped. Follow the lines of the outline image. You might cut off bits of the solid image - that's ok. Trust me, your snipped image will have a cleaner, more professional look by snipping around just the outline image. 

This card will be perfect for Aaron's teacher to thank her for all of the awesome art projects she does in her classroom. Aaron brought home the cutest project yesterday... I just have to share it! 

This sunflower has earned a permanent spot on my desk  :} 

The bottom yellow paper-plate is cut into the sunburst shape, and the top plate has been trimmed to just the center circle with four slits cut towards the center to create petals. Aaron's school picture is in the center, with sunflower seeds glued all around. Don't tell Aaron, but I had to add a bit more glue to some of the seeds. A pencil is hot-glued to the back for a stem. LOVE it!!

Thanks for dropping by. I get a whole day to stamp today, so I'm uber excited. If only I could get my brain to focus on one or two projects, instead of the hundreds I want to work on!!! 

leaves, layers, and shimmer... yeah, baby!

Sometimes you just need an "over the top," layered, shimmery card.

This was my favorite card we made in last night's class. I think that the ladies liked that it looked complicated, but actually went together rather quickly. 
For the background, I chose the Woodgrain stamp. With this large stamp lying on its back, pat the stamp using Soft Suede ink. Gently cover the stamp with the folded Soft Suede card stock. Press very gently in random spots to get the soft, partially-stamped look on the background.
After adhering the DSP strips to the front of the card, attach the Summer Starfuit leaf (Gently Falling). Then it's time to work on the focal point.  

Stamp the "THANKS a bunch" sentiment (Friendship Preserves) in Midnight Muse ink onto the same color card stock. Then die cut this image using the Window Frames Framelit.

Attach the Cajun Craze and Soft Suede leaves at the bottom, then punch a hole in the corner. Adhere the Crochet Trim to the back, and attach an Antique Brad through the hole.

Use several Dimensionals to adhere your focal point to the front of the card.

The last step is to spritz the whole card front with a "Shimmer Mist." This looks sooooo much better in real life - a photo just doesn't do it justice :(   To make the Shimmer Mist, mix rubbing alcohol and a few drops of Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint in a travel sized spray bottle or Stampin' Spritzer. Be sure to cover your spritzing area completely so you don't end up with a shimmery table  ;)

I'll bet you know someone who would love to get something pretty in the mail... a one-of-a-kind "over the top" card might be just what they need  :} 

a CASEd birthday card

At the beginning of August, I attended the team meeting held by my upline's upline's upline... How's that for 1 big happy stampin' family?!  :}  There are always great projects to make at the meetings, which I love recreating for classes and workshops. First, I'll share the card we made at the meeting: 

Super cute! And I know exactly who I'm sending this to :} 

stamp set: Friendship Preserves

DSP: Howlstooth  & Scaringbone

Framelits: Labels Collection, Apothecary Accents, Bitty Banners, Window Frames 

Since I liked the card so much, I thought it would be perfect for a birthday card in my stamping class at Wildflour Bakery... so I CASEd it (CASE = copy and share everything). 

For the card base I used Summer Starfruit card stock, and I chose the Patio Party DSP for my paper strips. I also decided to adhere the strips a little lower on the card front.

After stamping the birthday sentiment (from Itty Bitty Banners) in Summer Starfruit ink, I used a Bitty Banners Framelit to cut it out. It's then layered atop Primrose Petals (Large Oval punch), Midnight Muse (Apothecary Accents Framelit), and Summer Starfruit (Labels Framelit) card stock. The piercing around the edge (Festive Paper-Piercing Pack) of the Summer Starfruit layer adds fabulous detail! 

Just curious... which one of your projects was your favorite CASE? Feel free to share by leaving me a comment. 
And in the spirit of sharing ideas, I'd absolutely love it if you would "share" this easy card idea by using one of the little buttons below (Pin, Like, Tweet, Share). Thanks! And have a wonderful day!  :}

ribbons, ribbons... I love ribbons!

I am going to my upline's meeting this morning, which reminded me that I haven't shared the beautiful projects from last month's meeting yet. Ooopsies! 

Isn't this card gorgeous??? It's right up my alley with all the texture and layers... and RIBBON! I absolutely love using ribbon on my projects, and I find it difficult to not use any. 

And to make life even more fun - and pretty - you can get a spool of ribbon for FREE with every $40 purchase in September. Yay!!!
I'll share the rest of the projects soon... Happy stamping!! :} 

happy birthday, Mom!

Happy birthday to my sweet mother, who is celebrating her 24th birthday... again  ;) 

stamp sets: Mixed Bunch, Petite Pairs

ink: Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit, Soft Suede

card stock: Soft Suede, Summer Starfruit, Very Vanilla

Designer Series Paper: Comfort Cafe

punches: 2-1/2" Circle, Blossom 

beautiful wings

I found another clean and simple card sketch that I just love. 

I seriously love how "clean" and "not fussy" this card looks! And it only took a few minutes to put together  :}

I started with a Crumb Cake card base, and then added a 3-1/2"x4-3/4" layer of Summer Starfruit card stock. My sentiment is from the Itty Bitty Banners stamp set. I "inked" the stamp with a Primrose Petals Marker, and using a Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, I stamped the bottom "happy birthday" onto the Very Vanilla card stock first. Then I repeated the process using a Raspberry Ripple Marker for the top-most "happy birthday." For the middle "happy birthday," I inked the entire stamp using the new firm-foam Summer Starfruit ink pad. Then I die cut the banner using one of the Bitty Banners Framelits.

I die cut my card stock butterflies with the Beautiful Wings Embosslit... sooooo pretty. Can you believe I didn't use any Stampin' Dimensionals on this card???? Crazy!

Before I show you a few more beautiful wings, don't forget that today is the last day to be entered into the BLOG CANDY drawing! Click here for the details.

Since I was enjoying the butterfly theme in my craft room this morning, I thought I would whip up a cute little 3x3 card for a friend. 

I used Calypso Coral card stock, ink, and Baker's Twine for this little cutie. The images are from the My Friend stamp set. I die cut two layers of White Waffle Paper using the Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die. I'm sad the Waffle Paper retired... you can make some neat things with it. If you don't have any, you can die cut a few layers of tissue paper for a similar look.

And now, for the last "wings" in this post...   Look what I found this weekend: 

This mama robin sure picked a silly spot for a nest! I hope we don't get a downpour before the babies are grown. When it pours really hard, the rain streams over the edge from the upper level and down into the lower level gutter. Plus, this is right outside my door to the backyard... you know, the door my boys and all of their neighborhood friends use 7 million times a day!!! Keep your fingers crossed that we see some of those scrawny little baby birds soon!

Thanks for dropping by today!! Have a fabulous day  :}

My Digital Studio "hybrid" project

Hello, stamping friends! I hope you are enjoying a nice weekend with your family  :}

I have a pretty "hybrid" project to share with you today... 

I created the background (the "picture" inside the frame) using My Digital Studio. I also used MDS for the scripture piece.  Then, I used real DSP and embellishments to make the project extra pretty  :} 

the details: 

I started my project in MDS as a 5x7 card, with a Melon Mambo background.
Over the top of the background, I layered a square punch, which I "paper-filled" with one of the Twitterpated DSP patterns (Blushing Bride - "Fancy Fan" design), and lowered the opacity to 40%.
The top layer is a stamp-brush from Eclectic Overlays in Early Espresso.
I printed my background onto photo paper.

*Tip: to make sure I was working within the measurements of my 4x6 frame, I added two rectangle punches to cover an inch at the top and an inch on the left. By color-filling them with Whisper White, it saves a tiny bit of printer ink  ;)

*Tip: in order to type my text the correct size for my frame, I started with the Digital Flag Punch. I added my text box over that, so I could choose the right font size. Before printing onto Very Vanilla card stock, I deleted the Flag Punch.

After printing the scripture onto the Very Vanilla card stock, I cut it to the size I wanted. For subtle detail, I stamped the background image from the Creative Elements stamp set in Crumb Cake ink ("stamping off" first for a lighter image), and used the same ink with a Sponge Dauber to sponge a hint of color onto the edges.

The background layer is framed behind the glass, and the card stock and DSP strips are adhered to the glass (using SNAIL adhesive), with the left edges tucked under the frame.

1/8" Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon and Linen Thread are strung through one of the new Naturals Designer Buttons (available to order June 1st), which is adhered to the frame using Mini Glue Dots. A tiny string of Pearls adds an elegant finishing touch. 

Thanks for dropping by my blog today! I hope you and your family have a blessed day!

new, new, new!

Well, a super busy weekend has turned into a super busy week... I'm really looking forward to the upcoming 3-day weekend! Hopefully I will have all of the drywall dust mess cleaned up by then. That's right, home repair... yuck! So let's look at some prettier things, shall we?  :} 

For my May team meeting, I prepared a Color Chart "sampler" page, and designed three cute projects using tons of new goodies. It's always fun to try out all the new products from the upcoming catalog!  So... what's new???

Two new stamp sets: Itty Bitty Banners and Papaya Collage. Three new colors: Summer Starfruit, Gumball Green, and Midnight Muse. Two new Framelit Collections: Apothecary Accents and Bitty Banners. New DSP and Ribbon, too!  :}

New stamp set: Betsy's Blossoms. New stampin' wheel: Betsy's Blooms. Three new colors: Summer Starfruit, Raspberry Ripple, and Primrose Petals. New DSP and button, too!  :}

New stamp set: Betsy's Blossoms. Three new colors: Summer Starfruit, Raspberry Ripple, and Primrose Petals. And new DSP!  :}  *Note: I planned this 8x8 page to go with the new 8x8 Scrapbook Albums in the upcoming catalog!!

I have to say, I prefer the creating of the new projects in my stamp room over creating new sections of drywall in my ceiling and walls, but a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do! And by that I mean, calling a handsome fix-it guy to do the repairs!  ;)

You know, you could be stamping with these brand new goodies too! There are all kinds of perks to joining the Stampin' Up! family. I would LOVE to have you as part of my team. Click here to learn more  :}

And last but not least, you can find full views of the front of each project - as well as other projects from my team meetings - on my Facebook Page. Thanks for stopping by today!!  :}

a busy day!

Holy Moly! I can't believe how busy my rummage sale was today... I can't even imagine how busy tomorrow is going to be! I was worried that I wouldn't get time to stamp at all today (again), but there was a little break around lunchtime. Sooooo, I had a few minutes to whip up a cute little card  :}

I am in love with the new "In Color" Raspberry Ripple... and it looks so great paired with Summer Starfruit and Early Espresso. Then I threw in a touch of Primrose Petals, just for fun  :}

The images from the Betsy's Blossoms stamp set are so stinkin' cute! Snipping out the branch image was a little fussy, but totally worth it!

Well, I better whip up some supper and get to bed early... tomorrow is probably going to be crazy!

introducing Gumball Green

It's funny how tastes change... even when it comes to color preferences. When I was younger, I really did not like the color green. Now, I can't get enough of it! I was happy to see a "green" in the new In Color Collection - Gumball Green. Oh, I'm going to have so much fun using this color!! Here's a cute card I whipped up last night for a friend:

I dry embossed the Gumball Green layer using the Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder. My image/ sentiment - from the Easy Events stamp set - is stamped in Early Espresso ink, and then colored in using Gumball Green and Summer Starfruit markers. I layered Summer Starfruit card stock (die cut through my Big Shot using one of the Apothecary Accents Framelits) behind the focal point for added oomph.

I wanted "just a little something extra," and while my friend loves details and embellishments, ribbons and bows aren't really her "thing." So I grabbed one of the new Naturals Designer Buttons and some Linen Thread for the perfect finishing touch.

Oh, I have so many yummy plans for this new color... but I better tackle my "To Do" list first. Our annual subdivision rummage sale is this weekend, and I'm not quite ready yet...

Betsy's Blossoms sneak peek

Did you ever end up almost late for something because an idea jumped into your creative brain, that you just had to make right then? That's totally what happened to me this morning! While I was eating breakfast, an idea for a card flew into my head using the new Betsy's Blossoms stamp set.

I could picture this pretty little creation and each detail, and I knew it would only take a few minutes...  I stamped a simple background using Raspberry Ripple ink and card stock. Then I tied two pieces of Early Espresso 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon around that layer. For added interest, I adhered the background layer to the Early Espresso card base using Dimensionals.

For my focal point, I stamped the largest flower in the Betsy's Blossoms stamp set in Summer Starfruit ink onto Very Vanilla card stock. I wasn't crazy about how it looked punched out with a circle punch, so I took a few seconds and hand cut this pretty blossom with my Paper Snips. After adhering it to the card with Dimensionals, I added a Large Basic Pearl to the center for that perfect finishing touch.

Luckily I made it to my youngest son's Mother's Day program at school... just in time. The 4K teachers at the school do such a wonderful job! The kids sang songs about Mommies, sat with us for a story time, and served us muffins and juice. We even had a lovely "corsage" waiting for us when we arrived!

Such a clever project! Who knew you could make a styrofoam cup so cute??! Love it  :}

Happy Mother's Day...

...to my mother...  

...to my mother-in-law... 

... and to all of the mothers in our homes, our hearts, and those watching us from above.

Create

Happy Friday!! I have a quick post for you today... a pretty card that I made just for fun.

Lots of wonderful new goodies on this card! The Layered Labels stamp set and the Apothecary Accents Framelits are going to get lots of use in my stamp room!

For those of you who know me personally, or have been reading for a while, you know how much I LOVE playing with color! So when SU releases new In Colors, I'm like a kid in a candy store! I used Summer Starfruit, Primrose Petals, and Raspberry Ripple on this card. I also added Early Espresso and Very Vanilla to help pull it all together.

Speaking of creating... it's always fun to watch the delight and enjoyment children get from paper crafting.

Yesterday afternoon, I had a good time working with my boys and my neighbor's children. They each got to make two cards for Mother's Day. They did a fabulous job of listening and following directions, and the teamwork was wonderful! It's always nice to see kids helping each other, especially when they do it on their own. There will be some happy Moms and Grandmothers on Sunday!!