A Special Anniversary

Hi there and happy Monday!  Today I'm sharing a card made for a friend's special anniversary.  Stampin' Up! Framelits were used to cut out the hearts.  The large background heart was embossed with the Beautifully Baroque embossing folder, then the edges were sponged for a vintage look.  The sentiment is stamped with Gold Encore ink.  It was also used direct-to-paper on a piece of Vanilla cardstock before cutting out the leaves with the retired Little Leaves Sizzlit.  Originally, I tried Champagne Glimmer paper but the color clashed with the gold ink.  The flowers were made with the retired Itty Bitty Punch Pack and the current Itty Bitty Accessory Pack.  Of course, small pearls were added to the centers for a finishing touch.  What would flowers be without a butterfly?  Elegant Butterfly and Bitty Butterfly punches to the rescue!  Teena Thompson's card posted on our Demonstrator-only web site was the inspiration for my card.  It appears that she made an easel type card.  Here is a photo of her card.

Love her puffy flowers.  But for mailing purposes, I kept mine less dimensional.  Thanks for the inspiration, Teena!

Must sign off now to run some errands.  Thank you so much for stopping in today!

A Unique Fold and Closure

Hi there!  Well, another week seems to have flown by!   I've been working on projects that can't be shared just yet, so I'll share a gorgeous card made at Jayne Singleton's Stamp Camp last month.  (Some of the Stampin' Up! products used retired on June 1st.)  The flap, which allows you a peek at the tulip image from Backyard Basics, was cut out with a Square Framelit and secured with a vintage button.  Crisp Cantaloupe Designer Series Paper from the Venetian Romance pack was used for the background.  Here is a view with the flap open.....

The inside Vanilla panel (not pictured) serves a dual purpose.  There is plenty of space to stamp/write a personal message and it also hides where the flap is adhered.  Thank you, Jayne, for another great card!

Hope everyone has a great weekend.  Thanks for stopping in today!

Try it Thursday!

Hi there!  Guess you could also call today Technique Thursday.  Have you ever wanted to make a card (or scrapbook page) but didn't have the "right" color of background paper?  Make your own in any color you want!  Here are a couple of possible solutions - and they're fun, too.  The sample above was made using images from Stampin' Up!s Happy Watercolor set, which is now retired.  (A similar look can be achieved with the Work of Art set found in the 2014-15 Annual Catalog.)  The colors are Gumball Green (retired) and Island Indigo.  The Smoky Slate dots were added last to fill in those "white" areas and for some additional depth.  
Another technique is by drawing lines of various widths and colors using the brush tip of markers onto watercolor paper, then spritzing with water.  You may have to hold the panel up to get the rivulets of color flowing.  Add more water, if necessary.  Have a paper towel handy just in case there's a lot of pooling.  Below is my finished background.  It reminds me of those canvas panels where crayons are glued to the top, then heated to melt the crayons so they run down the canvas.

The color combinations are endless.  Give these techniques a try and have fun!

That's all for now.  Thank you so much for visiting today!

 

Weekly Deals

I'm back with this week's Weekly Deals.  You can go to my on-line store here to order or send me an email.  Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.  Thank you!

Time is Running Out!

Do you enjoy being inspired and love sharing that inspiration? Want to have fun with friends, create cards, pretty packaging, and other awesome projects? Begin the creative journey as part of the Stampin' Up! team for a mere $50!  Hurry and sign up before offer ends June 30, 2014!  

To find out more, click here.

Basic Chalk Talk

Hi there and happy Monday!  This will be a quick one since the granddaughter spent the night and will be up very soon, raring to go.  Lol!  Today's card is another Card Buffet sample.  Unfortunately, the Stampin' Up! Designer Series Paper (Birthday Basics) is now retired.  This card was totally CASE'd from Debbie Simonis.  You can view her card by clicking here and going to her April 8th blog post.   The supplies used for this card is listed below.

Thank you so much for stopping by for a peek at my blog today! 

Stamps: Chalk Talk 

Paper: Vanilla, Bermuda Bay, Birthday Basics DSP

Ink: Bermuda Bay

Tools:  Alphabet Press embossing folder, Chalk Talk Framelits

Other:  Stitched Satin ribbon, Dimensionals, Clear block

Going Coastal

Coastal Cabana, that is.  Hi there and happy Friday!  The title might have some scratching their heads wondering what that means.  It's a meager attempt to be witty about the Stampin' Up! color, Coastal Cabana.  Lol!  There are a ton of things to do before leaving the house this afternoon to meet up with my stamping peeps!  So this will be short and sweet.  Brandy Cox did a video using the By the Tide stamp set and hair gel to simulate a water effect on her card.  You can view Brandy's video here.  Loved her card but felt that the gel would be too time consuming (and messy) for our Card Buffet.  I also chose a softer color palette (only because Night of Navy was being used for a different card).  

Must get ready for the crop.  Have a great weekend and thanks for visiting today!

All Stampin' Up! supplies used unless otherwise noted. 

Stamps: By the Tide, Remembering Your Birthday 

Paper: Coastal Cabana, Crumb Cake, White 

Ink: Calypso Coral, Pear Pizzazz, Soft Suede 

Tools:  Oval Framelits (#4 from center), Circle punches = 1” and 1-1/4”, scissors 

Other:  Pencil, Eraser, Dimensionals, clear blocks

What's in Your Purse?

Hi there!  Today I have another Card Buffet sample that was displayed during May and June.  It is so easy!  Jill Franchett was the inspiration for this CASE'd clean and simple card.  You can view her card here.   The only thing different is the Designer Series Paper.  Jill used Stampin' Up!s Fresh Prints (now retired) where I used Polka Dot Parade (also retired).

Stamps: Bring on the Cake (retired Jun 2014)

Paper: Black, White, Polka Dot Parade DSP Stack (retired Jun 2014)

Ink: Black

Tools:  Cupcake Builder punch, 1/2” Circle punch, 3/4" Circle punch

Other:  Rhinestones

That's it for now.  Thanks for coming by for a visit!  Stop in any time!

Weekly Deals

Click here to view this week's deals.

Sylvester

Hi there!  We're having some HOT temperatures this week.  Thank goodness for air conditioning to keep us cool!  Speaking of cool, how about this cool cat?  The inspiration came from a fellow Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, Sarah Klasing, when I attended one of her Stamp Camps years ago.  He's made with oval punches and a 3/4" circle punch for the pupils of his eyes.  His whiskers were drawn using a White Chalk Marker.   So easy.....and fun!

Keeping this short and sweet today so I can get some projects organized to work on this weekend.  I'll be joining my stamping peeps at the St Ferdinand crop!  Fun, fun, fun!  Thank you for stopping in for a peek today!

Blended Bloom

Hi there!  Today was our Card Buffet and we had a good turnout.  We truly appreciate the support of our awesome customers/friends!  Thank you so much ladies!

Above is another Stampin' Up! Blended Bloom card and colored with Coastal Cabana Blendabilities. A sliver of Daffodil Delight cardstock peeks out from underneath the Coastal Cabana mat, which helps to tie in the Daffodil Delight flower center and the Seam Binding ribbon.

That's it for now.  Hope the rest of your day/evening is a good one and thank you so much for stopping in for a look!

Quatrefancy Wish

Hi there!  Hope all the dads enjoyed their day yesterday.  We spent the afternoon at our daughter and son-in-law's house for a nice family celebration.  Afterwards, we brought the granddog home with us.
 
Now for the card, which is one that never got posted a few months back.  The Quatrefancy Designer Series Paper (now retired) paired with Daffodil Delight and Melon Mambo cardstock makes it very bright and cheery.  The sentiment is from Perfect Pennants.  (So glad this set made it into the new 2014-15 Stampin' Up Annual Catalog!)  A second sentiment was stamped to punch out the "a" with a 1/2" circle punch, then popped up on a Dimensional.  It just adds a little something extra and the seam binding adds the finishing touch.

Must get going to make sure I have everything for our Card Buffet tomorrow.  Thanks for stopping by today!

Get Well

Hi there and happy Friday the 13th!  Are you superstitious?  If so, hope all goes well today!  OK how about we get to the card now, which is a clean and simple one.  The sentiment came from a retired Stampin' Up! set called Tag It, which is matted onto a Real Red rectangle and popped up on Dimensionals.  A strip of Polka Dot Parade Designer Series Paper (also retired) is matted onto White and Real Red cardstock.  An easy peasy card!

Need to sign off now to get ready for the weekend.  Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.  Hope you all have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by today!

Moonlight Blended Bloom

Hi there!  Are you gearing up for the weekend?  It will be a busy one for us.  A lot of family time since our granddaughter's birthday/party is Saturday and Father's Day is Sunday.  Need to run a bunch of errands today and tomorrow, so let's get to the card.  It is another Blended Bloom stamped image colored with Daffodil Delight and Pumpkin Pie Blendabilities (Stampin' Up!s alcohol based markers).  The top layer was cut out from a second flower and popped up on Dimensionals.  I really like the way it looks.  A strip of Moonlight DSP (new in the 2014-15 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalog) and luscious Blackberry Bliss 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon finish off the card.

Must head out now - thanks for stopping in for a visit today!

Eat Cake....

....wedding cake, that is.  Hi there!  Today's post is a card that had long been forgotten.  Originally, it was to be included as a Stamp Camp or Buffet card.  That didn't happen for one reason or another.  Then the Word Play stamp set along with other Stampin' Up! products used, were retired.  So, today the card makes its belated debut.  Connie Stewart has a video showing how to make this card in her Flash Card series seen here.  The colors I chose were modified a bit but, otherwise, the card is pretty much the same.

And this weeks deals (Jun 10 - 16) ......

....can be found by clicking here. 

And a new photopolymer set, Calling All Heros, was released yesterday! 

Click here to go to my on-line store to order or for more information.

That's all folks.  Thank you for coming by today!

Work of Art

Hi there!  Been answering emails all morning and still not finished so this is gonna be quick!  The above 3x3 note cards were made with the Stampin' Up! Work of Art stamp set.  I saw this creative technique on Jackie Topa's blog (see her samples here - scroll down to May 3rd post) and thought it would make a cute "thank you" to slip into my customer's order bags.  Jackie possesses such creative vision!  Love her work!

Must get back to emailing.  Thanks for coming by for a visit today!

Modern Medley - Gone Vintage

Hi there and happy Monday!  Hope you enjoyed your weekend!  Mary Taylor and I had a great time with the ladies at our Card Buffet on Saturday.  We thank you all for coming out!  The tornado sirens didn't even phase them - at least, not too much.  They just kept on stamping!  (The DeLeo's staff, Mary, and I were checking the weather reports to keep abreast of the situation in case it was necessary to herd everyone to a safer area of the building.  The warnings were for a different county.  Don't want you to get the idea that we were being irresponsible!  lol)
Today I have another card from Jayne Singleton's Stamp Camp.  This card is my personal favorite.  Love all the layers and vintage look!  I'll try to list everything we used on this card.  The Vanilla panel was embossed with the Beautiful Baroque embossing folder.  The Baked Brown Sugar rectangle was embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder. The other rectangle is left plain.  Next is a couple of layers of Modern Medley DSP with some Baked Brown Sugar ribbon wrapped around them.  Embellishments include leaves from the Secret Garden die, and pieces from the Blossom punch, Pansy punch, Boho Blossom punch, and Word Window punch.  An Antique Brad adorns the flower.  Oh!  The butterfly is from the Best of Butterflies collection.  Whew!  A lot of stuff on this card!  Love it!  Thanks again, Jayne.

Need to sign off now to run some errands.  Thanks for stopping in today!

Play Ball!

Hi there!  Thought I'd post today since it didn't happen Thursday or Friday.  Our granddaughter spent the night Thursday -  'nuf said!   So, onto the card.  This is a fun fold step card from Jayne Singleton's Stamp Camp last month.  (Funny how we both made baseball themed cards but different in styles.  Great minds think alike!  I'll post mine at a later date.)  Stampin' Up! Framelits were used for the baseball and banner.  The "stitching" was accomplished with our Chevron punch.  Some Silver Glimmer stars added some pizzaz.  Great card, Jayne!

That's it for now.  Enjoy what's left of the weekend and thanks for stopping in today!

Watercolor Wonder

Hi there!  Today I have another card from Jayne Singleton's Stamp Camp.  The background Watercolor Wonder Designer Series Paper is matted onto a Calypso Coral panel.  A Tea Lace Paper Doily is wrapped around a tag cut out with the Stampin' Up! Scallop Tag Topper punch, which is adorned with a sentiment flag, Petite Petals flowers, and some Chevron Ribbon & Baker's Twine.  Thanks, Jayne, for another cute card!

That's all for now - working on some projects, plus I want to go through the new catalog again to add to my Wish List.  Thanks for checking in today!

Zoo Babies

Hi there!  Today I've been busy catching up on paperwork, making files for the new In Colors, and other organizing projects in the studio.  That is an ongoing task!  Found this card in the process.  The inspiration came from LeeLa Smith's card posted to the Stampin' Up! Demonstrator web site back in 2011.  She used the Zoo Review stamp set and the Curly Label punch.  Her colors were Cajun Craze and Black.  Since the images in Zoo Babies are smaller, I decided to pair it with the Petite Curly Label punch and softer colors of Baked Brown Sugar and Crisp Cantaloupe.  A piece of Crisp Cantaloupe thick Baker's Twine adorns the giraffe's neck and a pearl colored with a black Sharpie was used for his (or her) eye.

Back to organizing!  Thank you so much for coming by for a visit today!

Last Out-of-the-Box Swallowtail

Hi there!  It's a new week and a new month!  AND the new 2014-15 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalog goes live at noon (Pacific Time)!!!  Woo hoo!  One of the products listed in the new catalog is the Blendabilities, which was used on the above card.  This time I used the Rich Razzleberry pack.  A video can be found on Dawn Griffith's blog here with instructions for the Out-of-the-Box technique.  Oval mats of Silver Glimmer paper and Rich Razzleberry were adhered to a Pink Pirouette panel, which really helped the colors pop.

Saturday Mary Taylor and I held our New Catalog Open House.  We had a great time with everyone!  (Thank you all for your support - but mostly your friendship!)

The Stampin' Up! web site will be down until 1 pm CST.  Then I'll be able to upload the new catalog for your viewing pleasure - in case you don't have a copy. 

That's all for now.  Need to finish prepping for our Card Buffet being held at DeLeo's on Saturday.  Thanks for stopping by today!