Love Chocolate!

Inspiration by Christi Waite

Hi there!  Hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend.  It was great to spend time with family and getting my "baby fix" by holding my month old grandson!  But let's get down to business, shall we? The above card was showcased for Valentine's Day at my Card Buffet.  It could also be used for an anniversary or just to let someone know that you love them.  The sentiment is from the Lovely Amazing You stamp set by Stampin' Up!  The "bonbons" were made with the 1-1/2" Circle punch, then embossed with the retired Square Lattice embossing folder. Other punches used were the Heart Border punch and the Cupcake Builder punch (for the cherries).

That's all for today.  Must run some errands.  Have a great day and thank you for peeking in today!

Here's to the King!

And I don't mean Elvis!  Ha!  Just wanted to share the birthday card I made for my son.  We celebrated his birthday last night, even though today is his actual birthday.  So 35 years ago today, I was recovering from a C-section.  Ugh!  It was all worth it, though.  Happy birthday to you son.....and many more!  Love you!

Now for the card....  The pattern for the apron came from Pinterest.  The Just Add Cake Designer Series Paper (retired Stampin' Up!) was trimmed about 1/4" smaller than the white card base.  I used the retired Mitten Builder punch as a pattern for the oven mitt - just increased the size a bit and then gave it some texture with the Square Lattice embossing folder.  (Also a retired product.)  Another retired item, the Small Tag punch, was used to make the spatula.  The letters were cut out with the Little Letter Thinlits.  A current product!  To finish off the look, a scrap piece of ribbon for the neck strap.

OK need to scoot.  Thank you so much for stopping in today!

Baseball Fever!

 

Hi there!  Today Mary Taylor and I have another Card Buffet so this will be a quick post.  Here is one of the cards from our Buffet line-up, which has been popular.  (St. Louisians love their baseball.)  My inspiration came from this card posted on Paper Ecstasy's blog.  She doesn't list her name anywhere on the blog - only her friend's name, who is a Demonstrator.  (If you find out her name, please let me know.)  The Night of Navy card base was cut from the Circle Thinlits Die.  A template was used to draw a line for the "stitching".  Are you thinking the Chevron punch was used for the "stitching"?  Nope!  They were cut from one of the dies included with the Circle Thinlits and are smaller than those from the Chevron punch. The rest of the card is pretty self-explanatory.  If you have any questions about anything, though, please feel free to contact me.

Must get going!  Thank you for visiting today!

Stampin' Up! supplies used unless otherwise noted. 

Stamps: Sassy Salutations (inside), Perfect Pennants (lg star image), Pennant Parade (small star) - retired,

Another Great Year (sentiment on front of card) - retired 

Paper: Night of Navy, Real Red, White 

Ink: Night of Navy – ink pad & marker, Versamark 

Tools:  Circle Thinlits, 2-1/2” Circle punch, Square Lattice EF (retired), scissors 

Other:  glue pen or liquid glue, clear blocks

Just Sayin'.....Play Ball

Hi there!  Here's an easy card for those baseball fans in your life.  I made this card for our nephew's birthday who is a huge Cardinal fan.  The "baseball" was cut out from a circle Framelit.  Anything round can be used as a guide to make curved pencil lines on each side of the "baseball".  I used a circle Framelit since it was handy.  Stitch marks were then added with a Real Red marker and the pencil lines were erased.  The Real Red background panel which was embossed with the Square Lattice embossing folder, added some additional texture and interest.  A sentiment from the new Just Sayin'  set was stamped and cut out with the coordinating Word Bubbles Framelits.  Both items can be found in the Stampin' Up! 2014 Occasions Catalog and can be purchased as a bundle.  That saves you some money!  This bundle has become one of my favorite items from the Occasions Catalog!

Need to scoot to work on final preparations for our Card Buffet scheduled Sunday.  Thanks for visiting today!

Geometrical Life in the Forest

Hi there!  Stopping in for a quick post to show you some new products from the Stampin' Up! 2014 Occasions Catalog.  Love this fox from the Life in the Forest set!  He was colored in with an Early Espresso marker .  The tree image from the same set was used to make the subtle background panel.  What a fun sentiment, huh?  It is from Geometrical.  This versatile set can be used for many types of celebrations or to congratulate someone on some good news or an accomplishment.  Would you believe that button is made from clay?  Yep, I used our Simply Pressed Clay and button mold (both found on page 167 of the Annual Catalog), then colored it with a Garden Green marker.  Color can also be added to the white clay (it only comes in white) by adding a drop or two of reinker.  Knead the clay to evenly distribute the ink.  Be sure to wear gloves - unless you want your fingers to match!  A Linen Thread bow was added to the "button" for some additional interest. 

OK must head out to run some errands.  When I return, it's decision time on what projects to take for an extended weekend with my stamping peeps!  Thank you so much for stopping by today!
 
All Stampin' Up! supplies used unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Life in the Forest, Geometrical, Gorgeous Grunge
Paper: Crumb Cake, Garden Green, Vanilla
Ink: Crumb Cake, Garden Green, Early Espresso marker, Garden Green marker
Other: Square Lattice embossing folder, Finishing Touches Edgelits, Circle Framelits, Simply Pressed Clay, Buttons & Blossoms Simply Pressed Clay Molds, glue dots, Dimensionals

 

Get Well

Hi there! Hope you're having a good week.  Popping in real quick today to post this card that was in our June Card Buffet.  I've been needing too many of these types of cards lately (recipe below).  Must get started on my day and finish working on next weeks Card Buffet. 

All Stampin' Up! supplies used unless otherwise noted 

Stamps: Delightful Dozen 

Paper: Crumb Cake, Calypso Coral, Real Red, Vanilla 

Ink: Crumb Cake, Calypso Coral 

Tools:  Square Lattice embossing folder, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Owl punch (for heart),

Framelits – Apothecary Accents, corner rounder 

Other:  Sponges, Dimensionals, clear block

Remember, today is the last day for the Designer Series Paper promotion - Buy 3, get 1 FREE!!!! 

 

Thanks for stopping by today!

 

Flower Garden Get Well

Hi there!  Had a bit of a situation with the computer last week, which is why there haven't been any posts lately.  It's amazing how dependant (addicted?) one gets to the computer.  lol   Unfortunately, my files could not be recovered.  Hard lesson learned about the importance of backing up files on a regular basis!  Discovered that some of the pics on my camera that I hadn't yet deleted were never posted.  Funny how that ended up being a good thing! 

So the above card is one of several cards made a month or so ago but never shared.  Summer Starfruit ink was applied to the inside (flat side) of the Flower Garden embossing folder, added the cardstock, and then ran it through the Big Shot.  I like the effect - kind of a washed look.  The white background panel was embossed with the Square Lattice EF.  My sentiment came from the Delightful Dozen set, which is a great set with sentiments for numerous occasions. 

All Stampin' Up! supplies were used.

So that's it for today.  Hope you have a wonderful week and thank you for stopping in today!

Sunny Wishes

Hi there!  Stopping in for a quick post to show you this punch art sunflower card I made.  The directions can be found on Sherry Beeson's blog.  She has a video you can watch.  Too cute! 

Stamps: Petite Pairs (W-122495, C-122497) - Happy Birthday Wishes 

Paper: White, Summer Starfruit, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip 

Ink: Chocolate Chip 

Tools:  Scallop Oval punch (119856), Large Oval punch (119855), Boho Blossoms punch (largest flower), 1/2” circle punch, Square Lattice embossing folder (119976), Little Leaves Sizzlit die (114511) 

Other:  Chocolate Chip Scallop Dots ribbon (124142), Dimensionals, Glue Dots, liquid glue 
Inspiration: Sherry Beeson  http://www.sherrystampinroom.blogspot.com posted Oct 2, 2012

That's it for now.  Need to work on swaps for the Demo Holiday Party on Nov 30th, which is organized by Sally Nusbaum.  Looking forward to seeing my stamping peeps!  Thank you so much for visiting today!

Sorry I'm Late!

Hi there!  Another scheduled post while I'm with my stamping peeps at the Little House on the Prairie Stamping Retreat!!!

This was a CASE of Becky Roberts card, except I left off the bow.  Love this little snail!

Stamps: Easy Events (W-116958, C-123225)

Paper: Old Olive, Marina Mist, White, Brights DSP Stack (117155)

Ink: StazOn Black, Marina Mist, Old Olive

Tools:  Square Lattice embossing folder, 1-3/4” Circle punch, 2-3/8” Scallop Circle punch, 1-3/4” Square punch

Other:  Aquapainter, Dimensionals, double sided tape

Have a great weekend and thank you for coming by! 

Happy New Year!....

....at least it is in Stampin' Up! land!  The new Annual Catalog goes live at noon MT today!  This is a scheduled post since I'll be hosting an Open House today.  Stampers can peruse the new catalog, "play" with some new products, nibble on snacks, and mingle with other stamping friends.  But I won't leave you hanging without posting a card.  Here is one that was sent as a thank you to my friends for the time we spent together on Sunday and for a delicious dinner!

Stamps: Creative Elements, Mixed Bunch, sentiment from Just Believe
Paper: Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Night of Navy, Regals DSP Stack
Ink: Crumb Cake, Night of Navy
Other: Blossom punch, Boho punch, Itty Bitty punch pack, Square Lattice embossing folder, pearls

Thank you for stopping in today!  Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Baroque Butterflies

Hi there!  I have a sympathy card to share with you today.  These types of cards are never easy, especially when you need one.  I was inspired by a card in neutral tones that I saw on Pinterest.  I wanted a touch of color and achieved that with the Marina Mist card base and large butterfly.  The negative pieces from the Embosslit Die was used as a stencil to get the different sizes of butterflies over the Baroque Motif swirl.  (This set will no longer be available after May 31, 2012)

Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Thoughts and Prayers
Paper: Marina Mist, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso
Ink: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, River Rock, Chocolate Chip, Sahara Sand
Other: Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Early Espresso 1/4" grosgrain ribbon

Must finish cutting paper for Stamp Camp on Saturday.  Have a great day and thank you for coming by today!

Easter Cross

Hi there!  Thought I'd share another Easter card we made at one of the Wednesday stamp club meetings.  I just love this technique of cutting the Lattice Die shape to create the cross.  Pretty cool, huh?  I'm constantly amazed by people's creativity.   This card can be adapted for other occasions such as a wedding, baptism, or sympathy just by changing colors.  Pearls, flowers, and/or ribbon dress it up.  I chose to keep mine plain for the recipient.  The cross was adhered to the White cardstock before running through the Big Shot in the Square Lattice emobssing folder.  It gave the card a nice texture - much better looking in real life.  The focal piece is matted on Concord Crush, which works well with the Wisteria Wonder.

Paper: Wisteria Wonder, Concord Crush, Whisper White
Other: Lattice Die, Square Lattice embossing folder, Pearl

Hope everyone has a Happy Easter.  I'll be spending time with family tomorrow.  Love it!  Need to sign off so I can prepare my food and begin packing for the Girls Getaway retreat next week.  Thanks for stopping in today!

Masculine Birthday

Hi there!  This is gonna be quick.  Forgot to show you a card that I made for hubby's birthday ...back in Dec.  He finally gave me the card so I could post it. 

I used the retired Motorcycle stamped in Soft Suede on Very Vanilla.  Layers of Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede and Very Vanilla were added.  The Square Lattice embossing folder was also used for a little texture.  The brads are from my stash and  non-SU!
Must run.  Meeting the Wednesday girls for a day of stamping!

Monogrammed Note Cards

Happy hump day!  You know what that means....it's stamping with the Wednesday girls!  I'll show you a note card from the set I made for my sister-in-law.  She really appreciated getting them. Black and white is always so elegant looking, at least in my book.

Texture was added to the white background with the Square Lattice embossing folder.  I stamped the border strip with the flourish image from Elements of Style stamp set and matted it on the black strip.  The monogram is a non-SU! set that I've had for years.  It is punched out, matted on the black scallop circle, and popped up with dimensionals.  An easy card with a lot of impact. 

Hope you have an awesome day and thanks for coming by!

French Foliage Stamp Camp Card

Hi there!  Hope your day is going well.  I have another card from Saturday's Stamp Camp to share with you, which features the French Foliage stamp set.  CASE'd (Copy And Share Everything) this card (scroll down to Oct 30 post) from Julie Gearinger.  Love her style AND this stamp set!   



Stamps: French Foliage (w-120845, c-121166), French Script (retired – use En Francais 109521)

Paper: Island Indigo, Baja Breeze, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White

Ink: Island Indigo, Baja Breeze, Rich Razzleberry

Tools: Big Shot, Brayer, Square Lattice embossing folder, small hole punch
Other:  Rich Razzleberry 1/4” grosgrain ribbon, rhinestone brads (non-SU)

Inspiration: Julie Gearinger  www.stampingwithjuliegearinger.blogspot.com  posted Oct 30, 2011



Don't forget about the Online Extravaganza that is going on until Nov 30th.  There are some great deals!

Must sign off for now.  I have to get dinner before the finale of Dancing With the Stars!  Yep, I'm hooked.  After tonight, life will resume as normal on Mon and Tue nights - whatever normal is.  lol

Thanks for stopping in today!

Last of the Stamp Camp Cards

Hi there!  Here is the last card, which is basically the same card that was shown in my Oct 10th post.  I changed my mind on the Autumn Days card at the last minute.  Since I'm female, I can do that!  lol

Stamps: Autumn Days, On Your Birthday

Paper: Bravo Burgundy, Whisper White

Ink: Bravo Burgundy, Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, markers = Peach Parfait, Pear Pizzazz, Cajun Craze, Black (to dot his eye), Bravo Burgundy

Tools: Big Shot, Square Lattice embossing folder

Other: sponges, dimensionals, eclipse tape or Post-Its for masking (non-SU!)

Inspiration: Becky at http://www.scrappinandstampiningj.com/

The above card wasn't as time consuming as the one originally planned.  Plus I like the colors better, too.  Wanna see what the girls didn't make?  This card required some fussy-cutting and there was already enough of that on the other cards.

Inspiration for this card came from Debbie Henderson  www.debbiesdesignsblog.blogspot.com

Gonna sign off now.  I'm sure we're in full party mode by now at the retreat.  Oops, I mean "work mode"! lol  Working hard on yakking, shoveling in the food, and possibly a margarita or two!  There may even be some cards made.

Tuesday is Our Pieces of Heart Demo Dinner.  This month's challenge is a Thanksgiving card.  It will be fun to see what everyone comes up with.

Hope you have a great weekend.  Thanks for stopping by!  I'll be back Monday

Late Autumn Days

Happy Monday!  Spent some time in the studio yesterday.  Way behind sending out cards for October.  This one is for a cousin whose birthday is actually today...and the card is being mailed today.  He'll appreciate it even though it is late.  My friend actually sent me a link to this card.  She's always scouting card ideas for me.  Thanks, girlfriend!  The inspiration was found on Becky's blog here - scroll down to Nov 9, 2010 post.  I did change it up a bit and was pleased with the results. 


The Bravo Burgundy card base is 5-1/2" x 8-1/2", scored and folded at 4-1/4".  The White focal piece is 4" x 5-1/4"

After masking off the center area, I began sponging in some Daffodil Delight, then Calypso Coral. It still needed some depth so I went in with Tangerine Tango at the bottom.  I then put the lower portion of the White panel in the embossing folder and ran it through the Big Shot.  The sentiment was stamped at the top.  I then stamped the pheasant with Bravo Burgundy ink on a piece of scrap White.  Markers were used to add some additional color to the pheasant.  This guy was then cut out and popped up on dimensionals on the White panel, and then adhered to the card base.

Stampin' Up! supplies used unless otherwise noted.

Stamps: Autumn Days, On Your Birthday

Paper:  Bravo Burgundy, Whisper White

Ink:  Bravo Burgundy (pad & marker), Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight (pad & marker), Really Rust (retired), Tangerine Tango, Old Olive marker, Black marker to dot his eye

Other:  Square Lattice embossing folder, sponges, dimensionals, eclipse tape for masking (non-SU!)

Need to get card stock cut for my Camp on Saturday 'cause I want to watch Dancing with the Stars tonight.  I'm busy every day and night this week except Friday!

Gotta run.   Have a wonderful day and thanks for checking in today!

Vintage Quilt

Happy Monday to you!  Can you believe it's now August?  Yikes!  Help - slow this train down! 
Saturday's Stamp Camp was such a fun time.  Thank you to those who attended and welcome to the newcomers!
Well I promised to show you the other card we made on Wed so without further ado....here it is.

The squares are 1-1/4".  It helps to adhere the corners on the 4" x 5-1/3" Very Vanilla panel first then space the remaining squares to your satisfaction.  Place panel in embossing folder and run through the Big Shot to achieve the imbedded look before attaching to the Rose Red card base.  Love this technique.  If you have any questions, please email me.

All SU! supplies used unless otherwise noted.

Stamps: Four Frames (W-123440, C-123442), Oval All (113790)  

Paper: Rose Red, Very Vanilla, Springtime Vintage DSP (retired), Pear Pizzazz

Ink: Pear Pizzazz

Tools: Scallop Oval punch, 1-3/4” x 7/8” Oval (large oval) punch, Decorative Label punch, Big Shot

Other:  Square Lattice embossing Folder, Victoria 5/8” crochet trim, pearls, dimensionals

Inspiration:  Maria Sanchez (www.mayicards.blogspot.com) and Pam D’Urso (www.sweetpeabunny.blogspot.com)

Next week is the quarterly Girls Getaway retreat.  I'll be busy this week getting ready for that.  Hope everyone has a great day and thank you for peeking in today!

Maculine Card

Hi there!  Had a few men with birthdays this month.  Here is a card that went out to a couple of them.

This card could easily be changed to a feminine one just by using pastel colors.  You could stamp a whole sheet of card stock then cut it down to size.  Wish I'd thought of that when I made this!  Duh!  It's still an easy card.

Stampin Up! supplies used unless otherwise noted
Stamps - Circle Circus, Perfect Punches
Paper - White, Black, Gray
Ink - Black, Gray, Cherry Cobbler
Other - Square Lattice embossing folder, Wide Oval punch, dimensionals

I'm almost finished preparing for Stamp Camp on Saturday.  I'll try to post a sneak peek for you later.  Thanks for stopping in and have a great day!

Animal Stories Baby-fied

Hi there!  Hope your week is going well.  Daughter #1 is coming in from Miami for a whirlwind visit this weekend.  Miss M, our granddaughter, doesn't remember her aunt since she was just a toddler the last time of D #1's visit.  Miss M refers to the photo of her aunt as "Aunt ___, who lives far away".  Youngest Daughter is having a dual purpose Open House for family and friends - to show off her new home and to visit with big sis.  The girls and I, plus a couple of cousins will be having a big ol' pajama party afterwards!  There will be no shortage of conversation and laughs - nor much sleep!  So, this week Youngest Daughter and I will be cooking up some good eats for the weekend and her Open House.  Looking forward to all of it!
OK, on to the card.  I wanted to send my friend, Jayne, a card congratulating her on becoming a grandma the fourth time but nary a baby card in my stash!  (Not a great demand for baby cards amongst my circle of friends.  Guess I should make some "grandparent" cards to be ready for the next one, huh?)  The next stumbling block was that I don't own any current baby-type stamps.  Not to be deterred, I used the retired Animal Stories set and CASE'd this card made by Kris McIntosh, with a couple of minor changes.  What is it about wanting to use your stamps sets after they've retired?  Oh well. 

Stampin' Up! supplies used unless otherwise noted.
Stamps - Animal Stories (retired), Teeny Tiny Wishes, Swirls & Curls Verses (inside)
Paper - White, Bashful Blue, vellum
Ink - Bashful Blue, Night of Navy (inside)
Tools - Beautiful Wings embosslit, embossing folders - Perfect Polka Dots, Finial Press, and Square Lattice, non-SU! circle & scallop circle dies

Thanks for peeking in today!  I'm not sure if I'll have a chance to post the rest of this week.  Just remember - I'll be back!  Have a great week.