Baroque Watercolor Background

Hi there!  Today's card is using a watercolor background that I made months ago with the Beautifully Baroque embossing folder from Stampin' Up!  This look was achieved by sponging several ink colors onto one side of the embossing folder - a sponge dauber works best for this, then lightly spritzed with some water.  (The ink colors used in the sample are Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, and Coastal Cabana.)  Lay a piece of watercolor paper (cardstock works, too) onto the inked side of the embossing folder.  Do not close the embossing folder.  Rub the back of the paper with your fingers to distribute the ink.  Remove the paper and let dry before using on a project.  Each side of the emobssing folder will give you a different look.  Be sure to rinse off the embossing folder under running tap water.
The flower embellishment was made with several flower punches and the Flower Fair Framelits.  A pearl was added for a finishing touch.
Hope you're inspired to try this technique.  It's a lot of fun and no two panels are alike.

That's all folks!  Thanks for coming by for a visit today!

A Big Kiss!

Hi there and happy Monday!  The weekend sure flew by.  Saturday we had our Card Buffet.  What fun we had!  The turnout was great despite the weather we've had.  Thank you ladies for such a wonderful time!  Sunday was spent with family.  We attended a welcome home party for our nephew who is home from basic training (Marines).  He sure did look handsome in his uniform!  It's amazing how much he has matured in that short amount of time, too.  Afterwards, our granddaughter spent the night with us.  She'll be getting up soon so let's get to the reason you stopped in today - the card.  My inspiration came from Selene Kempton's June 1, 2012 blog post (you can view her blog here).  This card was one of the samples for our Jan - Feb Card Buffet.  To make the "kiss" I glued some foil to a piece of cardstock, then punched out the large petal of the Blossom Punch (currently on the Stampin' Up! Clearance Rack found here).  Just trim off the scalloped portion of the petal.  The sentiment on the banner is from Petite Pairs.  A little bit of Baker's Twine added some interest.  Below is a peek at the inside of the card.

A sentiment from Love You to the Moon set is used here, along with the XOXO from the Circle Thinlits die.  Oh, and the cardstock color is Chocolate Chip.  Of course!

Must get some other tasks completed before the little one wakes up.  Thanks for stopping in today!  It's always a pleasure to have you come by!

Last of the Swaps

Hi there!  Today is the last of the shoebox swaps from a fun girls' retreat last month.  Our theme was to make a sympathy, get well, or thinking of you card.  The above swap was by Sally Nusbaum.  The sentiment from Sassy Salutations fit perfectly in the center of the Blossom punch.  Both items can be found in the Stampin' Up! annual catalog.  How about that subtle polka dot background?  That is the new Watercolor Wonder Designer Series Paper (DSP) on page 23 of the 2014 Occasions Catalog.  The finishing touch is the 3/4" Island Indigo Chevron Ribbon.  Who wouldn't feel better after receiving this card?

The next swap was designed by Susan Fields.

Her card is showcasing High Tide DSP (in the 2014 Occasions Catalog), the Banner Blast stamp set, and coordinating Banner punch.  The banner stamp set and punch are FREE products you can earn during Sale-A-Bration!  Some gold Baker's Twine was used for "hanging" the banners.  This is a new item in the Occasions Catalog and also comes in silver.  A circle stamped with an image from Hello, Sailor and matted onto a Pacific Point shape punched from the Curly Label punch makes the perfect embellishment.  What a great masculine card!

Snow is in the forecast.  Looks like another day in the studio.  It's a tough job but somebody's gotta do it.  Ha!  Thank you for stopping in today!

Blossom Punch and DSP Scraps

Hi there!  Hope your week is going well.  Mine has been fairly low key except for today.  Must run a couple of errands before meeting some friends for lunch.  From there, I'll pick up our granddaughter for an overnight visit.  Later in the evening I'll take Miss M to our youngest daughter's softball game and to pick up the granddog, Rocky.  Miss M will love that!  At the last game we attended, Miss M made friends with a little girl of one of youngest daughter's teammates.  They had a grand time.  OK, enough chit chat - let's get to the card for today.

This card was mailed to Taya Hyde, Pam D'Urso's new recruit, to welcome her to our Pieces of Heart team!  Congratulations to both ladies!  It is made from DSP (Designer Series Paper) scraps.  What a great way to use up some of your DSP scraps!  The four squares are 1-1/2", with two opposing corners rounded.  Flowers were punched out using the Blossom punch and the Boho punch.  The scallop border was cut with an Edgelit die, then a strip of DSP was added to the inside bottom edge for an extra pop of color.  A few score lines made with my Simply Scored Scoring tool gave this card a little extra pizzazz.  Oh, and I added a Real Red circle punched out with a standard hole punch for the center of the flower.  That was after the picture was taken.  It's amazing how a small detail can really make a difference!  Wish I would have taken another photo before mailing the card.

Well, friends, I must run.  Thank you for coming by for a visit today!



All Stampin' Up! supplies used unless otherwise noted
Stamps: none
Paper: Retired Brights DSP stack- Real Red patterns
Ink: none
Other:  Blossom punch, Boho punch, Edgelits - Finishing Touches, Simply Scored, standard hole punch

Blossom Flower

Hi there!  Today's card is showcasing one that I made at the Card Buffet of fellow Demos (Sally Nusbaum and Kim Coulter) this past Friday night.  The strips of Designer Series Paper are from the Floral District collection.  For the life of me, I can't remember which stamp set was used for the sentiment.  The flower was made by stacking five layers of punched flowers, spritzing with water, then wadding up to obtain that distressed look.  Such a pretty card to personally deliver to the recipient - or carefully wrap to mail!

All Stampin' Up! supplies used unless otherwise noted
Stamps:  sentiment ?
Paper: Lucky Limeade, Tangerine Tango, White, Floral District DSP
Ink: Lucky Limeade
Other:  White taffeta ribbon, 3/8" Designer Printed Brads, Blossom punch,  Blossoms Petals Builder punch, Perfect Polka Dot embossing folder

Remember!  Get your favorite retiring products before supplies are depleted!  You can look at the list of retiring products here at my on-line store - with some items discounted as much as 60%!

That's it for now.  Thanks for looking in today!

Mixed Swallowtail

Hi there and happy Friday!  I'm ready to get back on the blogging bandwagon.  Life sure got crazy there for a bit.  Thank you for being so patient with me!  Soooo, let's get to the card.  This oversized butterfly stamp is one of my favorites from the Spring catalog.  Black StazOn ink was used to stamp the butterfly image, then I just sponged on colors - Elegant Eggplant and Tempting Turquoise.  There might be some Marina Mist, too.  The flower from Mixed Bunch was stamped, then punched out.  Boy, the blues of the butterfly sure don't match that of the flower in this photo.  The butterfly looks more like Island Indigo.  You'll have to trust me on this that they coordinated.  lol

Stamps: Swallowtail, Mixed Bunch
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Elegant Eggplant, Tempting Turquoise, White
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Tempting Turquoise, Marina Mist
Other: Blossom punch, 3/4" circle punch, Dimensionals

That's it for now.  Have a great weekend and thank you for stopping by today!

Elegant Blossom

Hi there!  Didn't get a chance to post yesterday since I ran errands and visited a friend.  Hope you've been having a good week.  Seems everyone is getting back to their normal routines now that the holidays are over, even though it's a short week.
I am posting another card made at Carla's card buffet last month. (Gosh, that seems like ages ago!) 

Stamps: Mixed Bunch, Mixed Medley (for you sentiment - Holiday catalog)
Paper: Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, White
Ink: Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant
Other: Elegant Lines embossing folder, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Blossom punch, pearls

That's it for now.  Thanks so much for visiting today!  Have a great weekend!

Neutral Note

Hi there! Another quick post.  I played in my stamp room over the Memorial holiday weekend. There were different components sitting on my desk so this kinda just came together.  You can't really see in the photo, but the card base has been stamped in Early Espresso with the same stamp as the focal piece.  Something just seemed to be lacking until I added the lines around the Top Note.  What a difference such a simple thing like that makes!

Stamp: Mixed Bunch
Paper: Early Espresso, White, Crumb Cake
Ink: Early Espresso
Other: Top Note die, Blossom punch, Boho Blossom punch, Itty Bitty punch pack, standard hole punch, Crumb Cake seam binding, 

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

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!

It's A Wonder!

Hi there!  Hope everyone is having a good week so far.  I started cleaning/organizing my studio and what a major job that has turned out to be!  I am making some headway but it's slow going.  Must finish up tonight since the rest of the week is booked.  Anyway...... wanted to show you a couple of cards that I made using the One Sheet Wonder (OSW) technique that I forgot about. (The other cards made with this technique have been sent out and no photos taken.)  While at the Girls Getaway retreat back in April I was inspired by the color combination on my scratch paper as a result from some other stamping, so this is what I came up with.

The OSW technique is a fun way to make your own background paper.  Begin by stamping an 8-1/2 x 11 or 12 x 12 sheet of light colored cardstock in a random pattern using whatever stamps and ink colors that suit you.  Then cut that sheet up into different sizes and start making cards by adding coordinating colors of cardstock mats, embellishments, etc.  Give it a try!  The possibilities are endless.

Stampin' Up! supplies used unless otherwise noted:
Stamps: Mixed Bunch, Build a Blossom
Paper: White, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Pretty in Pink
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, Old Olive, Pretty in Pink
Other: Blossom Punch, Blossom Petal Punch, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Beautiful Butterflies die, Daffodil Delight seam binding, pearls

OK, need to watch Dancing With the Stars - gotta see who goes home tonight. lol  (Don't worry, I'll be working during the commercials.)  Thanks for stopping in for a visit today!

Stamp Camp Card #4

Hi there!  Still dragging the Camp card posts out this week.  lol  So without further adieu, here is Camp card number four.

When I saw this card on Penny Thomas' blog, I knew I'd be CASEing it!  Love the way the colors just pop!

Stampin' Up! supplies used unless otherwise noted.

Stamps: Mixed Bunch * (W-125535, C-125537)

Paper: Always Artichoke, White

Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso

Tools:  Blossom Punch * (125603), Blossom Petals Builder Punch (121808), 1” circle punch, Adorning Accents Embossing Folder - hearts * (125601)

Other:  Stylus, Mat Pack, sponges, Dimensionals, acrylic blocks

Inspiration: Penny Thomas at http://penguinstamper.blogspot.com    posted April 11, 2012

* Denotes items that appeared in the Occasions Mini catalog that are on the Carryover list.  Yeah!

Today our youngest daughter turns 30!  Gosh, where did the time go????  Happy Birthday, Hon!