Stampin' With Attitude

Changes

2010-10-11T09:17:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, I have a Demonstrator website. They have recently included the ability for you to have a blog. Kind of makes this one obsolete. Therefore, I'm going to start transferring all of my old posts over to my new blog. For any updates/info/classes/pictures, etc., please visit my website: www.hayleybullen.stampinup.net. Have a wonderful day!! :)

I'm Unpacked!!!!

2010-08-29T17:48:00.000-07:00

I'm back with an update....my stamping loft is unpacked finally!! My goal is to get in there this week and stamp something. I have truly missed it!! School starts here Sept. 8th, so I'm hoping to have even MORE time then. Stay tuned!! :)

The last....for now

2010-08-05T10:44:00.000-07:00

This will be my last card post for a bit. I've been "away" recently because I had a close friend visiting from out of town, and now I'll be absent because we're packing up the apartment and moving into the home we'll be buying next week! We're planning on moving on the 14th. I haven't even gotten the boxes out of my garage yet. It's going to be a looong week! On a much happier note, at the new house I'll have my own stamping studio! I'm beyond excited! I have a feeling that once everything is unpacked, there WILL be photos posted! Now, without further ado, the card!
I love earth tones. I have people make fun of me about it all the time. They think the colors are dark and depressing....I think they're relaxing and homey. It will be no surprise to you that I love this card!
Yes, the main panel is off-center, but that's how the card I CASE'd was as well. I like it. It's quirky!

Here you can see that the middle of the flower has been popped up with dimensionals. I had to hand-cut the green center so that's why it doesn't look "fantastic".....but overall I really do love this card. Thanks for looking, and please stay close! I hope to be back on here in my new studio in about 2 weeks. Happy Stamping!! :)

Stamps: All-Year Cheer I, & Playful Pieces

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, & Whisper White cardstock

Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red, & Tangerine Tango Stampin' Pads

Accessories: Mini glue dots; Stampin' Dimensionals; 3/4" circle punch; & Riding Hood Red striped ribbon

Pastel Flowers

2010-07-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

This was another sad case of "hurry and take a picture before the batteries die!" I'm so sad about that, too, because this picture does not do the card justice. I love the soft pastels, the simpleness (is that a word?!) of the card overall, and the versatility. I didn't want to put a sentiment on it because I'm considering using it for a baby shower....or maybe an upcoming birthday.....or maybe a thinking of you. See! This is exactly why there is no sentiment on here! LOL! :) Thanks for looking!

Stamps: Awash with Flowers
Paper: Certainly Celery, Pink Pirouette, & Whisper White cardstock
Ink: Chocolate Chip Stampin' Pad
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals; Stampin' Pastels; & Certainly Celery ribbon

Kind Bird

2010-07-23T10:11:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the not-so-great photo. I was only able to take this one before my batteries died. I have to say, I love our digital camera, but our rechargeable batteries don't hold a charge like they used to. It's so frustrating! I don't want to take my camera anywhere since I'll have to bring along 4 sets of batteries! LOL! Ok....enough complaining....back to the program.... ;)

I love this bird. I think it's the perfect image for the rock-n-roll technique which is what I did. It's definitely one of those techniques that I love, looks awesome, and that I don't use nearly enough. So glad I did on this card! Have a fantastic weekend!

Stamps: Always
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Riding Hood Red, & Whisper White cardstock
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, & Riding Hood Red Stampin' Pads
Accessories: 1/16" & 1 3/4" circle punches; Stampin' Dimensionals; silver brad; & Chit Chat rub-ons

Just for You

2010-07-21T15:54:00.000-07:00

I love this card. I love all 3x3 cards. I think because they're so versatile. You can dress 'em up OR down and they're still adorable! I know some people have issues with them because you can't mail them off as is. However, pop it into a standard size envelope and off you go! I think they're perfect when you just want to say "hello" to a friend or loved one, and for gift giving....especially for kids! :)

Stamps: Polka Dot, & Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Point, & Whisper White cardstock
Ink: Kiwi Kiss Stampin' Pad
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals; 1/16" circle punch; Filigree brads; Rose Red ribbon; & Crop-a-dile Corner Chomper

Friend to Friend

2010-07-19T21:06:00.001-07:00

I got this card idea from Stampin' Success. I like the simplicity of it, but also how adorable it is at the same time. I made some changes from the original example and I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Better angle to show the flower popped up. I love small details like this!

Closer up of the sentiment.

Stamps: Playful Pieces, & Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Point, & Whisper White cardstock

Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Point, Rose Red, & So Saffron Stampin' Pads

Accessories: Mat pack; paper piercer; Stampin' Dimensionals; mini glue dots; Fresh Favorites II buttons; & crochet thread

hi

2010-07-16T08:57:00.001-07:00

I don't really know what to say about this card. I like it, but I don't love it. The idea came from Stampin' Success, but their letters for the sentiment were a lot thinner than mine and looked great on the card. I feel as though mine are too thick and look out of place next to the fine lines of the flowers.

I do like the idea behind it, especially the brads for the flowers. The whole sentiment issue makes me want to purchase another alphabet set.....dangerous! :) Thanks for looking, and Happy Friday!!

Finished card size was 3 1/4 x 5 3/4

Stamps: Best Friends Alphabet Lower, Sweet Stems

Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red, & Whisper White cardstock; Raspberry Tart Designer Paper

Ink: Rose Red Stampin' Pad; & Old Olive, Pretty in Pink, Rose Red, & So Saffron markers

Accessories: 1/16" & scallop border punches; Stampin' Dimensionals; Pretty in Pink ribbon, & brads

Party Hearty!

2010-07-14T14:44:00.001-07:00

I love this card. It was my first time attempting to cut out very small pieces (i.e. the candle), and it really wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be. I love the look and how versatile it can be.
The card idea came from Stampin' Success, but they used a Baja Breeze button instead of a brad. I don't have those buttons, so I improvised with what I do have. Like I always tell people, there is no right or wrong when it comes to making cards!

Side view. Love the dimension! Thanks for looking!!

Stamps: Party Hearty

Paper: Old Olive & Whisper White cardstock

Ink: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, & Ruby Red Stampin' Pads; & Old Olive & So Saffron markers

Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals; star brads; & 1/16" circle & tag corner punches

Chocolate Flowers

2010-07-12T21:23:00.001-07:00

Happy Monday!! Today has been a day of playing "catch up" for me. My family and I went camping over the weekend so I've been up to my ears in sandy, muddy, smoke-filled clothes. Not to mention having to run to the store to get food for hubby's work lunches. My body is still in relaxation mode, though. :)

Anywho, I did want to post this card tonight. I got the layout from the Stampin' Success magazine but I changed mine up quite a bit. I'm really happy with how it turned out. Simple, yet cute. I also like not having a sentiment on some of my cards so I can use it for any occasion. I love versatility! The dimensions of the card are 3 1/8 x 5 1/8. It was my first time making a card this size and I'm pleased with it overall. I do like how it fits into a standard card envelope. Yay!! Thanks for stopping by! :)

Stamps: Enjoy Every Moment
Paper: Baja Breeze & Ruby Red cardstock; Bella Rose Designer Paper
Ink: Chocolate Chip & Old Olive Stampin' Pads
Accessories: Spiral & 3/4" circle punches; Old Olive ribbon; Button Bouquet; Stampin' Dimensionals; 2-way glue pen; mini glue dots; & crochet thread

Butterfly Thank You

2010-07-08T12:04:00.000-07:00

Again, I got this card idea from the Stampin' Success magazine. I changed up the butterfly so I could use my butterfly punch (which I don't use often enough!). In the magazine they had raised dots on the Chocolate Chip piece, which they made by using the Crop-a-dile. I couldn't figure out how they did it, so I decided to do white dots instead to help tie in the white from the butterfly. I'm very happy with how it turned out!

Close up of the butterfly. I'm happy to report, too, that I figured out how to lighten up my signature. WooHoo!!! Not where I was wanting it to be (totally transparent), but much better than it used to be. Have a wonderful day!

Stamps: Bella Toile, Flight of the Butterfly

Paper: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, & Whisper White cardstock

Ink: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, & Ruby Red Stampin' Pads

Accessories: Stamp-a-ma-jig; Stampin' Dimensionals; White gel pen; Crop-a-dile Corner Rounder; & Butterfly punch

Thoughts of You

2010-07-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

Yay! I'm getting back into the stamping-groove! :) I made this card last night based off one in the Stampin' Success magazine. The card size is 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 but still fits in a "normal" envelope. I used my Silhouette to cut out the leaves and some flowers, but the flower I had cut out was way too big. So I opted to use a punch instead. I don't know if I'm overly happy with how it turned out, but I do think it's kinda cute. :)
Don't try to take a picture while on the phone. Everything will look like it's crooked/leaning. Not speaking from experience, or anything...... ;)

Closer up of the sentiment. Please bear with me while I try to figure out how to make my signature clear. I need to do some more research on it!

Stamps: Goody-Goody Gumdrops, Bella Toile

Paper: Crumb Cake, Baja Breeze, Blush Blossom, Kiwi Kiss, & Whisper White cardstock

Ink: VersaMark, & Baja Breeze Stampin' Pad

Accessories: Scallop Edge & 5-petal Flower punches, & Baja Breeze striped ribbon

Happy 4th....and an Apology

2010-07-04T08:25:00.000-07:00

First of all, Happy 4th of July!!! After I met my husband who was in the Navy on subs, this holiday meant something more to me, and still does to this day! I hope you have a wonderful day, and stay safe!! :)

On another not so happy note, I apologize for how awful this blog has become. A lot has been going on around here, and I honestly did not have the emotional capacity to write on here without it being a horrible drag. LOL!! I'm hoping to dust off my stamp sets and jump back in to creating some new cards. I miss it terribly, and have been throwing the idea around of selling some of my creations on Etsy. We'll see if I work up the nerve to do so...... ;)
My goal is to update my blog with the new catalog as well this week. It's #1 on my to-do list!

Circle Friends

2010-05-26T09:59:00.001-07:00

Life never slows down, does it?! I have great news: we're buying a house! I have bad news: I have to pack and unpack everything all over again. Sigh. I honestly hate packing all of my stamping stuff up. I always feel like I don't have access to my favorite hobby and I'm going to shrivel up and die. Not like I have a whole lot of extra free time laying around, but I'm sure you get the point. :)
I made this card a couple of weeks back. I got the idea from the Stampin' Success magazine and I loved it! I did change a couple of things to accomodate what I have here. I used my handy-dandy Silhouette to cut out the kraft scallop circle and the red flower. I love how this card turned out. Simple, but adorable. You could easily change the sentiment to fit any occasion. I love that!

Closer up of the layers.

Have a wonderful rest of the week! I know I'm looking forward to the 3-day weekend. WooHoo!! :)

Birthday Flower Spots

2010-05-11T20:58:00.001-07:00

I got this card idea from the So Shelli blog as one of the projects she's done at one of the Workshops of a Lifetime. I loved how clean and cute it looked, and I loved the colors. Mine is a tad bit different, however. I used a different stamp set for my sentiment. My circle piece was a little larger. I stamped the polka dot background, where as it was embossed on the original. I made a couple extra of these cards to have on hand when I need them. Super easy and cute! Love it!!

I'm Sorry

2010-05-11T20:48:00.001-07:00

I'm a horrible blogger. There, I said it. I have the best intentions of posting my current projects on here....then life happens. We're househunting right now. What a pain! Then I had my birthday, a workshop, my oldest daughter's b-day, and Mother's Day within 2 weeks. It's been nuts.
But I do have some new things to share. First off is the invitation to my daughter's b-day party. We decided to have it at the local bowling alley, and it was a blast! The kids were a little shy at first....but that didn't last long. There were quite a few strikes and spares bowled....and the oldest kiddo was 8! Granted, they were using bumpers, but we were still super proud of them!
I used my Silhouette (which I love) to cut out the bowling ball and pin. That was a horrible day for me. The black cardstock was sticking to the transfer sheet for the Silhouette, so now I have black fuzzy fibers all over it. Not happy about that! Then I decided to use a different bowling image, but that did not go well at all. The bowling pin was super intricate and had tiny sliver-like pieces. After cutting some out I realized I was out of my mind since I had to do 12. There was no way I was going to be able to keep all of those pieces straight. So, I ended up using this image instead. Simple, but clean and to the point. Just like I like it!

The images were adhered to the card using Stampin' Dimensionals.

Next up....my daughter's b-day card! Stay tuned!!

I'm Back! - Workshop Time

2010-04-19T20:27:00.001-07:00

I'm hoping that I'm back on the stamping bandwagon now. :) My hubby started his new job at the end of March and I'm still trying to adjust to not having him home all of the time. We used to split the "duty" of running our daughter to and from school....now it's all me, all the time. I'm not complaining, but trying to get back into my old routine from 6+ months ago is taking me awhile, and I apologize. How better to welcome the "old me" back then by doing a workshop....for my favorite aunt which makes it even better! :)
She asked to have Mother's and Father's Day cards since those special days are fast approaching. Here's what I came up with:
LOVE this new Awash with Flowers stamp set! When I first saw it I wasn't that impressed, but then I saw projects that were made using the set and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it! So glad I did!! I got the card idea from the So Shelli blog. I changed the Designer Paper and the sentiment. I love the simplicity, colors, and overall card.

When I showed my hubby this card he asked if it was for him. Guess that means he likes it?! ;) I have used this same layout on a couple of different cards, and I just love the versatility. Definitely one of my favorites and my go-to when I need a quick but nice card.

I still haven't figured out what project I'm going to demonstrate at the workshop yet. Might do a sour cream container or something else. Haven't decided yet. I'll be sure to post whatever it turns out to be! :)

Happy Easter!!

2010-04-03T18:35:00.000-07:00

I wanted to say Happy Easter today while I was thinking about it. We're headed off to my parents' house tomorrow for an Easter egg hunt and dinner. I'm bringing the dessert! :) Don't know how much time I'll have to post this tomorrow. Regardless, I hope you have a blessed day tomorrow. Happy Easter!!!

Are You Ready For A HUGE Goof?!

2010-04-02T09:47:00.001-07:00

Here it is:
Oh, you can't see it very well? Let me zoom in....

Do you see it? On the "i" and the "f"?? Ok, so I love rub-ons. When I use them they're usually smaller and very easy to handle. Then I decided to pull this baby out and use it. I wasn't paying close enough attention and my letters folded in on themselves. :( I was soooo bummed!! I made this card days ago and have been going back and forth over whether or not to post it, but I like to keep it real, so here it is. :) Please don't judge too harshly. LOL!! Happy Friday!!

Stamps: Tart & Tangy

Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red, & Whisper White

Ink: Riding Hood Red

Accessories: 1 1/4" circle & 1 1/4" square punches; Greatest Moments rub-ons; & Kiwi Kiss striped ribbon

Friendly Flowers

2010-03-26T12:32:00.000-07:00

First off, you'll have to excuse the poor photo. Of course my camera batteries decided to die while I was taking this shot, and it takes quite a while to re-charge them. I'm an impatient person, so this is the only picture I got. I'm sorry. :)

I got the layout idea from Stampin' Success. Love the colors, the layout, and just the whole idea in general. It's a very simple card, but a super cute one. The flower images could easily be substituted with circles, stars, animals, leaves, etc. Definitely a card that could easily be changed to fit any occasion.

Stamps: Always; Baroque Motifs
Paper: Not Quite Navy, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, & Whisper White cardstock
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Old Olive, & Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Pads
Accessories: Scallop Edge punch; & Chit Chat rub-ons

Possibilities

2010-03-23T15:37:00.001-07:00

This is probably my most favorite 3x3 card that I've ever made. I saw it in Stampin' Success and knew I wanted to make one of my own. On their example they used a star-shaped piece of chipboard that was covered in Old Olive cardstock. They sewed the edges of the circle piece of chipboard. The sentiment read "boys will be boys". I didn't have any star-shaped chipboard (already been used on different projects). I don't own a sewing machine (don't have the foggiest idea HOW to sew!). I don't have any boys (unless you count my hubby or the dogs). So I took the main card idea and made it my own. I love it.

Hmmm......guess I should have trimmed the little "nobbies" off of the chipboard. Let's just say that I meant to leave them on....gives it character. ;)

Paper: Basic Gray

Accessories: Chipboard; Die-Cut Blooms; Earth Elements & Neutrals buttons; Baja Breeze striped ribbon; Great Moments rub-ons; & crochet thread

Masculine Birthday

2010-03-17T21:30:00.001-07:00

First off, Happy St. Patrick's Day!!! Hope you didn't get pinched today. ;) No, the card I'm posting today isn't in celebration of today's holiday, but you can find one that I made last year here. This is another masculine-like card, and I'm loving it!
I saw this card in the Stampin' Success magazine and loved how clean and simple it was, but still super cute! The example in the magazine used the Curly Lable bundle which I don't have, so I improvised with what I do have. I'm super happy with how it turned out. I would feel very comfortable giving this birthday card to a man. Yes, it has some feminine features, but I don't think it's anything over the top. My hubby really liked this card as well, which is always a good sign.
The card may look a little weird, and that's only because the back of the card is longer than the front due to the scallop border. The card was laying down in the magazine and I could tell that the back was not cut to the same length as the front. It looks funky when it's standing up, but it looks awesome when it's laying down!

Close up of the tag. Love how easy it was to make it and how clean it looks!

Stamps: Always, & Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper: Baja Breeze, Old Olive, Whisper White, & Kraft cardstock

Ink: Chocolate Chip, & Old Olive Stampin' Pads

Accessories: Chocolate Chip ribbon; mat pack; mini library clips; & scallop border & designer label punches

Plain Rooster

2010-03-15T18:59:00.000-07:00

I saw this layout in the Stampin' Success magazine and loved it....but I'm not really that excited about MINE. I feel like it's a little plain. Hmmm.......This may be one of those cards that gets given to my daughters to do what they will with it. We'll see.

The stamped image is colored using watercolor crayons. I love those things! They're like magic to me, and so fun to use. At least one neat thing came out of this trainwreck of a card. LOL! :) Happy Monday!

Stamps: Country Morning, Sweet Little Sentiments
Paper: Old Olive, Really Rust, Riding Hood Red, & Very Vanilla cardstock
Ink: Really Rust Stampin' Pad; Black Staz-on
Accessories: Chocolate Chip ribbon; Aqua Painters; Earth Elements watercolor crayons; & Crop-a-dile corner rounder

Thankful Leaves

2010-03-13T17:45:00.001-08:00

This is the other card that I used my awesome Silhouette for. I have a couple of stamp sets that have leaves, but it looked like a daunting task to cut out all of the intricate corners, so I opted to use my handy dandy machine instead. I'm sooo glad! I know for a fact that I wouldn't have been able to cut out the leaves with this precision.

Closer up of the leaves. I added some dots using a white gel pen to bring a little contrast to the leaves.

Stamps: Canvas

Paper: Old Olive, Really Rust, & Very Vanilla cardstock

Ink: Old Olive Stampin' Pad

Accessories: Mat Pack; Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon; White gel pen; Crop-a-dile; & Chit Chat rub-ons

Enjoy!

2010-03-10T10:17:00.001-08:00

I had no idea that it had been so long since I had posted another blog entry. I'm sorry! :(
My awesome hubby surprised me by buying me the Silhouette SD. Yes, he is ALWAYS that awesome! ;) It couldn't have come at a better time because of the cards I've been wanting to make. I found this one in the Stampin' Success magazine but I didn't have the right flower punch to create the flowers like in the magazine. Hello, Silhouette! I was able to find the perfect flowers and cut them out with my new baby. I'm in heaven. Enjoy!

A closer view of the cutie-patootie flowers.

Stamps: Enjoy Every Moment

Paper: Kraft & Whisper White cardstock; Bella Rose Designer Paper

Ink: Riding Hood Red Stampin' Pad; Basic Black Stampin' Write marker

Accessories: Blender Pen; 1/16" & Spiral punches; Crop-a-dile; Fire Rhinestone brads; and Baja Breeze striped ribbon

If you give 2 girls paper punches....

2010-02-28T19:24:00.001-08:00

....and some paper, glue, crayons, and scissors....this may be what they come up with:

How cute are they?! The first two were done by my 6 3/4-year-old (this is how she refers to herself) daughter, and the last one was done by my 5-year-old daughter. I'm a very proud mommy! :)

Paper Petals

2010-02-26T17:25:00.001-08:00

I saw this card in Stampin' Success and just had to try out this technique! Each petal was made using the small tag punch and some folding. That's it! I absolutely love how it turned out. This picture doesn't do it justice. I apologize for the photo being a little blurry. I didn't realize it until I was getting ready to post this. So sorry!!

Here's a closer look from the side of the petals. Can't wait to use this technique again!

Stamps: Always

Paper: Always Artichoke, More Mustard, Real Red, & Whisper White cardstock; Patterns Pack

Ink: Always Artichoke & More Mustard Stampin' pads; More Mustard Stampin' Write marker

Accessories: Small tag & 1 3/8" circle punches; crochet thread; & Bold Brights buttons

Medallions, Thanks, & Circles

2010-02-25T16:24:00.000-08:00

I like to go through each Stampin' Success magazine I receive as a Demonstrator and re-create those cards that really catch my eye. The following cards were the last ones I did before my big move, and I had such a blast doing them!

The original card used a different stamp than the Medallion background, but I hadn't had a chance to use it yet and I thought it would work really well with this card. I love it!

Supplies: Medallion & Oval All stamp sets; Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Really Rust, Chocolate Chip, & Whisper White cardstock; Baja Breeze and Kiwi Kiss ink; Scallop Edge, Large & Scallop Oval Punches; & 1/4" white ribbon

Simple, but cute. :)

Supplies: Say it with Scallops stamp set; Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, So Saffron, & Really Rust cardstock; Chocolate Chip ink; Scallop Square Punch; Baja Breeze striped ribbon; Fire rhinestone brads; Fleurettes II; & Corner Chomper

I love circles, and I LOVE earth tones. I'm sure it will be no surprise that this is one of my fave cards. :)

Supplies: Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, So Saffron, & Kiwi Kiss cardstock; Chit Chat and Love & Happiness rub-ons; 1 1/4", 1 3/8", & 1" circle punches; Corner Chomper; & Fresh Favorites II buttons

Christmas Card Class '09

2010-02-21T13:35:00.001-08:00

Once again, my upline (Christy) and I got together and did a Christmas Card Class in November. Our customers made 3 each of 4 different card designs. Christy and I each come up with two designs; I had some extra materials cut so I made each of Christy's cards for me to take home. The class was a success and everyone seemed really excited to have had started working on their Christmas cards. I'm so bummed that I won't be able to do it again next year since I moved out of state, but Christy and I are planning on bouncing ideas off of each other so who knows what may happen!
This is the 1st card I came up with.

This is my 2nd card. Got the idea out of the Idea Book & Catalog. Their example uses our new wood sheets, but I wanted to come up with something that would be less expensive for our customers to create on their own. I used the Woodgrain background stamp to get that same effect of the wood sheets. I'm very happy with how it turned out!

This is Christy's 1st card. How adorable is that birdie?!

This is Christy's 2nd card. I love the simplicity of it!

Halloween Card Class '09

2010-02-21T12:17:00.001-08:00

As I said....I'm trying to catch up with my posting. :) Below are the three projects we did back in the fall for Halloween.

This card was probably my absolute favorite. I got the template from Kristina Werner's A Year in Cards for September. There is some tracing and cutting that needs to be done, but it's totally worth it. I thought the end result was adorable, and everyone really enjoyed making them, too!

I took this side shot in hopes that you could see the different layers. Each layer is attached with Stampin' Dimensionals. So cute!

This second card used the new Sweet Treat cups. I thought they would be the perfect little card (and treat!) for co-workers or the kiddos at school.

These CD tins were on sale for Demonstrators and I had to snatch some up! People have asked me in the past how you use the Decor Elements and I thought that this would be a great way for customers to get their hands on them and see what they're all about. Very easy project, but I loved how it turned out!

Pumpkin: Best Friends Alphabet Upper stamp set; Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Elegant Eggplant, & Whisper White cardstock; Basic Black & Chocolate Chip ink pads; White gel pen, Black Stampin' Write marker, & Stamp-a-ma-jig

Sweet Halloween: Sweet Centers stamp set; Whisper White, Basic Black, & Old Olive cardstock; Old Olive ink pad; 1 3/4" circle punch, white gel pen, & sweet treat cups

Flower Tin: Silver tin; Decor Elements

Yowsers!

2010-02-19T17:13:00.002-08:00

I'm so sorry for the lack of postings. Life has been extremely hectic the past couple of months. My husband was laid-off in September, so I went to work full-time....and I was still homeschooling our daughters. I didn't mind it, but it totally cut into my stamping time! :(
A close family friend helped my hubby get a federal government job in Bremerton, WA, so we put our house on the market in early December, had an offer on it mid-January, packed up our house and moved on January 29th, and arrived here in Bremerton on February 2nd. Like I said, it's been NUTS!!! The good news is that I WILL be jumping back into my stamping! WooHoo!! I have missed it sooo much and can't wait to start again. I was able to do a couple of cards the past couple of months, but never had the time to take picts and upload them on here. That will be my first blog project, so keep your eyes peeled!

Very Thankful Stamp Class

2009-08-27T19:16:00.006-07:00

Every month I try to pick a theme for the projects that we do in our stamp class. I like everything to match, flow, go together....however you want to put it. I love taking a stamp set with 4 or less images and creating several projects using just that set. I was sooo excited to see project ideas in the Demo magazine utilizing the 4 different images in the Very Thankful stamp set. Two of the cards I changed up a bit to work better for me and my customers. I'm really happy with how they all turned out, and I feel that these projects are an awesome way of showing how versatile the Very Thankful stamp set is!
Card 1:
Paper: Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, & Whisper White
Ink: Bashful Blue, Old Olive, & Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, & 1/2" circle punch
Card 2:
Paper: Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, & Whisper White
Ink: Black StazOn, Bashful Blue, Creamy Caramel, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, & Soft Suede
Accessories: Chit Chat Rub-ons, Stampin' Dimensionals, Aqua Painters, & Crop-a-dile's Corner Chomper
Card 3:
Paper: Bashful Blue, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, & Whisper White
Ink: Black StazOn, Bashful Blue, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, & Soft Suede
Accessories: Aqua Painters, Mat Pack, & Stampin' Dimensionals
Card 4:
Paper: Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Soft Suede, & Whisper White
Ink: Rich Razzleberry Stampin' Pad, & Old Olive Stampin' Write Marker
Accessories: Blender Pens, Stampin' Dimensionals, Scallop Edge & 1 3/4" circle punches, linen thread, & Elementary Ribbon Originals

A Variety of Daisies

2009-08-08T14:52:00.007-07:00

I haven't posted in about a week because I've been hard at work re-creating the same card in 4 different color combos. I have to give a huge shout-out to my Demo magazine. These cards were one of the features last September, and I loved every single color combo. Not to mention that I just recently purchased the Upsy Daisy stamp set and I'm trying to use it as much as I can. I love it!!!

Baja Breeze/Chocolate Chip

Pacific Point/Kiwi Kiss

Bashful Blue/So Saffron

Night of Navy/More Mustard

Stamps: Upsy Daisy, Polka Dot
Paper: Baja Breeze, Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, More Mustard, Night of Navy, Pacific Point, So Saffron, & Very Vanilla cardstock; Prints Pack Designer Paper
Ink: Baja Breeze, Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, More Mustard, Night of Navy, Pacific Point, & So Saffron
Accessories: 1/16", 1/4", and small flower punches; linen thread; clear and white embossing powder; mini library clips; Chocolate Chip, Striped Kiwi Kiss, Striped So Saffron, & More Mustard ribbon

Fabulous Friend

2009-07-31T13:43:00.003-07:00

Believe it or not, this card was the first time I had used my Oval All stamp set. I love it! I think there's so many different things you can do with it and our oval punches. I love the versatile products.

I love this card because it's simple, yet classy. If I had more time I would have liked to play around with some other color combos, but that will have to wait for another day. I need to get moving to get ready for work, but I just had to post this first! Happy Friday!!!

Stamps: Oval All
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette, & Whisper White cardstock; Bella Rose Designer Paper
Ink: Chocolate Chip, & Pink Pirouette
Accessories: Small, Large, & Scallop Oval Punches, Scallop Border Punch, Silver Brads, Stampin' Dimensionals, Chocolate Chip Ribbon, Small Flower Punch, & 1/16" handheld punch.

P.S. Come back tomorrow to see the new promotions that Stampin' Up! has for the months of August and September! There is FREE stuff to be had! :)

Upsy Daisy Quick

2009-07-28T14:04:00.004-07:00

This has got to be one of my favorite cards that I've done in awhile. I love the stamp set. I love the colors. I love the layout. It was inspired by a card in the Demo magazine, and it gave me the perfect opportunity to play around with the Upsy Daisy stamp set that I just got recently.

The main image was adhered with Dimensionals for some contrast. I'm really considering doing this card in an upcoming class....but I have lots of other ideas that I want to use, too! Decisions, decisions. :)

Stamps: Upsy Daisy

Paper: Not Quite Navy, & Very Vanilla

Ink: Not Quite Navy Stampin' Pad; Not Quite Navy, & Certainly Celery Stampin' Write Markers

Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Certainly Celery ribbon, & stapler

Simple Thoughts

2009-07-25T12:43:00.002-07:00

This card is super simple.....bordering on plain. ;) It was inspired by a card from the Demo magazine. No, it doesn't have as much color as I normally like, but I think that it will serve it's purpose.

I'm "co-manager" of the prayer request ministry at church, and we started sending out cards to those who really need a pick me up. This card will be going into that stash for us to use in the future. Simple and to the point. :)

Stamps: Lovely As a Tree, & Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: River Rock, & Very Vanilla
Ink: River Rock
Accessories: Very Vanilla Ribbon, Mat Pack, Stampin' Dimensionals, Word Window Punch, & Corner Rounder

Rub On Some Flowers

2009-07-24T09:35:00.004-07:00

This card required no stamping. Yes, you read that correctly....no stamping!! The image and sentiment are rub-ons. I love 'em! I have quite a stash of them piling up and wanted to use them on a project. This card is based off an example in the Demonstrator magazine (from last year!). Love the simplicity of it!

The flower was adhered to the card with a Dimesional to give it some depth.

Paper: Bashful Blue, Old Olive, & Very Vanilla cardstock

Accessories: Love & Happiness Rub-ons; Chocolate Chip Ribbon; Soft Subtles buttons; Stampin' Dimensionals; Mini Glue Dots; & Mat Pack

Sweetness

2009-07-19T15:06:00.006-07:00

These are the 3 projects I came up with for this month's stamp class. I started them knowing that I wanted to use my Circle Scissor Plus that I just got, my new Cottage Wall Designer Paper, and I wanted to make the Ghirardelli Box that I saw on Splitcoast. I'm very happy with the box (I could only get 3 squares of chocolate in mine; the directions say 4) and the small notecard. I'm on the fence about the other card. While I loved using my Circle Scissor Plus (a must have!), I just felt like the card was missing something. Oh, well....you know what they say....you are your worst critic. :)

Up close of the card. I used SC29 for the layout.

The notecard. Love it!

The open box! I tried to take a close up shot of the box when it was closed but it was super blurry. Of course when I went to try it again my batteries were dead. (Sigh) I guess this will just have to do for now. ;) Enjoy!!

SUPPLIES:

Card:

Stamps: Dreams du Jour

Paper: Cottage Wall Designer Paper; Old Olive, Orchid Opulence, Rich Razzleberry, & Whisper White cardstock

Ink: Basic Black, Old Olive, Orchid Opulence, & Rich Razzleberry Stampin' Pad

Accessories: Circle Scissor Plus, Glass Cutting Mat, Rich Razzleberry Polka-Dot Ribbon, Corner Rounder Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, & Blender Pens

3x3 Notecard:

Stamps: Just Celebrate

Paper: Rich Razzleberry, & Whisper White cardstock

Ink: Basic Black, Old Olive, Orchid Opulence, & Rich Razzleberry Stampin' Pad

Accessories: Old Olive Ribbon, & Blender Pens

Ghirardelli Box

Stamps: Dreams du Jour

Paper: Cottage Wall Designer Paper; Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, & Whisper White cardstock

Ink: Basic Black, Old Olive, Orchid Opulence, & Rich Razzleberry Stampin' Pad

Accessories: 1 1/4" & Scallop Square Punch, Scallop Border Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, & Blender Pens

Fast Notes

2009-07-13T13:21:00.004-07:00

Stampin' Up! has had different kits available for some time now. However, in the last catalog they introduced something new: the Mini Note Kit. It comes with 4 pre-scored mini note cards, envelopes, a stampin' spot, and a double-mounted stamp.
Here's the Mini Note Kit that I used. It's called Note of Thanks. It's no longer available, but there are some new Kits in the new catalog that are just as adorable (one of which is Christmas-themed)!

Here are my 4 mini notes that I made from the Kit. The stampin' spot color is Chocolate Chip. The flowers are from Martha Stewart's line. I found them when I was wandering around Wal Mart waiting for a huge thunderstorm to pass. Wal Mart is a dangerous store to be stuck in! :)

I really like these mini notes since you can dress them up (or not!) however you may feel that day. You can't beat the price for the Kit, either (only $9.95! WOW!!). Happy stamping!! :)

Circles and Flowers and Stamps, Oh My!

2009-07-09T09:31:00.015-07:00

I did not mean to be so neglectful. In my defense, I haven't created anything in a long time, so I really had nothing to share. Add to that that I started a part-time job, had parents visiting for 2 weeks, and then just life in general....yeah....not much time on my hands lately! :) However, the new catalog just came out and I couldn't wait to get my hands on EVERYTHING!! My hubby allowed me to splurge on myself (thank YOU!) and my shipment came in last night. So excited and I just had to share with you!
This is the loot as a whole.

Awww....the Circle Scissor Plus. The one item I've been longing for for months on end. I can not wait to open this baby up! I'm planning on using it at my next Stamp Class at the end of the month. Stay tuned....

Cottage Wall Designer Paper. Sorry I didn't think about taking it out of the package. Oops. :( This has got to be some of my favorite DP ever. My fave color is purple, and when you pair that up with Old Olive I'm in heaven!!! The colors for this paper are Old Olive, Orchid Opulence, and Rich Razzleberry. LOVE it!!

I love rub-ons because I think you can make an adorable card in a fraction of the time. And there's hardly any clean up! Yessss!!!

Here's a closer picture of the Dots & Designs rub-ons.....

....and the Dotted Delicates rub-ons.

Adorable crocheted flowers! These are the Fleurettes II. I've seen them used with various colored brads or buttons in the middle. Each pack contains 3 different sizes. My kids are the most interested in these. Need to watch their sticky lil' fingers!

One of our new punches in this catalog...the Butterfly! I love butterflies, have several stamp sets with butterflies in them....can't wait to use this!

Now onto the stamp sets. Here are the first two: Love Bug (hostess set) on top; Upsy Daisy on the bottom. I've been waiting to get the Upsy Daisy set for a while now, so I'm super excited that I finally have it!

This is the Very Thankful stamp set. It's our set this year that benefits the Ronal McDonald house. I buy the new sets each year because I think it benefits such an awesome organization. For me, it's a two-fer. I get an awesome stamp set, AND I'm helping out others at the same time. Need I say more?! :)

Thoughts & Prayers set. This will come in handy as I'm one of two ladies that heads up the Prayer Request ministry at church.

The Medallion stamp! Isn't it gorgeous?! Don't know what I'm going to do with it yet, but I don't care. It was too pretty to pass up!!!

A new background stamp...Woodgrain! Love it. It's going to be perfect for the masculine cards.

Now I need to get working on my upcoming Class projects. I'm hoping to utilize several of my new products. Then I won't feel so guilty for spending all that $$$. ;)

If you're interested in any of these products, please let me know. They're all in our newest catalog and will be available until June 2010!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T07:43:00.002-07:00

I hope that all of you mommas out there have a happy and blessed mother's day! May you be truly spoiled today...you deserve it! :)

KWerner Color Inspiration #51

2009-05-09T12:18:00.004-07:00

I love the colors that Kristina Werner chose for her 51st Color Inspiration! I'm really into earthy tones, so this was right up my alley.

I used SC49 from Splitcoast for the layout. I've seen several different people do the whole jumbo eyelet for the tire swing, so I can't take any creative credit for it! :) My husband loved this card (specifically the tire swing) so much that he had me make another one to give to his grandmother for Mother's Day. Hopefully she'll enjoy the colors as much as I do. :)

Stamps: Branch Out, Polka Dot

Paper: Whisper White, More Mustard, Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip

Ink: Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Ruby Red

Accessories: Crop-a-dile, white ribbon, Greatest Moments rub-ons, jumbo eyelets, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, corner rounder punch, mini glue dots, Stampin' Dimensionals

Birthday Flowers For My Daughter

2009-05-08T16:26:00.002-07:00

Today is my daughter's 6th birthday. WOW! The time has flown by, which I know every parent says, but boy....it is so true. Because her b-day falls on Mother's Day weekend, we decided to postpone her party until later on in the month when my parents are here visiting. I totally spaced that I still needed to have a card to give her...TODAY! I came up with this card last night. I used Color Inspiration #2 from Kristina Werner, SC07 from Splitcoast, and the masking technique. I really love how this turned out, and it allowed me to use last year's In Colors which I think are awesome!

To make my daughter's card even more special, I used green glitter on one of our Sticky Cuts Letters for her first name. You can never go wrong with glitter with a 6-year-old, and it helped in personalizing it.

I took her and her sister to Gattiland today for lunch and arcade games, then we came home to bake cupcakes. She got her very first bike this morning for her big present, so I foresee lots of scraped knees in my future! :) Happy Birthday!!!

Stamps: Doodle This
Paper: Very Vanilla, Blush Blossom, Groovy Guava, & So Saffron cardstock; Wild Wasabi Prints Pack
Ink: Basic Black, Blush Blossom, Groovy Guava, So Saffron, Wild Wasabi
Accessories: Aqua Painters, So Saffron striped ribbon

Flowers For Mom

2009-05-06T19:11:00.003-07:00

I've had these vellum tags for ages now, but could never find the right project to use them with...until now! :) I used SC44 from Splitcoast since it worked perfectly with my tag. The colors were very spring-like to me, and what mom doesn't like flowers every now and then?! ;) I just need to make a couple more and get them out in the mail. I keep forgetting about it, so my loved ones will be getting them a bit late. Oops..... better late than never, right?!

Happy (early) Mother's Day! :)

Stamps: Blooming With Love
Paper: So Saffron Designer Paper; Whisper White, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, & Pixie Pink cardstock
Ink: Basic Black, Old Olive, & Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Pad; Pixie Pink, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, & So Saffron Stampin' Write Markers
Accessories: Round Tag, White Ribbon, Twine, Scallop Eyelet Border Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

Brag Worthy

2009-05-06T06:08:00.003-07:00

I found this technique (Badge Holder Minibook) on Splitcoast recently and thought it would make for a quick and easy Mother's Day gift. I have lots of leftover pictures from when I get my girls' photos done every year, so they worked out really well for this project. I used 4 badge holders and 7 pictures. It was definitely quick and easy to make, and can be geared toward any holiday/occasion. I added the pictures to each page, but you can leave each page blank so your loved one can add whatever they want to it.

I got the badge holders from Wal Mart, and I think I paid a little over a $1 for 12 badges total. I purchased the binder ring from a sale at a private school that was going out of business, but I have seen them at Wal Mart as well. To make it easier for everything to coordinate, I used one of our Simply Scrappin' Kits. Definitely saved a lot of time of figuring out what would look good together. :)

I have a feeling I'll be making these again in the future. LOVE them! :)

Stamps: All Holidays
Paper: Petal Party Simply Scrappin' Kit
Ink: Pixie Pink
Accessories: Crop-A-Dile, Old Olive striped ribbon, Pumpkin Pie striped ribbon, So Saffron striped ribbon, badge holders, binder ring

Paper Clip Bookmarks

2009-05-03T11:06:00.004-07:00

I love to read. I always have, and I always will. I saw the tutorial on how to make a bookmark from a jumbo paper clip over on Splitcoast, and I knew I had to try it. All it took was some chipboard, Designer Series paper, ribbon, and buttons. I chose to use Tombow adhesive to adhere the paper to the chipboard, and Stampin' Dimensionals to glue the two chipboard pieces to the paper clip. It seems to have worked really well, and I didn't have to wait for an additional glue dry time. :)

Tomorrow is the last MOPS meeting of the year, and my first as a Discussion Group Leader. I've decided to give the ladies a little goody bag with some gifts because I've truly enjoyed having them at my table this year. The bags will include these bookmarks, a notepad, a sour cream container with some candy in it, and a small bottle of lotion. Hopefully the ladies will enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them! :)

Fun With Acetate

2009-05-03T09:44:00.006-07:00

This is the 3rd and final project we did at the March Stamp Class. I was hoping to use the Scratch-n-Sniff technique, but I couldn't get it to work properly. :( I was super bummed. However, everything seemed to work out for the best because none of my customers had experience using acetate for a card. Yay!!! Success!! :)

Stampin' Up! is now selling Window Sheets that can be used to make cards. I bought these overhead projector sheets over a year ago, though, so I can't give any feedback on Stampin' Up!'s. You can find these projector sheets at any office supply store; I believe I found mine at Wal Mart. To me, they make a "normal" card really special and different.

Here is the inside of the card. We used mini glue dots/glue lines to adhere the cardstock to the acetate. You can use Stampin' Dimensionals as well.

Stamps: Just Buzzin' By

Paper: Basic Black, More Mustard, Very Vanilla

Ink: Basic Black Stampin' Pad, Black StazOn

Accessories: Stampin' Pastels, Stampin' Dimensionals, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, glue lines, mini glue dots, black ribbon

Triangle Fold

2009-05-02T20:15:00.002-07:00

Ok, one more.... :)

This is a card we made using the Triangle Fold technique. Click here for instructions. I tried taking a picture of the inside of the card, but it didn't come out looking right. I may try again tomorrow, but don't hold your breath. ;)

I thought that this was such a fun technique to do. I thought the directions were pretty easy and straightforward. The best part is that this card fits into a regular envelope. Yay!!! I get frustrated when really neat techniques make for really odd dimensions for a regular envelope. Anyway, definitely give this a try. You'll be super glad you did!

Stamps: Sweet Stems
Paper: Cameo Coral, Kiwi Kiss, and Whisper White cardstock, Raspberry Tart Designer Paper
Ink: Basic Black Stampin' Pad, Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Cameo Coral, and Certainly Celery Stampin' Write Markers
Accessories: Ribbon

Altered Notepad

2009-05-02T20:06:00.003-07:00

This is the first of three posts to show the projects we made at the March Stamp Class. Yes....it's taken me awhile to post them, but better late than never, right?! :)

I'm about to head to bed, but wanted to put this quick and easy gift idea on here. I used a notepad I purchased through Stampin' Up!, but you can use any notepad that you choose. You can find directions over on Splitcoast on how to make an altered notepad, but it's for a long, narrow pad, so you'll have to mess around with the measurements if you want to use a different sized one.

I'm going to be giving these to the ladies at my MOPS table for an end-of-the-year gift. Who doesn't need an extra notepad?! ;)

Paper: Real Red cardstock, Raspberry Tart Designer Paper
Accessories: Sticky Tape, Ribbon, Notepad

I've Been Bad

2009-04-18T19:19:00.001-07:00

I've been a bad blogger. BUT there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel. I was able to get my dining room table cleaned off today which means I have room again to take pictures! Yay!!! I'm hoping to get the picts taken either today or tomorrow. I really need to get on the ball.....

Basic Bella

2009-03-11T18:03:00.005-07:00

I was super happy to see the colors in Kristina Werner's color challenge this week. I needed to make an anniversary card for my brother and sister-in-law, and I knew these colors would be perfect. I'm on the fence, however, with my card.

I love the simplicity, but I was biting my nails to not add some sort of color! This card looked a lot better in my mind than it did in reality. I know my bro and SIL won't mind it, but I feel as though it's missing the color red. :) LOL!

EDITED TO ADD: Thank you for all of the kind comments! I wanted to say, too, that the main image isn't paper; it's actually a background stamp. :) Thanks again!

Stamps: Bella Toile

Paper: Basic Black, Basic Gray, Whisper White

Ink: Basic Black

Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, grosgrain ribbon, swirly clip (Oriental Trading)

Big Green Wishes

2009-03-08T10:41:00.004-07:00

When I saw this card in the March issue of Stampin' Success, I knew I had to make it. I love how simple, cute, and clean it is...and that I would get to use my heart punch! :)

I always show my hubby the cards I make. He always gives me an honest answer as to whether or not he loves or hates them. On those many occasions when I'm having a brain fart, he even helps me figure out what's missing. Most times when he looks at my cards, he uses the word "cute". I interpret that as meaning, "It's a nice card, but a little too feminine for the male crowd", which they usually are. I was on the fence with this one. I didn't know if the hearts would make it too girlie, but he loved it! He said that he really liked it a lot...and the word "cute" never came up. Yessss!!! :) It's so difficult for me to make a nice looking masculine card, so I'll happily add this one to the very short stack that I have. LOL! :)

Stamps: Short & Sweet, Polka Dot
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Certainly Celery, Garden Green
Ink: Basic Black, VersaMark
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Certainly Celery Button, Certainly Celery Ribbon, Full Heart punch, Mini Glue Dots

Autumn Trees in the Winter

2009-03-08T10:34:00.005-07:00

I know the fall has long passed, but I had to do this card for three reasons:

1. I LOVE this stamp set!!
2. I bought the Autumn Vine paper and had yet to use it.
3. Because I wanted to. :)

Last night I had a couple of friends come over to stamp the night away with me. It was so fun!!! It was nice to finally get some projects done that have been swimming around in my head....this card being example A. I don't know if I'm truly happy with it, but I love the colors. I may try it again with a different stamp set, so keep your eyes peeled!

Stamps: Season of Friendship
Paper: More Mustard, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, and Really Rust cardstock; Autumn Vine Designer Paper
Ink: Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Really Rust, Sage Shadow
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals

Triple Hearts

2009-03-06T16:44:00.003-08:00

This is the 3rd card we made at last month's class. I was the most excited about this one because I got to use the new full heart punch! WooHoo!! LOVE it!!

Layout was inspired by A Year in Cards class by Kristina Werner.

Stamps: Polka Dot Punches (SAB), All-Year Cheer I
Paper: Certainly Celery, Sahara Sand, and Whisper White cardstock; Delicate Dots Designer Paper (SAB)
Ink: Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Bashful Blue
Accessories: Full Heart Punch, Scallop Border Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

Diamond Scallops

2009-03-06T08:52:00.003-08:00

This is the 2nd card we made at the last Stamp Class. I've had these self-adhesive "diamonds" laying around for a year and could never find the perfect project to put them on. It either looked too busy or unnecessary. I thought that this card was perfect for them. Yay!! It's about time! :)

This layout was inspired by A Year in Cards class that Kristina Werner posted.

Stamps: Polka Dot Punches (SAB), All-Year Cheer I
Paper: Sahara Sand, Certainly Celery, and Whisper White cardstock; Delicate Dots Designer Paper (SAB)
Ink: Certainly Celery and So Saffron Stampin' Pads; Sahara Sand Stampin' Write Marker
Accessories: 1 1/4 Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Scallop Border Punch, Corner Rounder, 1/4" White Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, self-adhesive diamond (don't know where it's from; they were a gift!)

KWerner Challenge #44

2009-03-05T19:46:00.006-08:00

When I saw the new color challenge on Kristina Werner's blog, I knew I had to participate. I'm not a huge fan of pink, but I truly feel that you can take any color and pair it up with Chocolate Chip and it will look beautiful. :)
Luckily, I had just received the Branch Out stamp set a day after the color challenge was posted. Talk about perfect timing!! :)

The layout was inspired by SC122 on Splitcoast.

Stamps: Branch Out
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Pink Pirouette
Paper: Whisper White, Close to Cocoa, Pink Pirouette, and Chocolate Chip cardstock; Bella Rose Designer Paper
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Library Clips

Button Circles

2009-03-05T16:36:00.004-08:00

I've been meaning to post this for a couple of days now. Believe me, I've had nothing but the best intentions!! :) After a long day battling a headache, I'm so happy that I'm feeling better enough to get on here. So, here's the scoop.

My last Class was dubbed "Sale-A-Brate Punches" in my mind. Why? Not only did we use two products out of the Sale-A-Bration catalog on every card, we also used more than one punch on every card, too. I wanted to show my customers how quick and easy it is to make a nice looking card using our punches. Stampin' Up! has come out with so many different shapes and sizes, that it's truly hard to not use at least one punch on each of your projects. Well, at least in my mind it is. :)

This is the first card we made at the Class. The sentiment is a rub-on. I have several ladies in my Class who have never used rub-ons, so I thought that this would be the perfect time to introduce them to the awesomeness (is that a word?!) that is a rub-on! LOL!! The layout was inspired from A Year in Cards class that Kristina Werner posted on her blog.

Stamps: Polka Dot Punches (SAB)
Paper: Bashful Blue, So Saffron, Sahara Sand, and Whisper White cardstock; Delicate Dots Designer Paper (SAB)
Ink: Bashful Blue
Accessories: Chit Chat Rub-Ons, 1 1/4 Circle Punch, 1 3/8 Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Eyelet Border Punch, Corner Rounder, Mini Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals, Button (Wal Mart)

Class Projects

2009-02-28T16:18:00.004-08:00

This month in Stamp Class we focused on a couple of the awesome products in the Sale-A-Bration catalog: the Polka Dot Punches stamp set and coordinating Delicate Dots Designer Paper!! I love the colors that are in the paper, and the stamp set is wonderful since it utilizes 4 of our punches! I feel as though it allows you to make a super cute card, super fast.

Everyone who came to the Class were very pleased with the cards, especially the colors. Someone made a comment that this paper could easily be unisex...I hadn't thought of that until she said something, and she's absolutely right. I really love when I get a pack of paper that can meet all of my card needs, whether it be for a male or female. This paper and stamp set go together so well, I highly recommend that you try to get your hands on them both before Sale-A-Bration is over at the end of March!!

I will be doing individual posts for each card either tonight or tomorrow. I'm not feeling 100% right now, but wanted to get this posted while I remembered. :)
Please excuse the shadow in the picture....... ;)

Friendly Valentine

2009-02-13T13:50:00.005-08:00

This is one of the Valentine's Day cards that we did at my Stamp Club this month. I got the idea from the Demonstrator website, and loved how simple, but cute, the card is.

I'm very strange when it comes to Valentine's Day. My only request is that I get a box of chocolates. Period. I don't need a card or flowers....just give me my chocolate!! :)

My hubby and I are extremely close; we're each others best friend. He always says that he doesn't understand what all the fuss is over V-Day...shouldn't we be showing our loved ones that we love them every day? I completely agree. While I love V-Day because I get to eat chocolate without having to hide it (seriously!), I truly hope that all of my family and friends know how much they mean to me every day of the year. That is why I take time to make all of my cards; it's how I show my love and appreciation throughout the year! :)

I hope you have a wonderful and loving Valentine's Day. Make sure to have a piece of chocolate for me! :)

Stamps: Love You Much

Paper: Kraft, Riding Hood Red, Very Vanilla, Candy Lane Designer Paper

Ink: Close to Cocoa, Pink Pirouette, Black StazOn

Accessories: Corner Rounder Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Blender Pens, Riding Hood Red Striped Ribbon

Valentine Treats

2009-02-07T10:30:00.004-08:00

Wow....my life has been so crazy busy lately. I have had every intention of posting new projects on here for weeks, but I just never got around to it. Of course, when I finally remembered to drag my camera out to take some shots of these treats, it didn't cross my mind to drag out some of the cards I've made recently! Doh! Hopefully it won't be weeks before I'm able to get those on here, too. :)

Regardless, here's what I have for today: Valentine's Day treat bags! Quick, easy, and cute! I am a Discussion Group Leader for one of the tables in my MOPS group. I have 6 amazing women that I get to share stories with, cry with, pray with (and for!).....I've been truly blessed with this table of ladies!! I wanted to give them a little something for V-day at our meeting last Monday. I picked these candies up at Wal Mart and set about making a cute treat. I was happy with the results, and all of the ladies loved them. SUCCESS!!! :)

Here is one up close. Super easy to do, and extremely versatile. I don't know if there's any holiday that you couldn't do these for.

Stamps: Tagger's Dozen (retired)

Paper: Whisper White, Pink Passion

Ink: Pink Passion

Accessores: Small and Large Tag Punches, 1/16" handheld punch, Silver Elastic Cord, ribbon from Wal Mart, candies of your choice

The New Catalog is Here!!!

2009-01-19T06:31:00.002-08:00

As soon as Stampin' Up! posts a link to the new catalog I will put it here! Also, expect to see the new Stage 3 Decor Elements brochure. It is awesome!!

Pirate Thank You

2009-01-10T17:31:00.005-08:00

I finally sat down and got my final project made for my daughter's birthday party....the thank you cards!! I know I didn't have to do them right now, but at least I'll be able to get them in the mail a lot sooner after the party. I really love this Ahoy Matey stamp set. I was able to use every single stamp in the set. I don't know if I've ever done that before. LOL!! :)

To get the cardstock to look old, I drug it across a Chocolate Chip ink pad. The layout was from SC23 on Splitcoast.

Here is the inside of the card. As with the invitation, I had crumpled the paper up first but it's really hard to tell in the photos. I'm really happy with how everything turned out. Now I'm just hoping that my other daughter will want an easy theme like this for her 6th birthday in May so I can do the same kind of stuff for her, too. I know....wishful thinking! :)

Stamps: Ahoy Matey

Paper: Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White, Kraft

Ink: Basic Black, Close to Cocoa, and Chocolate Chip Stampin' Pads; Real Red, Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, and Basic Black Stampin' Write Markers

Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Sticky Strip

Pirate Birthday Wishes

2009-01-04T11:30:00.001-08:00

Here is the card I did for my daughter for her upcoming 4th birthday. I love how it turned out: simple but cute. :) I also love the colors red, black, and white together. I just realized that those were my high school's colors, too. LOL!! :) The layout is from Splitcoast (SC64) and worked really well with what I wanted to be on this card without it being cluttered. Now I just need to figure out what to do for the thank you cards....

Stamps: Ahoy Matey, All Holidays

Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Real Red

Ink: Basic Black, Real Red Stampin' Pads, Going Gray, Basic Black, Real Red Stampin' Write Markers

Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals

Bags o' Loot

2009-01-03T18:58:00.005-08:00

I'm still getting things made for my daughter's 4th birthday party at the end of the month. The invitations are done and today I made these quick and easy goody bags. Yes, they're pretty plain when you really think about it, but I thought that it was perfect for the pirate theme, and it was straightforward. Besides, I don't think the kiddos will truly care what's on the bag, but more so what's in the bag. :)

Here's a close-up of the minimal stamping done. I did the same thing on both sides of the bag. I know the red "x" isn't very "neat", but I don't think pirates got many points for being neat and tidy, am I right?! ;) Again, it fit the old, dirty theme I was after. Now I'm on to the birthday card and thank you cards. Stay tuned....

Stamps: Ahoy Matey

Ink: Close to Cocoa Stampin' Pad, Real Red and Basic Black Stampin' Write Markers

Accessories: lunch sack

Pirate Invitations

2009-01-01T12:01:00.006-08:00

Our 2nd daughter is our tough kiddo. She loves playing babies, barbies, and dress-up, but will turn around, trip, get a fat bloody lip, and hardly shed a tear (it really happened). She's like a little boy in a cute little girl's body, so it should be no surprise to everyone who knows her well that for her 4th birthday at the end of January she wanted a...pirate party! Arrrr!!! :) I'm sure not many girls are begging their parents for a pirate party, but this kiddo did. Her daddy is super excited about the party, too, since he's still truly a sailor at heart. :)

I had had my eye on the Ahoy Matey stamp set for quite a while, but could never really justify buying it. Until now! Yay!! Below are the birthday invitations that I made.
The layout was from sketch challenge 67 on Splitcoast. To be able to get the wheel to look right I just turned the card to open horizontally. You can't really tell from the picture, but the panels flip open to reveal the party info inside. The colors are perfect for a pirate party, and they also happen to be the colors for a color challenge on Splitcoast (CC193).

And here is the inside! Again, you can't really tell from the picture, but I had taken the paper and crumpled it up to give it that old look. It definitely looks better in person. :) I ran the edges of the paper on the Chocolate Chip ink pad to look like it was burned, and then I sponged some all over the cardstock to make it look dirty. The invitation wording was taken from some birthday party website. There were several different options, but I liked this one the best.

Next up will be the birthday card, thank you cards, and goody bags. :)

Stamps: Ahoy Matey, Matey's Map Jumbo Wheel

Paper: Kraft, Whisper White, Basic Black, Real Red

Ink: Ruby Red Stampin' Cartridge, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Basic Black, Real Red Stampin' Pads, Going Gray, Basic Black, Real Red Stampin' Write Markers

Accessories: Sticky Strip, Stampin' Dimensionals, Linen Thread, Crop-A-Dile, Silver Brads, Sponge Daubers, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches

Altered Clipboard

2009-01-01T11:20:00.005-08:00

This is my take on the altered clipboard technique that I first saw on Splitcoast. I wanted one that would coordinate with the calendars I made a while back. I personally love how it turned out! It was very quick and easy to do. I'll probably do another one in the future, as well as at a future Stamp Camp! Talk about an easy gift! :)

This is a closer view of the ribbons I used. The blue ribbon in the middle is NOT Stampin' Up!. It's actually from Wal Mart, and I bought it about 2 years ago. It's uncanny how close it is to the Bashful Blue ribbon (which, of course, I'm out of at the moment).

Here is the finished clipboard with the calendar. LOVE it! Happy New Year everyone!!

Paper: Washington Apple Designer Paper

Accessories: Very Vanilla and Chocolate Chip ribbon, blue Wal Mart ribbon :) , Mod Podge, chipboard clipboard (hmm...that's quite the tongue-twister...)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

2008-12-24T14:50:00.003-08:00

I don't think I'll be able to get on here tomorrow, so I wanted to wish you a very Merry and Blessed Christmas!!

Birds, Flowers, and Butterflies...Oh, My!

2008-12-24T14:40:00.004-08:00

I love this stamp set. I love the colors. I love the way the painting came out. I love it all! This will be a perfect card for me to give to either my mom or my grandma (they LOVE birds!). Seeing as how my mom checks this blog out periodically, I guess I'll be giving it to my grandma since I killed the whole element of surprise. :) Anyway, I really wanted to find a color combination that felt like spring, but also worked with a color that would look good for the flower pot. What a surprise: I found my answer on Splitcoast. Color Challenge 101B was exactly what I was looking for. The sketch is courtesy of Sketch Challenge 73. Get used to seeing Splitcoast referenced on here quite a bit. That website is amazing!!!!! :)

Stamps: Serene Spring, Sprinkles
Paper: Very Vanilla, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Really Rust
Ink: Really Rust, Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Black StazOn
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Aqua Painter, Earth Elements Watercolor Crayons

Green Birds and Pink Hearts

2008-12-24T14:31:00.002-08:00

As I explained in my last post, inspiration for December's Stamp Club was hard to come by. I once again relied on Splitcoast for some sketch and color inspiration (SC148, CC189) and came up with this card. I'm still not sure how I feel about it, to be completely honest. No one really had any unkind words to say, so maybe I'm just being too hard on myself. I personally love the brown and pink together and was super excited to be using them on this card.

Stamps: Love Owl-Ways
Paper: Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette, Bella Rose Designer Paper
Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write Marker, Black StazOn
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Pink Pirouette Striped Ribbon, Aqua Painter

Cupcake Sparkles

2008-12-24T14:06:00.003-08:00

This month's Stamp Club was a difficult one for me. I think my brain was just super fried from having to get my Christmas cards done and sent, mailing off packages at the post office (WOW...what a nightmare!!), getting my Christmas baking done, homeschooling....the list goes on and on. Add in that both my youngest daughter and myself were sick with colds and it all equals chaos.

With all of that being said, why is it that when you're most doubtful of yourself that that's when things really seem to shine? For example, this first card that we made at Club this month. I loved the layout (Sketch Challenge 200 on Splitcoast) and these are some of my favorite colors together (Color Challenge 179), not to mention that I hadn't used this stamp set yet and I think it's super cute. What's the problem then, you ask? Total mental block. Period. I think my main issue was that I was super hurried and worried that whatever I ended up making would look like trash. I started out by putting Dazzling Diamonds on just the green cupcake, but upon asking my 5 1/2-year-old daughter what she thought, I was given a look of pure horror that I would even think of not putting sparkles on ALL the cupcakes. As you can see, I listened to the lil' Princess of the house and....everyone loved it. One of my best friends who has been coming to the Club meetings since they started informed me that this is probably her favorite card we've ever done. Talk about a huge pat on the back! I guess the moral of the story is: don't doubt yourself when it comes to crafts. There will always be at least one person who loves it...even if that person is just YOU! :)

Stamps: Party Hearty
Paper: Old Olive, Elegant Eggplant, Taken with Teal, Whisper White
Ink: Old Olive, Elegant Eggplant, Taken with Teal
Accessories: Sticky Strip, Old Olive grosgrain ribbon, Scallop and 1 1/4" square punches, Stampin' Dimensionals, Dazzling Diamonds, Crystal Effects, Happy Birthday Cuttlebug Embossing Folder

Simply Sent Rock Star

2008-12-24T13:55:00.008-08:00

This is the third Simply Sent Card Elements Kit that I bought a while back. What I love most about these cards is that I think they're perfect for men! I will honestly admit that I struggle with making "man-friendly" cards. This is awesome if you struggle like me!

The kit will allow you to create 9 cards (3 each of 3 styles) with some extra paper leftover. You need to supply a stamp set, a small amount of white cardstock, a stamp pad, a marker, Dimensionals, adhesive, mini glue dots, scissors, hobby blade, and a stapler. Have I mentioned before how much I LOVE these kits?! I'm so anxious to see what they've come up with in the new catalog! :) Below is each card up close.

Stamps: Starring You

Paper: Old Olive, More Mustard, Bashful Blue, Whisper White

Ink: Old Olive, Brilliant Blue Stampin' Write marker

Accessories: Hobby blade, Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots, stapler, embellishments included with the Kit

Simply Sent Flower Power

2008-12-11T19:57:00.010-08:00

This is the second Card Elements kit that I purchased. You make a total of 9 cards (3 each of 3 designs) and supply the stamp set, 4 Stampin' Pads, Dimensionals, adhesive, mini glue dots, hobby blade and cutting mat, paper snips (or any type of scissors), stapler, and a pin (I used a 1/16" hole punch).

My hubby wasn't very excited about these cards. He said they're too busy. I, on the other hand, LOVE them! Purple is my favorite color, so I love using it whenever I can. Below is each card close up.

Stamps: Wow Flowers

Ink: More Mustard, Old Olive, Perfect Plum, Rose Red

Paper: Old Olive, Rose Red, Perfect Plum, included designer paper

Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, mini glue dots, hobby blade, stapler, paper snips, 1/16" hole punch, included embellishments

Simply Sent Handmade Holiday

2008-12-10T20:59:00.006-08:00

WOW! I have a new love in my life: Simply Sent Card Elements Kits. They are wonderful!! You can stamp a stack of cards in minimal time and they all come out looking fantastic. It's a busy mom's DREAM come true!!

For this particular kit, all you supply is the stamp set, 3 Stampin' Write markers, Dimensionals, and adhesive. That's it! You do have to cut the cardstock and designer paper down to size, but to me that's a small price to pay for what they've done for me with this kit! I made a total of 18 cards (6 each of 3 designs) and I'm now officially done with my Christmas cards. :)

Card #1: Stamped the sentiment only.

Card #2: Stamped the sentiment only.

Card #3: Stamped the sentiment only (are you seeing a trend here?!). :)

Stamps: To You & Yours

Paper: Kraft, Mellow Moss, Ruby Red

Stampin' Write Markers: Close to Cocoa, Mellow Moss, Ruby Red

Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Embellishments inlcuded with the kit

Friendship Tree

2008-12-10T20:51:00.004-08:00

This was the final project at last month's Stamp Club. It's a design from the Demonstrator magazine and I totally fell in love with it! I love the colors, and the stamp set is so awesome because of it's versatility. I don't feel as guilty spending money on a stamp set that can be used year round like this one. So much to do with it!! :)

I also liked the change of pace with this card. Don't get me wrong, Christmas is my favorite holiday, hands down. I'm just kind of on Christmas card overload right now. It was nice creating something that had a spring feel to it. As a heads up for future posts, this month's Stamp Club projects are anything BUT Christmas cards! Stay tuned..... :)

Stamps: Season of Friendship
Paper: Very Vanilla, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Kraft
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Baja Breeze
Accessories: Crop-a-dile, Baja Breeze striped ribbon, Mini glue dots, Stampin' Dimensionals

A Suspension Card for Christmas

2008-12-08T08:03:00.008-08:00

This is one of the cards we made at our November Stamp Club. I saw the tutorial for a suspension card on Splitcoast and thought that it looked like a neat idea. I'm always trying to showcase different techniques at my Club so no one becomes too bored. :) The only downfall to this card is that the circle seemed to favor one side versus the other as you can see here:

I actually had to lay the card down, as you can see, to show the other side of the circle. I'm not 100% sure why this happened, but I was happy with the card overall. It's definitely something a little different and fun. No one seemed to complain about it, so that's an added bonus in my book. :)

Stamps: Frosty (retired), Warm Words

Ink: Baja Breeze, Ruby Red, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Black StazOn

Paper: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Whisper White, Holiday Treasures Designer Paper

Accessories: Aqua Painter, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, Stampin' Dimensionals, sticky tape, fishing line

Small Bag-A-Lope

2008-11-27T18:57:00.003-08:00

This was one of the projects we did for November's Stamp Club; a bag-a-lope! I saw a tutorial on Splitcoast a while back on how to make these using the big manila envelopes, but then I found out about a video that shows how to make them with a regular notecard envelope! How cool is that?!

Stamps: Christmas Chatter Jumbo Wheel, Event Full stamp set (retired)
Ink: Old Olive wheel cartridge, Riding Hood Red
Paper: Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, White Medium Envelope
Accessories: Big and Little Tag punches, Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon, Mini Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals

A Sweet Thank You

2008-11-27T18:46:00.004-08:00

Last Christmas I was introduced to nugget boxes via Splitcoast. I made some big ones for my daughter's PreK teacher and teacher's assistant. They loved them, I loved them, and I've been a huge fan ever since!

As a way of saying "thank you" to all of the ladies in my Stamp Club, I made these small nugget boxes to give to them. It only holds 2 pieces of candy, but no one really seemed to mind. :) I still love making these and am planning on finding an excuse to do it more often!

Stamps: Christmas Chatter Jumbo Wheel, So Many Scallops stamp set (retired)
Ink: Old Olive wheel cartridge, Baja Breeze
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Ruby Red, Holiday Treasures Designer Paper
Accessories: Scallop punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sticky Tape, Self-adhesive address labels

Christmas Presents, part 2

2008-11-27T18:32:00.004-08:00

Before I begin, I just have a couple of quick things to say. First off, HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I hope you had a wonderful day with your family and friends. Secondly, I am such a procrastinator, and I apologize. These next several posts have been ready and waiting to go for a couple of weeks. I'm just super forgetful, and I apologize!

Now, on to the important stuff. :) These are the beaded pens that I made to go with the calendars that I'm going to be sending for Christmas gifts. I personally love them. I've made them before and followed the directions and everything came out perfect. This time....not so much. The picture turned out great, but a couple of days later the adhesive/paper/beads started coming off of the pen. I re-read the directions and realized I skipped over an important part: heating the adhesive with a heat gun BEFORE rolling in the microbeads. I don't know why I didn't do it, but I'm paying the price now. LOL!! The ladies in my Stamp Club want to make these, so I'm going to try it again and actually use my heat gun. Keep your fingers crossed....

Paper: Holiday Treasures Designer Paper
Accessories: Microbeads, RSVP pen, double-sided sticky tape

Calendars for Christmas

2008-11-11T14:59:00.006-08:00

In Stampin' Up!'s Holiday Mini Catalog on the first page there is a Create-A-Calendar '09 Kit that I had to have. I thought that they would make great Christmas presents for some of my family members. They're extremely versatile, too, since you can put them on a clipboard that has been embellished. Makes the final presentation that much cuter! Needless to say, I'm not going that route. I figured I'll include a small note to let my loved ones know that they can do that if they choose. Of course, I don't need to mail these off for a couple more weeks, so who's to say that I won't cave in and just get them to send along with! I'm planning on making a beaded RSVP pen, too, to make this gift complete. Can't wait to hear the reactions from my loved ones!

I bought 6 of these kits and they are super easy to put together! I think it took me 15 min. from start to finish. The most awesome part of the whole thing is that the kit only cost $7.95. WOW!!
This is everything in the kit. I've put the calendar "sleeve" together with the embellishments and didn't think to take a picture beforehand. Oops. Anyway, to put the sleeve together I used two small strips of double-sided sticky tape. I then attached the ribbon and applied the die-cut stickers on the sleeve (there's even a "Made By" sticker for the back!!) and on the month sheets. That's it!
This is a close up of the calendar sheets. They are all pre-cut and have different Designer Paper patterns on the back. You only have to apply the month indicator stickers on the sides.

These stickers are for you (or your loved ones or customers) to embellish each individual calendar sheet. The arrows can be used to indicate important dates/deadlines, and the flowers are just to make it all a little more special. I went back and forth on whether I should place the flower stickers on the calendar sheets, but I've decided to let my loved ones embellish it as they choose and to make their calendar THEIRS.

This is a close-up of the front of the calendar box/sleeve....whatever you want to name it. :) I'm truly happy with how it turned out, especially with the limited amount of supplies that I had to use and the amount of time it took to put together. The cost for this beautiful project didn't hurt the pocketbook, either, which always makes things better. :) My daughters are too young (5 1/2 and 3 1/2) to help very much putting this calendar together, but I'm sure older kiddos would really enjoy it.

New Promotion

2008-11-09T21:35:00.001-08:00

There is a new Stampin' Up! promotion that starts tomorrow, but for some reason I'm having problems posting it on my blog. Hmmm.....my computer has been acting funny all evening, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will have better behavior tomorrow. Stay tuned....

Christmas Card #2

2008-11-02T09:15:00.004-08:00

This is my second card for the upcoming Camp. I don't know how happy I am with it. I feel like it's missing something, but I don't know what! I may tweak it before the Camp if something comes to me.

The layout was inspired by Sketch Challenge 151 on Splitcoast.

Stamps: Big on Christmas, Polka Dot Background

Ink: Bashful Blue, Real Red, Certainly Celery, Back StazOn

Paper: Real Red, Bashful Blue, Whisper White

Accessories: Aqua Painters, Scallop Edge punch, Silver Elastic Cord

Christmas Card #1

2008-11-02T08:54:00.002-08:00

My upline, Christy, and I will be doing a Christmas Card Camp on November 9th. She and I are both making two cards for samples, and our customers will be making three of each card. Here is my first card. I wanted it to be easy but still cute so people can make a whole slew of them for their family and friends, and it won't take weeks to do it!

This card definitely looks better in person, but you can get the gist of it from the picture. The blue panel is attached to the card using Dimensionals to give the card a little "oomph". The layout was inspired by Sketch Challenge 80 on Splitcoast Stampers.

Stamps: Scandinavian Season, Scandinavian Stampin' Around Wheel
Ink: Baja Breeze, Real Red Stampin' Around Cartridge
Paper: Kraft, Whisper White, Real Red, Baja Breeze
Accessories: Real Red Brad, 1/16" punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

Bookmark Wow

2008-11-01T18:43:00.007-07:00

This is a bookmark that my upline, Christy, came up with for our last Stamp Camp. I believe she got the idea from our local Demonstrator group and just changed it up a bit. They're super easy to make and everyone really seemed to enjoy them. My only advice is to be liberal with the sticky strip to make sure your paper and ribbon will stick to the chipboard. This photo is to give you a better view of the actual bookmark.

Stamps: Wow Flowers
Paper: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Bella Rosa Designer Paper
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: 1/16" handheld punch, Baja Breeze striped ribbon, 3/4" circle punch, Filigree Assortment Designer Brads, Scallop Square punch, square piece of chipboard

I'm Still Here....

2008-11-01T06:41:00.002-07:00

I've been meaning to post some new projects I've been working on, but this past week has been a difficult one for me. I'm hoping to get things posted this weekend, so keep your eyes peeled! Sorry about the delay! :)

Something New

2008-10-17T17:57:00.002-07:00

I have now decided to start selling my cards! If you're interested, please contact me and let me know and we can go from there. Thanks! :)

Thanksgiving Blessings

2008-10-13T14:06:00.003-07:00

This card is for my Stamp Club this weekend. Our other 2 projects are Halloween-themed, so I wanted to touch on Thanksgiving, too. I absolutely love this stamp set and had a blast playing around with it. If the layout looks familiar, I took a lot of inspiration from the Holiday Mini Catalog! :) I did change it up a bit by using a sketch challenge (SC05) from Splitcoast. I will let the ladies at my Club make the choice whether or not they want the small words under "Happy Thanksgiving", but if I were to do it again I would leave them out. I just think they're a little too small for the card as a whole. To add some dimension to the card, I used Dimensionals behind the main picture square and the pumpkin.

Stamps: Canvas, Happy Blessings, Holidays & Wishes
Paper: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive
Ink: Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Stampin' Pastels, Stampin' Dimensionals

Quick & Cute 3x3 Card

2008-10-13T13:58:00.003-07:00

I love 3x3 cards! They're so adorable and they take no time at all to make. This will be for my Stamp Club this month. I got the layout from Sheetload and thought it was perfect for a cute Halloween card. I'm itching to make a whole slew of cards using this layout and changing the sentiment! :)

Stamps: Batty For You
Paper: Ghostly Greetings Designer Paper, Basic Black, Basic Gray, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, 1 3/8" and 1 1/4" circle punches

An Eerily Easy Treat Bag

2008-10-13T13:50:00.005-07:00

This treat box is for my Stamp Club this weekend. I wanted something for Halloween that was quick and easy. Who wants to make a bunch of treat boxes or bags that take forever? NO ONE! This treat bag was made with one 6 x 6 piece of designer paper, some ribbon, and two brads. Fill with your favorite treat and you're ready to go. That's it!

Paper: Ghostly Greetings Designer Paper
Accessories: Black Grosgrain Ribbon, Silver Brads, 1/16" handheld circle punch

Wow Flowers

2008-10-11T12:33:00.002-07:00

This was another card that I came up with for my Stamp Camp last weekend. I got this layout from the S.U. Demo magazine, but they used the Garden Whimsy stamp set instead. Our Camp projects were all made with the Wow Flowers set and I really thought that it would work well with this layout. I used all In Colors on this card, too, just for a change from the usual, shmusual (is that a word?!). A couple of the ladies loved the layout and colors for a baby shower card. Great idea, don't you think??

Stamps: Wow Flowers
Paper: Pink Pirouette, Baja Breeze, Pacific Point, Whisper White
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Baja Breeze, Pacific Point
Accessories: 1 3/8" and 1 1/4" circle punches, Scallop Circle punch, 1/16" handheld circle punch, Pacific Point Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

Birthday Trees

2008-10-11T12:18:00.003-07:00

Once again, please disregard the shadow. I had the same problem with my photographer here, too.

This was actually the very first sketch challenge (SC72) from Splitcoast that I attempted, AND I incorporated it with a color challenge, too (CC62). I needed a masculine birthday card for my brother and I think I nailed it with this! I really love this card and the soft colors. It was the first time I used this stamp set, too, and it remains one of my all time favorites.

Stamps: Lovely As A Tree, All Holidays

Paper: Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip, Close To Cocoa, Very Vanilla

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Stampin' Pastels

Updating an "Oldie"

2008-10-11T12:10:00.003-07:00

I made this card about 3 years ago when I was first introduced to Stampin' Up!. My Demo, Peggy, was a wonderful woman who came up with some of the best ideas for projects I've ever seen. I wanted to update the card we made several years ago with the (then) In Colors and a newer stamp set. It's truly an easy card to make, and it's so stinkin' pretty to boot!

Stamps: Doodle This, Wonderful Words
Paper: Groovy Guava (retired), Purely Pomegranate (retired), Very Vanilla
Ink: Purely Pomegranate (retired)
Accessories: White embossing powder, heat gun, sponge daubers, brads

Sour Cream, Anyone?

2008-10-11T12:02:00.002-07:00

I love these little containers. I love making them, I love giving them....I just love 'em! I love how you can make them for every holiday and occasion. I'm just going to stop now. Check out Splitcoast for the directions if you'd like to make some for yourself. WARNING: They're addictive!!

Stamps: Tart & Tangy
Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Summer Picnic Designer Paper
Ink: Real Red and Old Olive Stampin' Write Markers
Accessories: 1 3/8" circle punch, Scallop Circle punch, paper crimper, Stampin' Dimensionals

So Very....Plain

2008-10-11T11:57:00.005-07:00

I needed a quick and easy card for my grandpa for Father's Day. I remembered seeing a really cute and simple layout in the S.U. Demo magazine, so I grabbed some masculine colored cardstock, a couple embellishments, and voila! I know it's super plain, but it got the job done! :)

Easy Paneling

2008-10-11T11:47:00.003-07:00

When I first made this card for Stamp Club, I showed it to my husband because I truly value his opinion. The first words out of his mouth were, "It looks like it's from the '70's!" True, the colors do look a little "old school", but I love this card. It was so quick and easy to make, but it still looks awesome (in my opinion!). I loved it so much, in fact, that I made 30, yes THIRTY, more using the same layout and my extensive collection of designer paper. I saw this super cool layout on Sheetload of Cards. Definitely check them out if you need some inspiration. I personally love their layouts because they give you the dimensions for all pieces of the card. One less thing I have to figure out! :)

Stamps: Heard From the Heart
Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango, Very Vanilla, Hawaii Papaya Designer Paper
Ink: Kiwi Kiss
Accessories: Tangerine Tango Striped Grosgrain Ribbon

Monkeying Around!

2008-10-11T11:24:00.004-07:00

First off, I apologize for the shadow. My photographer will be fired soon..... :) Also disregard the blonde child in the background; she was trying to sneak into one of the pictures undetected. Obviously, mission accomplished.
For Stamp Club one month my friend asked if we could do some cards that could easily be used for boys. Of course I said yes, but I honestly struggled with what to do. I have little girls. Everything around me is pink, purple, flowers, and butterflies.
But I really wanted to use my Sock Monkey stamp set since I had just bought it, and I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity! Luckily, everyone really enjoyed it and thought it was super cute. After looking at it, I realized that it could easily be turned into a card for a little girl. With pinks and purples, of course. :)
The balloon is on there with a Stampin' Dimensional to add a little something to the card. The layout came from sketch challenge 53 on Splitcoast.

Stamps: Sock Monkey, All Holidays
Paper: Whisper White, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Bashful Blue
Ink: Black StazOn, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive and Bashful Blue (for watercoloring)
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Watercolor Wonder Crayons - Earth Elements, Aqua Pen

For the Grandparents

2008-10-11T11:17:00.003-07:00

I didn't know what stamp set I wanted to make for Grandparent's Day this past September, but I knew I wanted to use the layout from a sketch challenge on Splitcoast (SC165). I pulled out my Pun Fun stamp set and sat staring at it. I liked this rocket stamp, but part of me felt it was a little boyish (I have 2 girls). Then my 3 1/2 year old daughter came in and I asked her what stamp SHE thought I should use. As you can see, she picked out the rocket. :) I do like it a lot and think that it could easily be used for a birthday card if needed. Guess I should ask my lil' ones for their creative input more often. :)

Straightfoward and Simple

2008-10-11T11:06:00.002-07:00

This layout was (again) featured in the S.U. Demo magazine. I loved the idea that you could create this card with no stamping involved. I'll be the first to admit that there are some days where I really don't feel like having to clean my stamps. I know, I know.....it's pathetic, but it's usually because I'm in a hurry. This card was also made around the time when I first got my Cuttlebug so it was a perfect excuse to use it. The sentiment and flower were created using rub-ons.

Picture Cube

2008-10-10T18:08:00.002-07:00

My upline, Christy, and I like to periodically join forces and hold Stamp Camps for our customers. This is the picture cube we made at our first Camp. It's a wooden block that Christy purchased from Oriental Trading that we "transformed" with some stamps and cardstock. We left room on each side (except for the front) so our customers could put a wallet-sized photo on there to turn it into a beautiful piece in their home, or as a gift! I LOVED this project!

Stamps: Garden Whimsy, Polka Dot (side not shown)
Paper: Purely Pomegranate (retired), Wild Wasabi (retired), Whisper White, So Saffron Designer Paper (side not shown)
Ink: Purely Pomegranate (retired), Wild Wasabi (retired), So Saffron
Accessories: Purely Pomegranate and Wild Wasabi Double-Stitched Ribbon (both retired)

More Circles!

2008-10-10T18:02:00.003-07:00

This layout came from the S.U. Demo magazine and I really wanted to re-create it since everyone seems to be lovin' circles right now! The only stamping that was done was for the sentiment, but if you really didn't feel like dragging out your stamp sets, ink pads, stamp cleaners, etc., it can easily be substituted with a rub-on.

Stamps: All Year Cheer 2 (retired)
Paper: Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Summer Picnic Designer Paper
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: 1 3/8", 1 1/4", 1", and 1/2" circle punches, Stampin' Dimensionals, Ribbon

Easy But Elegant

2008-10-10T17:56:00.002-07:00

This has quickly become one of my favorite cards. The layout is so simple, can be modified for any occasion, and I feel it's truly elegant. I've used this card for anniversaries and it just seems to fit.

Stamps: Pretty Petals, Warm Words
Paper: Close to Cocoa, Bashful Blue, Whisper White
Ink: Close to Cocoa, Bashful Blue
Accessories: White Ribbon, Large and Small Oval Punches