Wednesday Sketch Challenge at SCS

Since it's Wednesday today, that means it's Sketch Challenge day at SplitCoast Stampers. Today's sketch looked fun and easy, so I thought I'd give it a try!

My Caroline let me borrow her "Sew Suite" set which will be available beginning next week in the Occasions Mini. I swiped her "Sweet Stitches" DSP too with the promise of creating some samples for the Studio. I hope she likes what I've come up with so far!

For today's card, I stamped the bobbin and pin cushion on Whisper White Cardstock using Basic Grey Ink (it's waterproof) and used ink squished into the lid of the ink pad and my Aqua Painters to colour in the images. The little pin cushion is hiding behind the spool of thread thanks to the masking technique.

I punched my image out using my large scallop circle punch and it was adhered to the front of the card using Stampin' Dimensionals.

My card base is a piece of 5 1/2 X 8 1/2" piece of Melon Mambo scored and folded at 4 1/4". The next layer up is a piece of 4 X 5 1/4" piece of Whisper White. The patterned paper is from the same sheet, I just cut and flipped it over. Have I mentioned that I LOVE the fact that our DSP is double sided???

The little ruler from the "Sew Suite" set was stamped in Melon Mambo Ink on Whisper White Cardstock. It actually goes to a 12" measure (but is only about 6" long), but I cut it at 9 1/2" to make it fit the card.

A length of Pretty in Pink 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon hides the seam between the two pieces of DSP.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Sew Suite

PAPERS: Whisper White and Melon Mambo Cardstock; Sweet Stiches DSP

INK: Basic Grey, Melon Mambo

ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

ATC Tuesday - Curtain Call Colour Challenge # 62

So, Stacey's Curtain Call popped into my inbox yesterday and I tried my hardest to make a card, but all I came up with was this ATC:

I already had the image stamped on Whisper White with Staz-On, so I went ahead and coloured it using my Watercolour Crayons. I know, I know...but I don't own the stamp set (it was borrowed and returned), so I couldn't re-stamp it on watercolour paper...that's why it looks a little worn in the middle of the dress. Of course, the little worn part just adds to the vintage look of the ATC (at least that's what I keep telling myself - LOL!)

My little lady is coloured using Baja Breeze (dress, bow and socks), Daffodil Delight (hair) and Pretty in Pink (heart). She is matted on Baja Breeze and Early Espresso and then added to a 2 1/2 X 3 1/2" piece of Pear Pizzazz around which I tied the bow and added a button tied with linen thread.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Greeting Card Kids

INK: Staz-On

PAPERS: Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Early Espresso, Pear Pizzazz

ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Button, Linen Thread

Happy Stampin'!

20 - Minute Monday on a Friday - Belated Teacher Gifts

This fabulous idea popped into my inbox a few weeks ago courtesy of a fellow Stampin' UP! demonstrator.

Since we were away at Disney before the Christmas break, DS's teacher will be receiving these when the kids return to school in the New Year:

Fabulous, no?

The card bases are Very Vanilla Cardstock and I cut layers of the same to 4 X 5 1/4 inches before running them through the Big Shot using the Elegant Lines Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. I wrapped a piece of Always Artichoke Seam Binding (which is carrying over to the Occasions Mini - YAY!) around the embossed layer before attaching it to the front of the card.

The letters were stamped using the Lovely Letters Alphabet and Always Artichoke Ink. I punched them out using my Scallop Circle Punch and adhered them to the front of the using Stampin' Dimensionals.

Easy Peasy! Eight cards in under 1/2 hour! What do you think?

STAMPS: Lovely Letters Alphabet

INK: Always Artichoke

PAPERS: Very Vanilla

ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Embossing Folder, Seam Binding, Stampin' Dimensionals, Punch

Happy Stampin'!

I'm BACK!!!

Did you miss me??? I've been enjoying some Disney Goodness with my family and my BFF (and her family too), but we're all back now...so it's back to business as usual!

Today, I'm sharing an MDS Disney layout that I completed in just about 10 minutes. I just LOVE the pre-designed templates!

I used the Jolly Holiday DSP and selected a pre-designed template for a 6 X 6 card and turned it into a scrapbook page.

For the first time since we've been going to Disney (and we go nearly every year), we took advantage of the Disney Dining Plan - how could we not? It was FREE!!!

You wouldn't think that one sit down meal, one quick service meal and one snack per day is enough food, but let me tell you! It sure is!!! By the time we left yesterday morning, we just barely eked out using the last of our snack credits - we bought Mickey Mouse shaped Rice Krispie treats.

The top two pictures are from our first night at Disney where we enjoyed the most AMAZING dinner at Boatright's Dining Hall in our resort (Port Orleans Riverside). The main course was to die for, but the cake was even more so!!! And did you see that tiny little Mickey Mouse head? Yep! There were Mickey sprinkles on the plate - too stinkin' cute!

The bottom left picture is a mini Mickey waffle from our amazing breakfast at the Crystal Palace inside the Magic Kingdom. This was my Caroline's first time inside the Magic Kingdom and Crystal Palace...to say she was overwhelmed would be an understatement.

The bottom right picture is from our dinner at Chef Mickey's inside the Contemporary Resort. Yep! That's Mickey shaped ravioli you see there...and it was DELICIOUS!!!

Well, this is sure to be the first of many posts about our FABULOUS trip! I do hope you'll come along on the journey.

Have a Scrappin' Good Day!

3-D Thursday...on a TUESDAY???

I was planning on putting up an ATC today, but time crunches being what they are... well... that didn't happen!!!

Today we are headed down to the Hospital for Sick Children for some appointments and since it's nearly Christmas, I decided to take some treats down for the special people in our lives at the hospital.

This is the Ghirardelli Chocolate Box repurposed to hold Rocky Road Bars - YUMMY!!!

I stamped the image from Tags til' Christmas (which is available in the Holiday Mini, but only till December 31st) in Real Red on Whisper White Cardstock. I punched it out using the 1" punch my secret sister gave me (if you're reading, thanks Deb!!!) and then matted it on Pink Pirouette, which I hand cut. The final layer is a punched piece of Whisper White which was punched using the Scallop Square Punch.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Tags til' Christmas

INK: Real Red

PAPERS: Whisper White and Pink Pirouette Cardstock; Candy Cane Christmas DSP

ACCESSORIES: Scallop Square Punch

Happy Stampin'!

Watercolor Wonder Crayons Now Available!

I love using my Watercolour Wonder Crayons and now you can too!!! The new colour kit as well as the full colour selection are now available for purchase!

Contact me today and I'll be happy to order them for you! Or...you can shop online anytime! Just visit my store!

Have you signed up for my newsletter? If not, be sure to do it ASAP! I'll be offering a special ONLY available to my newsletter subscribers. You don't want to miss out!!

Sunny Sunday Sketch - Week 22

Time for another Sunny Sunday Sketch! How was your week? Busy? Are you ready for Christmas yet???

Today's sketch and card ought to help you at least get your Christmas cards out the door!

I was working with My Caroline on Friday and she was prepping for her Stamper's Club. She had this card out and I just fell in love with it:

I liked it so much, I made it in three different colours! Caroline's was done in Not Quite Navy, like the one on the far right, but I like it in Riding Hood Red and Old Olive too.

I stamped Dasher to match the Cardstock on Very Vanilla and then matted him on the same colour cardstock as I used for the base. The Very Vanilla Card Layer was run through the Big Shot using the Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder and my BIG SHOT.

I wrapped my 1 1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon around the Very Vanilla Cardstock layer before attaching it to the front of the card. I added a little bling by wrapping a length of Silver Tinsel Trim around the ribbon to cinch it. I love it because it's WIRED!!! That means, no knots and it stays put EXACTLY where you want it. The Silver Tinsel Trim is only available in the Holiday Mini until December 31st, so if you want it, don't forget to place your order before then.

Did you know that Dasher is available as a SINGLE stamp? For $10.95 CAD (+tax & shipping), it's one of the best deals in the catalog! Contact me today and I'll tell you how you can get him for FREE!!!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Dasher

INK: Old Olive, Night of Navy, Riding Hood Red

PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Night of Navy, Old Olive and Riding Hood Red Cardstock

ACCESSORIES: Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, 1 1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Silver Tinsel Trim

Happy Stampin'!

CAS - Cute Christmas

You'll have to forgive the quality of the shot, but it was taken at *stupid o'clock* in the dark with a flash. I have a busy day today, but I didn't want to leave you without a little inspiration!!!

I stamped the three ornaments from "A Cute Christmas" in Old Olive Ink, trying to aim for the top half/centre of the card. Then I used Real Red Ink to stamp the Merry Christmas sentiment from the Christmas Greeting stamp set.

A quick little Real Red Grosgrain knot and we're good to go!

See? Simple CAN be stunning!

What do you think?

STAMPS: A Cute Christmas, Christmas Greeting

INK: Old Olive, Real Red

PAPERS: Whisper White Cardstock

ACCESSORIES: Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon

Happy Stampin'!

Just a Quick Little Note

These are some of the teachers gifts for this year. I've seen this idea on Becky's blog a few times but just never got around to doing it...then I saw it again on another blog I follow (my apologies! I can't remember which one!) and decided that Christmas was the PERFECT time to try my hand at it!

These are what's known as "card fronts". When Stampin' UP! demonstrators swap ideas at various events, the format is usually "card fronts". This means that an entire card isn't designed, just what the front of the card would look like if it WAS a whole card. Make sense?

I love these for quick little notes, when you don't need a whole card. So, I thought some of the teachers would like them too!

What do you think?

STAMPS: NONE!

INK: NONE!

PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Old Olive and Cherry Cobbler Cardstock; Jolly Holiday DSP

ACCESSORIES: Holly and Jolly Rub-Ons

Happy Stampin'!

Season's Greetings with the Holiday Lineup!

I almost fell off my chair when my Caroline said she was ordering this set. She says the elves kinda creep her out, so she never uses it...I think she ordered it just so I could borrow it - LOL!

When I saw a similar card by Renee Van Stralen, I just KNEW I had to CASE it! I even copied her colour scheme...sad, I know! Not her colour scheme! The fact that I copied it! I couldn't help it...I fell in love with her whole card.

I did have to use a different DSP because I was out of the one she used on her card. Now, I'm hoarding my Candy Cane Christmas DSP because it's SOLD OUT! In fact, I owe my Caroline a pack (it's on its way), but I just might buy it off her so I can keep using it! We'll see...

So, I stamped my image in Basic Black Ink on Whisper White Cardstock and coloured it in using my Stampin' UP! markers.

The image panel was matted on Old Olive Cardstock that I first punched using the Pinking Hearts Border Punch. I used Stampin' Dimensionals to mount the image panel on the front of the card.

My sentiment was stamped in Marina Mist using the Season's Greetings image from Curly Cute.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Holiday Lineup, Curly Cute

INK: Basic Black

PAPERS: Whisper White, Marina Mist and Old Olive Cardstock; Candy Cane Christmas DSP

ACCESSORIES: Border Punch, Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

It's December 1st...do you know WHERE your Christmas cards are?

Mine are sitting next to me ready to be dropped into the mailbox. This is a first I tell you...a FIRST!!! As long as I've been sending out Christmas cards (19 years I figure, since that's how long I've been married), they have never, EVER, NOT ONCE been ready to go on the first of December. As a matter of fact, on more occasions than I'd care to count, they have been New Year's cards. Sad but true!

However, since my cards are ready to go, I thought I'd help YOU out with some ideas. What do you think?

Here's my first card for you:

It's based on the Sketch at SplitCoast Stampers this week.

I stamped my image from Holiday Lineup using Basic Black Ink and coloured it in using my Stampin' UP! Markers. Another challenge this week called for non-traditional Christmas colours, so I used these colours for that.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Holiday Lineup, Punch Pals

INK: Basic Black

PAPERS: Whisper White, Pacific Point and Early Espresso Cardstock; Celebrations DSP

ACCESSORIES: Stampin' UP! Markers, Punch, Big Shot, Movers and Shapers Die, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Candy Cane Christmas Designer Series Paper nearly sold out!!!

Stampin' Up! announced yesterday that the supply of the Candy Cane Christmas Designer Series Paper is dwindling and they expect to run out sometime next week. If you NEED this Designer Series Paper from theHoliday Mini Catalog order it ASAP!!! They WILL NOT be able to order more so when it's gone, it's gone!!

You can order it through my ONLINE STORE or contact me and I'll order it for you to pick up from me. Either way, DON'T DELAY!!!

It's a CAS kinda day...

So, last night I was out with some girlfriends and today I'm half blind (allergic reaction, one eye swollen almost completely shut), but since I still wanted to create (I know...it's an illness!), I figured I'd better go with CAS (that's Clean and Simple, if you're new to card making). It's a great way for beginning stampers to get started as they don't get completely overwhelmed with fancy designs. I didn't need to be overwhelmed with fancy designs today, so I made this:

I started with a piece of Cherry Cobbler that was 4 1/4 X 11" and scored at 5 1/2". I added a layer of Very Vanilla and a piece of Deck the Halls Designer Series Paper. If you love this paper as much as I do (I've already finished 2 packages of it!), you'll want to get it soon as it will no longer be available after December 31st. And, if you order right quick (before November 30th) and it's part of an order that's $200 or more, you'll get free shipping right to your door!!!

I tied a piece of 1/2" Chantilly Crochet Trim around the card and added a button tied with linen thread. Have you seen the Frank's Hot Sauce ad where the little old lady says, "I put that **** on everything!". Well...that seems to be me with linen thread lately. I never had it and then when I finally got my hands on some...well...I go through it like water! It seems to consistently add just the right finishing touch.

I stamped my sentiment using my "go to" set for sentiments, Teeny Tiny Wishes in Always Artichoke. I punched it out using the Word Window Punch and attached it to a piece of Always Artichoke punched using the Modern Label Punch. It was adhered to the front of the card using Stampin' Dimensionals.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Teeny Tiny Wishes

INK: Always Artichoke

PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler and Always Artichoke Cardstock; Deck the Halls DSP

ACCESSORIES: 1/2" Chantilly Crochet Trim, Botton, Linen Thread, Punches

Happy Stampin'!

ATC Tuesday - Santa Ho Ho!

When Lauren (my DD) was little, she used to call Santa, "Santa Ho Ho" - SO CUTE!!!

So, today, you get Santa Ho Ho - LOL!

This image is from the Jolly Old St. Nick set in the Holiday Mini. I love this set! I'm a "child of the 80's" so it reminds me of images of Santa from my childhood.

I stamped Santa Ho Ho on Watercolour Paper using Staz-On ink and then used my Aqua Painters and watercolour crayons and ink to colour him in. I cute him out and mounted him on Baja Breeze using Stampin' Dimensionals.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Jolly Old St. Nick

INK: Staz-On Black

PAPERS: Watercolour Paper, Baja Breeze Cardstock

ACCESSORIES: Aqua Painters, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

ONLINE EXTRAVAGANZA!

This week in the US, my American friends will be celebrating Thanksgiving. Because everyone is SO busy, many of the demonstrators don't have time to do workshops or hold classes. Stampin' UP! makes it up to everyone by holding an ONLINE EXTRAVAGANZA!!!

These deals are ONLY available for online orders so you can take advantage of them right from your own home and shop in your jammies. How cool is that?

You can see all the amazing deals in the flyer here and then head on over here to get started with all your shopping!!!

And don't forget - you get FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $200! And, if you spend over $200, you'll also qualify for hostess benefits (a free stamp set and $20 of FREE product!)

This is too good to miss!

HAPPY SHOPPING!

Sunny Sunday Sketch - Week 21

Time for another Sunny Sunday Sketch - it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!

Christmas is my absolute favourite time of year so when DD asked me to design a class for some of her friends to make Christmas Cards, I was THRILLED!!!

Here's the sketch:

And here's my card:

This is just one of the cards the girls will be making next week. I decided on two 3 X 3 note cards, two 4 1/4 X 5 1/2 cards and one 4 1/4 X 5 1/2 card that is OTT (over the top). My hope is that they will take these cards home and show them to their moms and that then their moms will want to book classes too! How fun would that be?

That being said, if you're a youth leader in the GTA and want me to come to one of your meetings to make cards, I'd be THRILLED!!! The class is only $10 for 5 cards and would make great gifts.

The sketch was made using MDS which you can get as part of the digital starter kit during the AMAZING promotion Stampin' UP! is having. You can get the complete starter kit (either standard or digital) for only $107.50! That's half price! AND...no shipping, handling or taxes! What a FABULOUS deal! BUT, you only have until November 30th. Contact me ASAP if you'd like more details!

To make the card, I used a piece of Always Artichoke cut to 3 X 6" and scored at 3". The next layer is a piece from the fabulous Deck the Halls DSP which is available in the Holiday Mini Catalog, but only till December 31st! To add some texture, I ran the Whisper White Cardstock through the Big Shot using the Vintage Wallpaper Impressions Embossing Folder.

I stamped the image from Jolly Bingo Bits in Cherry Cobbler and added a little bit of Dazzling Diamonds, because...really...what teenage girl DOESN'T like glitter?

What do you think?

STAMPS: Jolly Bingo Bits

INK: Cherry Cobbler

PAPERS: Whisper White and Always Artichoke Cardstock; Deck the Halls DSP

ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Impressions Folder, Dazzling Diamonds, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

ONLY 12 DAYS LEFT! DON'T MISS OUT!!!

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• Can I choose what is in my Starter Kit? Most items are customisable – you get to choose all stamps, inks, cardstocks, markers & ribbons!
  
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• What is pre-order? Before the release of a new catalog demonstrators get to order & receive items in the new upcoming catalog a full month before customers - a great perk!
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WOW! What a deal!!!

If you've been on the fence about ordering Stampin' UP!'s amazing My Digital Studio, you won't want to pass this up! Why pay $106.95 for My Digital Studio, when you can get the Digital + Starter Kit for $107.50 with NO TAX and FREE SHIPPING? That's just 55 cents more and just look at what else you're getting:

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Ready to get started? Go HERE now and click on the JOIN NOW button! My password is: stampalotmore

Can't wait to work with you!

Today's the day...you can now order your very own customizable Stampin' Up! Starter Kit for only $107.50 Cdn, with NO SHIPPING or HANDLING costs or TAX! Choose either the standard starter kit or the digital starter kit. Either way, you can't go wrong!

Best of all (as if that's not already amazing), you then automatically become entitled to a special demonstrators-only 20% minimum discount, good until April 30, 2011. If you remain active, you can keep your discount even longer!

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Happy Stampin'!

ATC Tuesday - Morning Cup

It's another ATC! WOOT! I just LOVE these things...especially when I can do them using our watercolour paper. Remember...you can get two ATC out of one piece of watercolour paper - BONUS!!!

Today's ATC features my new FAVOURITE set (I think I change fave sets every week - LOL!) - MORNING CUP!

I stamped it on a piece of watercolour paper using my STAZ-ON ink. Have I mentioned that I love, love, LOVE our clear mount stamps? WHY do I love them so much? Because I can stamp several stamps at once, lining them up right on the block. For this one, I chose the coffee pot, the coffee mug and the sentiment and was able to stamp them all at once. FUN!

I used my watercolour crayons and ink smooshed into the lid of my Basic Grey Ink Pad to colour my image.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Morning Cup

INK: Basic Grey

PAPERS: Watercolour Paper; Tempting Turquoise and Poppy Parade Cardstock

ACCESSORIES: Clear Acrylic Block, Poppy Parade Marker, Aqua Painters

Happy Stampin'!

Sunny Sunday Sketch - Week 20

Can you believe it? Twenty Weeks of Sunny Sunday Sketch! Of course, I'd be more impressed with myself if it was 20 CONSECUTIVE weeks...but what's a girl to do when life gets in the way?

Here is this weeks sketch:

And here's my take on it:

After making DH's staff Christmas cards this past week, I definitely wanted something CAS (Clean and Simple) and I find that Aviary is just the perfect set for this.

I cut a piece of Celebrations DSP to add to the front of my Whisper White Card and then stamped the cage and bird from Aviary using Pear Pizzazz and Pacific Point. I punched it out using my 1 3/8" circle punch and matted it on a piece Pacific Point punched with my 1 3/4" scalloped circle punch.

I stamped the sentiment directly on the front of the card (brave, I KNOW!!) in Pacific Point ink. I didn't use my Stamp-a-majig, but you might want to - LOL!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Aviary, Teeny Tiny Wishes

INK: Pear Pizzazz and Pacific Point

PAPERS: Whisper White and Pacific Point Cardstock; Celebrations DSP

ACCESSORIES: Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals, Basic Rhinestones

Happy Stampin'!

Aviary Colour Challenge

Earlier this week, there was a colour challenge over at SplitCoast Stampers.

Since I had a "bright" thing going on, I figured I'd keep it up and the colour challenge was perfect - Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise and Poppy Parade:

I punched out several circles in Poppy Parade and Sunny Garden Designer Series Papers and then stamped two of the birds from Aviary in Tempting Turquoise and Poppy Parade on Whisper White Cardstock. I punched the image out and matted it on a piece of Poppy Parade Cardstock and again on a piece of Tempting Turquoise punched out using my scallop circle punch. My image was adhered to the front of the card using Stampin' Dimensionals.

The sentiment, from a set that will be released in the OCCASIONS MINI on January 5th, is stamped in Poppy Parade on Whisper White Cardstock and punched out using my large oval punch. It was matted on a piece of Poppy Parade Cardstock punched out using my scalloped oval punch.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Aviary, You're a Gem

INK: Poppy Parade, Tempting Turquoise

PAPERS: Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise and Poppy Parade Cardstock

ACCESSORIES: Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals, Basic Rhinestones

Happy Stampin'!

SCS Sketch Challenge - Aviary Thanks

This is my second post today...scroll down to see what else I've been up to!

Earlier this week, there was news that SplitCoast Stampers would be down for maintenance yesterday night and into this morning. Of course, this sent all SCSers into a panic! What? Our site? DOWN? What the heck would we do???

Fortunately, Roxie posted the sketch early, so I was able to work on it last night before I went to bed. I had to wait till this morning to get a good pic.

Here's my card:

I started off with the white base and knew I wanted something bright and warm since it's been a little cold in my part of the country!

I chose my papers from the Sunny Garden Designer Series Paper pack and my ink colours from there. I stamped the little cage first using Peach Parfait and then stamped my little bird friend in Poppy Parade. The sentiment was also stamped in Poppy Parade. I popped both the image and the sentiment off the card using Stampin' Dimensionals and added a little bling for the finishing touch.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Aviary and Teeny Tiny Wishes

INK: Peach Parfait and Poppy Parade

PAPERS: Whisper White, Peach Parfait and Poppy Parade Cardstock; Sunny Garden DSP

ACCESSORIES: Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals, Basic Rhinestones

Happy Stampin'!

Bundle up with Simply Adorned - for the men!

The Simply Adorned Gift Bundle contains the Charming wood-mount stamp set, a Simply Adorned 1” x 1-1/4” charm, and a Simply Adorned 24” chain. Use this specially-discounted bundle to create a beautiful and unique charm necklace for that special someone in your life!

Do you have a special someone on your list? Someone REALLY special? I have just the gift!

Doesn't this Simply Adorned chain and locket look FABULOUS? If your special someone is a crafter, she can make it herself with the supplies you purchase. If she's not, you can purchase the supplies and I can make it for you! Either way, it's win-win! You look good no matter what!

The chain comes in either a 24" or 34" length and both are fabulous! The sample to the left is showcased in a 1" X 1 1/4" locket.

The stamp set used is called "Charming" which makes it PERFECT to use on our CHARMS of course!

Like I said, win-win!

Who will YOU make smile on Christmas morning?

Ladies...if you like this set, you may want to surreptitiously leave this page open on your honey's computer - just sayin'!

Happy Stampin'!

ATC Tuesday - Very Merry

I had this card idea in my head yesterday and it turned out that an ATC was just the way to start it off!

I came up with this:

You'll have to forgive the smudging around the image. It was late and I took it at my workspace with my iPhone before attaching it to the card. I can't SHOW you the completed card, because it's a SUDSOL exclusive. If you're a demonstrator...you'll have to join SUDSOL to see it. It's REALLY easy to do! Just click on the link to the left of my blog posts.

I started off with a piece of Whisper White Cardstock. I stamped my little snowman in Staz-ON ink and watercoloured him. Now, I don't normally watercolour on Whisper White, but because I wasn't doing a LOT of colouring, it didn't turn out too bad. If I'd been doing a lot of blending, like in this card, I would have stamped on Watercolour Paper because otherwise, I would have ended up with a whole bunch of little white "pills" from the paper peeling due to the excess water.

I coloured his hat and mitts using the Real Red Watercolour Wonder Crayon, despite the fact that DH pointed out that snowman hats are usually black. Too bad for him! Red matched the theme for the rest of my card!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Jolly Old St. Nick, Short and Sweet

INK: Staz-ON

PAPERS: Whisper White, Pacific Point

ACCESSORIES: Watercolour Wonder Crayons, Aqua Painter

Happy Stampin'!

Sunny Sunday Sketch - Week 19

WOOHOO!! Now we're really back! Two weeks in a row and the sketches keep coming! Here's my sketch for this week:

In this case, the card came first, and I based the sketch on it.

The card is DH's Christmas card for his co-workers. I make it every year. This year when I asked him how many he needed, he said, "Let's see...everyone is in the same building now...so 210." HA!!! I told him he could have the first 25 for free and after that it was gonna cost him. He settled on 15. Smart man!

I went a little distressing happy on this one, which is probably why it took me FOREVER to make 15 cards. I distressed each of the layers except for the card base.

My card base is 4 1/4" X 11" folded at 5 1/2" and cut at 2 3/4" on the front. I used the 2 3/4" piece of Crumb Cake and trimmed it down to 4" on the long size to use a my mat on the front. There is a similar size mat on the inside of the card too. The inside sports the sentiment. Sorry...no pics of that.

Both pieces of Designer Series Paper come from the Deck the Halls pack which can be found on page 18 of the Holiday Mini (Product # 120810).

I used my sponges as well as sponge daubers to add some colour to the front stamped panel. If you don't have the Stampin' Pastels yet, you should!!!

And, since my Caroline has essentially been teaching me since 2003, there's this:

NO NAKED ENVELOPES!!! I used another image from Lovely as a Tree to stamp on the envelope.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Lovely as a Tree

INK: Early Espresso

PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake and Always Artichoke Cardstock; Deck the Halls DSP

ACCESSORIES: Stampin' Pastels, Sponges, Sponge Daubers, Distressing Essentials

Like what you see and want to make it too? If you're in Canada (ANYWHERE in Canada!), you can visit my online store and do your shopping there. Everything will ship RIGHT TO YOUR DOOR!



Happy Stampin'!

SUDSOL BLOG TOUR - November Edition!

Welcome to another SUDSOL blog tour! If you're just arriving from Teresa's blog, you're in the right spot! And if not, don't worry! You'll be able to go all the way around!

I've been a member of SUDSOL since I became a demonstrator a year and a half ago and I find it an invaluable resource! There are SO many ideas to share and everyone is SO helpful! As a Demonstrator, you can join SUDSOL for a FREE two-week trial period to see if it's something you might find useful in your business

My first card is a Christmas one and features the stamp set: Word Play (Item # 120308 - Wood; # 120651 - Clear)

I stamped the image on a piece of Very Vanilla Cardstock and trimmed it to 1 3/4" X 2 1/2". It's adhered using Stampin' Dimensionals over all the other layers on the card.

My card base is a piece of 8 1/2 X 5 1/2" Crumb Cake Cardstock (formerly Kraft) and my Cherry Cobbler Layer was run through the Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Folder using the Big Shot before adhering it to the front of the card.

Do you have trouble coming up with ideas for boys' cards? Yeah...me too! That was one of the reasons that I had to have the "Word Play" set! That "wish BIG" sentiment is a PERFECT birthday sentiment...and if you colour it in blue and read (using the direct to rubber technique) it's PERFECT for a boy! Especially if you pair it with the new CELEBRATIONS Designer Series Paper! When you're ready to host the party, all you need to do is get your hands on the Celebrations Party Banner Party Kit and you're good to go! When the kids arrive, set them up with the hats from the Celebration Party Hats Party Kit and there you have it! A party ready to go with almost no effort. Who doesn't like that?

My base is a piece of 8 1/2 X 5 1/2" Pacific Point, which I am SO happy returned to the 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalog since it's so fun and bright! My next layer is a 4 X 5 1/4" piece of Bashful Blue Cardstock. My DSP layer is a piece of 3 3/4" X 5 1/2" DSP from the Celebrations pack that I cut and flipped (the smaller piece) before adding to the front of the card.

I used the direct to rubber technique (as mentioned) to colour the stamped sentiment in Real Red and Pacific Point Markers. I added stars and a little bling for the finishing touch.

My third card uses the same colour scheme as the birthday card, but a different sentiment. I love that our DSP is SO versatile! You can see that same versatility in this post and this post, where I used our Deck the Halls DSP both on a Christmas Card and a Thank You Card.

My base is a piece of 4 1/4 X 11" Bashful Blue. The Pacific Point layer is 4 X 5 1/4 and the DSP layer is just 1/8" smaller. I stamped the main sentiment in Pacific Point on Bashful Blue and punched it out using the Decorative Label punch which is available in the Holiday Mini. To make the mat for the sentiment, I punched two Decorative Labels from Pacific Point and then cut and adhered them to the back.

The secondary sentiment is from an adorable little set called "You're a Gem" which will be available in the Occasions Mini beginning January 4th, 2011. You're going to LOVE it! SO many adorable little sentiments! It's stamped in Pacific Point on Whisper White Cardstock, then punched out using the 1 1/4" circle punch. It's matted on a 1 3/8" circle and again on the 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch. I adhered it to the front of the card using Stampin' Dimensionals. The whole front panel (as well as the main sentiment) is also adhered to the card base using Stampin' Dimensionals - can you tell I love them?

If you like what you've seen here today, there's even MORE in my SUDSOL gallery. Won't you come by for a visit? Many of the samples you'll see are EXCLUSIVE to SUDSOL which is another great benefit to the site. You'll see things there that AREN'T all over the internet. If you're a demonstrator, your customers have less of a chance of seeing something online before you show it to them.

STAMPS: Word Play, You're a Gem

INK: Pacific Point, Real Red, Cherry Cobbler

PAPERS: Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Bashful Blue, Pacific Point and Real Red Cardstock; Deck the Halls and Celebrations DSP.

ACCESSORIES: Stampin' Dimensionals, Markers, Clear Acrylic Blocks

SUDSOL BLOG TOUR IS COMING!!!

This post will remain at the top until November 3rd when the SUDSOL Blog Tour takes place.

Please scroll down to see what else I've been up to!

Watercolour Wonder

Do you remember using watercolour paints when you were young? They came in those plastic containers and there were little wells in the lid where you could create "custom" colours...which inevitably ended up being some awful shade of brown or grey.

Well, watercolours have come a long way baby! Just look at this:

Yep! I made that...pretty proud of myself too! I just LOVE our watercolour paper and once you use it, you will too!!! I used a combination of our watercolour crayons (the new ones are still in manufacturing) and ink pressed into the lid of the ink pad. The Beehive/Bee panel is ATC size...did you notice?

This paper is perfect for watercoloring with using our line art stamps and Classic inks or Watercolor Wonder Crayons. The size was chosen to layer perfectly on a card front without having to trim or make adjustments.

■ 20, 3-3/4" x 5" sheets per package
■ 140-lb. cold-pressed paper
■ 100% cotton
■ Resists buckling when wet

Here's a close up of my little buzzer:

Cute, eh? Did you notice those teeny tiny pearls? You can get those through my online store as well as all the other goodies needed to create this card. Don't worry that the watercolour crayons aren't available yet. You can get a lot of the same look using our Aqua Painters and ink.

And here's the inside of my card:

Yes, I know I used ANOTHER sheet of Watercolour Paper and I KNOW it's not cheap, but I just had to duplicate the look that I had on the front of the card. And...you have to admit...it does look pretty fabulous! I used the same combination of Watercolour Crayons and Ink to colour my little honey pot.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Just Buzzin' By

INK: Staz-ON (for stamping), Cajun Craze (for colouring and stamping sentiments)

PAPERS: Watercolour Paper; Pumpkin Pie and Cajun Craze Cardstock

ACCESSORIES: Watercolour Crayons, Aqua Painters, Markers, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

P.S. I sent out a newsletter yesterday. Did you get it? If you'd like to be on my mailing list, please sign up at the very tippy-top of my blog on the left hand side. There's some pretty awesome stuff that goes out in my newsletter and sometimes there's some freebies too!

Sunny Sunday Sketch - Week 18

And..........we're back!

It's been a while since I've posted a Sunny Sunday Sketch, but here you are:

This one is pretty simple, but that's OK. I like simple sketches because they let your imagination take over and you can make it anything you want!

Here's my interpretation:

I'm just LOVING the Autumn Spice DSP. It's so thick and luxurious! If you love it too, don't forget to order it before the end of December - after that it will no longer be available and you'll be sad - I promise!

My card base is 5 1/2 X 8 1/2 Old Olive Cardstock scored and folded at 4 1/4". I sponged around my layer of Autumn Spice before adhering it to the front of the card. I attached a piece of 1 1/2 X 4 in a different pattern from the Autumn Spice pack that I wrapped with Old Olive Taffeta Ribbon. I stamped my sentiment from "Word Play" in Old Olive Classic Ink and then used a sponge to add some ink to the edges of my Very Vanilla Cardstock. The Very Vanilla piece was corner punched and attached to a piece of Old Olive Cardstock, to which I added gold brads before adhering it to the front of the card using Stampin' Dimensionals.

STAMPS: Word Play

INK: Old Olive

PAPERS: Very Vanilla and Olive Cardstock; Autumn Spice DSP

ACCESSORIES: Brads, Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Punch

If you like "Word Play", be sure to check back on November 3rd, when I'll be featured in the SUDSOL blog tour and you can see more!

Happy Stampin'!

Grunge Rock in Blue...and PINK!!!

So...clearly it's been a while! Where the heck have I been? The short answer? BUSY! The long answer, DH's and DS's birthday, Vegas, Creative Festival, appointments...yep! That pretty much sums it up!

Starting with DH's birthday, I got up and had to make him a card...yep! TOO busy to get it done ahead of time - YIKES!

So, as I was making my card, DS (not the one who was celebrating the birthday) got up and decided he liked what I was doing. He made his own card:

He used the Grunge Rock Set and stamped in Bashful Blue, Night of Navy and Not Quite Navy.

What do you think? He stamped the inside too and DH and I both told him that meant his card was WAY cooler than mine! He was pretty happy about that!

As I mentioned, I used the same set and made a card too! A few days later, I used the same set and made a pink one - SUPER CUTE!!!!

Here are a couple close ups of the cards:

To see the whole card, click on one of those links at the top left and join SUDSOL for a free two week trial! You're gonna love it!!!

STAMPS: Grunge Rock

INKS: Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Rose Red, Bashful Blue, Not Quite Navy, Night of Navy

PAPERS: Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Pear Pizzazz, Bashful Blue, Early Espresso

ACCESSORIES: Stampin' Dimensionals, Basic Rhinestones

Happy Stampin'!