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Sunday, September 30, 2012

Merry Christmas!

Today is Sunday, September 30th. It's the last day of the month. That means TWO things:


  1. I posted EVERY DAY this month - YAY!
  2. It's the LAST day to take advantage of the FREE ribbon offer from Stampin' UP! You'll want to shop before midnight EST to ensure that your order goes through on time. Just click on the "shop now" button to the left, spend $50 and choose your free ribbon. It couldn't be easier!
Now...onto today's card! It's a CASE (Copy and Share Everything) of a card I had saved on Pinterest. The original creator is Sherry Roth and it was just SO cute that I decided to use it for one of my upcoming Christmas Stamp-a-Stacks. I still have space in my upcoming three classes, so if you'd like to join us, be sure to let me know ASAP so I can reserve a spot for you! :)

When I saw the Merry Minis in the Holiday Catalogue, I KNEW I would have to have them! I mean, really. Who DOESN'T like tiny and cute? Check this out:


I stamped all the images on a piece of Whisper White and then punched them out. No fussy cutting here! This adorable set comes with coordinating punches!

Then, I used my paper piercer and mat (with the coordinating Holiday Paper Piercing Pack) to add the ornament to the Crumb Cake layer.

The little punched pieces were adhered using glue dots (it really is the easiest way to go!). I stamped the sentiment on Whisper White using Cherry Cobbler and flagged the ends. A piece of scalloped Wild Wasabi cardstock is the finishing touch.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Merry Minis, Teeny Tiny Wishes
INK: Wild Wasabi, Daffodil Delight, Cherry Cobbler
PAPERS: Whisper White, Wild Wasabi, Crumb Cake
ACCESSORIES: Paper Piercing Pack/Mat/Tool, Punches, Glue Dots

Happy Stampin'!

Saturday, September 29, 2012

CAS Saturday?

I've been fiddling around with ideas for a Saturday feature, so you'll have to bear with me till I discover which one I might like to do. Maybe YOU can even help me decide!

For today I decided to do a CAS card (at least CAS by my standards - LOL!). If you're NEW to card making, CAS means Clean and Simple - that's no extra fancy stuff! No distressing, no fancy layers, minimal embellishments. Get the idea?

Today's card was inspired by one of the many online stamping sites I frequent and the credit for my inspiration goes to Loll Thompson.

Check it out:




I started off with the Designer Series Paper from Howlstooth and Scaringbone, available in the Holiday Catalogue. It's part of the Halloween Suite, but you could most definitely use it for any fall cards as well. Or any cards at all really. There's no discernible Halloween images on any of the papers.

I cut down my strips of DSP to 1 1/4" and then cut them into piece of 1" and 2". They were attached to a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock. My little house (from Spooky Bingo Bits) was stamped in Basic Grey on Very Vanilla and attached to a piece of Tangerine Tango cardstock. After tying my Basic Grey Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon to the card front, I attached the house image using Stampin' Dimensionals.

Finally, I stamped the Happy Halloween (from Seasonal Sayings in the Holiday Catalogue) in Tangerine Tango near the bottom of the card front.

The whole thing was then attached to the Basic Grey base.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Spooky Bingo Bits, Seasonal Sayings
INK: Basic Grey, Tangerine Tango
PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Tangerine Tango and Basic Grey Cardstock; Howlstooth and Scaringbone DSP
ACCESSORIES: Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Friday, September 28, 2012

Friday - MY WAY! Thinking of you

Welcome back to another Friday - MY WAY! Today's card features papers that are from the Holiday Catalogue but can be used for NON Christmas card. I love me some versatile paper!

Check this out:



The paper pieces and the strip behind the narrow Basic Black layer are from the Festival of Prints pack - you get 48 pieces of 4 1/2 x 6 1/2" Designer Series paper for just $8.50. That's a WHOLE lot of paper for a REALLY good price.

I lined up the Designer Series Paper on a piece of Basic Black (and later realized that the colour in the DSP was actually Early Espresso - OOPS!). Then I added those two layers to another piece of Designer Series Paper and adhered it to the 4 x 5 1/4" inch layer of Very Vanilla and a layer of 4 1/8 x 5 3/8" piece of Basic Black. The card front is (of course) 4 1/4 x 5 1/2".

I stamped the sentiment in Island Indigo. It's from the set "Sassy Salutations". The finishing touches are a pearl and a little snippet of ribbon. I am LOVING that Very Vanilla 1/8" taffeta!

And...while the ribbon on this card ISN'T the one you can get for FREE this month, it sure is cute! Don't forget that there's only three more days (counting today!) for you to get your FREE ribbon with every $50 order.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Sassy Salutations
INK: Island Indigo
PAPERS: Very Vanilla and Basic Black Cardstock; Festival of Prints DSP
ACCESSORIES: Basic Pearls, Ribbon

Happy Stampin'!

Thursday, September 27, 2012

A little Pink Pirouette Inspiration for the Divas

When I first saw the inspiration piece for this week:


the first thing that popped into my head was cotton candy, because that's exactly what this is. Yeah...and just HOW am I supposed to get "cotton candy" onto a card? That clearly wasn't going to work.

Then, earlier this week, I was chatting with a dear friend and she was commenting on her son's AMAZING talent for digital design (he's only 14!). He had designed some My Little Pony type characters for his little sister and one pony had been given gossamer wings. A HA! Lightbulb! And so...


this is my version of gossamer wings. I cut out the butterflies from vellum cardstock using the Beautiful Wings Embosslit and sponged around the edges using Regal Rose. I added the pearls to cover up the adhesive (Mono Multi) as you have to be clever when adhering vellum. :)

I may just have to send my favourite princess TWO birthday cards, because I'd already chosen this one for its bright and cheery colours. However, my princess REALLY likes butterflies and since she's so special, I think TWO birthday cards are TOTALLY appropriate. Wouldn't you agree?

What do you think?

STAMPS: Teeny Tiny Wishes
INK: Regal Rose
PAPERS: Whisper White and Pink Pirouette Cardstock; Vellum Cardstock
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Punch (to flag the sentiment), Basic Pearls

Happy Stampin'!

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Joyous Celebrations for the Paper Craft Crew

It's September 26th. You know what that means? In three months, it'll be Boxing Day. That's the day AFTER Christmas! Are YOU ready for the holidays??

Today's card uses the set Joyous Celebrations which we'll be using at the Christmas edition of Stampin' Extravaganza! There are STILL tickets available, but time is running out and tickets sales will end in just FOUR more days on Sept. 30th. There will be NO extensions as product and STAMPS need to be ordered!

Here's just one of the cards we'll be making:



I stamped the December 25 image four times and used the Postage Stamp punch to punch them out. I then stamped the "JOY" sentiment in the bottom right hand corner. I added a little detail to the top right hand corner of the card using the diagonal plate on the Simply Scored.

Here's the sketch on which the card was based:


Simple is in! Check out the rest of the crew and play along here!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Joyous Celebrations
INK: Cherry Cobbler, Gumball Green
PAPERS: Very Vanilla Cardstock
ACCESSORIES: Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Cute and Tiny for the Divas

Today's UDI Colour Challenge is a teeny tiny card!


I started off with a scrap piece of Whisper White and stamped my image from "For the Birds" in Basic Grey. I then collected all the ink colours for this week
  • Melon Mambo
  • Daffodil Delight
  • Pumpkin Pie
  • Tempting Turquoise
I did cheat a little bit with some Wild Wasabi as I just could NOT leave the grass alone!

I coloured in the image using my blender pens and ink squished into the lid of the ink pads.

I gave this little card (it's just 2 3/4" x 3 1/4") to my hubby a couple weeks ago after writing "which is probably why I keep you around!" on the inside. He got quite the kick out of it! Hey...we didn't get through 21 years of marriage without a little humour. :)

What do you think:

STAMPS: For the Birds
INK: Basic Grey, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise
PAPERS: Whisper White
ACCESSORIES: Blender Pens, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Monday, September 24, 2012

Retro Anniversary

Today's card is based on the Retro Sketch for this week:


I started off with a Sahara Sand base and added a piece of Pool Party. To that, I added a layer of Whisper White on which I stamped the snowflakes from Snowflake Soiree (see? It's a versatile set!) using Pool Party Ink (stamped and stamped off). To the right, I added a 1/2 layer of Island Indigo which was punched using the Scallop Trim Border punch.

The sentiment stamped in Island Indigo and added to a flag is from the set A Word for You.

I think this would be PERFECT for someone celebrating a winter anniversary!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Snowflake Soiree
INK: Pool Party, Island Indigo
PAPERS: Whisper White, Island Indigo, Pool Party and Sahara Sand Cardstock
ACCESSORIES: Punch, Basic Rhinestone, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Will it Embellish??

There's only a week left in the "Back to Spool" promotion! Have YOU got all the FREE ribbon you want?? Don't wait till the last minute!!

Stampin' UP! made an adorable video that you just HAVE to see!

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Cheers to a Mary Brown CASE!

I'm gearing up for my first Christmas Stamp Camp of the season (YES! Christmas will be here before you know it!), but I also have a dear friend celebrating a birthday this week. I hope I mailed the card in enough time as it needed to make its way all the way to Australia! Her birthday was this past Tuesday.





We created this card at my last regular class (Birthday Bash!) and everyone enjoyed making it...probably because I fussy cut all the pieces for them - LOL!!

It used Pool Party, Island Indigo (the brad), Calypso Coral and Real Red. As the title of the blog posts indicates, it's a Mary Brown CASE. I just can't help myself! I love her work!

Did you notice that piercing pattern? Have I mentioned how much I LOVE the piercing templates yet??

What do you think?

STAMPS: Affection Collection (in the Holiday Catalogue), Happy Hour
INK: Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Real Red
PAPERS: Whisper White, Calypso Coral, Pool Party
ACCESSORIES: Brads, Paper Piercing Pack/Mat/Tool, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Friday, September 21, 2012

Friday - MY WAY!!

So, since joining/being asked to be part of a few design teams, I've learned something. I like to work in batches.

Monday is one DT, Tuesday another, etc. I TRY to work at least two weeks in advance, but as long as I'm ahead by one it's all good!

I also learned that when I decide to announce a new feature on my blog, it almost ALWAYS stops after the first week. I figured out why! It's that whole "batch" thing! By putting together a few weeks in a row, I can keep the feature going - YAY!

So, last night, I had an idea...and I postponed today's post in favour of starting the "Friday - MY WAY!" feature.

This post is (OBVIOUSLY) way later than most of my others (you'll notice the OCD time stamp of 6:30 a.m. on at least 99% of my posts), but I promise you this feature is worth the wait! Ready?

In January at Leadership, Stampin' UP! announced the theme for the year (this year, it's MY WAY!), so I started thinking earlier this week that it would be fun to take cards that I find online and CASE them using Stampin' UP! supplies. It's well known (DUH!) that I'm a Stampin' UP! junkie and that I am 100% SUO (that means I use Stampin' UP! products exclusively when I'm creating). I do, however, find inspiration ALL over the net (mostly Pinterst *coughcough*) and decided to use that inspiration to recreate non Stampin' UP! cards (I know...who knew you could create without SU! Strange...) with 100% Stampin' UP! supplies. And so...you get Friday - MY WAY!!!

OK...enough babbling...here's today's card:


I made TWENTY of these things today because it's my team card of the month for October (yes, with all that fussy cutting). I'll let you in on a little secret though...I only have NINETEEN members on my team. Know what that means? Spare card!! If YOU want to get one in the mail, all you need to do is join my team before the end of September and I'll have one in the mail to you along with the ones that will go to the rest of my team.

I started off by punching out 120 3/4" squares in rainbow colours, then I cut my strips of Whisper White onto which I adhered all those little squares. After I added them to the front of the cards, I went to work on the stamping and fussy cutting. No...I didn't use a Stamp-a-majig. :)

What do you think?

STAMPS: Just Believe
INK: Crumb Cake, Old Olive
PAPERS: Whisper White and Crumb Cake Cardstock; Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Pacific Point and Rich Razzleberry DSP
ACCESSORIES: Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'! And thanks for waiting patiently today!

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Inspiration from the Divas!

What have I gotten myself into? Design team junkie doesn't even BEGIN to describe the insanity! LOL! I am LOVING it though and am ALMOST at a perfect rhythm where I'm ahead of the game and creating at least one, and sometimes TWO, weeks in advance!

So, in this post, I talked about about joining the design team for the colour challenge over at Utah Divas International. Not long after I joined that team, Jill posted on the UDI Facebook page that she was starting up the Inspiration challenge team again. Now, inspiration challenges are truly NOT my forte, but I've been trying to S-T-R-E-T-C-H myself (and my stamping, too!), so I decided to give it a shot!

I was too late to play with the first one and completely forgot about the second one, but now, I'm ready to go!

My card for this week was based on this picture chosen by Jill:


When I first saw it, I knew JUST what I wanted to do! And here's what I came up with:


I used the leaf from French Foliage and inked it up with Regal Rose. Then, I rocked and rolled VERY gently in Always Artichoke.

A word of advice:

  • The rock and roll technique using the new firm foam pads is VERY tricky! With the older linen pads, you got the benefit of the texture in the pad. With the firm foam pads, because they are so uniform, you MUST be VERY gentle. When I first did it, I ended up with a strip of pink down the middle with two strips of green on the sides and it looked RIDICULOUS!
  • Practice first! If I hadn't stamped onto grid paper first, I'd have wasted a piece of cardstock. Grid paper on my workspace is an invaluable tool!
After stamping the leaf image four times unto the cardstock (which is Naturals Ivory), I stamped the sentiment from A Word for You in Always Artichoke in the bottom right hand corner. I'm loving the simplicity of this card!

What do you think?

STAMPS: French Foliage, A Word for You
INK: Regal Rose, Always Artichoke
PAPERS: Naturals Ivory
ACCESSORIES: Ummm...none! Unless you count grid paper! :)

Happy Stampin'!

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Friendship Preserves for the Paper Craft Crew

When I first saw the Friendship Preserves set in the Holiday Catalogue, I thought it was cute but not something I just HAD to have. Then of course, as time passed and I saw all the cute projects people were creating, I HAD to have it. It ALWAYS happens. *sigh*


Todays card was created because I was working on some items for the October Creative Crew (you'll have to wait a bit to see those). I had the papers out and decided they would be PERFECT for today's card.

I was going to use markers to colour the image in and ended up deciding that it would be MUCH too difficult (yes, even for me!) and quite difficult as many of the design elements in the stamp ran together. My compromise was stamping it twice and cutting out the little banner.

I then used the Big Shot and the Window Frames Framelits to cut out the image and mat. I added the ribbon to hide the seam between the two Designer Series Papers and adhered the image to the card using Stampin' Dimensionals.

Here's the sketch on which my card was based:


Yes, I know. The sketch is square. I decided to go with a standard A2 card. Sketches are jumping off points, right? :)

What do you think?

STAMPS: Friendship Preserves
INK: Island Indigo and Raspberry Ripple
PAPERS: Raspberry Ripple and Very Vanilla Cardstock; Orchard Harvest DSP
ACCESSORIES: Lucky Limeade Ribbon, Big Shot, Dies, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Affection Collection for the Divas!

Welcome back to another week of the Utah Divas International Colour Challenge!

This week, our challenge was to use

  • Whisper White
  • So Saffron
  • Calypso Coral
  • Pool Party
  • Gumball Green
I'll admit, I was skeptical about the Gumball Green being thrown into the mix, because I think of it as a "bright" colour where to me the others are "subtle", but it works!

I used "Affection Collection" for today's card because I REALLY like the collage effect you can get!


I started off with So Saffron and then added the Pool Party on top. I stamped the "Friend" sentiment in Gumball Green and then the banner in Calypso Coral. I stamped the banner AGAIN on a scrap piece of Whisper White so that I could layer it on the first stamped image. Then I stamped the wings on a second piece of scrap Whisper White and cut them out before adhering them to the card front using Stampin' Dimensionals.

I added the stamp panel to a piece of Calypso Coral before adhering it to a Whisper White card base.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Affection Collection
INK: So Saffron, Calypso Coral, Pool Party, Gumball Green
PAPERS: Whisper White, Calypso Coral
ACCESSORIES: Stampin' Dimensionals

Monday, September 17, 2012

What can you do with a Simply Scrappin' Kit?

Are you comfy? Got your coffee? This is going to be a L-O-N-G post, so I just wanted you to be prepared! I know it's Monday, but hang in there! There's lots to look at, but it's worth the read. There might a pop quiz! :)

So, while I was at Regionals in Hamilton, Stampin' UP! did an all attendee give away (those are the best because EVERYONE gets a goodie!) and we got the Merry Moments Simply Scrappin' Kit which is available in the Holiday Catalogue. It's only $26.95 CAD and even if you're NOT a scrapbooker, it's TOTALLY worth it.

I started off with half the kit (actually, it's a little less than half because there are THREE of each of the Designer Series Papers and I only cut into TWO). This is what half a kit looks like:





A full kit consists of EIGHT sheets of Cardstock (in this case Basic Grey, Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive and Very Vanilla) SIX sheets of double sided Designer Series Paper and THREE 12 x 12 sheets of cardstock stickers.

So, with my 1/2 pack, I followed a tutorial and made this:


That's three 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" cards, one 6 x 6" scrapbook page and EIGHT 3 x 3 notecards.

I used stamps from the Greetings of the Season Set which is perfect for this kit! There are four sentiments in the set and if you order it in clear-mount, it's only $14.95.

After I followed the tutorial, I had this leftover:


Still quite a bit! And remember...this is still from JUST 1/2 pack!

Since there were leftovers, I made this:


One more 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" card, one more 3 x 3 notecard and another 6 x 6 scrapbook page (to face the other one). And I STILL had leftover pieces, but not enough cardstock to make more cards. You could OF COURSE use some of your basic cardstock and then use up all the bits to make MORE cards.

Since THAT was so much fun, I decided to use the OTHER half of the Simply Scrappin' Kit and I made this:


That's EIGHT 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" cards and EIGHT 3 x 3 notecards. Now, I did cheat a little bit and used a 1/2 sheet of 8 1/2 X 11 Very Vanilla Cardstock.

While I was merrily creating away, I got an email that said that my dear friend Ann had posted a card and I stopped EVERYTHING to CASE her CASE of a Stampin' Success card (that's our exclusive Demonstrator Magazine).

Here's THAT card:


Did you see the pearl? That's typical Ann! She adds a pearl to pretty much EVERYTHING. I guess you could call it her signature. :)

Now, if you've stuck with me this far...there's NO pop-quiz. However, if you purchase the Simply Scrappin Kit from me, I'll GIVE you the tutorial to make all these projects.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Greetings of the Season
INK: Basic Grey, Cherry Cobbler, Lucky Limeade
PAPERS: Simply Scrappin' Kit
ACCESSORIES: Pearls

Happy Stampin'!

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Thanks for your order!

Have you placed an order with me in September? Planning on placing one? I'd love to send you a thank you card!

Check it out:


Simple but effective! You'll find one of these in your order bag or in your mailbox (if you order online) when you place an order in September. It can be small or large! Size doesn't matter *grin*

I was inspired by a card I saw on SplitCoast Stampers. I started off with a Naturals Ivory base and added a strip of Comfort Cafe Designer Series Paper.

I then stamped the sentiment in Midnight Muse on Very Vanilla and punched it out using the small oval punch.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Perfectly Preserved
INK: Midnight Muse
PAPERS: Naturals Ivory and Very Vanilla Cardstock; Comfort Cafe DSP
ACCESSORIES: Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Saturday, September 15, 2012

A little Witch CASE

One of the cards in my blog feed the other day caught my eye and I decided to CASE the design. It wasn't an SU! card, but I used my SU! goodies to make my own version - YAY!


As you may have heard if you've been on Facebook, one of my favourite princesses in the WHOLE world is in the hospital. :(

I texted her mom and asked if she would like a cute witch card or if it might frighten her. Mom gave the go-ahead, so I made this:


I am LOVING the Googly Ghouls set. It's so darn cute! And those eyes? It's a good thing you can buy them separately because I think I'll need stock in them!

I pulled the colours from the tag and decided on Pumpkin Pie and Lucky Limeade. And, because Brigid loves purple, I had to add a strip of Elegant Eggplant, which was cut using the Tasteful Trim Die.

A little bit of baker's twine, two googly eyes, and...DONE! It's already in the mail on it's way to her.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Googly Ghouls
INK: Staz-ON Black
PAPERS: Crumb Cake and Elegant Eggplant Cardstock; Pumpkin Pie and Lucky Limeade DSP
ACCESSORIES: Ghoulish Googlies Kit, Big Shot, Die, Baker's Twine, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Friday, September 14, 2012

MOJO Monday Cake

Yep! It's Friday. I know. I had a bunch of blog posts already to go for this week, so I'm fitting new posts in where I can.

The MOJO Monday sketch was very similar to our Paper Craft Crew sketch this week. What are the odds??

Today, is MIL's birthday! She's not getting the card below, she's getting this one. It's probably already there.

This one:


will be going to one of my downline when she celebrates her birthday in a little while! Just another perk of joining my Canadian Blossoms team! Two OTHER cards for my downline celebrating birthdays in the next week are already on their way to them!

Here's a close up of that awesome rosette:


I just love making those! Yes, they're a bit time consuming and little fiddly, but they're worth the effort!

Speaking of joining my downline, there's only a FEW more days left to take advantage of the FREE Halloween Tray Kit offer:


True, the offer was supposed to end on August 31st, but Stampin' UP! received such an AMAZING response to it, that they made the decision to extend it! You have until September 16th (just two more days!) to take advantage of the offer. Your Halloween Kit will ship WITH your Starter Kit.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Bring on the Cake, Carry On
INK: Staz-ON
PAPERS: Very Vanilla and Basic Black Cardstock; First Edition DSP
ACCESSORIES: Punches, Linen Thread, Lace Ribbon, Seam Binding, Large Pearls, Stampin' Dimensionals.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Itty Bitty Birthday

I saw a near identical card on SplitCoast Stampers created by the wonderfully talented Vicki Parson and I just new I had to recreate it!

My recent Birthday Bash class participants were NOT disappointed!


Especially since I tied the bows for most of them - LOL!


Check out all those layers and detail!

We started off by stamping the image from Four Frames in Midnight Muse and punching it out. It was backed by a punched/cut Decorative Label. To the front, we added a Summer Starfruit 1" circle and we finished it off with the birthday sentiment from Itty Bitty Banners.

It's my upline's birthday today, but this is not the card she is getting! Hey...there has to be SOME surprise right?

What do you think?

STAMPS: Itty Bitty Banners, Four Frames
INK: Midnight Muse, Cherry Cobbler
PAPERS: Whisper White, Summer Starfruit, Midnight Musea and Cherry Cobbler Cardstock
ACCESSORIES: Punches, Big Shot, Dies, Embossing Folders, Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Stippled Blossoms for the Paper Craft Crew

This week for the Paper Craft Crew, I was inspired by the sketch to pull out a few stops! Lots of layers, dimensionals and fussy cutting! Check it out:



I started off with Midnight Muse since I still had it out from yesterday's cards for the UDI colour challenge. I added a layer of Comfort Cafe DSP and then went to town! Another layer of Comfort Cafe DSP, some little Midnight Muse Flags, a stamped Very Vanilla panel (yes, I used Summer Starfruit again *smile*) using Elements of Style and a Stippled Blossom in Bashful Blue and Midnight Muse.

The die cut is from the Perfect Pennants die...and yes, this is the FIRST time I've used it, despite the fact that I bought it when it FIRST came out, more than 12 months ago. SHEESH!

The finishing touch is the Very Vanilla Seam Binding ribbon. Would you like to play along this week? Just click here and join in the fun!

And here's the sketch on which it was based:


What do you think?

STAMPS: Elements of Style, Stipples Blossoms
INK: Bashful Blue, Midnight Muse and Summer Starfruit
PAPERS: Very Vanilla and Midnight Muse Cardstock; Comfort Cafe DSP
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Die, Seam Binding, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Design Team Junkie!

It would seem, that I've become a bit of a DT junkie - LOL! Who? Me? Ummmm...yes!!!

It started off with the Paper Craft Crew (formerly the Stampin' Queens) and then there was the Creative Crew. Most recently, Elizabeth Harris put out the call for designers to join her on the Utah Divas International blog as colour challenge designers. I saw her colour combos and couldn't turn her down.

Now, unless you've been living under a rock for the past 11 years, you know what today is. :(

Fittingly, our colours for today are Midnight Muse, Raspberry Ripple and Whisper White. And, it seemed only fitting that today's cards were thank you cards, in honour of those who fought and continue to fight for our freedom. I'm in Canada, but I certainly still appreciate EVERYTHING that both our Canadian and American service men and women do. If you know of a service man or woman that would like to receive these cards, please let me know and email me their snail mail address. I'll send them RIGHT AWAY.


Both these cards started off with a Raspberry Ripple base. I stamped the sentiment from Sassy Salutations in both Midnight Muse and Raspberry Ripple. My accents are fairly simple in Midnight Muse and Comfort Cafe Designer Series Paper.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Sassy Salutations
INK: Midnight Muse, Raspberry Ripple
PAPERS: Whisper White, Midnight Muse and Raspberry Ripple Cardstock; Comfort Cafe DSP
ACCESSORIES: Punch

Happy Stampin'!

Monday, September 10, 2012

That might be worth something someday...

Last month, at the technique class I was teaching, I was helping Lindsay with one of her cards. I picked up the insert for the card not realizing that I had Melon Mambo ink on my fingertips.

This happened:


Lindsay (jokingly, I'm sure) said, "that might be worth something someday. I'm keeping that!" To further it's worth, I said, "Hang on, I'll sign it!" which I did...with the date and everything. That got a HUGE laugh out of the other class attendees. I'm sure you can imagine.

The class continued on and everyone had a wonderful afternoon. You should come to one on my classes! Not only are they fun and entertaining, but MOST times, you actually LEARN stuff too. :)

Wishing YOU inky fingers that are worth something someday!

Happy Stampin'!

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Say Hello to my little friend!

When I saw a nearly identical card by the lovely and talented Jen Timko earlier this week, I just KNEW I would have to CASE it! I'm sure you'll agree:


I started off by stamping my little spider friend from Googly Ghouls in black Staz-ON onto one of the tags found in the Ghoulish Googlies Designer Kit. You can get both the stamp set AND the kit at a 15% savings when you bundle them together in the Ghoulish Googlies bundle! I tied a length of Lucky Limeade Baker's Twine through the pre-punched hole and added the eyes - LOVE!

I chose Whisper White as my base and then added layers of Basic Black and Lucky Limeade. I then cut another piece of Basic Black and added stripes of both Rich Razzleberry and Pumpkin Pie Designer Series paper. I tried to print up some Howlstooth and Scaringbone DSP from MDS, but my printer is acting up, so I had to go with old faithful - DSP paper packs!

My little friend was attached to the card front using Stampin' Dimensionals.

I'm teaching classes today and I can't WAIT to show this adorable card to my students.

I'm saving this card to send to one of my VERY FAVOURITE little people for Halloween. I think she'll LOVE IT!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Googly Ghouls
INK: Black Staz-ON
PAPERS: Whisper White, Basic Black and Lucky Limeade Cardstock; Rich Razzleberry and Pumpkin Pie DSP
ACCESSORIES: Ghoulish Googlies Kit, Baker's Twine, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Reasons to Stamp - Better Late than Never!

MONTH-LONG OBSERVANCES
AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Month
All American Breakfast Month
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Month
Baby Safety Month
Be Kind to Editors and Writers Month
Better Breakfast Month
Bourbon Heritage Month
Cable TV Month
Children's Eye Health and Safety Month
Children’s Good Manners Month
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
Chili Peppers and Figs Month
Classical Music Month
College Savings Month
Ethnic Foods Month
Fall Hat Month
Fruits and Veggies More Matters Month
Go Wild During California Wild Rice Month
Great American Low-Cholesterol, Low-Fat Pizza Month
Gynecology Cancer Awareness Month
Happy Cat Month
Healthy Aging Month
International Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness Month
International People Skills Month
International Self-Awareness Month
International Square Dancing Month
International Strategic Thinking Month
Jazz Month
Leukemia & Lymphoma Awareness Month
Library Card Sign-Up Month
Marriage Health Month
Million Minute Family Challenge
Mold Awareness Month
National Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Month
National Apple Month
National Backpack Safety Month
National Bed Check Month
National Blueberry Popsicle Month
National Chicken Month
National Childhood Injury Prevention Month
National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month
National Cholesterol Education Month
National Coupon Month
National Courtesy Month
National DNA, Geonomics, and Stem Cell Education Month
National Food Safety Education Month
National Fruit and Veggies Month
National Head Lice Prevention Month
National Hispanic Heritage Month
National Honey Month
National Little League Month
National Menopause Awareness Month
National Mind Mapping Month
National Mushroom Month
National Organic Harvest Month
National Osteopathic Medicine Month
National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
National Papaya Month
National Pediculosis Prevention Month
National Piano Month
National Preparedness Month
National Prime Beef Month
National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
National Rice Month
National School Success Month
National Sewing Month
National Sickle Cell Awareness Month
National Skin Care Awareness Month
National Yoga Awareness Month
One-on-One Month
Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
Peas and Radishes Month
Pleasure Your Mate Month
Read-A-New-Book Month
Reunion Planning Month
Reyes Syndrome Awareness Month
Sea Cadet Month
Save the Koala Month
Schoolhouse Triangle Project Month
Self-Improvement Month
Shameless Promotion Month
Sports and Home Eye Safety Month
Subliminal Communications Month
Update Your Resume Month
Whole Grains Month
Women of Achievement Month
Women’s Friendship Month
World Animal Remembrance Month
WEEK-LONG OBSERVANCES
1st Week
Child Injury Prevention Week
International Enthusiasm Week
National Nutrition Week
National Waffle Week
Play Days
Self University Week
2nd Week
International Housekeepers Week
Line Dance Week
National Payroll Week
National Suicide Prevention Week
Popeye Week
3rd Week
Balance Awareness Week
Build a Better Image Week
Constitution Week
Deaf Awareness Week
JRR Tolkien Week
National Assisted Living Week
National Child Care Week
National Clean Hands Week
National Farm Animals Awareness Week
National Farm & Ranch Safety and Health Week
National Flower Week
Pollution Prevention Week
Prostate Cancer Awareness Week
Substitute Teacher Appreciation Week
Turn Off Your TV Week
4th Week
American Massage Therapy Week
Banned Books Week
Equal Parents' Week
International Women’s E-Commerce Days
National Adult Immunization Week
National Dog Week
National Keep Kids Creative Week
National Love Your Files Week
National Rehabilitations Week
National Roller Skating Week
National Singles Week
Remember to Register to Vote Week
5th Week
Fall Astronomy Week
Great American Beer Week
National Chimney Safety Week
September 1st
Building and Code Staff Appreciation Day
Calendar Adjustment Day
Chicken Boy’s Day
Edgar Rice Burrough’s Birthday (1875)
Estee Lauder’s Birthday (1908)
Johann Pachelbel’s Birthday (1653)
Mary Had A Little Lamb Published (1830)
National No Rhyme (Nor Reason) Day
Padma Lakshmi’s Birthday (1970)
Rich Tips Test Day
Toy Tips Executive Toy Test Day
Yvonne de Carlo’s Birthday (1922)
September 2nd
First ATM (1969)
Great Fire of London (1666)
National Beheading Day
National Blueberry Popsicle Day
National Lazy Mom’s Day
Salma Hayek’s Birthday (1966)
US Treasury Established (1789)
V-J Day
September 3rd
Bathtub Race Day
First Professional Football Game (1895)
Great Fire of London (1666)
Labor Day
Sarah Orne Jewett’s Birthday (1849)
Skyscraper Day
Treaty of Paris Signed (1783)
Waffle Day
September 4th
Another Look Unlimited Day
Great Fire of London (1666)
Harvest Moon
Island of Manhattan Discovered (1609)
Newspaper Carrier Day
Oatmeal Day
Paul Harvey’s Birthday (1918)
Peter Rabbit’s Birthday (1893)
Richard Wright’s Birthday (1908)
Syd Hoff’s Birthday (1912)
September 5th
Be Late for Something Day
Bob Newhart’s Birthday (1929)
Cathy Guisewite’s Birthday (1960)
1st Continental Congress Assembled (1774)
Great Fire of London (1666)
National Cheese Pizza Day
September 6th
Do-It Day (Fight Procrastination)
Great Fire of London (1666)
Jane Curtain’s Birthday (1947)
Read a Book Day
September 7th
Al McGuire’s Birthday (1931)
Ann Beattie’s Birthday (1947)
Chrissie Hynde’s Birthday (1951)
Google Commemoration Day
Grandma Moses Day
International Angel Day
Julie Kavner’s Birthday (1951)
National Feel the Love Day
National Grandparents Day (First Sunday after Labor Day in September)
Neither Rain Nor Snow Day
Queen Elizabeth I’s Birthday (1533)
Responsible Dog Ownership Day
Salami Day
September 8th
Antonio Dvorak’s Birthday (1841)
Bald is Beautiful Day
Farmers’ Consumer Awareness Day
International Drive Your Studebaker Day
International Literacy Day
Jack Prelutsky’s Birthday (1940)
King Richard I’s Birthday (1157)
National Date Nut Bread
Pardon Day
Patsy Cline’s Birthday (1932)
Potato Day
Prairie Day
Virgin Mary Day
World Physical Therapy Day
September 9th
Hugh Grant’s Birthday (1960)
International Lace Day
Leo Tolstoy’s Birthday (1828)
Mario Batali’s Birthday (1960)
National Grandparent’s Day
National Hug Your Hound Day
Stand Up to Cancer Day
Teddy Bear Day
United Colonies renamed United States (1776)
Wonderful Weirdos Day
September 10th
Bill O’Reilly’s Birthday (1949)
Chris Columbus’ Birthday (1958)
Colin Firth’s Birthday (1960)
Karl Lagerfeld's Birthday (1938)
National Boss/Employee Exchange Day
Sewing Machine Patented (1846)
Swap Ideas Day
T.V. Dinner Day
World Suicide Prevention Day
September 11th
Creation of the Internet (1969)
D.H. Lawrence’s Birthday (1885)
Harry Connick’s Birthday (1967)
Libraries Remember Day
Make Your Bed Day
No News is Good News Day
O Henry’s Birthday (1862)
Patriot Day – World Trade Center Remembrance Day
Remember Freedom Day
Eleventh Anniversary of 9/11
September 12th
Alfred A. Knopf’s Birthday (1892)
Maurice Chevalier’s Birthday (1888)
Mushroom Days
National Chocolate Milk Shake Day
Popcorn Day
Video Games Day
September 13th
Claudette Colbert’s Birthday (1903)
Defy Superstition Day
Else Minarik’s Birthday (1920)
Fortune Cookie Day
International Chocolate Day
Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day
Milton Hershey’s Birthday (1857)
National Celiac Awareness Day
National Peanut Day
National Urban Eden Day
Positive Thinking Day
Roald Dahl’s Birthday (1916)
Scooby Doo's Birthday (First cartoon debuted)
Stella McCartney's Birthday (1971)
Uncle Same Day
Walter Reed’s Birthday (1851)
September 14th
Clayton Moore's Birthday (1914)
First Department Store Opens (Opened in 1848 by Alexander Stewart)
Johann Michael Hayden (1737)
National Cream-Filled Doughnut Day
Robert McCloskey’s Birthday (1914)
Stand Up to Cancer Day
Star-Spangled Banner Written (1814)
September 15th
Agatha Christie’s Birthday (1890)
America’s Day for Kids
Big Whopper Liar Day
Felt Hat Day
Greenpeace Day
International Coastal Cleanup Day
International Day of Democracy
International Dot Day
International Eat an Apple Day
James Fenimore Cooper’s Birthday (1789)
Make A Hat Day
National Hispanic Heritage Month (Begins September 15 and ends October 15)
National School Backpack Awareness Day
Penicillin Discovered by Alexander Fleming (1928)
Robert McCloskey’s Birthday (1914)
Puppy Mill Awareness Day
Tomie de Paola’s Birthday (1934)
Tommy Lee Jones’ Birthday (1946)
UN International Day of Democracy
September 16th
Anne Bradstreet Day
Beer Day
Collect Rocks Day
Constitution Day
H.A. Rey’s Birthday (1898)
John Knowles’ Birthday (1926)
Mayflower Day
National Play-Doh Day
National POW/MIA Recognition Day
National Stepfamily Day
National Working Parents Day
Robin Yount’s Birthday (1955)
Take a Loved One to the Doctor Day
Trail of Tears Commemoration Day
Wife Appreciation Day
Women’s Friendship Day
September 17th
Anne Bancroft’s Birthday (1931)
Citizenship Day/Constitution Day
Ladies Auxiliary VFW Organized (1914)
John Ritter’s Birthday (1948)
National Apple Dumpling Day
Pledge Across America Day
Rosh Hashanah
VFW Ladies Auxiliary Day
William Carlos Williams’ Birthday (1883)
September 18th
Agnes de Mille’s Birthday (1905)
Air Force Birthday (1947)
Chiropractor’s Day
First Edition of the New York Times Published (1851)
Hug a Greeting Card Writer Day
James Gandolfini’s Birthday (1961)
Jimmy Fallon’s Birthday (1974)
June Foray’s Birthday (1920)
Mushroom Picking Day
National Aging Awareness Day
National Cheeseburger Day
National Respect Day
World Water Monitoring Day
September 19th
International Talk Like a Pirate Day
National Butterscotch Pudding Day
National Dog Ownership Day
National Women’s Friendship Day
National Women Road Warrior Day
September 20th
America’s Day for Kids
First Railroad Station Opened
National Punch Day
Sophia Loren’s Birthday (1934)
Upton Sinclair’s Birthday (1878)
September 21st
Bill Murray’s Birthday (1950)
H.G. Wells’ Birthday (1866)
International Banana Festival
Miniature Golf Day
Rob Morrow’s Birthday (1962)
Tiffany’s Founded (1837)
Women’s Friendship Day
World Alzheimer’s Day
World Gratitude Day
September 22nd
AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Day
American Business Women’s Day
Andrea Bocelli’s Birthday (1958)
Band-Aid Invented (1920)
Car Free Day
Dear Diary Day
Elephant Appreciation Day
Fish Amnesty Day
Hobbit Day
Ice Cream Cone Invented (1903)
International Day of Peace
National Centenarian’s Day
National Hunting and Fishing Day
National White Chocolate Day
READ in America Day
Tom Felton’s Birthday (1987)
U.S. Post Office Opened (1789)
September 23rd
Bruce Springsteen’s Birthday (1949)
Dogs in Politics Day
Checkers Day
Earth Over Shoot Day
Euripedes’ Birthday (480 BC)
Great American Pot Pie Day
Love Note Day
Ray Charles’ Birthday (1930)
Restless Legs Awareness Day
September 24th
Beer Days
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Birthday (1896)
Festival of Latest Novelties
First Toy Store Opened
Jim Henson’s Birthday (1936)
National Cherries Jubilee Day
National Family Health & Fitness Day
National Bluebird of Happiness Day
National Public Lands Day
National Punctuation Day
Native American Day
September 25th
Aida Turturro’s Birthday (1962)
Gold Star Mother’s Day
Mary Poppins Debuted in 1964
Math Story Telling Day
National Comic Book Day
National Museum Day
National One-Hit Wonder Day
National Voter Registration Day
Shel Silverstein’s Birthday (1930)
William Faulkner’s Birthday (1897)
Yom Kippur
September 26th
Dog Scouts of America Day
George Gershwin’s Birthday (1898)
International Rabbit Day
Ivan Pavlov’s Birthday (1849)
Jane Smiley’s Birthday (1949)
Johnny Appleseed's Birthday (John Chapman born in 1774.)
National Women’s Health and Fitness Day
Shamu the Whale Day
T.S. Eliot’s Birthday (1888)
World Maritime Day
September 27th
Ancestor Appreciation Day
Answering Machine Patented (1950)
Crush A Can Day
Gwyneth Paltrow’s Birthday (1972)
Meat Loaf’s Birthday (1947)
National Good Neighbor Day
Samuel Adams’ Birthday (1722)
Thomas Nast’s Birthday (1840)
World Tourism Day
September 28th
Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival (Also called the Moon Festival)
Ed Sullivan’s Birthday (1901)
First Airport Opened
Fish Tank Floorshow Night
Hug a Vegetarian Day
Love Note Day
Michelangelo’s Birthday (1573)
National Walk to Work Day
Save the Koala Day
World Rabies Day
September 29th
Confucius Day
Greer Garson’s Birthday (1904)
Miguel de Cervantes’ Birthday (1547)
National Attend Your Grandchild’s Birth Day
National Coffee Day
National Museum Day
National Public Lands Day
Poisoned Blackberries Day
Scotland Yard formed in London (1829)
U.S. Army Established (1789)
VFW Day
World Heart Day
September 30th
Ask a Stupid Question Day
Barry Williams’ Birthday (1954)
Blasphemy Day
Deborah Kerr’s Birthday (1921)
Fran Drescher’s Birthday (1957)
Gold Star Mother’s Day
Johnny Mathis’ Birthday (1935)
National Mud Pack Day
Safety Pin Invented
Truman Capote‘s Birthday (1924)
World Heart Day

Thanks to Jane Hignite!