It's a GRAND OPENING!!

You'll want to grab a cup of coffee and get comfy this morning! It's the "grand opening" of the Paper Craft Crew Blog. While we HAVE been posting to it for sometime, this is the week we launch all the fun stuff!

So...down the right hand side of my blog, you'll want to check out all the other crew members blogs because EVERYONE is giving away blog candy! However, before you do, check out today's card:

I started off with a square base for this one, so the card is just 4" x 4". Tiny and cute! The polka dot Designer Series Paper is from the Festival of Prints Pack. I just LOVE how versatile this pack is. It's in the Holiday Catalogue, but you can use it for just about anything! It's only available till January 2nd, 2013, so get yours soon!

I added a piece of Very Vanilla to the bottom of the card front and then hid the seam using a length of Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding.

The main image from Apothecary Art was stamped in Basic Grey and coloured in using a Blender Pen with Cherry Cobbler and Always Artichoke Ink. "Dare to Dream" (from Loving Thoughts) was stamped in Cherry Cobbler and then end was flagged before it was adhered to the main image.

The whole image panel was then attached to the card using Stampin' Dimensionals.

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

And now, for the BLOG CANDY. Today, just by commenting below, you could win a full pack of the Festival of Prints Designer Series Paper:

There will also be a GRAND PRIZE DRAW over the the Paper Craft Crew Blog, so don't forget to check it out!! Submit a card based on the sketch to be entered into the GRAND PRIZE draw! The draw will take place NEXT Wednesday after our sketch posts.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Apothecary Art, Loving Thoughts
INK: Basic Grey, Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke
PAPERS: Very Vanilla and Cherry Cobbler Cardstock; Festival of Prints DSP
ACCESSOIRES: Big Shot, Framelits, Seam Binding, Blender Pen, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

A little Halloween colour for the Divas

Are you ready for Halloween? Are you even going out? If you live on/near the East Coast, you're probably hunkering down and not even opening the front door. I'm in Southern Ontario and considering just going to the store and buying each of the kids a box of candy. Seriously. I'd rather do that than brave the nasty weather we're expecting tomorrow evening. YUCK!

I hope today's card has colours cheery enough to bring a bit of sunshine to your day if you're dealing with Sandy in your part of the country:

I started off with Spooky Bingo Bits to create my paper by stamping randomly on a piece of Whisper White Cardstock. Next I stamped the sentiment from Seasonal Sayings onto Whisper White Cardstock and dragged that strip through my Elegant Eggplant ink.

The sentiment was adhered to the homemade paper and they were both adhered to a Basic Black base.

Don't forget to check out the rest of the Divas HERE.

Hope you have a great Halloween and manage to stay dry!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Spooky Bingo Bits, Seasonal Sayings
INK: Staz-ON Black, Tangerine Tango, Elegant Eggplant and Wild Wasabi
PAPERS: Whisper White and Basic Black Cardstiock
ACCESSORIES: Markers (for colouring the sentiment)

Happy Stampin'!

Don't forget! For one day ONLY almost ALL stamps are 15% off!!! Don't miss out! Shop EARLY!

Celebrate Digital Scrapbooking Day

With a WHOLE WEEK of deals!!

FREE - like free, free - downloads from my online store and 50% off digital kits for EVERYONE!!

What will you download first??

A little bit of Merry for you!

OOPS! Sorry this card is a little late today. If you've been reading for awhile, you know that I like to schedule my posts in advance and that they usually pop up at 6:30 a.m. I've been a little, shall we say, "creatively challenged" lately and the ideas haven't been coming to me as quickly and as often as they usually do.

Today's card is one that we did in my second Christmas Stamp-a-Stack of the season yesterday. There are two more to go and I still have space in both, so if you'd like to come, check out my classes page for the details.

Check it out:

It used the little "merry" bird from the "For the Birds" Stamp set (which by the way is part of the 15% off stamp sale tomorrow!).

The image was stamped in Black Staz-ON and then I used my blender pens to colour in the image. I added a little shot of Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details to the pom pom on his hat - SO CUTE!!

A sponge with Cherry Cobbler ink was used to add some detail to the 2 1/2" circle before it mounted on the card front. A button with a length of Baker's Twine is the finishing touch.

What do you think?


STAMPS: For the Birds
INK: Staz-ON, Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler
PAPERS: Very Vanilla and Cherry Cobbler Cardstock; Old Olive and Merry Moments DSP
ACCESSORIES: Blender Pens, Sponges, Buttons, Baker's Twine, Dazzling Details, Glue Dots

Happy Stampin'!

Merry Christmas for the Divas!

It's another DIVAS Sketch Day today and I think you'll love the sketch!! It's versatile and has lots of cute flags on it.

Here's my card:

I had the Festival of Prints papers out to work on my Creative Crew assignment for November (was that a hint?) so I decided to use them for the Divas Sketch Card.

I started off stamping the tree/branch using my markers directly on the rubber in Early Espresso and Lucky Limeade. Next came the bird in Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso and Pumpkin Pie.

To stamp the sentiment, I used Island Indigo on one word, stamped it, cleaned the stamp then coloured and stamped the second word in order to have them stacked. I *could* have cut the stamp apart, but I'm not a big fan of doing that.

Last, but not least, I added the flags at the bottom and adhered everything to the card front.

Here's the sketch:

You can check out the rest of the Divas on the Divas Blog.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Best of Everything, Greetings of the Season (ONLY in the Holiday Catalogue)
INK: None...I used markers!
PAPERS: Very Vanilla and Cherry Cobbler Cardstock; Festival of Prints DSP
ACCESSORIES: Markers

Happy Stampin'!

Are you ready for SOMETHING HUGE???

Today's Friday - MY WAY! is being interrupted by a most amazing deal announced yesterday by Stampin' UP!

On Monday October 29th for 23 hours and 50 minutes ONLY, Stampin' UP! will be offering almost ALL of the stamp sets in the catalogue for 15% off. The only sets NOT included in this offer are the hostess only sets, the bundled sets and the digital stamp brush sets.

So...get your catalogues out and start making your choices. This is one sale you WON'T want to miss!

You can either shop online, by phone directly with me at (416)420-6975 or by emailing me. The shopping links and email links can be found in the left sidebar.

Happy Stampin'!

Thank You Card from my Stampin' UP! site

Today's card is from my Stampin' UP! Website.

I just love ALL the ideas you can find there and the best part is, you can find out exactly which products were used on the cards and other projects.

Stamp Set: Full of Blessings; Papers: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Orchard Harvest; Inks: Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, Summer Starfruit, Rich Razzleberry

I think this card is so simple and elegant. Just PERFECT for a quick thank you card. A few punches and a stamp set and you're done!

HAPPY STAMPIN'!

This too shall pass for the Paper Craft Crew

Oh my! I was down to the wire on this one! I've been SO busy with Christmas cards for classes that I'm seriously starting to think that I'm burning out. I LOVE posting to my blog everyday because I just love sharing new things with all of you, but I think I may need a little break. I'll have to keep you posted.

Today's card is going to a dear friend who is having a rough go of things right now. She needs a hug through the mail and since this is what I do, I thought it was a GREAT idea!

You'll have to excuse the location in which the photo was taken as it was well after dark when I finished the card. *sigh* Have I mentioned that I REALLY don't like this time of year? The early setting sun is SO depressing. BLAH!

I stamped the image in Always Artichoke unto Very Vanilla and hand cut it (yes, I was too lazy to get up and use the Big Shot - pathetic!) and then matted it on a piece of Always Artichoke which was also hand cut.

I added the Natural 7/8" Ribbon and then attached the sentiment panel with Stampin' Dimensionals. The final touch was the basic pearls.

What do you think?

STAMPS: From My Heart
INK: Always Artichoke
PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Always Artichoke and River Rock Cardstock; Always Artichoke DSP
ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Basic Pearls, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Frosty Friends for the Divas!

Are you sitting down? You might want to, because if you don't, you might just fall over from the cuteness!

This week, our colour challenge was to use the following colours:

• Pool Party
• Island Indigo
• Summer Starfruit
• Primrose Petals
• Always Artichoke

I'm telling you, that MDS2 colour picker is just a bit weird sometimes! But! I found the perfect stamp to make it all work TOGETHER:

Is this not the cutest thing EVER?

I started by stamping the Frosty Friends image onto Whisper White cardstock, using Staz-ON ink. Then I took out my ink pads, smooshed them and used the ink in the lids with my blender pen to colour in my image. I thought I was going to have to cheat and use Pumpkin Pie for the snowman noses, but it seems if you colour in Summer Starfruit first and then add a layer of Primrose Petals on top, you get orange! :)  Yes. I DO remember basic colour theory from grade school, but in the real world it doesn't always work out the way you think it should. I'm glad it did!

I added the sentiment from Greetings of the Season and Dazzling Details to the snowballs for the finishing touches.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Frosty Friends, Greetings of the Season

INK: Staz-ON, Pool Party, Island Indigo, Summer Starfruit, Primrose Petals and Always Artichoke

PAPERS: Whisper White and Pool Party Cardstock

ACCESSORIES: Blender pen, Dazzling Details

Happy Stampin'!

Steppin' it up with ATC's for the Creative Crew

I thought I was all kinds of clever when I created the tags in this post...till I read the directions for the tags again. *sigh* Getting ahead of myself is a particular specialty of mine - LOL!

Turns out the TAG/ATC challenge was tied into the Catalogue focus which was to use the Occasions stamps on pages 32-57. Yeah...got a little excited there!

FORTUNATELY, it turned out that the tags were OK because the Holiday Focus could be created in ANY format (tag, card, scrapbook page, home decor), so...PHEW!!

Here's a picture of both my adorable (if I do say so myself!) Tea Shoppe ATC cards. The one on the right is the simple version, stamped on Whisper White. The one of the left is my stepped up version. 

To step it up, I stamped the flower image a second time, cut it out and adhered it to the card front using Stampin' Dimensionals (cut into teeny pieces!). I coloured in the flower using the blender pen and ink and added a pearl.

On the bottom cup, I added NINE tiny pearls.

Here's a close up of the flower in the top cup. I used the ink from the stamped image and dragged it around with my blender pen to add colour to the flowers. I coloured the stems/leaf with Always Artichoke Ink and the blender pen.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Tea Shoppe
INK: Pool Party, Wisteria Wonder, Island Indigo, Always Artichoke
PAPERS: Whisper White, Wisteria Wonder and Island Indigo Cardstock
ACCESSORIES: Blender Pen, Basic Pearls, Stampin' Dimensionals


Wishing you a wonderfully blessed day filled with stamping and happy times!

Ten Days to GO!!!

Don't forget that there's only 10 days left to take advantage of this special offer!

Don't miss out!

Christmas Wishes for the Divas!

Tomorrow is my all day Stampin' Extravaganza! You may have heard me mention it? *giggle*

This is just one of the TEN cards we'll be making at the event:

I started off with a base of Raspberry Ripple and added a layer of Wild Wasabi after running it through the Big Shot with the Holiday Frame Embossing Folder.

I used the small oval embossing folder on a piece of Whisper White and then cut it out. The oval frame was stamped in Raspberry Ripple and punched out. I then added the tree which was hand cut and finished it off with a tiny Raspberry Ripple bow.

After Extravaganza, I'll be selling the tutorial for all the cards we completed. It will be available for just $3.95

Here's the sketch:

I took a few liberties, but I was elbow deep in creating for Extravaganza and simply did not have the time (nor the tolerance for the elevated stress) to create another card. I'm hoping things slow down soon!

Meanwhile,  you can check out what the rest of Divas created HERE.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Joyous Celebrations
INK: Wild Wasabi, Raspberry Ripple
PAPERS: Whisper White, Wild Wasabi and Raspberry Ripple Cardstock
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Embossing Folders, Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals.

Happy Stampin'!

Merry Christmas - MY WAY!

SQUEEEEE! I think this is THE cutest MY WAY card to date! When I saw the card that I wanted to do MY WAY, I knew JUST want I wanted to do. And...unlike THIS POST, it turned out EXACTLY how I saw it in my heard the first time - LOL!

And...my blog reached over 75,000 blog hits over night! You know what THAT means?? PARTY time! Not to mention...BLOG CANDY! Read on for details!

I started off with the Merry Christmas panel and stamped it in Cherry Cobbler on Whisper White. I rounded the corners, wrapped it with bakers twine and matted it on a piece of Cherry Cobbler cardstock.

Next step was stamping and punching out the trees and stars from Merry Minis. It sure is a good thing that there's a matching punch for those little stamps. Everyone knows I LOVE fussy cutting, but cutting 45 of those out would be NUTS!

After stamping (Gumball Green and Daffodil Delight), they were punched out using the coordinating punches and adhered to the Whisper White piece using glue dots. This piece was then attached to a piece of Cherry Cobbler. It was then attached just above the sentiment with a Stampin' Dimensionals.

This is my swap card this month for a SUPER special group of swappers known as the True North Swappers. This is the card I sent in last month and the awesomeness I received in return was...well...AWESOME!!! I can't wait to get my swap packet back and see what's in it! :)

I'm also officially signed up for Lyssa's CQ Leadership Swap to be held at LEADERSHIP - WOOHOO!!!!!!!! Only 83 days to go...not that I'm counting! :)

Now...for that blog candy thing! Leave me a comment and let me know what YOUR favourite colour of baker's twine is! I have a package of Lucky Limeade that will be awarded by random draw from all the comments left between today and Monday morning at 8 AM EST.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Sassy Salutations, Merry Minis
INK: Cherry Cobbler, Gumball Green, Daffodil Delight
PAPERS: Whisper White and Cherry Cobbler Cardstock
ACCESSORIES: Punches, Bakers Twine, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

A Rainbow Hello for the Divas

So...I've had the idea for this card in my head since the inspiration piece was posted about 2 1/2 weeks ago. The problem was, I had SO much other stuff on the go that I didn't have to time to turn the idea into a card until YESTERDAY.

If you know me, you know that last minute DRIVES. ME. CRAZY. And so it was - ARGH!!!

Anyway...here's my card for this weeks Utah Divas International Inspiration Challenge:

You can see what the other ladies have created here.

As soon as I saw the inspiration piece, I knew I wanted to do a striped pattern on the card. It didn't take me long to decide that I would use the Tasteful Trim die and my Big Shot. I just love how easy it was to create the strips in a matter of minutes!

I had the idea of a rainbow in my head, so that's what I went with. ROYGBIV and all that. *grin*

For my stamped image, I wanted something fun and happy, so I chose the hostess set "Happy You" and stamped the kite image. I stamped the image in Black Staz-ON and coloured it in using my Stampin' Write markers. I kept the same colours as in the strips on the card.

The image was then punched out using the 1 3/4" circle punch and matted onto a scalloped circle of 2 3/8". I attached it to the front of the card using Stampin' Dimensionals. *of course*

What do you think?

STAMPS: Happy You (available only to hostesses with qualifying orders)
INK: Black Staz-ON
PAPERS: Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, Pacific Point, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie and Read Red
ACCESSORIES: Punches, Markers, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Bewitching the Paper Craft Crew

Halloween will be here before you know it! Are you ready???

You'll notice from this post, that when I create, I play with what I have out. Since I was creating with Elegant Eggplant for the Divas I figured I might as well just keep creating with it for the Paper Craft Crew. It's easier to put away when there's LESS of it to put away - LOL!

Today's card features one of my most favourite sets to watercolour, Greeting Card Kids:

I stamped my little witch on watercolour paper using Staz-ON ink and coloured her in using my watercolour crayons and aqua painters. I was going for an "antique" kind of look so I didn't saturate the image too much. Do you think I succeeded?

I matted the image on both Old Olive and Tangerine Tango (yep! I had them out...) and then added flags to the top right of the the image panel.

On the inside, I added a piece of Elegant Eggplant and Whisper White. Doodling and a matching flag were the finishing touches.

Here's the sketch on which the card was based (I took a few liberties):

What do you think?

STAMPS: Greeting Card Kids
INK: Black Staz-ON
PAPERS: Whisper White, Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive and Tangerine Tango Cardstock; Elegant Eggplant DSP; Watercolour Paper
ACCESSORIES: Watercolour Crayons, Aqua Painters, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

GO Divas!!

Good morning Divas near and far! Are you ready for another colour challenge? The colours threw me a bit this week because of their different colour values, but I persevered and got it done - WOOT!

This week our colours are:

• Night of Navy
• Bashful Blue
• Cherry Cobbler
• Certainly Celery
• Soft Suede

I added in:

• Whisper White
• Pumpkin Pie (just a teeny bit for the beak)

Here's my card:

I started off with the Night of Navy base and added a layer of Bashful Blue to that. Onto the layer of Whisper White, I stamped the branch image after using the direct to rubber technique. After the branch was stamped, I added the little bird - isn't it CUTE?

Once the bird was in place, I had to choose a sentiment and went with one from the Word Play set.

I stamped the sentiment in Certainly Celery and then stamped the "direction" arrow in Soft Suede on a scrap piece of paper and cut it out. It was added to the card front using Stampin' Dimensionals.

There seemed to be something missing, so I added a few Bitty Buttons. I like it!

I added the strawberry image to the inside:

What do you think?

STAMPS: Best of Everything, Word Play

INK: Soft Suede, Certainly Celery

PAPERS: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Night of Navy

ACCESSORIES: Markers, Bitty Buttons, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Stepped up Tags for the Creative Crew

As you know from this post, our general theme this month for the Creative Crew is Step-It-Up!

One of our projects was tags - one simple and one WOW! I had fun with these! Check it out:

When I think "simple" I think single layer, so that's what I did on my Island Indigo tag. And then...I went a little nuts - LOL!

I stamped the image on the second tag in Island Indigo and then decided it needed a double layer, so I stamped it again and cut it out!

I added the faux stitching in Lucky Limeade next. As I was going to adhere the double layer of the image I decided that I needed something more on the tag and that's where the strip of Raspberry Ripple Designer Series Paper came in. THEN I attached the label and stamped the small banner in Raspberry Ripple before cutting it out.

On the WOW tag, I added Lucky Limeade ribbon instead of Island Indigo ribbon.

Check out the bling:

A couple of rhinestones are always welcome addition!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Friendship Preserves
INK: Island Indigo, Raspberry Ripple
PAPERS: Very Vanilla Cardstock; Orchard Harvest DSP
ACCESSORIES: Hole Punch, Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Basic Rhinestones

Happy Stampin'!

Better late than never!!

In September, there was a Design Team search for the Clean and Simple challenge on SplitCoast Stampers. While I didn't make the actual team, I WAS chosen as a guest designer for this past Monday.

There was a bit of confusion, so I didn't get my card up BEFORE the challenge went live, but Denise (our coordinator) was kind enough to let me create it first thing in the morning and STILL have it featured in the challenge for the week - YAY!!

Here's the card I created, for our Trendy Stuff CAS challenge:

We had to use plaid - YAY!! The first thing that popped into my head was the Howlstooth and Scaringbone Designer Series Paper. Then I thought, perhaps I should make a Christmas card, so I pulled out a sheet from the Festival of Prints pad, but it just wasn't speaking to me, so I went back to the Howlstooth and Scaringbone.

Since last Monday was Thanksgiving in Canada, I knew I wanted to use something relative to the holiday and Day of Gratitude seemed like just the thing.

I stamped it in Tangerine Tango on Very Vanilla and die cut it using the Window Frames Framelits. I just love that you can give these a 1/4 turn and get a WHOLE different look. It's like getting TWO whole sets of Framelits for the price of one!

I added a bit of texture down in the right hand corner that you can *just* make out if you look closely.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Day of Gratitude
INK: Tangerine Tango
PAPER: Very Vanilla and Tangerine Tango Cardstock; Howlstooth and Scaringbone DSP
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Framelits, Basic Pearls, Marker, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

A Saturday Sketch for the Divas

Happy Halloween!!! Yes, I KNOW it's not October 31st, but it's just around the corner and it'll be here before you know it! I don't normally make that many Halloween cards, but I've been having fun creating them this year. I may even send a few out!!

Here's my card:

I started off with an Elegant Eggplant base and added a layer of Elegant Eggplant Designer Series Paper.

The next step was stamping the little witchy hats and cutting them out. I then stamped the sentiment in Elegant Eggplant on Whisper White. It was matted on Old Olive and Tangerine Tango and the ends were flagged before it was adhered to the card. The little hats were attached using Stampin' Dimensionals.

Here's the sketch on which it was based:

What do you think?

STAMPS: Spooky Bingo Bits, Teeny Tiny Wishes
INK: Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, Tangerine Tango
PAPERS: Whisper White, Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive and Tangerine Tango Cardstock; Elegant Eggplant DSP
ACCESSORIES: Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Friday - MY WAY with the Creative Crew!

Happy Friday peeps! Ready for the weekend??

Today's MY WAY is all about Halloween! I've had this project done since September 26th, but since the Crew stays "hush-hush" till the 1st of the month I had to keep it a secret!

The first card is UBER simple!

I simply stamped the image using Staz-ON and the sentiment using Always Artichoke (I had the Always Artichoke out for a Diva's Colour Challenge).

The second card is the stepped-up version!

I stamped the image and sentiment on a Halloween Kit tag this time and added a Basic Rhinestone and a googly eye!

I added two more layers of cardstock too! A layer of Lucky Limeade was attached to the base and a Whisper White layer (with doodles, of course!) was attached to that with Stampin' Dimensionals. I added the ribbon and attached the tag using Stampin' Dimensionals again.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Googly Ghouls, Teeny Tiny Wishes
INK: Staz-ON, Lucky Limeade
PAPERS: Whisper White, Lucky Limeade
ACCESSORIES: Halloween Tag, Basic Rhinestone, Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Steppin' it UP! for the Creative Crew! And the Divas Too!

This month's theme for the Creative Crew is "step it up!" Start with a simple card and show ways in which it can be "stepped up". This is a great technique for demonstrators as it allows us to show a simple card at our workshops and then show how to "step it up" for a little bit of WOW!

New stampers will love the simple version because it means they can get stamping right away and not be overwhelmed and experienced stampers will be able to add the extra details of the stepped up version making it their own.

Here's the simple version and stepped up version side by side:

I used my Lovely as a Tree set (after all, it is a classic!) and used the direct to rubber technique. I used my More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Lucky Limeade and Early Espresso markers to colour the tree and stamped it directly on my Crumb Cake base. Since I don't send many "Happy Thanksgiving" cards, I opted for the "thank you" from Teeny Tiny Wishes. It was stamped in Early Espresso.

The detail on the stepped up version:

I started off by colouring my tree using the same technique as above and stamping it onto a piece of Crumb Cake cardstock. I then matted it on Early Espresso.

I cut a piece of Orchard Harvest Designer Series Paper and used my piercing template to poke little holes in the corners. If you DON'T have this yet, it's a must have in my opinion. You can a lot of detail with very little effort! There are TWO paper piercing packs currently available: The Essentials Pack and The Festive Pack. The Festive pack is a great addition to your holiday stamps and is available only until January 3rd, 2013. The Essentials pack is a great addition to your everyday stamping.

In order to dress up the background, I used the leaves from my Confetti set and my Versamark ink. I stamped the image in a random pattern over the whole base.

My sentiment was stamped in Early Espresso on a piece of Very Vanilla and punched out using the Decorative Label punch.

My stepping it up continues on the inside of my card too!

I stamped the base using my versarmark ink again, added a layer of Orchard Harvest DSP and a layer of Very Vanilla stamped with Early Espresso.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Lovely as a Tree, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Confetti
INK: Early Espresso
PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake and Early Espresso Cardstock; Orchard Harvest DSP
ACCESSORIES: Markers, Paper Piercing Mat/Pack/Tool, Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Six Degrees of Separation and a card for the Crew!

So, I don't know if this even COUNTS as Six Degrees of Separation, but I had to figure out SOME way to link to someone else's blog and this is how I decided to do it. It sounded good in my head, so bear with me. :)

A few years ago, I started typing names into Facebook. Names of friends from high school, names of friends from the summer camp I attended up until 1989, names of friends from when I was a cheerleader...you get the idea.

Anyway, one friend I typed in was someone with whom I attended summer camp and we reconnected. It's fun to see "where they are now". About a month ago, this friend posted on Facebook that he had a Twitter account and that those who were so inclined could follow him. So I did...and he followed back.

Fast forward to this past weekend, and I get a notification that I have a new follower on Twitter - YAY!! My new follower is a stamper too!!! See? That counts at Six Degrees, right?? A connection!! (Cait is Bruce's wife - Bruce is the friend from Summer Camp)  So, I checked out her blog! It's just new, but you should check it out too! Cait has some fun ideas and LOVES playing with paper! She makes what she calls "Big Hair Girls" and you'll be AMAZED at the punch she uses to do it!

So, now that I've shared my excitement...let's get on with today's card for the Paper Craft Crew! It also qualifies for this week's Paper Players Challenge to use cups, so...YAY!! Check it out:

I started off with the teacup from the set and stamped it in Primrose Petals. I then cut it out (yep!) and distressed the edges with scissors. Next step was to decide what I wanted for a background.

I decided on the Apothecary Accents Framelits and cut out the largest one from Very Vanilla. I then grabbed the matching Paper Piercing Template from the Essentials pack and pierced all the way around the frame. I wanted a little bit more and added a layer of Crumb Cake behind the Framelit. This layer was hand cut (yes, again).

I adhered the Framelit layers to the card front layer and tied the ribbon around the those.

Then I cut out the largest of the doilies from the large Delicate Doilies Sizzlit and adhered it to the Framelit. Then...I added the stamped teacup to the front and added a few pearls. You can see them a bit better in the picture above than in the full card picture.

The sentiment was stamped in Crumb Cake on Very Vanilla and punched out with the Tag Punch. It was tied around the ribbon with Linen Thread and then adhered using a Stampin' Dimensional.

Last but not least:

I finished the inside.

You can play along too! Here's the sketch:

What do you think?

STAMPS: Tea Shoppe, Tiny Tags
INK: Raspberry Ripple, Crumb Cake
PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake and Raspberry Ripple Cardstock, Raspberry Ripple DSP
ACCESSORIES:  Big Shot, Framelits, Sizzlits, Basic Pearls, Punch, Ribbon, Linen Thread, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

A bit of Birthday for the Divas!

Here's another one of those strange colour combos. It took me a bit to figure out, but I REALLY like the end result!

Our colours this week are:

• Rich Razzleberry
• Summer Starfruit
• Primrose Petals
• Marina Mist
• Very Vanilla

I started off with a base of Rich Razzleberry and stamped the Very Vanilla layer with Summer Starfruit and Primrose Petals.

The sentiment was stamped on a strip of Very Vanilla using Marina Mist. I also sponged around the edges to add a bit more contrast between the Very Vanilla pieces.

You can check out what the other Divas created here. The colour challenge is a weekly one, appearing every Tuesday!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Mixed Bunch, Apothecary Art (sentiment)
INK: Summer Starfruit, Primrose Petals, Marina Mist
PAPERS: Very Vanilla and Rich Razzleberry
ACCESSORIES: Punch (to flag the sentiment), Glue Dots

Happy Stampin'!

STAMPS FOR SALE!!!

So you're probably thinking, "DUH! Of course she sells stamps!" And you'd be right...because OF COURSE I sell stamps! It's what I do, along with the creating, and teaching, and sending cards...

But this is something DIFFERENT. For the first time EVER, Stampin' UP! is breaking up sets to sell stamps INDIVIDUALLY!

This offer is VERY limited (only till January 2nd, 2012) and is ONLY available on purchases of three SPECIFIC sets.

Check it out:

Each of the photos above are clickable links that will take you directly to the each of the stamp sets where you'll be able to pick and choose which ones you might like.

Which stamp will YOU choose?

Happy Shopping!

Merry Christmas from Stampin' Claus!

Are YOU ready for Christmas?? It may seem like it's far away, but it will be here before you know it!

Stampin' UP! has a special promotion for you in the month of October (this offer is NOT retroactive).

Check it out!

If you'd like to see a sample of a card I created using the Festive Piercing Template, you can see one here.

What will YOU create??

Reasons to Stamp in October for World Card Making Day!

You know...assuming you NEED a reason - LOL! :)

It's World Card Making day today - that's a GREAT reason to stamp!

As I was trying to decide what post today, I was thinking that I was LOVING the Divas challenges so much, that I might try my hand at the Sketch team (you know, because the colour challenges and inspirations challenge are just NOT keeping me busy enough - uh huh - *coughcoughsarcasmcoughcough*)

So, in honour of World Card Making Day (and the reasons to stamp), I decided to do a Christmas card today...because once you hit October 25th on this list, that's only 2 months till Christmas!

Today's card features "Joyous Celebrations", a cute little set available in the Holiday Catalogue. If you're coming to Stampin' Extravaganza as one of my customers, this is the set you'll be receiving. If you're not coming...why not?? There's still TWO more days to register, so hurry!

Here's my card:

What do you think?

Supplies: Joyous Celebrations: Very Vanilla and Cherry Cobbler Cardstock; Gumball Green DSP; Cherry Cobbler and Gumball Green Ink; Punches; Seam Binding; Stampin' Dimensionals

MONTH-LONG OBSERVANCES

Adopt-a-Shelter-Animal Month

American Cheese Month

American Pharmacist Month

Anti-Depressant Death Awareness Month

Apple Jack Month

Bat Appreciation Month

Brain Injury Awareness Month

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Caffeine Addiction Recovery Month

Celebrate the Bilingual Child Month

Children's Magazine Month

Christmas Seal Campaign

Church Library Month

Church Safety & Security Month

Class Reunion Month

Clergy Appreciation Month

Computer Learning Month

Cookie Month

Co-op Awareness Month

Country Music Month

Crime Awareness Month

Cut Out Dissection Month

Dinosaur Month

Dyslexia Awareness Month

Eat Better, Eat Together Month

Eat Country Ham Month

Eye Injury Prevention Month

Emotional Intelligence Month

Fair Trade Month

Family History Month

Financial Planning Month

German-American Heritage Month

Global Diversity Awareness Month

Go Hog Wild – Eat Country Ham Month

Halloween Safety Month

Head Start Awareness Month

Health Literacy Month

International Drum Month

International Starman Month

International Strategic Planning Month

Long-Term Care Planning Month

Lupus Awareness Month

Magazine Month

Month of the Free Thought

National AIDS Awareness Month

National Animal and Safety Protection Month

National Apple Month

National Audiology Awareness Month

National Bake and Decorate Month

National Book Month

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

National Bullying Prevention Month

National Caramel Month

National Car Care Month

National Celiac Disease Awareness Month

National Chili Month

National Chiropractic Month

National Clock Month

National Cookbook Month

National Cosmetology Month

National Crime Prevention Month

National Cyber Security Awareness Month

National Dental Hygiene Month

National Depression Education Awareness Month

National Dessert Month

National Diabetes Month

National Disability Employee Awareness Month

National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

National Down Syndrome Awareness Month

National Ergonomics Month

National Family Health Month

National Gain the Inside Advantage Month

National Go on a Field Trip Day

National Hispanic Heritage Month

National Kitchen and Bath Month

National Liver Awareness Month

National Medical Librarian Month

National Orthodontic Health Month

National Physical Therapy Month

National Pickled Pepper Month

National Pizza Month

National Popcorn Popping Month

National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month

National Pretzel Month

National Protect Your Hearing Month

National Reading Group Month

National Roller Skating Month

National Sarcastics Month

National Seafood Month

National Spina Bifida Awareness Month

National Stamp Collecting Month

National Sudden Infant Death Awareness Month

National Vegetarian Month

National Window Covering Safety Month

National Work & Family Month

Organize Your Medical Information Month

Pasta Month

Pear and Pineapple Month

Photographer Appreciation Month

Polish American History Month

Positive Attitude Month

Raptor Month

Rett Syndrome Awareness Month

Rhizomes and Persimmons Month

Rhubarb Month

Right Brainers Rule Month

Sausage Month

Self-Promotion Month

Spinach Lovers Month

Squirrel Awareness Month

Sun Dried Tomatoes Month

Tackling Hunger Month

Talk About Prescriptions Month

UNICEF MONTH

Vegetarian Awareness Month

Wishbones for Pets Month

Workplace Politics Awareness Month

World Blindness Awareness Month

World Menopause Month

World Origami Days

Women's Small Business Month

WEEK-LONG OBSERVANCES

1st Week

Customer Service Week

Drive Safely Work Week

Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend

Financial Planning Week

Get Organized Week

Great Books Week

Mental Illness Awareness Week

Minority Enterprise Week

National Character Counts Week

National Newspapers Week

National Physician's Assistant Week

No Salt Week

Spinning and Weaving Week

UN World Space Week

Universal Children’s Week

World Dairy Expo

2nd Week

Build Your Business with Business Cards Week

Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Week

Drive Safely to Work Week

Emergency Nurses Week

Great Books Week

Hearing id Awareness Week

Home-Based Business Week

Improve Your Home Office Week

Kid's Goal-Setting Week

Mental Illness Awareness Week

Mystery Series Week

National Carry a Tune Week

National Chestnut Week

National Fire Prevention Week

National Metric Week

National Save for Retirement Week

National Work From Home Week

Nuclear Medicine Week

Nurse Midwifery Week

Pet Peeve Week

Teller Week

3rd Week

Ally Week

American Association of Medical Assistants Week

Bone and Joint Decade National Action Week

Earth Science Week

Fall Astronomy Week

Food & Drug Interaction Education Week

Freedom from Bullies Week

Freedom of Speech Week

Getting the World to Beat the Path to our Door Week

Infection Protection Week

International Credit Union Week

Lead Poisoning Awareness Week

Medical Assistants Recognition Week

National Food Bank Week

National Forest Products Week

National Pharmacy Week

National School Bus Safety Week

National School Lunch Week

National Veterinary Technician Week

Pastoral Care Week

Teen Read Week

Wolf Awareness Week

World Rainforest Week

4th Week

Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week

Disarmament Week

Hearing Aid Awareness Week

Kids Care Week

National Businesswomen's Week

National Character Counts Week

National Chemistry Week

National Drug-Free Work Week

National Health Education Week

National Infertility Awareness Week

National Massage Therapy Week

National Respiratory Care Week

National Save for Retirement Week

Pastoral Care Week

Peace, Friendship, and Good Will Week

Prescription Errors Education & Awareness Week

Red Ribbon Week

World Hearing Aid Awareness Week

YWCA Week Without Violence

5th Week

Give Wildlife a Brake! Week

International Magic Week

October 1st

Annie Leibovitz’ Birthday (1949)

Balloons Around the World Day

CD Player Day

Child Health Day

Fire Pup Day

First Ford Model T on Sale (1908)

Homemade Cookies Day

International Day of Older Persons

Julie Andrews' Birthday (1935)

National Lace Day

UN National Day of Older Persons

Vladamir Horowitz's Birthday (1904)

World Day of Bullying Prevention

World Smile Day

World Vegetarian Day

October 2nd

California Redwood National Park Established (1968)

Change a Light Day

Donna Karan's Birthday (1948)

Guardian Angels Day

International Day of Nonviolence

International Frugal Fun Day

Lorraine Bracco's Birthday (1955)

Mahatma Ghandi's Birthday (1869)

Name Your Car Day

National Custodial Workers Day

National Denim Day

National Fallen Firefighters Weekend

Peanuts Comic Strip First Published In 1950

Sting's Birthday (1951)

Techies Day

World Farm Animals Day

October 3rd

Balloons Around the World Day

Blessing of the Animals Day

Blessing of the Fishing Fleet Day

Captain Kangaroo Day (First aired in 1955)

Change a Light Day

Child Health Day

Gore Vidal's Birthday (1925)

Gwen Stefani’s Birthday (1969)

Intergeneration Day

James Herriott's Birthday (1916)

Lindsey Buckingham’s Birthday (1944)

Name Your Car Day

National Fallen Firefighters Weekend

Virus Appreciation Day

World Habitat Day

October 4th

Anne Rice's Birthday (1941)

Cinnamon Roll Day

Country Inn, Bed & Breakfast Day

Damon Runyon’s Birthday (1884)

Donald Sobol’s Birthday (1924)

Frederic Remington’s Birthday (1861)

Gregorian Calendar Took Effect (1582)

Hunter’s Moon

Improve Your Office Day

National Golf Day

National Frappe Day

St. Francis Assisi Feast Day

Ten-Four Day

World Animal Day

October 5th

Do Something Nice Day

Kate Winslet’s Birthday (1975)

Ray Kroc’s Birthday (1902)

Walk to School in the USA Day

World Smile Day

World Teachers Day

October 6th

Come & Take It Day

Ecological Debt Day

Lee’s National Denim Day

Mad Hatter Day

National Depression Screening Day

National Diversity Day

National German-American Day

Physician Assistant Day

World Card-Making Day

October 7^th

Change a Light Day

Desmond Tutu's Birthday (1931)

Intergeneration Day

International Frugal Fun Day

Johnny Appleseed Day

National Storytelling Day

World Communion Day

Yom Kippur

You Matter to Me Day

Yo-Yo Ma's Birthday (1955)

October 8th

American Touch Tag Day

Columbus Day

Great Fire of Chicago (1871)

Indigenous People's Day

International Top Spinning Day

National Bring Your Teddy Bear to Work Day

National Pierogi Day

Native American's Day

R.L. Stine's Birthday (1943)

Universal Music Day

October 9th

Curious Events Day

Fire Prevention Day

Jackson Browne's Birthday (1948)

Johanna Hurwitz's Birthday (1937)

John Entwistle's Birthday (1944)

John Lennon's Birthday (1940)

Leif Erikson Day

Moldy Cheese Day

National Chess Day

National Depression Screening Day

National Face Your Fears Day

National Kick Butt Day

National ProLife Cupcake Day

Steve (Blue’s Clues) Burns’ Birthday (1973)

Tony Shaloub's Birthday (1953)

World Post Day

October 10th

Columbus Day

Double Tenth Day

Emergency Nurses Day

Guiseppe Verdi's Birthday (1813)

Helen Hayes’ Birthday (1900)

International Newspaper Carrier Day

International Top Spinning Day

James Marshall's Birthday (1942)

National Angel Food Cake Day

National Bring Your Teddy Bear to Work and School Day

National Cake Decorating Day

Naval Academy Day

Stop Bullying Day

World Mental Health Day

World Porridge Day

October 11th

Dawn French’s Birthday (1957)

Eleanor Roosevelt’s Birthday (1884)

General Pulaski Memorial Day

It's My Party Day

Joan Cusack's Birthday (1962)

Reptile Awareness Day

World Sight Day

October 12th

Cookbook Launch Day

Farmer's Day

Free Thought Day

Hugh Jackman’s Birthday (1968)

International Moment of Frustration Scream Day

International Top Spinning Day

Luciano Pavarotti’s Birthday (1935)

National Salesperson Day

World Egg Day

October 13th

English Language Day

International Skeptics Day

Ironman Competition

L.L. Bean's Birthday (1872)

Matastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day

Molly Pitcher’s Birthday (1754)

National Chess Day

National Family Bowling Day

Navy Birthday

Paul Simon's Birthday (1941)

Universal Music Day

October 14th

Alternative Fuel Day

Be Bald/Be Free Day

Chuck Yeager Broke Sound Barrier (1947)

Clergy Appreciation Day

e.e. cummings' birthday (1894)

Isaac Mizrahi's Birthday (1961)

Lois Lenski's Birthday (1893)

National Dessert Day

Ralph Lauren's Birthday (1939)

Thomas Keller’s Birthday (1955)

William Penn’s Birthday (1644)

World Sight Day

October 15th

Bridge Day

Emeril Lagasse’s Birthday (1959)

Friedrich Nietzsche’s Birthday (1844)

Get Smart About Credit Day

Get to Know Your Customers Day

I Love Lucy Day

International Day of Rural Women

Mammography Day

Mario Puzo's Birthday (1920)

Mulligan Day

National Cake Decorating Day

National Clean Up Your Virtual Desktop Day

National Grouch Day

National Poetry Day

National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day

Penny Marshall’s Birthday

Richard Carpenter’s Birthday (1946)

White Cane Safety Day

October 16th

Boss’s Day

Department Store Day

Dictionary Day

Eugene O'Neill's Birthday (1888)

Fall Astronomy Day

International Credit Union Day

John Mayer’s Birthday (1977)

National Feral Cat Day

Noah Webster’s Birthday (1758)

Oscar Wilde’s Birthday (1854)

Queen Marie Antoinette Beheaded (1793)

World Food Day
*My Hubby's birthday*
*Leadership Registration Day*

October 17^th

Arthur Miller’s Birthday (1915)

Battle of Saratoga (1777)

Black Poetry Day

Evil Knievel's Birthday (1938)

Hagfish Day

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

Medical Assistants Recognition Day

National Fossil Day

Support Your Local Chamber of Commerce Day

Wear Something Gaudy Day
*My son's birthday*
*Lyssa's CQ Swap Registration Day*

October 18th

Dawn Wells’ Birthday (1938)

Get to Know Your Customers Day

Get Smart About Credit Day

International Credit Union Day

National Chocolate Cupcake Day

No Beard Day

ProLife Day of Silent Solidarity

St. Luke Feast Day

World Menopause Day

October 19th

Divine's Birthday (1945)

Evaluate Your Life Day

John Lithgow’s Birthday (1945)

Mammography Day

Ty Pennington's Birthday (1965)

Yorktown Victory (1781)

October 20th

Bela Lugosi's Birthday (1882)

Brandied Fruit Day

Christopher Wren's Birthday (1632)

Fall Astronomy Day

Information Overload Day

Miss American Rose Day

Sweetest Day

Tom Petty's Birthday (1953)

World Osteoporosis Day

October 21st

Alfred Nobel's Birthday (1833)

Babbling Day

Count Your Buttons Day

Dizzy Gillespie's Birthday (1917)

National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day

National Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day

Reptile Awareness Day

Samuel Taylor Coleridge's Birthday (1772)

World Toy Camera Day

October 22nd

Annette Funicello’s Birthday (1942)

CAPS LOCK DAY

Christopher Lloyd’s Birthday (1938)

Deepak Chopra’s Birthday (1946)

Doris Lessing’s Birthday (1919)

Franz Liszt's Birthday (1811)

Hunter’s Moon

International Stuttering Awareness Day

National Nut Day

Todd Oldham's Birthday (1961)

October 23rd

Alternative Fuel Day

IPod Day

Johnny Carson’s Birthday (1925)

National Mole Day

TV Talk Show Host Day

Weird Al Yankovic’s Birthday (1959)

October 24th

Lung Health Day

National Bologna Day

United Nations Day

World Development Information Day

Zac Posen's Birthday (1980)

October 25th

Anne Tyler's Birthday (1941)

Georges Bizet's Birthday (1838)

Pablo Picasso's Birthday (1881)

Punk for a Day

Saint Crispin’s Day

Sourest Day

World Pasta Day

October 26^th

Erie Canal Opened (1825)

Frankenstein Friday

Howl at the Moon Day

International Bandana Day

Mule Day

Natalie Merchant's Birthday (1963)

National Breadsticks Day

National Mincemeat Day

Shoot Out at the OK Corral (1881)

October 27th

Cranky Co-Workers Day

Dylan Thomas' Birthday (1914)

Emily Post's Birthday (1872)

John Cleese's Birthday (1939)

Make a Difference Day

National Forgiveness Day

Navy Day

New York City Subway Began Operating (1904)

Roy Lichenstein's Birthday (1923)

Theodore Roosevelt's Birthday (1858)

October 28th

Bill Gates' Birthday (1955)

Donner Party Left for California (1846)

Frankenstein Friday

Harvard University Founded (1636)

International Bandana Day

Jonas Salk's Birthday (1914)

Mother-In-Law Day

National Chocolates Day

Plush Animal Lover's Day

Prohibition Started (1919)

Reformation Sunday

St. Jude's Day

October 29th

Hermit Day

Internet Day

Lung Health Day

National Cat Day

Stock Market Crash (1929)

World Psoriasis Day

October 30th

Checklists Day

Create a Great Funeral Day

Devil’s Night

Ezra Pound's Birthday (1885)

Fyodor Dostoevsky's Birthday (1821)

Haunted Refrigerator Night

Henry Winkler’s Birthday (1945)

John Adams’ Birthday (1735)

Mischief Night

National Candy Corn Day

War of the Worlds Broadcast (1938)

October 31st

Beggar’s Night

Books for Treats Day

Carve a Pumpkin Day

Celebration of the Mind Day

Eleanor Roosevelt's Birthday (1884)

Halloween

Increase Your Psychic Powers Day

Jan Vermeer's Birthday (1632)

John Candy's Birthday (1950)

John Keats' Birthday (1795)

Juliette Gordon Lowe's Birthday – Started Girl Scouts in 1912

Michael Landon’s Birthday (1936)

Mount Rushmore Completed (1941)

National Caramel Apple Day

National Knock-Knock Joke Day

National Magic Day

National UNICEF Day

Thanks as always to Jane Hignite for compiling this AWESOME list!