From This to That Friday - Thanks

Monday's ATC made into a card!

I kept the card simple and started with a base of Thick Whisper White Cardstock and added a strip of "A little Foxy" Designer Series Paper which was leftover from Wednesday's card. Then I stamped "thank you" from the Endless Thanks set in Peekaboo Peach in the bottom right hand corner.

The ATC was attached to the card front using Stampin' Dimensionals.

I carried the paper to the inside of the card, attaching it to the right hand side and stamped "for your kindness" using Peekaboo Peach again.

Quick and easy when you have you have your focal image ready to go! Won't you try creating an ATC? Link your blog in the comments below and I'll be sure to check it out and leave you a comment?

What do you think?

STAMPS: Jar of Love, Endless Thanks
INK: Archival Black, Smoky Slate, Peekaboo Peach
PAPERS: Whisper White, Peekaboo Peach and Calypso Coral Cardstock
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Dies, Fine-Tip Glue Pen, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sponges

Happy Stampin'!

Last chance to Sale-A-Brate!

Tomorrow is the very last day for Sale-A-Bration! But PLEASE don't wait until midnight tomorrow night to place your order!

You see, Stampin' UP! and Sale-A-Bration are incredibly popular! Waiting till the last possible moment to place your order means a few things:

• The system WILL be busy
• You WILL get frustrated
• You may NOT get the items from the Sale-A-Bration brochure that you really wanted because the items are available ONLY while supplies last and some items from Sale-A-Bration are ALREADY sold out!

So...if you've waited this long, PLEASE don't wait any longer! I'd hate for you to be disappointed!

Click HERE to place your Sale-A-Bration order and be sure to use hostess code: JYXZZKDF before checking out!

Happy Stampin'!

Best Fishes - AGAIN!

A few years ago, there was an adorable little stamp with two fishies in a fish bowl. When my son first saw it, he fell in love with it! He doesn't stamp much anymore (he's more into MTG these days), but the memories of the fun he had with that stamp will remain with me forever. He still has it (and I borrow it from time to time) and I'll never part with it.

I was thrilled when Stampin' UP! came out with Jar of Love in this year's Annual Catalogue. It wasn't quite the same, but it was pretty close...and really...who can resist a sentiment that says "Best Fishes"? Heehee!

This week's Paper Crafts Crew sketch was PERFECT for Jar of Love and the "Best Fishes" sentiment, so I went with it!

And here's my card:

Totally cute, right?? My inspiration for the colours came from the GDP challenge a couple of weeks ago. I really liked how the Bermuda Bay and Peekaboo Peach played together. This time around I added some Calypso Coral for that extra pop of colour.

My jar was stamped in Early Espresso Ink and my little fishie was stamped in Peekaboo Peach. Both were cut out using the Everyday Jars Framelits that coordinate with the Jar of Love set.

I then cut out a piece of Whisper White Cardstock using the Stitched Shapes Framelits and added a background of Bermuda Bay cut using the Layering Squares Framelits. I just love that these two sets of Framelits go so well together! As evidenced by yesterday's post. :)

The Designer Series Paper is from the A Little Foxy DSP stack (6x6) and almost looks like seaweed! How's that for perfect?

To finish off the card, my sentiment was stamped in Bermuda Bay.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Jar of Love
INK: Early Espresso, Bermuda Bay and Peekaboo Peach
PAPERS: Whisper White and Bermuda Bay Cardstock; A Little Foxy DSP
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Dies, Sponges, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Best Fishes

That fish!! Who wouldn't love to get this card? It's just so cute!

I've sent it off already, to a dear friend who I have no doubt will enjoy it. Have you sent a hand made card lately?

My base is Early Espresso with a layer of Whisper White under the layer of Early Espresso Designer Series Paper.

The little fishie was stamped using Peekaboo Peach Ink and he was attached using a glue dot to the the jar which was stamped in Early Espresso and Bermuda Bay (stamped off) Ink.

I used the Stitched Shapes Framelits to cut out the Whisper White square and mounted it on a Bermuda Bay Square cut with the Layering Squares Framelits.

This card is just 4 ¼" square, but don't let that stop you from popping it into a standard A2 envelope and sending it on it's way!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Jar of Love
INK: Early Espresso, Bermuda Bay, Peekaboo Peach
PAPERS: Whisper White, Bermuda Bay and Early Espresso Cardstock; Early Espresso DSP
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Dies, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sponges

Happy Stampin'!

ATC Monday - Swimming with the Fishes

LOL!! I *know* what swimming with the fishes actually means, but I was in a funny mood (after a late night hysterical facebook thread) when I was typing up this post, so I couldn't resist!!

This week we're playing with Jar of Love - one of my favourite sets in the annual catalogue that I really don't use nearly enough, so here we go!!

It's Monday, so that means it's time for an ATC and I just love the way this one turned out. And...just wait till you see Friday's card - ADORABLE.

My ATC base is Claypso Coral - remember, it's 2 ½" x 3 ½" which is the standard ATC size - and then I added a layer of Peekaboo Peach and Whisper White. Both the Peekaboo Peach and Whisper White were sponged with Peekaboo Peach Ink.

My jar is stamped in Archival Black Ink and I added a little handle to it (the handle and the die to cut it out are both in the bundle) which was stamped in Smoky Slate. The fishie and the bow were both stamped in Peekeaboo Peach before being cut out with their respective framelits.

I attached the jar to the ATC with regular adhesive (SNAIL) and then added the handle which was attached with glue from the Fine-Tip Glue Pen. I added it just to the base of the handle, making it look like you could actually "pick up" 5)3 jar. Cool, eh?

The fishie and the bow were both adhered with tiny pieces of Stampin' Dimensionals.

Just a reminder that Sale-A-Bration is coming to a close in just a few short days! And that if your order the Jar of Love bundle you'll automatically qualify for a FREE Sale-A-Bration item! Click HERE to place your order and be sure to use hostess code: JYXZZKDF before checking out.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Jar of Love
INK: Archival Black, Smoky Slate, Peekaboo Peach
PAPERS: Whisper White, Peekaboo Peach and Calypso Coral Cardstock
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Dies, Fine-Tip Glue Pen, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sponges

Happy Stampin'!

From This to That Friday

If you stopped in on Monday, thanks! And thanks for coming back today to see what became of the ATC I showed you then. :)

Check it out:

My card base is Delightful Dijon and I added a skinny layer of Basic Black underneath the Urban Underground Specialty Designer Series Paper. That was all the card needed, don't you think?

It's another "anything" card (based on what you write inside) or a "just because" card. I think you can never have too many of those!

And here's a look at the inside:

Just enough space for a sweet little note.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Lovely as a Tree
INK: Archival Black and Delightful Dijon
PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Basic Black and Delightful Dijon Cardstock; Urban Underground DSP
ACCESSORIES: Linen Thread, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sponges

Happy Stampin'!

Scrapling!

HUH?? What the heck is a scrapling?

Well, a scrapling is a card created from leftover bits of paper, usually in an "odd" (not traditional) card size. They're great to use as gift enclosures or when you need to write a quick little note. They're usually not very big, so there's no space for you to be verbose.

This particular scrapling is 2 ⅝" x 4" when closed and 2 ⅝" x 5 ¼" when opened. My base is Delightful Dijon and a layer of Basic Black was added underneath the Very Vanilla cardstock. I sponged a little extra Delightful Dijon onto the tree and then sponged all over the background too.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Lovely as a Tree
INK: Archival Black and Delightful Dijon
PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Basic Black and Delightful Dijon Cardstock
ACCESSORIES: Sponges

Happy Stampin'!

Congrats!!

I just loved this week's sketch for the Paper Craft Crew!

It was designed as a square card, but could absolutely be adapted as a regular A2 card.

I stayed with the square layout:

My base is Delightful Dijon and a Basic Black layer was added underneath the Urban Underground Specialty Designer Series Paper on which I went to town with the sponging! The distressed look is really appealing to me these days. :)

I stamped the mighty oak onto Very Vanilla Cardstock and cut it out using the Stitched Shapes Framelits. I then layered a piece of Basic Black Cardstock cut with the Layering Circles Framelits behind it.

I cut out a few more circles to add some interest and then added the sentiment from Happy Happenings.

And here's a peek at the inside:

I love the font for this set of sentiments - so cute!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Lovely as a Tree, Happy Happenings
INK: Archival Black, Delightful Dijon
PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Basic Black and Delightful Dijon Cardstock; Urban Underground DSP
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Dies, Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sponges

Happy Stampin'!

Just announced!

It's the last 10 days of Sale-A-Bration and Stampin' UP! has just announced ANOTHER lot of items that you can earn for FREE during these last few days of Sale-A-Bration!

These are items in the Annual and Occasions Catalogue with SPECIAL codes that you will only be able to use during Sale-A-Bration. Check it out:

When you order online, you'll need to use the special codes above to get these items for FREE as the regular catalogue codes will NOT work. Be sure to click HERE and use code: JYXZZKDF before checking out.


Happy Sale-A-Brating!

ATC Monday

Hmmmmm...I like the sound of that! What do you think? Should ATC Monday be a thing? I do like creating these tiny works of art, so I think I'll keep it up!

Today's ATC marks the beginning of another week of Lovely as a Tree. I hope you're not too tired of this classic set!

I started off with a base of Delightful Dijon and then stamped on a layer of Very Vanilla using Archival Black Ink. The torn DSP/Cardstock on the left is Urban Underground Specialty Designer Series Paper and Basic Black Cardstock. I sponged all the layers then tied the some Linen Thread around the Very Vanilla layer before adhering it to the Delightful Dijon Cardstock using Stampin' Dimensionals.

Would you like to try your hand at ATC? Remember, the size is 2 ½" x 3 ½" and that's really the only restriction. After that, the rest is up to you! Get creative!

Don't forget to check back in on Friday to see the card I created with this little work of art!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Lovely as a Tree
INK: Archival Black and Delightful Dijon
PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Basic Black and Delightful Dijon Cardstock; Urban Underground DSP
ACCESSORIES: Linen Thread, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sponges

Happy Stampin'!

MOJO Monday makes it to Saturday!

When I saw this week's sketch for Mojo Monday, I knew it would be PERFECT for an ATC focal point...but since I'd already DONE my ATC projects for this week, I decided to post on a Saturday!

Check it out:

My base is Bermuda Bay and I added a layer of Soft Sky underneath my Whisper White image panel. The images were stamped using Flirty Flamingo, Sweet Sugarplum and Pear Pizzazz (both stamped off and at full strength to get the different shades). When stamping the flowers, I figured out that it's MUCH easier to stamp the outline first and THEN use the filler image. Give it a try next time you use the Oh So Succulent Stamps!

I tied a cute little Baker's Twine bow around the base of the ATC and...DONE!

When I was done creating the ATC, I added it to the card base along with a piece of Succulent Garden Designer Series Paper.

Now, the Succulent Garden DSP has Mint Macaron in it and NOT Bermuda Bay, but I think the two look pretty good together, don't you? I'm getting kind of nostalgic for Mint Macaron and it hasn't even retired yet! I'm sure going to miss that colour. :(

What do you think?

STAMPS: Oh So Succulent, So in Love
INK: Flirty Flamingo, Sweet Sugarplum, Pear Pizzazz
PAPERS: Whisper White, Soft Sky, Bermuda Bay and Thick Whisper White Cardstock; Succulent Garden DSP
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Dies, Baker's Twine, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sponges

Happy Stampin'!

From This to That

It's Friday!! If you were here on Monday, thanks for coming back! I appreciate it. :)

You'll remember that on Monday I showed you an ATC (Artist Trading Card) that I created. Today, I'll show you how I used it on a card. Ready?

The beauty of creating ATC is you always have these little works of art ready to go - and they're just perfect to add to the front of your cards!

This card started off with a base of Basic Black Cardstock to which I added a layer of Delightful Dijon and a piece of Urban Underground Specialty Designer Series Paper. I sponged the edges of my layers to tie in with the sponging on the ATC.

The sentiment I used is from Happy Happenings - the perfect "in and out" set. I call these sets "in and out" because there's a sentiment for the inside of the card and one for the outside of the card and they go together or coordinate. It makes it easy to finish the card.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Lovely as a Tree, Happy Happenings
INK: Archival Black and Delightful Dijon Ink
PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Delightful Dijon and Basic Black Cardstock; Urban Underground DSP
ACCESSORIES: Linen Thread, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sponges

Happy Stampin'!

Can't see the Forest for the Trees

Welcome back to another day of Lovely as a Tree! I hope you're not tired of this set yet, because I have a WHOLE other week of it planned! :)

Today's card can be an "anything" card - there's no sentiment on the inside or the outside. It would be a perfect note card or a "just because" card.

My card base is Delightful Dijon, which I may have mentioned once or twice is retiring soon - teehee! Don't be disappointed by waiting till the last minute to order it.

I added a layer of Urban Underground Specialty Designer Series Paper and a second layer of Delightful Dijon. The image was stamped onto Very Vanilla Cardstock using Delightful Dijon Ink. I added the Early Espresso to the base of the trees and the ground by just colouring over the Delightful Dijon with my Early Espresso marker. I sponged the bottom of the image panel with Early Espresso Ink. All the layers were sponged using Delightful Dijon Ink.

And here's the inside:

What do you think?

STAMPS: Lovely as a Tree
INK: Delightful Dijon, Early Espresso
PAPERS: Very Vanilla and Delightful Dijon Cardstock; Urban Underground DSP
ACCESSORIES: Linen Thread, Stampin' Dimensionals, Marker, Sponges

Happy Stampin'!

Delightful Dijon Tree

When I saw this week's sketch, I knew exactly which stamp I wanted to use. I briefly toyed with the idea of using Jar of Love, but decided to stick with a classic, and my original idea, of using Lovely as a Tree. Did you know that Lovely as a Tree is the oldest set in the catalogue? It's been around for over 15 years and is STILL one of the best sellers year over year in the Stampin' UP! catalogue. Stampin' UP! Co-Founder Shelli Gardner has gone on record stating that it will never retire!

I can see why! It's a classic! There are no sentiments in the set, but it can be paired with almost anything and it's so versatile! Need a Christmas card? Lovely as a Tree. Need a Thank You card? Lovely as a Tree. Need a Thinking of You card? Lovely as a Tree. Need a Sympathy Card? Lovely as a Tree. Need a......well, you get the point!

Today I used the single tree (I'm calling it a mighty oak!) for a birthday card. :) I have my "man class" coming up in May and it never hurts to get ahead on class planning!

I started off with a base of Basic Black Cardstock and added a layer of Urban Underground Specialty Designer Series Paper. Off to the left of the card there's a second smaller layer using a different DSP from the same pack. It's a little hard to tell with the black on black but I used the same DSP for the small strip as I used for the inside of the card.

I tied some linen thread (that's acceptable for a man card, right?) around the layers and stamped the tree in Delightful Dijon onto Very Vanilla. It was cut out using the Stitched Framelits and sponged. I added a banner of Delightful Dijon and one of Very Vanilla where I stamped the sentiment from the Sale-A-Bration set, Designer Tee in Archival Black Ink.

A word about Sale-A-Bration: there's only 16 days left! All Sale-A-Bration items are only available WHILE QUANTITIES LAST! So, if there's something you really want, it's best to order it ASAP. Go HERE and be sure to use hostess code: JYXZZKDF before checking out. I'd hate for you to miss out on any of the awesome Sale-A-Bration items...because once they're gone, they're GONE.

Back to the card:

I added a piece of the Urban Underground DSP and a layer of Very Vanilla with sponged edges. I also stamped the small leaf image from Lovely as a Tree.

Be sure to check out what the rest of the crew have been up to HERE.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Lovely as a Tree, Designer Tee
INK: Delightful Dijon (retiring soon) and Archival Black Ink
PAPERS: Very Vanilla and Basic Black Cardstock; Urban Underground Specialty DSP
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Dies, Linen Thread, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sponges

Happy Stampin'!

Happy Birthday Leaves

Welcome to what I've just decided is Lovely as a Tree Week! It actually started yesterday, but then I decided to just keep going! ;)

I started off the week designing a card you'll see on Wednesday, but since I had the set out, I just decided to keep playing with it.

A couple of weeks ago, I was travelling with my husband and wasn't able to participate in the Paper Crafts Crew Challenge as I normally would, so I decided that today I would make up for it!

I started off with a base of Delightful Dijon Cardstock and added a crumpled and torn layer of Urban Underground Specialty Designer Series Paper. I also sponged it with some Delightful Dijon Ink. Next, I tore a piece of DSP from the same pack and adhered it to the left side of the card. My very favourite accessory, linen thread, was added last.

Then I stamped the larger leaves from Lovely as a Tree onto Very Vanilla Cardstock using Archival Black Ink and cut them out using the Stitched Shapes Framelits and my Big Shot.

The sentiment is from Designer Tee (a Sale-A-Bration item which you'll see again tomorrow) and it was stamped in Archival Black Ink as well.

Sponging was added all over the place! :)

I didn't crumple the paper on the inside:

What do you think?

STAMPS: Lovely as a Tree, Designer Tee
INK: Delightful Dijon, Archival Black
PAPERS: Very Vanilla and Delightful Dijon Cardstock; Urban Underground Specialty DSP
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Dies, Linen Thread, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sponges

Happy Stampin'!

And now for something completely different

OK...not really because I've done ATC (Artist Trading Cards) before, but it's been a L-O-N-G time! I was perusing various online challenges (it's AMAZING how many there are!) and while I'm not participating in any of them with this ATC, it was a challenge that inspired me to create one. :)

ATC must be 2 ½" x 3 ½" - no smaller, no larger, so that's the size of my Basic Black base. The other layers (Delightful Dijon and Very Vanilla) are just ⅛" smaller.

I stamped my image from Lovely as a Tree in Archival Black Ink and sponged the edges with Delightful Dijon Ink.

I tore a couple of pieces of Urban Underground Specialty Designer Series Paper and sponged the torn edges of those too. They were then stacked onto the Very Vanilla panel. The finishing touch was a length of Linen Thread tied into a bow.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Lovely as a Tree
INK: Archival Black, Delightful Dijon
PAPERS: Basic Black, Delightful Dijon and Very Vanilla Cardstock; Urban Underground DSP
ACCESSORIES: Linen Thread, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sponges

Happy Stampin'!

P.S. Make sure you come back on Friday and check out what I did with the ATC!

Jar of Love

How about a sneak peek of a little series I've got coming up on the blog in a couple of weeks?

Today's card was designed for the Global Design Project Challenge. This week it was colours! Peekaboo Peach, Bermuda Bay and Early Espresso to be exact. :)

Check it out:

I am in LOVE with the (sort of new) Stitched Shapes Framelits! You get all of the detail and the Big Shot does all of the work for you! In this case, I used the largest square and cut out a piece of Bermuda Bay Cardstock and sponged the edges. The set comes with 12 dies in circles, squares and ovals (four of each).

The Jar of Love set is photopolymer, so you can see exactly where you're stamping, which makes lining up the water in the bottom of the jar a breeze! It's a plus when it comes to lining up the shading stamps on the flowers too!

The flowers were stamped in Peekaboo Peach that I stamped off first for the first (bottom layer) and then stamped in full strength to add the highlights/details.

I love that this set comes with coordinating framelits. I do love a good session of fussy-cutting, don't get me wrong, but sometimes you just need to cut it out FAST.

If you buy the Jar of Love Bundle before the end of March, you'll automatically qualify for a FREE Sale-A-Bration item!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Jar of Love
INK: Bermuda Bay, Early Espresso, Pear Pizzazz, Peekaboo Peach
PAPERS: Whisper White, Peekaboo Peach and Bermuda Bay Cardstock
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Dies, Peekaboo Peach Marker, Sponges, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Grateful

Today's card continues our theme of the Succulent Garden, but today we're only using the Designer Series Paper. Check it out:

I just love how simple it is! You can take five minutes out of your day and create this card. Yes! Really! Five minutes was all it took...and that includes dragging out the Big Shot and cutting the two circles.

My base is Sweet Sugarplum with a layer of the Succulent Garden DSP on top (sponged with Sweet Sugarplum Ink). The strip of cardstock is Tip Top Taupe (retiring soon!) and the large circle is another piece of Sweet Sugarplum. My sentiment, which is from the Bunch of Blossoms Set, was stamped onto Whisper White Cardstock using Tip Top Taupe Ink and cut out using the Stitched Framelits Dies.

I added a button (retired, sorry) with some linen thread for the finishing touch.

You'll notice that the large circle has been cut. Here's what I did with the other piece:

What do you think?

STAMPS: Bunch of Blossoms
INK: Tip Top Taupe, Sweet Sugarplum
PAPERS: Whisper White, Sweet Sugarplum and Tip Top Taupe Cardstock; Succulent Garden DSP
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Dies, Sponges, Stampin' Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Sponges

Happy Stampin'!

Succulent Birthday

I had so much fun on Monday using the Oh So Succulent Set that I just couldn't put it away! (Hint: There's more coming!)

Today's card is another quick and easy one (especially when/if you have the little flowers from Oh So Succulent pre-cut!):

I started off with a base of Mint Macaron and added stamped images from the Oh So Succulent set using both Mint Macaron and Versamark Ink. I tried it with the base plain, but it looked too...well...plain! The succulent images were just what this card needed!

At the top of the card is more of the Succulent Garden Designer Series Paper one a piece of Tip Top Taupe Cardstock. The banners were created using Tip Top Taupe and Mint Macaron. The sentiment was created by stamping Tip Top Taupe Ink on Whisper White Cardstock. Lots of sponging ties everything together.

I carried the DSP to the inside of the card too:

Just a heads up!! Mint Macaron is one of the five OUTGOING In Colours. The retirement list will be announced at ANY POINT after April 1st. At that time, the In Colours will be the FIRST TO GO and will ONLY be available WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. If you love Mint Macaron as much as I do, STOCK. UP. NOW!! I would hate for you to be disappointed!

Don't forget to check out what the rest of the crew have been up to HERE.

STAMPS: Oh So Succulent
INK: Tip Top Taupe, Mint Macaron, Cucumber Crush
PAPERS: Whisper White and Tip Top Taupe Cardstock; Succulent Garden DSP
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Dies, Sponges, Stampin' Dimensionals

Under the wire!

I seem to get closer and closer to the deadline when it come to Freshly Made Sketches - EEK!!

And it's not like this week's sketch was that complicated or anything. In my defence, I was out of town last week and then worked on Friday and had a super busy weekend...so here we are on Monday afternoon with 90 minutes to spare! This card also qualifies for the Paper Players Challenge (cut it out).

I loved the simplicity of the sketch this week and it was just perfect for two Mother's Day cards that I'll need to send out in May (one for my mom and for my MIL). So...while I'm down to the wire for the actual sketch challenge, I'm WAY ahead of the game for the actual event. Go me! *pats self on back*

Check it out:

I think I may have found my new favourite paper! The Succulent Garden Designer Series Paper is so versatile! I could have turned this card into something masculine if I wanted to - that's how versatile it is.

I started with a base of Tip Top Taupe (retiring soon!) and added a layer of Whisper White before added the DSP. The sentiment is from the Oh So Succulent set as is the flower which you may remember from THIS CARD.

I did a bunch of sponging before assembling the card and that was it!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Oh So Succulent
INK: Tip Top Taupe, Mint Macaron, Cucumber Crush
PAPERS: Whisper White and Tip Top Taupe Cardstock; Succulent Garden DSP
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Dies, Sponges, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!