Oh Happy DAY!!!!

Not only have a I managed to FINALLY find my MOJO (thank you Teneale!), I also FINALLY have a camera again! Now...it's not new by ANY stretch of the imagination, but it's new to me and I already love it!

I was up BEFORE dawn today to head over to the Henry's Outlet where they had 25% off EVERYTHING in the store! I picked myself up a Canon 40D, an 18-55mm IS lens, a spare battery, a filter and a CF card. I can't tell you how EXCITED I am!!!

I've only taken a few pictures, but I'm very much looking forward to playing with all the features!

One of the pictures I took was a close up of my CASE of Teneale's card:

I can FINALLY (have I said that enough? LOL!) get a decent close up of my card elements - that alone was worth getting up at 6 a.m. on a Sunday!

The full card will be available in my April Tutorial which will be available for purchase toward the end of April. The tutorial will also include the other cards (six in total) from my "Just the Girls - WOW!" April class.

SO happy to be back!

Happy Stampin'!

A Mary Brown CASE

Have you experienced Mary Brown yet? If not, she's AWESOME! Her designs are clean, uncluttered and just perfect all around! I stalk check out her blog on a regular basis.

I was searching for that last perfect card to include in my Fun and Cheerful Cards Class next Saturday (for which there are still a few spots left!) and I happened upon Mary's card in the SUDSOL gallery. It was love at first sight!!

I changed up the paper because the paper Mary used is no longer available and I didn't add as many brads as she did, but I think it turned out just perfect!

Here it is:

I started out with a Whisper White base and added a Whisper White layer that I ran through the Big Shot with an embossing folder.

The Designer Series Paper is from Pocketful of Posies. I stamped the leaf image from Fabulous Florets in Pear Pizzazz and stamped one of the flower images three times in Poppy Parade. Then I cut it out in layers.

Now, if you're coming to class next week (or thinking about it), DON'T PANIC!!! You will NOT be required to cut out three different layers of flowers (unless you want to). You won't even have to cut out ONE flower, because I've already done that for you. Yes...I really am that awesome. *grin*

What do you think?

STAMPS: Fabulous Florets
INK: Poppy Parade, Pear Pizzazz
PAPERS: Whisper White and Pear Pizzazz Cardstock; Pocketful of Posies DSP
ACCESSORIES: Seam Binding, Brad, BIG SHOT!, Embossing Folder, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Flashback Friday!

Welcome back to another round of Flashback Friday! My apologies for the late posting, but with the kids out of school they are occupying a lot of my time...and giving me more laundry!!

Let's get started with Sketch # 20:

I chose Baja Breeze and Whisper White for this one. I have a few male customers, so this is going to one of them. Are you one of my customers who's placed an order in the last year? Do you want to be? One of the perks of being my customer is that I send out cards ALL. THE. TIME. So, if you're one of MY customers, look for a card in your mailbox!

The set I used is Uncharted Territory and I'm happy to report that it is still in the 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalogue. Since The Open Sea didn't make it into the new Catalogue (there's always next year!), this will be my new go-to set for boats.

Sketch # 21:

As some of you know, I'm hosting my very first Stamp-a-Rama event in August! We'll be using the Playful Polka Dots Simply Scrappin' Kit. I designed and completed all the projects and still had LOTS of Paper left over from the kit, so I'm STILL using it!

I also used one of my FAVOURITE sentiments from the Smarty Pants Stamp Set.

Sketch # 22:

I created this one as a love not card (3x3) and I'll be giving it to some of my girlfriends over the weekend - shhhhh!

I used a greeting from the Happy Greetings Set which is in the Summer Mini (only available till August 30th) and MORE of the Designer Series Paper and cardstock from the Playful Polka Dots kit.

Sketch # 23:

I've been doing some custom work for a new client. Her save the date cards are quite unique and require a special folder. I designed one like a gift certificate holder with which she was quite pleased. This card is the same basic design and can be used to hold a gift certificate.  It's 3 7/8" x 8 1/2".

I used even MORE paper from the Playful Polka Dots Kit and a stamp from the Short and Sweet Set. The card is further embellished with the Scallop Trim Border Punch and some Daffodil Delight 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon.

Sketch # 24:

I just started taking John Sanpietro's Stamping Business Basics course and one of the first things we were to do was determine our OBJECTIVE for doing what we do. It couldn't be about the MONEY specifically, but we had to choose something to work toward to keep us motivated to keep working the business.

My daughter suggested world travel - pretty awesome since I've never left the North American continent. So, my FIRST objective is a trip to Paris. I've always wanted to have breakfast on the Champs Elysées, so this is my motivation!

I used images from the Artistic Etchings Set and a sentiment from On the Grow since it seemed PERFECT for this card.

Sketch # 25:

This one uses Fabulous Florets and paper from the Pocketful of Posies Pack. The colours I used remind of a paper called (I think) Tea Garden.  Everything old is NEW again!

I stamped the flowers for my background using Pear Pizzazz and Calypso Coral. Then I stamped my focal flowers using Pear Pizzazz, So Saffron and Calypso Coral.  LOVE this combination! The Calypso Coral flower was stamped three times and cut out to add dimension.

The sentiment I used is from the set You're a Gem, which was first in the Occasions Mini earlier this year and is now in the Idea Book and Catalogue.

Well, that's it for today! I have a BUSY weekend with my girlfriends and my downline planned, so I likely won't be back till it's time for MDS Monday.

Next Wednesday, I am heading to Boston to hang out with Brenda and Mary Anne as we have our own CONBRENTION!!! We couldn't go to Stampin' UP! convention this year, so the three of us are going to have our very own version.  Can't wait!!  Brenda says she even has pillow gifts for us - WOOT!

While there I will DEFINITELY be posting about all the fun and crazy things we're doing as well as posting about any news we hear from Convention.

Have a GREAT weekend and Happy Stampin'!

STAMPS: Short and Sweet, Uncharted Territory, Happy Greetings, Smarty Pants, Artistic Etchings, On the Grow, Fabulous Florets,  You're a Gem
INK: Baja Breeze, Old Olive, Melon Mambo, So Saffron, Soft Suede, Pear Pizzazz, Calypso Coral, Versamark
PAPERS: Baja Breeze, Old Olive, Melon Mambo, So Saffron, Soft Suede, Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White
ACCESSORIES: Punches, Stampin Dimensionals, Big Shot, Dies, Ribbon

It's a HYBRID card!

I've never tried one of these before, but since I was channelling my inner Patty Bennett and she does hybrid SO well, I thought I'd give it a try!

I started off in MDS and chose a 4 1/4 X 5 1/2" landscape card to get started. I added a background layer and then added a punch filled with Whisper White cardstock and switched the opacity to 50% so you could see the background paper. While I'm thinking about it, it seems that this has become MY signature MDS touch - LOL! I seem to do it quite a bit. Who knew I could have a "signature"? COOL!

So, here's what the MDS part of the card looks like:

I "stamped" the images using Old Olive, Melon Mambo and Tempting Turquoise, rearranging and resizing until I was happy with the layout.

And here's the finished card:

I trimmed the MDS image down to 3 1/2 x 4 1/2" and matted it on a piece of Melon Mambo before adhering it to the Lucky Limeade (NEW colour available July 1st) base.

The sentiment was stamped with real ink - heehee!

My apologies for the less than stellar photograph. My regular photography spot was being hogged by a kid on a computer!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Fabulous Florets (digital and rubber)
INK: Old Olive
PAPERS: Whisper White (used to print the MDS image), Melon Mambo, Lucky Limeade
ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, MDS

Happy Stampin'!

Friday Flashback!

It's time for another Friday Flashback!  I've been a busy little bee!  Wanna see?

Let's start off with Sketch # 5, which I finally found:

There is no stamping on this card.  The sketch didn't really need it.  You could put a sentiment on the inside.

This card features the soon to be gone Elegant Soiree Designer Series Paper. It was one of my favourites from this year, so I'm sad to see it go. Of course, the soon to be released Beau Chateau and Mocha Mornings just might make up for it.  Can't wait to see these IRL as they look STUNNING in the Idea Book pictures.

Sketch # 6

My base card for this one is So Saffron with So Saffron Designer Series Paper cut into four equal rectangles. I wonder if it's still called Colour Blocking if the colour is the same?  LOL!

I stamped the leaf image from Fabulous Florets in Certainly Celery and then stamped the flower image in Pool Party (YES! That's a NEW In Colour for 2011-2013) three times and then cut it out to add dimension to the card. The main image is also matted on Pool Party.

Sketch # 7

For this card, I used ANOTHER NEW In Colour called Wisteria Wonder. It goes beautifully with Concord Crush. This makes me VERY happy because I wasn't a fan of Concord Crush. With this colour though, I LOVE IT!

I used the new LACE RIBBON punch to create the border.

I hope you like those two little girls, because you'll be seeing A LOT of them! Not only in this post, but as the catalogue year continues.  To date, they are part of my FAVOURITE set - "Little Friends".

Sketch # 8

See? Told you I liked them!  SUPER CUTE!  On this card, they're coloured using Marina Mist and Not Quite Navy.  The card base is Pool Party and I also used Island Indigo. The Designer Series Paper is from the new "Just Add Cake" pack and it's SO much fun!  The colours just scream "SUMMER!" to me!

The little sentiment is also from the "Little Friends" set and is stamped in Island Indigo on Whisper White. It's matted on Island Indigo and adhered to the front of the card using Stampin' Dimensionals.

Sketch # 9

This card uses Flower Fest, which is featured in the Summer Mini but is also carrying over to the new 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalogue. This is a GREAT set for doing the "One Sheet Wonder" technique. In this case, I didn't do an entire one sheet wonder, I only stamped on this specific piece.  I used Perfect Plum, Certainly Celery and Bashful Blue. My Designer Series Paper is Perfect Plum as is the card base, despite the fact that it photographed quite dark. The finishing touch is 6 Perfect Plum brads.

Sketch # 10

Here's another look at my little girls. When my Caroline sent me home with the set, I immediately stamped FIVE copies on watercolour paper and coloured them all in different colours...just to see which I like best. So far, I like the blue and the pink (you haven't seen this one yet) best.

On this one, my little girls are matted on Bashful Blue and then on Calypso Coral before being added to a piece of Whisper White onto which I stamped the sentiment in Pear Pizzazz.  The sentiment is from the "Best Dad Ever" set which is in the Summer Mini, but also carries into the 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalogue.

Here too I used the new LACE RIBBON punch to create the border.

Sketch # 11

This card is pretty simple.  It uses Island Indigo as a base. The Designer Series Paper at the bottom is again from the "Just Add Cake" pack. I really like this paper pack!

I also used a piece of punched Baja Breeze Cardstock and some Baja Breeze seam binding, which you will be pleased to know is ALSO in the 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalogue.

The sentiment from "Smarty Pants" is stamped in Island Indigo on Whisper White, matted on Island Indigo Cardstock and adhered to the front of the card using Stampin' Dimensionals. If I had to pick an older set to be a fave, this would be one of them!

This card is 3 X 6. If you're a scrapbooker, you could use the SAME design on a piece of 6 X 6 cardstock, add a pic of your kids being goofy and you'd have a quick little layout ready for a brag book.

Sketch # 12

And, last but not least...this card features the Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper that was available for a short time in April, but will once again be available come July 1st! I'm SO glad I ordered three packs of this when I could.  The "orangey" print goes really well with the new "Calypso Coral" 2011-2013 In Colour. For this card I used a piece of the chipboard from the "On Board Merry Medley" chipboard pack. I covered the scalloped square with (yet again) a piece of DSP from "Just Add Cake". I sponged around the edges and up onto the DSP using Tangerine Tango Ink.

My cupcake is stamped in Chocolate Chip and the "frosting" is stamped in Calypso Coral and then covered in "Dazzling Diamonds" Glitter. "Create a Cupcake" which was available in the Occasions Mini will also be available (with the coordinating punch) in the new catalogue.

I do hope you've enjoyed this edition of "Flashback Friday" and hope to "see" you again next week.

Happy Stampin'!

Terrific Tuesday SUDSOL BLOG TOUR!

Welcome to the MAY edition of the SUDSOL BLOG TOUR! If you've been on the tour before, you know how awesome the demonstrators work is.  If not, you're in for a treat!

If you've arrived from the SUDSOL site, rest assured, you are in the right spot! If you're a demonstrator and took the time to look at some the information on the site, you know what a GREAT deal joining SUDSOL is. If you're not sure about it, you can try it out for two weeks for FREE!  Just click on the link in my left hand sidebar. I can promise you that you won't be disappointed! I joined SUDSOL the week after I became a demonstrator and find the resources invaluable.

OK...so...what you're REALLY here to see are some projects!  Here's my first set of two cards:

For this Blog Tour, I've decided to feature a new set from the Summer Mini called Pretty Postage. It's a set of four darling little stamps that can be used for several occasions. When you purchase the set, be sure to also purchase the matching punch. It layers beautifully with the 1 3/8" square punch. The set is just PERFECT for little 3 x 3 cards that can be attached to gifts. This set could also be given as a hostess gift.

Two more cards:

As you can see, I also used the large floral image from Fabulous Florets, another set in the Summer Mini. I've shown you projects using this set before, here and here. The Fabulous Florets set is on of my favourites out of the mini since it lends itself to both simple and elegant designs. It can be watercoloured or just stamped in a single colour.

My last project uses the same set again, but this time the birthday image was stamped three times and lined up on the right hand side of the card:

I cut a piece of Whisper White to 4 X 5 1/4" and ran just half of it through the Big Shot using the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder. On the other half, I repeated the Fabulous Floret image. I tied a double loop bow, attached it to the card front and then adhered it to the card base. I added the three "Happy Birthday Image" down the right hand side.

If you'd like to see some of my EXCLUSIVE work, I was a previous featured stamper as well as Design Team member. You can see my gallery HERE.

I hope you've enjoyed my stop on the blog tour. Your next stop on the tour is Jackie Topa.  I haven't seen her projects, but I can assure you that you are in for a treat!

STAMPS: Pretty Postage, Fabulous Florets
INKS: Wild Wasabi, Real Red, Rich Razzleberry, Pacific Point
PAPERS: Whisper White, Wild Wasabi, Real Red, Rich Razzleberry, Pacific Point
ACCESSORIES: Postage Stamp Punch, Ribbon, Square Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Things I learned on National Scrapbook Day

Thing 1:

• 12 X 12 Pages are HUGE! I'd forgotten just how big!  When I first started scrapbooking, I couldn't even begin to imagine how one would scrapbook on anything SMALLER than 12 X 12.  I mean...I had SO many pictures! How would I EVER get them ALL scrapbooked if I used anything smaller than 12 X 12?
• These days, when I scrapbook (which isn't very often), I think 8 X 8 is LARGER THAN LIFE!

Thing 2:

• Taking pictures of a 12 X 12 layout is hard!!! Getting it all into focus with NO shadows is next to impossible.

Thing 3:

• 12 X 12 scrapbooking leaves LOTS of room for journalling.  This is foreign to me now.  When I taught scrapbooking classes (before SU!), I would almost literally pound into my students' heads the need for handwritten journalling.
• These days (thanks to my discovery of 6 X 6) most of my journalling is reduced to a date or a quick caption...sometimes I even let the photos speak for themselves - the horror!!!

Here's my 12 X 12 for the day:

The journalling reads:

• Happy National Scrapbook Day! What does that have to do with these photos? Nothing really...except that I'm scrapbooking them on Naitonal Scrapbook Day. The photos themselves were taken on July 1st, 2004 when Jonathan had barely learned to walk, Colin still had "baby fat" and Lauren wasn't anywhere near "13 going on 30". We spent the day enjoying a country concert at Sunnyside Beach.

Products Used:

• 12 X 12 Whisper White Textured Cardstock
• Celebrations Designer Series Paper
• Celebrations Quick Accents
• 8 1/2 X 11 Real Red Cardstock, trimmed
• Pacific Point Marker, for journalling

And now, my preferred 6 X 6 size:

To note:

• I don't have a garden - LOL!  But when I do (we live in a high rise condo at the moment) I know I'll enjoy scrapbooking it since I much prefer taking pictures of "nature" than people. (Does that make be a bad momma?) The flowers can at least "stand still"...unlike my children. *sigh*
• When using a set of Sizzlet Die Cuts, use lower case if the size of the combined letters will be larger than your page - OOPS!!!  Thanks goodness creative license allows for overlapping!
• This layout uses the colours from the Stamping 411 challenge, which can be found here.

A closeup:

Design notes:

• I stamped the flower three times and then cut it out to make the different layers.
• The bottom layer is attached using glue dots and the next two were attached using Stampin' Dimensionals.
• I stamped the stem directly onto the Whisper White Cardstock using Pear Pizzazz ink. 

I hope you're enjoying National Scrapbook Day and that you have managed to get some scrapbooking time in!

Happy Scrappin'!

Strength and Hope - Campaign Starts TODAY!

With the launch of the summer mini, the Strength and Hope Campaign has officially begun!

With the purchase of each and every set of stamps (as well as the digital download), Stampin' UP! will donate $2 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. How awesome is THAT? You get a great stamp set and the BCRF gets a donation!

If you've seen this post, you've already seen the set in action.  And on this post, you get a REALLY nice close up of the butterfly.

If you want to see more projects that you can make with this set, just click here. Do note however, that the card listed as 6 X 6 is actually 3 X 6.

In other news, this is National Scrapbooking Month!

My love of paper crafts started just over 11 years ago in early spring 2000. A friend of mind dragged me to one of those parties (you know the one!) and we made a scrapbooking page.  I'm pretty sure I signed up that night! I became disenchanted with the company and their incessant need for the consultant to carry this huge inventory, not to mention the fact that they wanted us to say that if wasn't their product it was NO GOOD.

I never gave up my love of scrapbooking though...not until I discovered Stampin' UP! in 2004 (or somewhere around there!).  Then, I was all about the CARDS!  My scrapbooks lay untouched, pages unfinished - I think some of them still need journalling!

In an effort to get back into scrapbooking, I've challenged myself to complete a Page a Day in May!

To whit:

There's NO WAY that I could do a 12 X 12 page, which is kind of funny because when I first started scrapbooking, I simply could NOT understand how people created all these mini albums - LOL!

My poppies (from the BRAND NEW set Fabulous Florets released today) are stamped in Staz-On ink on our Watercolour Paper and coloured using our watercolour crayons and aqua painters.  *Really Christyne? You used watercolour crayons and aqua painters? How novel! We've never seen you use THOSE before!* Yeah...right - LOL!

Anyway...after they were coloured (and dry), I cut them all out (seven of them!) and adhered them to my page using either glue dots or Stampin' Dimensionals.

My white photo mat (still need to find a pic!) is sponged in Poppy Parade and my whole page was sponged with So Saffron Ink.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Fabulous Florets
INK:Staz-On, So Saffron, Poppy Parade, Wild Wasabi
PAPERS: Whisper White and So Saffron Cardstock; Watercolour Paper
ACCESSORIES: Watercolour Crayons, Aqua Painters, Sponges, Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Scrappin!