Fishy Friday - You & Me

Today marks the last week of my Fishy Friday Cards? Are you sad? Don't be! I have something else planned and I think it's going to be a LOT of fun!! See if you can guess what it is from today's card. :)

I started off with a base of Coastal Cabana, but I wanted to do something a little different, so I grabbed my Circle Card Thinlits and followed Patty's tutorial video on how to make the card longer.

I *tried* to line up the Designer Series Paper but wasn't quite successful in getting it perfectly lined up. I gave it a valiant effort though and I think it turned out pretty good!

There's lots of space in the card for writing so I think I'll give it to my hubby for our "date-o-versary" next month. Yes, we celebrate the day we started dating. Yes, it's a little silly. Yes, we're ok with that. :) This year marks our 28th date-o-versary. Yes, I know I don't look that old. *giggle*. All the space will allow for a whole lot of MUSH!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Fishin' Around, Perfect Pennants
INK: Black Staz-ON, Baked Brown Sugar
PAPERS: Very Vanilla and Coastal Cabana Cardstock; Retro Fresh DSP
ACCESSORIES: Watercolour Pens, Dazzling Diamonds, 2-way glue, Basic Rhinestones, Big Shot, Framelits, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Fishy Friday - Hello

Hello from Houston!!!

I started this post AGES ago, but I thought I should chime in from Houston while attending Leadership.

I'm enjoying Leadership for the fourth year in a row and for the second year as a Counselor which means I got to attend Manager's Reception which was held at the Downtown Aquarium. A perfect tie in, don't you think? It IS Fishy Friday after all!

And today, my little fishies are saying HELLO!

When I saw this DSP in the Retro Fresh pack, my first thought was "bathroom tiles" and so I knew I had to use Crystal Effects to make it look just like the tiles you would see in a bathroom. Can you imagine if the tiles in YOUR bathroom were this colour? What a bright, cheerful and fun bathroom that would be!

My card base is Crumb Cake and my next layer is Coastal Cabana. My "bathroom tile" paper is, of course, from the Retro Fresh DSP pack. I added a second smaller layer of Coastal Cabana Paper and "bathroom tile" paper to the right hand side of the card, and then added my fishies on Stampin' Dimensionals.

My little "hello" banner was stamped on Very Vanilla Cardstock using Baked Brown Sugar Ink. I love making my fishies "say" things - LOL!

The toothpick was adhered behind the fish bowl and the banner using Mono Multi Glue.

The inside of the card was finished with some more Coast Cabana Cardstock and Retro Fresh DSP. The layer of Very Vanilla was doodled with Tangerine Tango Marker.

What do you think?


STAMPS: Fishin' Around, Perfect Pennants
INK: Black Staz-ON, Baked Brown Sugar
PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Bermuda Bay and Crumb Cake Cardstock; Retro Fresh DSP; Watercolour Paper
ACCESSORIES: Watercolour Pens, Dazzling Diamonds, 2-way glue, Basic Rhinestones, Crystal Effects, Stampin' Dimensionals, Toothpick


Happy Stampin'!

Fishy Friday - You're HOW old?

Oh my goodness! I totally cracked up when I saw this sentiment and just knew it would be PERFECT to go with my fishies!

I fell in love with the new Retro Fresh Designer Series Paper in the Occasions Catalogue and I just KNEW I had to have it! I can tell you, you'll be seeing LOTS of it over the next five months. It's just so bright and happy!

It was my Dad's birthday yesterday, so I'll be sending this off to him - OOPS!! Better late than never, right?? He never celebrates his actual birthday anymore...he's always celebrating an anniversary of his 39th birthday - LOL!

I started off with a base of Baked Brown Sugar Cardstock and added a layer of Coastal Cabana Cardstock. The layer of DSP is of course, Retro Fresh. It's accented with some Bermuda Bay Candy Dots. My layers were distressed with Baked Brown Sugar Ink.

The sentiment, from Just Sayin' was stamped in Baked Brown Sugar onto Very Vanilla Cardstock and hand cut - I figure eventually I'll get to using the Big Shot on these, but it was WAY. ACROSS. THE. ROOM. and I didn't feel like getting up - LOL! The sentiment was popped up on double layers of Stampin' Dimensionals to add more height so it would sit above the fishy bowl.

The inside was finished with more Retro Fresh DSP and a layer of Very Vanilla (distressed)

If you're up WAY early and reading this, come back later and I'll link up the products as they go LIVE for you to order!

What do you think?


STAMPS: Fishin' Around, Just Sayin'
INK: Black Staz-ON, Baked Brown Sugar
PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Coastal Cabana and Baked Brown Sugar Cardstock; Retro Fresh DSP; Watercolour Paper
ACCESSORIES: Watercolour Pens, Dazzling Diamonds, 2-way glue, Basic Rhinestones, Candy Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals


Happy Stampin'!

Fishy Friday - woo-hoo!

Sneak Peek Alert!!

In just a few short days, we'll be launching the ALL NEW Occasions Catalogue! Which also means you only have a few short days to get your hands on many of the goodies in the Holiday Catalogue.

I'm offering free shipping at the moment, so it's the PERFECT time to order yourself some new goodies with the Christmas money you got (oh yes…I know you got some!) :)

This is week # 9 of Fishy Fridays and I'm still loving my little fishies!

I started off with a base of Strawberry Slush Cardstock and added a layer of Strawberry Slush DSP. My banner was created with Crisp Cantaloupe and Coastal Cabana Cardstock. I added some Tangerine Tango Candy Dots at the top.

The sneak peek is the sentiment from the brand new set Just Sayin'. (psssst! Come back next week for another sneak peek the day of the catalogue release!) Not only is this set SUPER cute, it also has a coordinating framelits set that will make it super easy to cut them out. My favourite part? If you cut out the sentiments by hand close to the line, your Big Shot will cut the coordinating shape just big enough for you to make a mat!


What do you think?

STAMPS: Fishin' Around, Just Sayin'
INK: Black Staz-ON, Strawberry Slush
PAPERS: Whisper White, Coastal Cabana, Strawberry Slush and Crisp Cantaloupe Cardstock; Strawberry Slush DSP; Watercolour Paper
ACCESSORIES: Watercolour Pens, Dazzling Diamonds, 2-way glue, Basic Rhinestones, Candy Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Fishy Friday - Just Because

When the new catalogue made its appearance back in April (for Demonstrators) and I saw the "A Dozen Thoughts" stamp set, I just KNEW I had to have it for the "just because" sentiment alone. It just seemed so perfect…just because. And, being one who likes to sends cards, what's more perfect than a "just because" card? It's like getting "just because" flowers for no other reason than…well…"just because".

This card started off with a Crisp Cantaloupe base because of the little square on last week's card (I actually didn't have the right size scrap and needed to cut into a fresh piece!) and then I added a layer of Crisp Cantaloupe Designer Series Paper. I thought I'd like the idea of a monochromatic card (and I was RIGHT!), so I went with some Tangerine Tango (I was all out of Calypso Coral at the time).

I just love all the layers on this card!

I finished off with the sentiment and some Calypso Coral Baker's Twine wrapped around the top two layers and tied in a bow.


What do you think?


STAMPS: Fishin' Around, A Dozen Thoughts
INK: Black Staz-ON, Tangerine Tango
PAPERS: Whisper White, Crisp Cantaloupe and Tangerine Tango Cardstock; Crisp Cantaloupe DSP
ACCESSORIES: Watercolour Pens, Dazzling Diamonds, 2-way glue, Baker's Twine, Stampin' Dimensionals


Happy Stampin'!

Fishy Friday - Happy Birthday

This card started as many of my cards do: with leftovers sitting out on my stamping space.

The base is Coastal Cabana with layers of Very Vanilla and Designer Series Paper from the Afternoon Picnic pack.

I went simple today with just a layered sentiment created with the Ticket Duo Builder Punch and the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set.

A little flair was added with some ⅜" Ruffle Stretch Trim in Coastal Cabana and a piece of Calypso Coral Baker's Twine tied in a bow.

The inside was finished with some Crisp Cantaloupe Designer Series Paper and some doodling.


What do you think?


STAMPS: Fishin' Around, Teeny Tiny Wishes
INK: Black Staz-ON, Coastal Cabana
PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Coastal Cabana, Crisp Cantaloupe and Tangerine Tango Cardstock; Coastal Cabana DSP
ACCESSORIES: Watercolour Pens, Dazzling Diamonds, 2-way glue, Basic Rhinestones, ⅜" Ruffle Stretch Trim, Baker's Twine, Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Fishy Friday - Thinking of You

The internet is a WONDERFUL thing…unless of course you're completely addicted and spend ALL your time on it to the exclusion of everything else.

However, we're going to talk about the good things the internet brings us today.

The internet brings you friends you never would have known otherwise - we get connected through different things, in particular the heart world.

I know that many of you who have been following along for a few years know that our family was blessed with not one, but TWO cardiac kids. Because of them, we have friends around the world.

One friend in particular, Melissa, has been going through some SERIOUS challenges with one of her NON-cardiac kids, so this card has been sent to BC to her daughter Danielle as she undergoes some seriously scary treatment to combat kidney disease.

I started off with a Pool Party base and added a layer of Bermuda Bay and then a layer of Epic Day This and That Designer Series Paper.

Under the fishies you'll see layers of Tangerine Tango and Crisp Cantaloupe.

The sentiment is from Sweet Essentials layered atop a piece of Bermuda Bay punched with the Artisan Label Punch.

And here's the inside:

What do you think?


STAMPS: Fishin' Around, Sweet Essentials
INK: Black Staz-ON, Bermuda Bay
PAPERS: Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, Pool Party, Tangerine Tango and  Crisp Cantaloupe Cardstock; Epic Day This and That DSP
ACCESSORIES: Watercolour Pens, Dazzling Diamonds, 2-way glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Fishy Friday - Wish Big

I'm keeping with the Crisp Cantaloupe/Coastal Cabana colour combination because it works really well with my little fishies! :)

I started off with a Crisp Cantaloupe Base and added a partial layer of Coastal Cabana which was run through the Big Shot with the Chevron Embossing Folder. I added some sponging around the edges of with Coastal Cabana Ink and then did the same (sponging) with most of the other cardstock pieces.

Check out that banner/flag! I only added adhesive to the top ⅔ of the flag so that I could curl up the edges for a little extra pop.

My little fishies are matted on a piece of Tangerine Tango and then a piece of Crisp Cantaloupe. They were added to the card atop Stampin' Dimensionals.

The finishing touch is the adorable little tag stamped with a sentiment from Pennant Parade and attached with a mini silver brad. A little hint to make your tag stay put - a teeny tiny dot of Mono Multi applied just under the notched end of the tag will do the trick! Now, the jewelry tag punch is no longer available, but you could use either the small ticket from the Ticket Duo Punch or a piece of the Word Window Punch.

And of course, here's the inside:

What do you think?


STAMPS: Fishin' Around, Pennant Parade
INK: Black Staz-ON, Bermuda Bay
PAPERS: Whisper White, Coastal Cabana, Crisp Cantaloupe and Tangerine Tango Cardstock; Coastal Cabana DSP, Watercolour Paper
ACCESSORIES: Watercolour Pens, Jewelry Tag Punch (retired), Dazzling Diamonds, Silver Mini Brad, 2-way glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Fishy Friday - Banner Birthday

Welcome back to another Fishy Friday! I do hope you've been enjoying this little Fishy series. I sure had a lot of fun creating it!

Today's card was inspired by one I saw on Pinterest. I didn't have everything the creator used on the card, so I improvised! I'm all about using what I've got on hand - and I have A LOT!!

So, as I created the first four cards in this series all on the same day, I used a lot of the same colours. Besides, the fishies look SUPER cute when paired with Bermuda Bay, etc.

My base is Bermuda Bay with layers of Coastal Cabana and Crisp Cantaloupe. I then added a smaller layer of Whisper White and Coastal Cabana Designer Series Paper. I love the skinny ⅛" taffeta ribbon! You can add it anywhere for just the right touch and it doesn't overwhelm the card.

I added the fishies to a cut Window Frame (Big Shot) and then stamped the sentiment using Crisp Cantaloupe.

What do you think?


STAMPS: Fishin' Around, Banner Greetings (Hostess Set)
INK: Black Staz-ON, Crisp Cataloupe
PAPERS: Whisper White, Bermuda Bay Coastal Cabana and Crisp Cantaloupe Cardstock; Coastal Cabana DSP; Watercolour Paper
ACCESSORIES: Watercolour Pens, Dazzling Diamonds, Taffeta Ribbon, Candy Dots, 2-way glue, Basic Rhinestones, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Fishy Friday - Make a Wish

Good Morning! Happy Fishy Day!

You might remember this card layout from this post. This just goes to show that you can switch out stamp sets and make a card just as lovely! This is the EXACT same card, with the fishies instead! :)

And on the inside:

It looked a little "blank" with just the sentiment and I didn't want to doodle all the way around on this one, but it still needed something. So, I took out my ruler and my Bermuda Bay Marker and went to town! I like the little pop of colour in the bottom corner.

What do you think?


STAMPS: Fishin' Around, Sweet Essentials
INK: Black Staz-ON, Bermuda Bay
PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Bermuda Bay, Raspberry Ripple and Crisp Cantaloupe Cardstock; Birthday Basics DSP; Watercolour Paper
ACCESSORIES: Watercolour Pens, Dazzling Diamonds, 2-way glue, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Fishy Friday - Balloon Birthday

Happy Friday!! OH. MY. GOSH. I *know* it's only week two, but this has GOT to be my favourite card! I just can't believe how stinkin' CUTE it is!!

This card started off with a flash in my head - of fish, holding balloons. Yeah, I know. NUTS. But, it was in my head and the only way to get it OUT of my head, was to create it in a way that I thought made sense. And this was it. :)

I looked at my Colour Coach to see what (other) colours went well with Coastal Cabana and my Colour Coach told me Calypso Coral and Smoky Slate. Sure. Why not?

So, my base is Calypso Coral with a layer of Whisper White and then a layer of Coastal Cabana Designer Series Paper.

My little fishies are resting on apiece of Crisp Cantaloup (sponged) and a piece of Whisper White backed with Smoky Slate.

I stamped the "Happy Birthday from Teeny Tiny Wishes onto Whisper White and then cut it out using one of the banners from the Label Card Thinlit Die. It puts all the score lines in for you, so there's no guessing as to how to fold it up - PERFECT!

And of course, no card is complete without a finished inside:

What do you think?


STAMPS: Fishin' Around, Teeny Tiny Wishes
INK: Black Staz-ON, Coastal Cabana
PAPERS: Whisper White, Calypso Coral and Smoky Slate Cardstock; Coastal Cabana DSP; Watercolour Paper
ACCESSORIES: Watercolour Pens, Dazzling Diamonds, Baker's Twine, Punch, White Gel Pen, 2-way glue, Big Shot, Dies, Basic Rhinestones, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Fishy Friday - Anniversary

What? Yeah…weird, I know. BUT! Wait till you see what I have in store for you for the next TWELVE weeks!! Need a break from the insanity of the holiday season? Then THIS is the day of the week when you should visit my blog. Well, to be honest, you should visit EVERY day, but if you need a break from holiday prep, this will be a fun place to be every Friday, right through New Years!

When the Stampin' UP! catalogue was made available to Demonstrators (WAY back in April of this year), I was flipping through it and my son happened to walk by when I was on page 58 and he saw this:

and immediately fell in love with it. Honestly? I thought it was pretty darn cute too!

Well…I kept forgetting to order it for him and a few weeks ago, I FINALLY remembered (he was THRILLED) and this past weekend, he took it out and stamped a birthday card and a Christmas card too. (oh…sorry! I wasn't going to mention that "C" word - won't happen again).

While he had it out, I asked if I could borrow it (it is his after all) and he was happy to oblige. As I was colouring them in, I came up with the idea of FISHY FRIDAY!! Twelve weeks of fishy cuteness!

The first card I came up with was an Anniversary card - that sold in less time than it took me to make it (thank you Lindsay!) so it's a good thing I took pics right away! Pretty cool!

So, I started off with a base of Bermuda Bay (SO happy that colour made a comeback) and added layers of Whisper White and Coastal Cabana Designer Series Paper. Under the fishies, you'll see another layer of Coastal Cabana DSP as well as some Tangerine Tango and more Whisper White.

I created the little Happy Anniversary banner by stamping the sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes onto Whisper White Cardstock and notching the end to create the flag look.

And check out the inside:

Don't forget to come back next week and I'll tell you all about how I coloured the fishies!

What do you think?



STAMPS: Fishin' Around, Teeny Tiny Wishes
INK: Black Staz-ON, Coastal Cabana
PAPERS: Whisper White, Bermuda Bay and Tangerine Tango Cardstock; Coastal Cabana DSP; Watercolour Paper
ACCESSORIES: Watercolour Pens, Dazzling Diamonds, 2-way glue, Basic Rhinestones, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

A different kind of watercolour using Gently Falling

So, I FINALLY got to play with my pre-order last week after the kids went back to school. How has it been for you? I tell you...I am LOVING my quiet days!!

So, it's Stampin' Queens Sketch Day again and I used the sketch to create this:

To start off, I was inspired by one of the other Stampin' Queens cards as well as the sketch. I liked the centre panel and I wanted to do something similar, but I wanted to use Gently Falling. I took out my watercolour paper and spritzed it with water BEFORE stamping - you can see that I spritzed in some spots more than others - LOL! I think it's kind of a neat effect, don't you?

I used Soft Suede, River Rock, Pear Pizzazz and Pool Party which are the colours that are Spice Cake DSP.

As you can see, I went just little nuts with the paper piercer. Heehee!!

OK, for the measurements:

• Card Base - 8 1/2 x 5 1/2", scored at 4 1/4"
• Next layer up - Pool Party Cardstock, cut to 4 1/8 x 5 3/8"
• Next layer up - Spice Cake DSP, cut to 4 x 5 1/4"
• Soft Suede Panels - 2 x 3" (they meet in the middle, but you can't tell)
• Main Image Panel - 2 3/4 x 4", matted with a piece of 2 7/8" x 4 1/8" Pool Party
• Pear Pizzazz Piece - 1 1/2 x 3" with rounded corners

THAT BUTTON!!!! Ok, I don't know if you've seen the Spice Cake Buttons in the Holiday Mini Catalog, but OH. MY. GOODNESS. They are big enough to mat a sentiment - REALLY!! The piece of Very Vanilla Cardstock was stamped using a sentiment from "A Word for You", then punched using the 1 1/4" circle punch.  It fits just nicely in the middle of the button!

I used a length of Pool Party ruffled ribbon to add extra interest, but I could have also used a length of Spice Cake fabric.

Here's the sketch for this week, if you'd like to give it a try:

What do you think?

STAMPS: Gently Falling, A Word for You

INK: Soft Suede, River Rock, Pear Pizzazz, Pool Party

PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Pear Pizzazz and Pool Party Cardstock; Spice Cake DSP; Watercolour Paper

ACCESSORIES: Water Spritz Bottle, Spice Cake Designer Series Buttons, Punches, Ribbon, Mat Pack and Paper Piercer, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

It's time for another Stampin' Queen's Sketch!

Happy Wednesday my friends! It's time for another Stampin' Queens Sketch!

Here it is:

This one gave a me a little bit of trouble, but through perseverance (and consulting DH), I think I'm happy with it.

Here's my first try:

I just didn't know what was wrong (or what was bugging me), so I consulted DH and he said, "Everything is long, it needs another angle".

So I did this:

And while I don't think it's my BEST work, I'm certainly happier with it!

Which one do you prefer?

The focal image is watercoloured (of course! LOL!) using the Watercolour Crayons and Aqua Painters. The image is from Zoo Review, which I borrowed from my upline. She earned it for FREE as part of her rewards for recruiting and first level promotions during 2010-2011. I love that Stampin' UP! rewards us with this awesome goodness!!

STAMPS: Zoo Review
INK: Staz-On
PAPER: Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Early Espresso; Watercolour Paper
ACCESSORIES: Watercolour Crayons, Aqua Painters, Twill, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Flowers for Jack - Full Card and Stamping Queens Sketch Week 2

Yesterday I showed you the focal image for this card and today, you get the whole reveal! I was going to use today's post to tell you this amazing story about how my honey and I met, but I had to show you the rest of this card instead. This is the card I sent to Jack Layton's widow:

It seems so strange to say that, "Jack Layton's widow". I mean this man fought and BEAT prostate cancer! It was SO unfair that he was struck with a SECOND kind of cancer so soon after having beaten the first. Canada not only lost a great politician last week, we lost a wonderful man with great ideals. He was taken too soon.  But he knew...and he left us with this:

"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world."

If you'd like to read his letter to Canadians in it's entirety, you can do so here.

Wishing you a wonderful and blessed day!

Happy Stampin'!

Flowers for Jack - Sneak Peek

Some of my American friends may not have heard, but Canada lost a great politician and an amazing man last week.  Because he was a Toronto resident, I felt compelled to send his wife a card.  This is the focal image and sort of a sneak peek:

Tomorrow is Week 2 in the Stamping Queens Sketch Challenge and that's when I'll reveal the whole card.

I was going to toot my own horn when I posted the card, but because of the nature of post, I've decided against it.  I'll just tell you that the image is watercoloured using our watercolour crayons and aqua painters.

I'm in Montreal this week with my honey! He has meetings during the day so I get to explore the city in which I grew up - SO many fun memories!! His evenings are mine though, which is good because tomorrow we celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. Yes...I KNOW I look WAY too young to have been married that long - LOL!

Happy Stampin'!

Flashback Friday!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

NEW CATALOG YEAR THAT IS!

I'll have more information for you all about the new catalog tomorrow.  For today, you won't be able to order ANYTHING until after 12 noon MST, that's 2 p.m. EST as Stampin' UP! will be updating the online ordering system.

For today, enjoy Flashback Friday and come back for another visit tomorrow - I can't wait to "see" you!


Welcome back to another Flashback Friday! My apologies for last week's absence, but the kids were less than a week from being out of school and things got just a little hectic!

Let's get started, shall we??

Sketch # 13:

For this card, I used the retiring Cheep Talk (sad face) and some NEW paper (happy face!) from the 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog, called Just Add Cake! I'll "just be adding" a couple more packs to my first July order since I've already used up a lot of the first of the two packs I ordered on my pre-order. YIKES!

I also used Calypso Coral (paper and ink) and Poppy Parade (ink).

Sketch 14:

This one also features Cheep Talk. I used quite a bit of liberty with this sketch, but the spirit of it is still there - LOL!

I used Early Espresso Ink to stamp the bird, but before I stamped him, I used my blender pen to remove the ink on the beak and then coloured it using my Pumpkin Pie Marker.

This card uses the retiring (sad face) Sweet and Sour Specialty Designer Series Paper).

Sketch 15:

You saw this card here, so I won't got into all the details again.

Sketch 16:

This is the card I did this past Wednesday, so you can read all about it here.

Sketch 17:

This little set, Best of Everything is so darn cute! I love the whimsical look of the images. They sort of remind me of a quilt.

For the little tree image, I used my Chocolate Chip and Old Olive markers and used the direct to rubber technique (this is where you colour directly on the rubber using your markers, as opposed to stamping the image and then colouring on the paper).

I used Designer Series Paper from the Bright and Neutral Paper Stacks - LOVE these! Pieces of Designer Series Paper to match EVERY. SINGLE. COLOUR. Yep - LOVE!

I used the direct to rubber technique on the sentiment too. Then, I added some buttons for extra dimension.

Cute, yes? The buttons are Old Olive and Rich Razzleberry, despite the fact that the Rich Razzleberry looks more like a Rose Red.

Sketch 18:

This one I did for the Monday CAS challenge on SplitCoast Stampers. The challenge was to use Red, White and Black. I did have to add the yellow button for that extra little punch of colour!

Sketch 19:

Not gonna lie...I LOVE this set!! Snow much fun is right up my alley because if you ask anybody, they'll tell you about my love of snowmen!

Would you believe that this paper is from Pocketful of Posies? You wouldn't think of some of the paper in this pack as winter/Christmas paper, but some of it is just perfect!

More direct to rubber here and on the second snowball, I didn't colour the bird. If you look REALLY close, you can see the glitter on the snowballs!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Cheep Talk, Touch of Kindness, Little Friends, Best of Everything, Snow Much Fun
INK: Calypso Coral, Poppy Parade, Early Espresso, Rose Red, Staz-ON, Rich Razzleberry, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Baja Breeze, Soft Suede
PAPERS: Calypso Coral, Pool Party, Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Rose Red, Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight, Pretty In Pink, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Basic Black, Real Red and Soft Suede Cardstock; Just Add Cake, Sweet and Sour, Beyond the Garden, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry and Chocolate Chip Designer Series Paper; Watercolour Paper
ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Punches, Brads, Buttons, Watercolour Crayons and Aqua Painters

Happy Stampin'!

Watercolour Wednesday - Little Friends

It seems there has been some difficulty seeing the video to which I make reference further down on this post.

Hopefully, this works:



I'm back with another Little Friends image. Have I mentioned that I love this set? No? Heehee!!! I love, love, LOVE it! My Caroline owns it and we don't normally buy the same sets because we see each other every week, but I may make an exception with this one - LOL!

Here's my card:

I used Sweet Sunday Sketch # 16, so you'll see this card again in my Flashback Friday feature on...well...Friday!

I stamped my little lady and her puppy (we'll call him Crumb Cake - heehee!) trying to steal the ribbon.  You can check out the video behind the reasoning for the puppy's name here. It's on my personal Facebook page, so if you can't see it, please let me know!

Anyway...little lady and her puppy were coloured in using Watercolour Crayons and Aqua Painters (no REALLY, Christyne? On Watercolour Wednesday? You don't say!!!) I just adore her dress in Rich Razzleberry, don't you?

I matted the image on Rich Razzleberry and then, per the sketch, outlined it in Old Olive.  And yes, I KNOW it doesn't LOOK like Old Olive, but my lighting conditions were not ideal. I tried a little tweaking in Photoshop, but it just didn't do the trick...

What do you think?

STAMPS: Little Friends
INK: Staz-ON, Rich Razzleberry
PAPERS: Pretty In Pink, Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive Cardstock; Watercolour Paper
ACCESSORIES: Watercolour Crayons, Aqua Painters

Happy Stampin'!

Watercolour Wednesday - Touch of Kindness

I'll tell you the truth...I'm not a cat lover. I'm allergic to them anyway, so it's all good. I'm so allergic in fact, that about 10 years ago when I was at my sister's place so she could trim my hair, I had one of the worst asthma attacks in my life. I LITERALLY walked THROUGH her apartment from the front door to the balcony (so there was no hair to cleanup inside) and had to call my mom to bring me my rescue inhaler (YES! I KNOW I should have had it with me) and by the time she got there I was sure I was going to end up in the hospital. Fortunately, the rescue inhaler did the trick and I avoided the hospital. I can tell you that I NEVER want to repeat THAT experience again - YIKES!

So, all that to say that if Stampin' UP! produces a stamp set with a cat in it, the odds of me acquiring it are slim and none. Such was the case with "Touch of Kindness" when it appeared in the Summer Mini.

Of course, that all changed when I started seeing all the adorable samples produced by other demonstrators/customers. Darn it! So...I ordered the set.

My favourite image is the bird bath and you can see that one in the card I did here.

Today, I'm sharing the little kitty with you. DD LOVED it when she saw me working on it last night. I'd be thrilled if you left me a comment letting me know what YOU think!

Here's the brad detail on the card:

I used Certainly Celery brads even though I used Wild Wasabi Cardstock. I decided that the two elements were spaced far enough apart that it wouldn't matter.

A close up of the sentiment:

I love the funky yet simple font in this set - SO CUTE!

And now, here's the full card:

I just love all the layers, especially since the card doesn't look bulky.

The image was stamped using Staz-ON ink and then coloured with watercolour crayons and aqua painters. And yes, I think the kitty is cute...at least he won't give me an allergic reaction!

What do you think:

STAMPS: Touch of Kindness
INK: Staz-ON, Pacific Point
PAPERS: Daffodil Delight, Pacific Point and Wild Wasabi Cardstock; Watercolour Paper; Beyond the Garden DSP
ACCESSORIES: Punches, Brads, Stampin' Dimensionals, Watercolour Crayons, Aqua Painters

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'!