Sunny Sunday Sketch - Week 7

A little late in the day, but at least today I have a sample to go with it - LOL!

Here's the sketch:

And here's my take on it:

I used Pink Pirouette on the top of the card (stamped with the small floral image from Vintage Vogue in Pink Pirouette) and Certainly Celery on the bottom with the same treatment as the top piece on the card.

The ribbon is from a couple years ago during SAB, so it's retired, but I just can't stand not using stuff up!

I stamped the "F" on Whisper White in Pink Pirouette and cut it out. I then stamped it again in Certainly Celery and just cut out the word "friends". The word was adhered to the Large Scallop Circle using Stampin' Dimensionals and the Large Scallop Circle was then adhered to the front of the card also using Stampin' Dimensionals.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Vintage Vogue

INK: Pink Pirouette and Certainly Celery

PAPERS: Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Certainly Celery and Early Espresso Cardstock

ACCESSORIES: Ribbon and Punches

If you'd like to use the sketch and play along, please use Mr. Linky to link to your blog so that others can see your work!

Happy Stampin'!

Elements of News

I've said before that I am not too much of a vintage person, but I seem to find myself drawn to distressing and more vintage type images every day. I find I'm also REALLY liking the Newsprint DSP: something else about which I was unsure.

Today's card features a little bit of distressing, my new FAVOURITE set (Elements of Style) and newsprint paper. This is also the card that I FINALLY got around to creating using my Sunny Sunday Sketch from last week.

I had a piece of Newsprint DSP left from another project that I'll show you in a couple of days, so I took out some Cherry Cobbler and some Basic Black to go with it.

I sponged around the outside edge of the Newsprint DSP with Cherry Cobbler Ink and also stamped the large floral image and small scroll type image from Elements of style onto the piece of DSP. Then, I stamped the large floral image onto Very Vanilla Cardstock and punched out three sections of it, using my 1 1/4" square punch, which were then matted on 1 3/8" squares punched from Cherry Cobbler Cardstock.

I adhered the three squares to the Newsprint DSP and then to a 3 3/4" X 5" piece of Cherry Cobbler Cardstock. The next task was to tie a piece of Very Vanilla Ribbon around these pieces before adhering them to the Basic Black base.

The finishing touches were the stamped sentiment in Cherry Cobbler on Very Vanilla Cardstock matted on Cherry Cobbler Cardstock and the hand cut hummingbird mounted on Stampin' Dimensionals.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Elements of Style

INK: Cherry Cobbler

PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler and Basic Black Cardstock; Newsprint DSP

ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

It's July 1st, which means...

...it's the launch of the new Stampin' UP! catalog!!! It's also Canada Day, but when you have a new catalog and new product to play with, who needs to celebrate the country, right???

Anyway, this card is created with a set I wasn't exactly enamoured with when it came out in the Summer Mini. I'm happy to say that I have come to love it and that it made the transition into the 2010 - 2011 Idea Book and Catalog so it will be available through June 30th 2011!

When I got my new goodies, I jumped all over the new Colour Coach (you're gonna LOVE it!!!) and since I had a piece of More Mustard in my workspace, I flipped to that colour in the colour coach. I was a little skeptical when I saw that it went well with Not Quite Navy and Cajun Craze, but the results were pleasantly surprising.

I used the small swirly like stamp to stamp all over the More Mustard Card Base. Then I added a piece of 2" X 5 1/2" Not Quite Navy DSP (which was from a 6 X 6 hostess pack and is now retired). I stamped a portion of the large floral image from the Elements of Style set onto a piece of Whisper White Cardstock and matted it on a piece of Cajun Craze Cardstock.

For the finishing touch, I stamped the hummingbird in Cajun Craze on Whisper White Cardstock and hand-cut it before mounting it to the image panel using Stampin' Dimensionals.

The sentiment is from the Level 1 Hostess set Because I Care and is stamped on Whisper White with Cajun Craze ink.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Elements of Style, Because I Care (Hostess Set - Sentiment)

INK: More Mustard and Cajun Craze

PAPERS: Whisper White, Cajun Craze and More Mustard Cardstock; Not Quite Navy DSP

ACCESSORIES: Basic Rhinestones, Modern Label Punch

Happy Stampin'!

We interrupt your regular Stampin' UP! posting...

...to bring you a "There She Goes" sampling.

Make no mistake, I love Stampin' UP! But when I was surfing around the net before my birthday, I came across There She Goes stamps. The set they were featuring was called "A Woman's Place" and I decided there and then that I HAD TO HAVE IT!!! Since my birthday was coming up, my hubby was happy to get the set for me. Well, it turns out that I WON the set in a blog hop and then spied two others that I HAD TO HAVE while I was contacting the owner to let her know my mailing address.

So, here are the cards that I recently created:

This card is just a little 3 X 3 notecard. I gave it to my DH - LOL!

This is another card I gave to my DH. Inside it says, "Just Sayin'" (which happens to be something I ALWAYS say!) and I wrote this one up as a thank you card, thanking him for my new stamps.

This is the card for a Mojo Monday sketch a couple of weeks ago.

And last but not least, is the card that I made using the Domestic Goddess set and my FAVE saying from that set: "Gotta go, the kids chewed through their straps again". BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Except for Copic Markers and the stamped images, all the supplies are Stampin' UP!

I'll be back tomorrow with a new Stampin' UP! card.

Happy Stampin'!

More Teacher Gifts

Today I delivered the purses to Jonathan's school and finished up the gifts for Colin's school. Here's what the teachers and secretaries will be receiving:

The little boxes were made with Kiwi Kiss and Pink Pirouette Cardstock. They were accented using Raspberry Tart DSP.

Each of the candles was hand stamped using Rose Red Ink and stamps from the Elements of Style stamp set which is available in both clear mount and wood mount in the Summer Mini:

And each of the boxes come with a matching little note card:

What do you think?

STAMPS: Elements of Style

INK: Rose Red

PAPERS: Whisper White, Pink Pirouette and Kiwi Kiss (retired) Cardstock; Raspberry Tart DSP (retired)

ACCESSORIES: Scallop Oval Punch

Happy Stampin'!

Sunny Sunday Sketch - Week 6

Howdy peeps! My apologies for this being so late in the day, but it's been a heck of a week!!!

Here is the sketch for this week:

Unfortunately, due to the whole "heck of a week" thing, I don't have a card to share with you. I'll do my best to put one together for you and get it up on the blog.

29 Days...

Have you seen this? What a concept! Give something away for 29 days, anything...time, a smile, a hug, a card...anything. Do something nice for someone...anyone!

I'm doing it...and I think YOU should too! If you decide to do it, won't you please let me know? And let me know what you did.

I started on Wednesday and on that day, I ironed ALL of my hubby's clothes. I HATE ironing, but since I am a SAHM, household chores fall to me. I'm OK with that...just not the ironing part - LOL! We live in a high rise condo building that has over 300 units. I'd rather clean all the bathrooms in the building than iron. How's that for perspective? LOL!

Yesterday, I gave this card to my Caroline:

I used the new Level 2 Hostess Set called "Apple Blossoms". Since that is what my hubby calls me, I just HAD to have this set! It's just so darn cute!

I used two of the new Core Colours that will be available on July 1st: Marina Mist and Daffodil Delight. I am LOVING these two colours together!

We (my Caroline and I) had a difficult day yesterday, but we're gonna be OK because we have each other and we're going to remember that Happy Thoughts Make Happy Days.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Apple Blossoms

INK: Marina Mist and Daffodil Delight

PAPERS: Whisper White, Daffodil Delight and Marina Mist Cardstock

ACCESSORIES: Wide Oval and Scalloped Oval Punches

Happy Stampin'!

It's that time of year again!

The kids are finishing up school. With just one more week to go, I knew I had to get my butt in gear and get some gifts made! Becky Roberts to the rescue!!! If you haven't seen her blog, you have to check it out! She has the most amazing tutorials and they are reasonably priced. I just love her work!!!

This year, the teachers will be receiving Becky's Purse-onally Perfect cards and purse:

This purse uses retired product. I'm trying to use it up to make room for the new stuff!!! I used the Floral Fusion Sizzlet to add the flower to the flap of the small front pocket.

I created the purse using Kiwi Kiss Cardstock as well as Bella Rose and Raspberry Tart DSP. The cards are also made from Kiwi Kiss Cardstock and also use Bella Rose and Raspberry Tart DSP. I used the new Level 1 Hostess Set which will be available with a qualifying purchase on July 1st when the new Idea Book and Catalog launches. The set is called Because I Care.

I inked up the image with Kiwi Kiss and Pink Pirouette Inks. Then I used my Ruby Red marker to add some red to the floral image. I used a sponge and Riding Hood Red ink to add a bit of colour to the edges of the image panel.

The sentiments on the front of the card are from the Watercolour Trio stamp set which is available in the Summer Mini (in both clear and wood mount). Because I misplaced my Riding Hood Red Stampin' Spot, I used my Ruby Red Marker and coloured directly on the sentiment before stamping it on Whisper White Cardstock and punching it out with my large oval punch. The sentiment was matted on a piece of Riding Hood Red Cardstock punched with my scallop oval and then adhered to the front of the card using Stampin' Dimensionals.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Because I Care, Watercolour Trio

INKS: Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss

PAPERS: Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss and Riding Hood Red Cardstock; Bella Rose and Raspberry Tart DSP

ACCESSORIES: Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals, Big Shot, Brads

Happy Stampin'!

Sunny Sunday Sketch - Week 5

Welcome back to another week of Sunny Sunday Sketch! It seems this about the only time I have to update my blog these days.

This past month has been especially nuts with end of school activities and World Cup Soccer all happening at the same time!

Here's my sketch for this week:

And here's my take on it:

This is a pretty simple card, but I like it! Earlier today I discovered that a new Colour Lab was available to help you combine Stampin' UP! colours - WOOHOO!!! So, I decided to plug in some colours (Pumpkin Pie and Bashful Blue) and the Colour Lab told me that these would look great with the new Daffodil Delight and Whisper White.

So, I started off with a Bashful Blue base cut to 8 1/2 X 5 1/2" and scored at 4 1/4". The Whisper White layer was cut to 4 X 5 1/4". The piece of Pumpkin Pie was cut to 3 X 3 3/4" and stamped with the Sprinkles Stamp Set. The bottom piece of cardstock is a 2 1/2 X 3 3/4" piece of one of the new Core Colours called Daffodil Delight. I used a piece of Pumpkin Pie Striped Grosgrain to cover the seam. My sentiment, from "Three Little Words", was stamped in Pumpkin Pie on Whisper White before being punched out with the Word Window Punch. It was matted on Pumpkin Pie, punched with the Modern Label Punch before being adhered to the front of the card using Stampin' Dimensionals.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Sprinkles (retiring) and Three Little Words

INK: Pumpkin Pie

PAPERS: Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight and Bashful Blue Cardstock

ACCESSORIES: Pumpkin Pie Striped Grosgrain Ribbon (retiring)

Happy Stampin'!

Sunny Sunday Sketch - Week 4

In between soccer games on Friday, I thought I would take a few minutes to come up with my sketch for the week. If you're a soccer fan like me, I hope you'll take a short break between games (there is about an hour or so between the morning games and if you need more time, there's about 2 hours between the second morning game and the afternoon game) to play along.

Here's the sketch:

And here's my take on it:

I made this card for my friend Melissa's Birthday which was this past Wednesday. The card will get to her late, but she does know I was thinking of her on her birthday (as I do every day).

My base is Tempting Turquoise, which is NOT retiring (thank goodness because I just discovered it and LOVE it!!!) and the next layer is Whisper White. The pieces of DSP are taken from the Island Oasis pack which you can find in the summer mini. In case you're wondering, they are 7/8" by 3 3/4".

I stamped the sentiment in Tempting Turquoise on Whisper White and matted it on Pumpkin Pie before adhering it to the front of the card using Stampin' Dimensionals.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Happy Everything (retiring)

INK: Tempting Turquoise

PAPERS: Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie and Tempting Turquoise Cardstock; Island Oasis DSP

ACCESSORIES: Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Gone, Going and Here for A While

One of the swaps in which I'm participating on SplitCoast Stampers is a swap for retiring SU! cardstock colours. Isn't it strange that once you get to playing with certain colours you wish you had more? I'm not a "brights" person, so those were cardstock colours I chose to make my cards.

I started off with some bright greens and pinks for my bases and added a layer of Whisper White cardstock before choosing my DSP. The card on the left features Razzleberry Lemonade DSP which is retiring soon along with lots of other goodness. You can see retired lists by clicking on the links to the right. The card on the right features an already retired DSP.

My sentiments are stamped in Green Galore and Pixie Pink (both of which are retiring) from the new set In A Word, which is available in the Summer Mini until August 31st.

What do you think?

STAMPS: In A Word

INK: Green Galore and Pixie Pink

PAPERS: Various Retiring Greens and Pinks, Whisper White Cardstock; Already retired and Razzleberry Lemonade DSP

ACCESSORIES: Silver Brads

Happy Stampin'!

Sunny Sunday Sketch - Week 3

As some of you may know, I was hanging out with my Caroline quite a bit this week as we prepared for our semi-annual Stampin' Palooza event.

So, this week I have a sketch, but no card as there were just not enough hours in the day. In fact, as I sit here typing, there are over 400 emails in my inbox - YIKES!

So, here is my sketch for this Sunday:

And here is Mr. Linky. Hopefully, you have a few more spare minutes than I have had this week and can create a card. If you do, link up your blog here so others can see what you've been up to!

Happy Stampin'!

Now that the dust has settled...

Oh my! It was a CRAZY day over at Stampin' UP! headquarters yesterday! The pre-order began for the new catalog period, the last chance lists were put up, demonstrators running everywhere - PHEW!

One of the other things that Stampin' UP! announced was the opportunity to join the Stampin' UP! team with the mini starter kit price of $119 CAD. The product you will receive is valued at over $220. Who could pass that up! Click on the link to the right if you're interested.

The last chance lists are also clickable links to the right (Thank you Michele Laycock!) and you can view those at your leisure. I warn you though...they are BIG! If there is ANYTHING you want on the accessories list in particular, contact me ASAP as things are selling out FAST!

I'll try to be back later with a card to share.

Happy Stampin'!

Sunny Sunday Sketch - Week 2

Time for another Sunny Sunday Sketch! Here's what I have for you this week:

I like basic sketches that allow you to let your imagination run wild. Have fun!

And here's my take on it:

My card base is Old Olive and the next layer up is Whisper White. The layer above the Whisper White is a retired DSP - my apologies, I can't remember the name of it. It sure looks great with Vintage Vogue though! Hopefully with Riding Hood Red and Blush Blossom returning to the Stampin' UP! colour palette they'll bring the DSP back.

The sentiment is stamped on Whisper White in Riding Hood Red and matted on a piece of DSP from the same pack as the background.

I stamped and hand cut the two flowers and sandwiched a flower from the Pretties Kit between them before adding a rhinestone brad for a little bit of bling.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Vintage Vogue

INK: Blush Blossom, Riding Hood Red

PAPERS: Whisper White and Old Olive Cardstock; DSP

ACCESSORIES: Pretties Kit Flower, Rhinestone Brad

If you'd like to use the sketch and have others see your work, please use Mr. Linky below!

Happy Stampin'!

A Sweet Celebration

I made this card following this sketch over at SplitCoast Stampers. The sketch challenge was a couple weeks ago, but better late than never right?

I stamped my image using Creamy Caramel and Pumpkin Pie inks. It took a few tries to get it JUST right, but it was worth it! I also stamped some "sprinkles" on the Pumpkin Pie piece of cardstock using Pumpkin Pie Ink.

The base is Taken with Teal and the DSP is Sweet Pea. I added a piece of Certainly Celery to the left hand side and the finishing touch was the Whisper White "flag" on which I stamped the sentiment. I also used my Taken with Teal marker to add some faux stitching to the sentiment to make it appear as though it was stitched to the card.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Sweet Scoops

INK: Creamy Caramel, Pumpkin Pie, Taken with Teal

PAPERS: Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Pumpkin Pie and Taken with Teal Cardstock; Sweet Pea DSP

ACCESSORIES: Markers

Happy Stampin'!

Sunny Sunday Sketch

I love, love, LOVE sketches! Especially when my MOJO seems to have taken a vacation! So, my plan is to have a sketch for YOU to use in case your MOJO decides to go to Florida or Hawaii or wherever it is that MOJO's go when they're on vacation - LOL!

Here's todays sketch:

Just for the record, when I was designing this in MDS (My Digital Studio) the rectangular Apricot Appeal panel went all the way to the top and bottom of the card. Oops!

The family wants to head out for the afternoon, so I'll be back later with my take on the sketch.

Oops! Better late than never, right? I didn't get a chance to make a card yesterday as we were out a little later than we planned and then we had to get dinner and do Sunday evening family stuff. So, a day late, but here's my card:

I used the new Level 1 stamp set from the Summer Mini called "It's the Thought". It has seven (7) absolutely ADORABLE images complete with sentiments. I'll be using it a LOT!

What do you think?

STAMPS: It's the Thought

INK: Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie (for sponging)

PAPERS: Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie and Tempting Turquoise Cardstock; Island Oasis DSP

ACCESSORIES: Punches, Ribbon, Sponges

If you'd like to use the sketch and want others to see what you've created, please use Mr. Linky below to link back to your blog.

Happy Stampin'!

Faith, Trust and a Little Bit of Pixie Dust...

OK, so that isn't the name of the set, but my Caroline and I have Disney on the brain and our trip isn't even till the second week in December - ZOINKS!

The set is called "A Little Bit of Magic" and I made this card with it:

Now, I love all things Stampin' UP! but this image just SCREAMED Copic and well...I had to listen! I used the "pixie dust" stamp to stamp all over my Certainly Celery card base and added a piece of DSP from the Sweet Pea collection down the left hand side. The strip under the main image is Pretty in Pink and here I stamped the sentiment in Rose Red. The cardstock behind the image is also Rose Red.

What do you think?

STAMPS: A Little Bit of Magic

INK: Memento Tuxedo Black, Rose Red

PAPERS: Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink and Rose Red Cardstock; Sweet Pea DSP

ACCESSORIES: Copic Markers

Happy Stampin'!

Favourite Thoughts

One of my favourite stamp sets from the Summer Mini is Favourite Thoughts. My absolute FAVOURITE is "There is nothing wrong with the world that a sensible woman could not settle in an afternoon". How perfect is that? And how true!

OK, so a couple weeks ago, my upline and BFF was sorting through her retired product in preparation for our big event in a couple of weeks and she found some In Colour product from previous years. I just about tackled her asked her nicely if I could have it and because she loves me so much and knows how much I LOVE Soft Sky and Blue Bayou she obliged. Isn't she AWESOME?

So, with some of my new/old stash I made this:

I used Blue Bayou for my card and Soft Sky for accent pieces. The sentiment is stamped on Whisper White and I used my Ticket Corner Punch on both the Whisper White and Blue Bayou before adhering it to the Soft Sky and adding brads.

While I had the set out, I made these two cards too:

This paper is retired too, but at least it's more recent than the previous card - LOL!

These cards use Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper and Taken with Teal cardstock as the base. I also used some Pumpkin Pie and Certainly Celery Cardstock.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Favourite Thoughts

INK: Not Quite Navy, Taken with Teal and Pumpkin Pie (for sponging)

PAPERS: Whisper White, Taken with Teal, Certainly Celery, Blue Bayou and Pumpkin Pie Cardstock; Sweet Pea, Blue Bayou and Soft Sky DSP

ACCESSORIES: Brads, Sponges

Happy Stampin'!

Back to Basics

Lately, I've been seeing a LOT of vintage and distressed cards. These REALLY aren't my style, though I do LOVE the Vintage Vogue set that was in the Occasions Mini and will carry over to the 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalogue - YAY!

So, for today's card, I'm going "Back to Basics":

My card today is 3 X 6. This is such a fun little size! And, as an added bonus, you can actually get 4 cards out of one 12 X 12 sheet of cardstock - BONUS!

I stamped the image using markers and the direct to rubber technique. I used Always Apricot (retiring - SAD!), Certainly Celery and Pretty in Pink, both of which are hanging around after the Colour Renovation.

That little strip of paper you see there is one of the NEW colours called Marina Mist. It's a little paler IRL than it is in the pic above. The colour combination that I used was found in Stampin' Success (a demo only magazine) and I love it. It's included in the new Colour Coach that will be available on July 1st. I can't wait to get my hands on it because I can already tell I'm going to LOVE it!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Hello Again

INK: Apricot Appeal, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink

PAPERS: Whisper White, Marina Mist and Certainly Celery Cardstock

Happy Stampin'!

It's a Tropical Party!

Ooooh! If I had to pick just one set from the Summer Mini, this would be it! Tropical Party is just SO much fun and it lends itself perfectly to bright and sunny colours. How could I resist? How could anyone?

I think this was from a sketch that came into my inbox at some point, but I can't remember when. If someone recognizes it, would you please be so kind as to let me know? Thanks!

Onto the card:

The card base is 5 1/4" square and the layers are of varying sizes.

The main image is stamped in Old Olive, Tempting Turquoise and Pumpkin Pie. I was kind of sad to see that Taken with Teal is one of the retiring colours but seeing Tempting Turquoise paired with Pumpkin Pie will make it a bit easier. I stamped the foliage first and then stamped the large flower from the set twice, directly onto the piece of Whisper White. Then I stamped the large flower again onto a piece of scrap Whisper White and finally, I stamped the two smaller flowers in Pumpkin Pie. These three were cut out leaving just a bit of Whisper White showing around the image. The two smaller flowers were mounted using Stampin' Dimensionals and the finishing touch was Dazzling Diamonds in the centre of each of the flowers.

The two pieces of DSP are taken from the Island Oasis DSP which can be found in the new Summer Mini.

I can't remember the last time I made a card with SO many layers, but it sure was fun!!! My final touch was three white 3/8" brads. I think it could use a sentiment, but I haven't decided what yet (or to whom I'll give it), so I'll leave it blank for now.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Tropical Party

INK: Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise

PAPERS: Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie and Tempting Turquoise Cardstock; Island Oasis DSP

ACCESSORIES: Brads

Happy Stampin'!

Sweet Pea Extravaganza

While I know that both the Sweet Pea Felt and the Sweet Pea Paper pack are no longer available, I still have lots of it and still love it!

However, while I do love it, my creativity seems to have escaped me and my MOJO seems to have up and walked away. Thank goodness for the ability to CASE and for the wonderfully talented ladies that put such goodness on their blogs!

This first card came into my inbox via the lovely and talented Julie Davison:

It features Rose Red Cardstock as the base, with a piece of Sweet Pea DSP. A piece of Rose Red 1/4" grosgrain ribbon is wrapped around the piece of Old Olive Cardstock where the focal image is placed on 1 3/4" Whisper White circle. The stamped sentiment is from the new Watercolor Trio which can be found in the Summer Mini.

The next two cards also arrived into my inbox and these came from Allison Ohran:

The top card features Kraft Cardstock (being renamed Crumb Cake - YUM! - on July first when the new Idea Book and Catalogue launches), a piece of Sweet Pea DSP and a "hug" from the Sending Love Notes Collection. The stamped sentiment is from the set Whimsical Words that was available as part of Sale-A-Bration.

The bottom card uses (the returning - YAY!) Pink Pirouette with a piece of Sweet Pea DSP and another "hug" from the Sending Love Notes Collection. This stamped sentiment is also from the Whimsical Words set.

This last card was CASEd from none other than Patty Bennett:

This card uses a Rose Red card base with the next layer being a piece of Pretty in Pink Cardstock. The next layer up is a piece of one of the new Core Colors called Early Espresso. It's darker than Chocolate Chip and so RICH! I know you're just going to LOVE it!!

I used the top note die to cut out a piece of Whisper White Cardstock and a piece of Sweet Pea DSP for the bottom. The sentiment (from Whimsical Words) was stamped on a piece of Sweet Pea DSP and punched out using the Large Oval Punch. It was matted on a piece of Rose Red Cardstock that was punched out using the Scalloped Oval Punch.

What do you think:

STAMPS: Whimsical Words, Watercolor Trio

INK: Chocolate Chip

PAPER: Whisper White, Rose Red, Old Olive, Kraft (Crumb Cake), Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink and Early Espresso Cardstock; Sweet Pea DSP

ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Sending Love Notes Hugs, Sweet Pea Felt, Big Shot and Top Note Die

Happy Stampin'!

Better Late than Never, right?

Yesterday was hubby's parents 53rd wedding anniversary! Of course I had to make a card...

I sent it off yesterday (I know late), because last week was so insanely busy for me that I barely had time to go to the bathroom - YIKES!!!

So yes, it will be a little bit late (they live about an hour away), but at least they'll know we were thinking of them (and hubby did call them on Sunday).

The stamp set is retired (Happy Harmony), but I haven't let it go yet. I'm thinking though, that will all the goodness coming up in the summer mini and the goodness in the IB&C which is due out July 1st, that I will have to part with it to make some room!!!

Unfortunately, the photo was hastily taken and despite some serious messing around in Photoshop is not my best work.

At any rate, I used More Mustard, Really Rust and Garden Green to ink up the rubber on the main image and then spritzed it with water to give it sort of a water colour effect. The sentiment was stamped in Really Rust.

The DSP that I used is from the Patterns Pack III which is a level 1 Hostess Benefit in the current IB&C and the card base is Really Rust.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Happy Harmony

INK: Garden Green, More Mustard, Really Rust

PAPERS: Very Vanilla and Really Rust Cardstock; Really Rust DSP

ACCESSORIES: Markers and Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

You say you want a revolution, oh, oh...

Sing it with me!!! Or...umm...not...LOL!

And, it's not a revolution, it's a renovation!!! Check it out!!! New colour families, ten (10) returning In Colours and five (5) New Colours! Which returning "In Colour" are you most excited about? Me? Baja Breeze!!! That is one of my all time faves and I am SO excited that it will now be part of the regular colour line up.

Of course, in order to renovate our colours, we need to bid farewell to some old favourites. Stampin' UP! is retiring 30 colours - out with the old, in with the new!

This means that at the end of June 2010, these colours will no longer be available. The stamp pads, reinkers, markers, ribbons, etc. in the retiring colours will no longer be available. If you have a favourite, I suggest you stock up now. The end of June is not that far off and I would hate for you to be disappointed.

In other colour news, new "In Colours" will be released in lots 5 (instead of 6) and will be available for TWO years. In Colours will still be released once a year, but they will be available for two. This means that new In Colours released this year will only retire at the end of June 2012. I know I'm happy about that and I'll be you are too!!

So, don't forget to stock up on any favourites you have, because once they're gone, they're gone!

Happy Stampin'!

Local Card Store? I don't think so!!!

A couple weeks ago, one of DH's co-workers and his wife had a baby boy. DH tasked me with the purchasing of the gift card. Did he want me to make a card, I asked? One had already been purchased. HMPH!!! And if that wasn't bad enough, it came from the DOLLAR STORE! I kid you not. Talk about offensive!

An argument ensued and was worked out, at which point DH said he would be pleased if I made a card for the new family from he and I. This appeased my broken ego...to some extent anyway.

Here is the card I made:

I borrowed the set "Nursery Necessities" from my wonderful upline and really enjoyed playing with it!!!

The card base is a piece of 5 1/2 X 8 1/2 Barely Banana Cardstock, folded in half to form an A2 card. I stamped on the background using both Barely Banana and Apricot Appeal inks and just love the way it turned out! I cut a strip of Whisper White Cardstock and used the Scallop Border Punch to embellish the edges. On that, I matted a piece of Bashful Blue Cardstock and attached a Bashful Blue Satin Ribbon and Bow for the finishing touch.

For the main image panel, I used the direct to rubber technique using Barely Banana, Bashful Blue and Certainly Celery markers. The image was stamped on Whisper White and the sentiment was added using Bashful Blue Ink.

Not to be outdone by certain local card companies (and that darn dollar store!), I also finished the inside of the card:

HAH! Top that you mass produced card company people!!! YIKES! Bitter much? OK, maybe just a little...but really...you would think it would have occurred to someone to say, "Let's ask his wife to make us a card. She always makes such wonderful Christmas cards." *SIGH* Don't worry...I'll get over it...eventually.

So, what do you think?

STAMPS: Nursery Necessities and Short & Sweet

INK: Apricot Appeal, Barely Banana, Bashful Blue and Certainly Celery

PAPER: Whisper White, Barely Banana and Bashful Blue

ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Punches and Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Asian Flair Swap Card # 3

Here's one of the other cards that I did for my friend Paola's swap:

It features the set Asian Artistry once again and some more fancy specialty paper. And for a change, I actually remember where it was purchased. Aren't you impressed? This one was bought at Omer DeSerres, a Canadian store.

I used the direct to rubber technique for this one and used Garden Green and Real Red to colour the image. It was then stamped on Whisper White which was punched using the Scallop Border Punch and then matted on a piece of Basic Black. The card base is also Basic Black and is a standard A2 size card. The finishing touch is a piece of Old Olive Striped Grosgrain Ribbon.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Asian Artistry

INK: Real Red and Garden Green

PAPERS: Whisper White and Basic Black Cardstock; Specialty Paper

ACCESSORIES: Ribbon and Punch

Happy Stampin'!

Asian Flair Swap Card #4

That Paola, she sucks you in and then she just won't let go! She makes it SO easy and SO fun to join her swaps and that, my friends, is how I ended up with 4 (yes, 4!) spots in her Asian Flair Swap over on SCS. It's crazy I tell you!

I love all the cards I designed, but i do think that this one is my favourite:

It uses the flower from Asian Flair (level 2 Hostess Set). I stamped the image in Versamark Ink on Very Vanilla Cardstock and then heat embossed it with Gold Embossing Powder. The image was then matted on Basic Black Cardstock. I added two Gold Brads at the top right. The red paper to the left of the image and partially underneath the Basic Black 5/8" Satin Ribbon (which is still available in Occasions Mini Catalogue) is a specialty paper that I acquired quite some ago (and probably at the same time as the paper in this post), so I really have no idea who made it, where I got it or anything of the sort.

The base of the card is Basic Black Cardstock and the inside is finished with a piece of Very Vanilla Cardstock so that a personal note can be written.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Asian Artistry

INK: Versamark

PAPERS: Very Vanilla and Basic Black Cardstock; Specialty Paper of Unknown Origin

ACCESSORIES: Ribbon and Brads

Happy Stampin'!

Made to Match

While I was doing my "blurfing" last week, I came across Ilina's blog where she created an adorable card using the sketch at SplitCoast Stampers. I had to CASE her, because her card was just SO cute! I do have the Fox and Friends set, but I decided to use Trendy Trees.

Here are the cards I made:

I stamped the trees using Certainly Celery and Chocolate Chip Ink on Very Vanilla Cardstock. These stamps are wood mounted, so I used my Stamp-a-majig to get the tree trunk in just the right spot. The sentiments (also from Trendy Trees) are stamped in Certainly Celery on Very Vanilla Cardstock and then punched using the Word Window punch. The sentiments are matted on coordinating colours using the Modern Label punch. Both the images and the sentiments are mounted on the card using Stampin' Dimensionals.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Trendy Trees

INK: Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip

PAPERS: Always Artichoke, Bravo Burgundy and Very Vanilla Cardstock; Welcome Neighbours and Patterns Pack DSP

ACCESSORIES: Stamp-a-majig, Mat Pack, Paper Piercer

Happy Stampin '!

A Perfect Pair

Yesterday, I was feeling pretty crummy...not sure why, but it is what it is. Today, I'm feeling a bit better, despite having to ride a bus for 1/2 hour each way with 60 screaming 6 and 7 year olds - YIKES!!!

Anyway, despite feeling quite icky, I still managed to get some creating time in, between naps of course!

Here are the cards I made yesterday:

I started off with the Always Artichoke bases and went from there. The next layer up is Certainly Celery followed by a layer of Kraft Cardstock and a piece of DSP from the Welcome Neighbour 6 X 6 pad, which is only available with your $65 purchase during Sale-a-Bration (which by the way ends in just 9 days!!!).

I stamped the cute little turtle from Fox and Friends in Always Artichoke on Whisper White. I punched him out with my 1 3/8" circle punch and then matted him on a scalloped circle. I wrapped a ribbon around the layers and tied a bow. The turtle was affixed using Stampin' Dimensionals.

For the finishing touch, I stamped the sentiment from Short and Sweet on Whisper White and punched it out using the Word Window punch and matted it on a piece of Always Artichoke punches with the Modern Label punch. It too was mounted to the card on Stampin' Dimensionals.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Fox and Friends, Short and Sweet

INK: Always Artichoke

PAPERS: Always Artichoke, Certainly Celery, Kraft and Whisper White Cardstock; Welcome Neighbour DSP

ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Greenhouse Garden Thanks

On Friday, the boys went to take a cooking class at Loblaws as part of their spring break program for kids. They had a GREAT time and Jonathan even got to hang out with one of his little classmates. Jonathan and his friend exchanged phone numbers and yesterday they had a playdate.

Since everyone knows by now that I am "that mom", I had to make a card to thank Emerson's mom for having Jonathan over. Here's what I came up with:

I used Greenhouse Garden, which is one of the sets that will be available at 20% off beginning April 1st as part of the "Two-Step Into Spring Promotion".

The flowers were stamped using Pale Plum and Perfect Plum inks on Whisper White Cardstock. Since I was going for a monochromatic look, I also used Pale Plum and Perfect Plum Cardstock for my card.

I stamped the sentiment (from the With All My Heart set) in Perfect Plum on Whisper White and punched it out using the Large Oval Punch. I matted it on a piece of Pale Plum which was punched out with the Scallop Oval Punch.

I decided to pretty up the inside of the card too:

I stamped the same flower as I used on the front of the card on Whisper White and layered it on Pale Plum before adhering it to the inside of the card.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Greenhouse Garden, With All My Heart

INK: Pale Plum and Perfect Plum

PAPERS: Whisper White, Pale Plum and Perfect Plum Cardstock

ACESSORIES: Punches, Ribbon

Happy Stampin'!

CASE - Asian Artistry

OK, I'll admit it - I love stalking the SCS gallery and CASEing all the amazing artists there. That being said, I LOVED this card and had to case it for the Asian Flair swap that my friend Paula is hosting.

Here is my version:

I punched out a 1" circle and 1 3/4" circle to use as masks/templates with my So Saffron and Mellow Moss inks. My little bird on a branch was stamped using Basic Grey ink and so was the sentiment.

The paper that I used on the left hand side of the card is some specialty paper that I've had for a while and I really don't even know where it came from - proof positive that I have WAY too much STUFF!!!

I stamped the Tiny Tags word "friends" and then punched it out using the Jewelry Tag Punch that matches the set.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Tiny Tags, Asian Artistry

INK: Basic Grey, Mellow Moss, So Saffron

PAPERS: Whisper White and Mellow Moss Cardstock; Specialty Paper (source unknown)

ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Jewelry Tag Punch

Happy Stampin'!

I got to play! I got to play!!!

So...this week is Spring Break in our neck of the woods. It's only Wednesday, but we've been pretty busy! On Monday we went swimming and on Tuesday, we went to my friend Diana's house for what was SUPPOSED to be cooking school for the kids...well, the weather was SO nice that the kids ended up outside and Diana and I were the only ones in the kitchen...except for the babies (who can't really cook) and my DD and her friend (who pretty much know how to cook anyway and don't really need cooking school). We had a GREAT time though, so it was all good. Unfortunately, we FORGOT to take pictures. I know, LAME!

Anyway...today was my down day. I didn't have to DO anything (though I did do laundry and clean the bathroom, as well as pick up our organic veggie box and fill our water bottle). In between the laundry/bathroom and the veggie/water, I got to create - YAY!!!

This is one of the cards I made:

Yes, it uses retired ribbon, but it just looked right, so I had to!!! And Riding Hood Red was SO close to Ruby Red that it just worked. We need Ruby Red ribbon!!!

I stamped the image in Ruby Red on Confetti White and then used a sponge and Ruby Red to sponge around the edges of the Confetti White Cardstock. I matted it on Ruby Red and tied a knot in a piece of Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon before adhering the image panel to the front of the card using dimensionals.

The reason there is a piece of Confetti White on the front of the card, is because I needed a piece of Ruby Red for this card:

and didn't want to cut into a new sheet for just a small piece.

For this card, I stamped the image in Ruby Red on Whisper White. The large piece at the bottom is wheeled with the Vintage Vogue Wheel available in the Occasions Mini, but only till April 30th!

I used the Vintage Vogue set to stamp a background on the So Saffron card base in So Saffron ink.

I'm not sure if you can tell, but I used scissors to scrape the edges of the mat behind the wheeled piece of cardstock. I'm not really a "vintage" sort of person, though I do like the Vintage Vogue set, so the "scraping" is my attempt at "vintage". I'm not sure that I love it, but it doesn't look too bad...

The finishing touch was the hand cut flower and leaves embellished with a half pearl from the pretties kit.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Vintage Vogue (set and wheel) and Happy Moments (ONLY available through March 31st!!!)

INK: Ruby Red, Always Artichoke, So Saffron

PAPERS: Whisper White, So Saffron, Confetti White and Ruby Red Cardstock

ACCESSORIES: Ribbon and Punches

Happy Stampin'!

A little more Asian Artistry

Hmmm...if you haven't figured it out just yet, I REALLY love this set. Have I mentioned that before? I'm sure that I have...maybe you just missed it - LOL!

Anyway, still going with stuff out of the scrap bag, I created this:

I stamped the image using markers and the direct to rubber technique with Garden Green and Really Rust Markers. The image is stamped on Confetti White Cardstock and then layered on Garden Green and Really Rust. The ribbon is Kraft taffeta.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Asian Artistry (Level 2 Hostess Set)

INK: Garden Green and Really Rust

PAPERS: Kraft, Garden Green, Really Rust and Confetti White Cardstock

ACCESSORIES: Markers and Ribbon

Happy Stampin'!

ZOINKS!!! Feb. 27th?

Really? That was my last post??? That's just CRAZY!!!

Since it's been so long, here's one of my faves that came out of my foray into the scrap bag:

I used my markers to colour directly on the stamp and used Old Olive as well as Perfect Plum. I sponged around the edges of the main image in Old Olive and sponged my little birdie in Perfect Plum. I SO love this Asian Artistry set and will be SO sad when it retires (since it's a hostess set)

What do you think?

STAMPS: Asian Artistry

INK: Old Olive, Perfect Plum

PAPERS: Whisper White, Pale Plum, Perfect Plum and Olive Cardstock; Cottage Wall DSP

ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Pinking Hearts Border Punch

Happy Stampin'!