Flourish Thinlits - Oh my!

These thinlits are SO amazing!



Happy Stampin'!

Just for you

Oh. My. SQUEEEEEEEEE!! My pre-order for the Holiday Catalogue arrived last week and I finally got a chance to sit down and play with it - WOOHOO!!!

I've been working full time for the past week (and repeating that this week) at Georgetown Yarn while my dear friend (and owner) Betty-Anne is on vacation with her family, so playtime is on Sundays and Mondays until the end of this week.

I couldn't wait to get started playing with the new goodies and the Freshly Made Sketches sketch was PERFECT for it! I'm cutting it close to the wire, but better late than never, right??

How cute is this:

I love everything about this whole suite in the Holiday Catalogue and I can't wait to share MORE of it with you! I don't want to make you nuts with all the Christmas stuff, so until the Holiday Catalogue goes "live" to non-demonstrators, I'll only be sharing bits and pieces occasionally.

I started off with a base of Real Red Cardstock and added a piece of Designer Series Paper from the Candy Cane Lane DSP pack. How cute is that paper???

Then I stamped the images onto Whisper White Cardstock and added a layer of Crumb Cake behind it...though I might change that up and use Early Espresso for my upcoming class in order to add a bit of contrast.

A strip of Candy Cane Lane DSP was added under the image panel and I used a partial image (just for you) to stamp on the strip of Whisper White Cardstock. Our markers are GREAT for colouring in portions of stamps!

The finishing touch was some bling! Because EVERYONE needs a little bling at Christmas, right? :)

I stamped on the inside too:

I just love all the little images in this set...they'd be perfect for tags too!! Which gives me an idea for my next Christmas post! Stay tuned...

What do you think??

STAMPS: Candy Cane Christmas
INK: Garden Green, Real Red and Crumb Cake
PAPERS: Whisper White, Real Red and Crumb Cake Cardstock; Candy Cane Lane DSP
ACCESSORIES: Markers, Basic Rhinestones

Happy Stampin'!

I'll be your up...

...when you're feeling down.

This image and sentiment are so perfectly cute! I just LOVE them together!

Recently I was chatting with a dear friend who had been having a particularly difficult day and I showed her this adorable image. She said I must have known she needed a bit of boost. I don't think I'm particularly *that* intuitive, but I was glad to have made her smile just a little. :)

This card was so quick and easy to make! I stamped the image in Archival Black Ink on Thick Whisper White cardstock and coloured it in using ink and my Aqua Painter. I used sponges to add a bit of "background" in Soft Sky. The balloon was stamped a second time and coloured in Daffodil Delight. Then it was cut out and attached over the stamped balloon to add a little dimension.

Easy, Peasy, DONE!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Bella & Friends
INK: Archival Black, Smoky Slate, Calypso Coral, Wild Wasabi
PAPERS: Thich Whisper White and Soft Sky Cardstock
ACCESSORIES: Aqua Painter, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

16 more sleeps and a plane ride!

No cards today! Just me, waxing poetic, on how awesome my husband is. You don't mind, right?

This year, we're celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. Yes, I realize that I look WAY too young to have been married for 25 years, but since I was married when I was 22 and I'm now 47, it's true!

Now, I'm not going to tell you that it's been 25 years of wedded bliss, because that would be a lie. There was a time when we almost didn't make it. But we fought for (and oftentimes, with) each other and somehow we made it through. And I can tell you with absolute certainty that we are stronger as a couple because of it. And I'm thankful for that every day.

So...while there is no picture of a card today, there is this:

A few years ago, my husband introduced me to Europe and more specifically, Paris. And I fell in love. If you ask, I will tell you that we ARE retiring in France...not necessarily Paris, but definitely France. I love everything about the country - the history, the architecture and yes, even the people.

This year, we'll be exploring Lyon. It's the food capital of France. Did you know that? Many people think the food capital is Paris, but it's actually Lyon. I can't wait!

You'll see some photos on my blog and MANY more on my Facebook Page. I can't wait to share it with all of you!

Thanks for letting me go off on a tangent. :)

16 more sleeps and a plane ride!

Enjoy 3-D Thursday!

I don't know if you know this...but I knit!! I love it when I can combine my paper crafting with knitting - then all my hobbies are happy that they're getting attention - LOL!

I also work at our local (ish) yarn store in Georgetown. Georgetown Yarn is often my home away from home since it's such a fun place to be! They say if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life! How fortunate that both my "jobs" are so much fun! :)

Today, I'm sharing a little gift that I created for a friend. We've been super busy at Georgetown Yarn creating kits for upcoming shows (Kitchener Knitter's Fair and Woodstock Fleece Festival) and Lindsay has been our project manager. She's done a GREAT job and since she's a paper crafter and a knitter too, I just knew she'd love this (and I was right! I've already gifted it to her and she was THRILLED!)

Check it out:

This is the little bag before I put the yarn in it. I used a Bow Paper Clip to hold it closed. Bella was stamped in Archival Black Ink on Thick Whisper White Cardstock so I could use my Aqua Painter to colour her in.

The pretty skein of green yarn was too big to stuff inside the little box, so I just used the clip to hold Bella on the front of the box. See?

What do you think?

STAMPS: Bella & Friends

INK: Archival Black, Dapper Denim Ink, Soft Suede and Real Red Ink

PAPERS: Dapper Denim and Thick Whisper White Cardstock; By the Shore DSP

ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Circle Framelits, Bow Paper Clip, Aqua Painter

Happy Stampin'!

Show me the PAPER!!!

This week over at Paper Crafts Crew, our theme was to focus on the Designer Series Paper. Since I'm in full blown Christmas Class planning, guess what you get? Yep! CHRISTMAS!!

Now...if you're VERY clever and have found me from my Facebook Page, you've figured out that this is one of the cards we'll be making at Christmas Boot Camp in October - DON'T SPOIL THE SURPRISE!!

Many of you who were at my last class in July commented on the card in this post. You liked it SO much, that I decided to recreate it for a Christmas card. You're welcome! :)

My base is Cherry Cobbler and the next layer is Garden Green. The sunburst is arranged on a piece of Very Vanilla which is cut 3 ¾" x 5".

The sentiment is from the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Set this year called My Hero. It's a great little set for all kinds of occasions. The bonus? Every set sold means RMHC received a donation from Stampin' UP! To date, we've raised over $1.5 million! How amazing is THAT?

I stamped the sentiment and then punched it out using my 2" circle punch. The layer under that was cut using our new Layering Circles Framelits. I added a bit more colour by doodling with my Cherry Cobbler Marker.

What do you think?

STAMPS: My Hero
INK: Cherry Cobbler
PAPERS: Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green and Very Vanilla Cardstock; This Christmas DSP
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Dies, Markers, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Ombre? Easy Peasy!

Have you seen the new Stampin' UP! ombre ink pads?




Happy Stampin'!

Just for You

I'm sure you've done it...we all have. You know what I'm talking about...

That stamp set. You look at it and think to yourself, "I don't need that" or "I would never use that". And then you see all sorts of idea...they're on blogs, they're one Pinterest, they're everywhere! And then you see that *one* idea that just does it for you and all of a sudden, you HAVE to have the stamp set!

That's what happened to me with Bella & Friends. We don't have a parrot...or a turtle...we don't even have a dog! And I didn't need the set...and then it was EVERYWHERE! And everyone was making SO many cute cards with it that I. HAD. TO. HAVE. IT.

Now, mind you, today's card isn't *the* one that put me over the edge, but it's pretty darn cute!

Check it out:

I started off with a base of Thick Whisper White Cardstock and added a layer of Soft Sky Cardstock. The image was stamped using Archival Black Ink onto Thick Whisper White Cardstock.

I used my inks and watercolour pen to colour in the images. Bella is coloured using Soft Suede and Skittles is coloured using Calypso Coral and Wild Wasabi.

I made a whole set of these that I'll be showing over the next little while, so stay tuned!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Bella & Friends
INK: Archival Black, Soft Suede, Calypso Coral, Wild Wasabi Real Red
PAPERS: Thick Whisper White and Soft Sky Cardstock
ACCESSORIES: Watercolour Pen

Happy Stampin'!

Simple & Sweet

Sometimes, you just need something simple to convey what you need to say:

Details & Digits:

• Dapper Denim Cardstock Base - 4 ¼" x 11" scored at 5 ½"
• Flirty Flamingo Cardstock Layer - 4" x 5 ¼"
• A Little Foxy DSP 3 ¾" x 5"
• Scenic Saying Sentiment stamped in Dapper Denim
• A little bit of Flirty Flamingo and Dapper Denim Ribbon

Inside:

DONE!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Scenic Sayings

INK: Dapper Denim

PAPERS: Whisper White, Dapper Denim and Flirty Flamingo Cardstock; A Little Foxy DSP

ACCESSORIES: Ribbons, Markers, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

I love you

I hope you enjoyed 3-D Thursday yesterday! My plan is to bring you something other than a card each week. I hope you'll join me! :)

Today, I'm sharing the most adorable thing you'll see on the internet this week!

Before I put away all the paper I used in yesterday's post, I created a few more things. Check it out:

This first card is my new friend Bella! She's in the stamp set Bella and Friends and she's available for purchase in my online store. You can have her delivered in wood mount or clear mount and I'm sure she'd LOVE to come play with you! :)

My card base is Dapper Denim (quite possibly my FAVOURITE of all the 2016-2017 In Colours) which I stamped with Dapper Denim Ink using an image from the Gorgeous Grunge Stamp Set.

I added a layer of By The Shore Designer Series Paper and then attached my focal image. It was stamped onto THICK Whisper White Cardstock using Archival Black Ink.

Did you know that you can actually watercolour your image stamped in Archival Black Ink? It's perfect for this kind of technique. Now, mind you, you have to be careful to not use TOO much water if you're using Whisper White Cardstock. If you're going to need to saturate your image, you should use our Watercolour Paper, but you can still use the Archival Black Ink.

I tried LOTS of different colours on Bella (those are posts for other days), but I think my favourite is Soft Suede. Once you see all the other ones (over the next couple of weeks), I'd love for you to tell me what YOUR favourite is.

When I was done with Bella, I decided to play with Skittles:

How cute is that??

I started off with Dapper Denim again and added the layer of By The Shore DSP. Skittles was stamped in Archival Black Ink and coloured in using inks and the watercolour pen. The sentiment, stamped in Dapper Denim, is from Good Greetings (retired, sorry!)

I even made a little envie:

I gave the card to my honey and he thought it was so cute. I like leaving little notes on his home computer. I never know when he's going to find them, but when he does, he's always appreciative. Do you leave notes for your sweetie too?

What do you think?

STAMPS: Bella & Friends, Gorgeous Grunge
INK: Archival Black Ink, Dapper Denim, Calypso Coral, Wild Wasabi, Soft Suede, Real Red
PAPERS: Thick Whisper White and Dapper Denim Cardstock; By The Shore DSP
ACCESSORIES: Watercolour Pen, Envelope Punch Board, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Oh Happy 3-D Thursday!

Oh Happy Day! Wait till you see this!

I had SO much fun creating this little box set yesterday! I knew when I saw it, that I'd have to sit down and make it RIGHT AWAY. And then, I knew I had to show you! :)

Can you guess what it is??

How adorable is that? I love making covered notepads and this one just makes me smile! I wasn't sure I would like the little fishy paper, but it's so cute. And it has a "not fishy" side so you can use it with cards that don't involve fish. I particularly like the striped design that you see above in the belly band.

And then there's these! Tiny little simple note cards (they're just 3 x 4!) that can be used for a quick note or to jot down a thought...maybe a quick card sketch for your next blog post?

And here's the full set:

There's an empty space there as I haven't been back to school shopping and that's where the pencils go.

I think I'll make a couple more and drop of them off for the secretaries at my youngest son's school. Might as well get on their good side from the start.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Scenic Sayings
INK: Calypso Coral
PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake and Dapper Denim Cardstock; By the Shore DSP
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Dies, Stitched Satin Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

You Light up my Life

When I saw the sketch for this week, I had a basic idea of what I wanted to create, but it took a while for it all to come together...

Just this past Monday, it was a holiday in Ontario and much of Canada as well. Now...my hubby doesn't usually have that day off at it's not a statutory holiday, but a civic holiday. This year (for the first time in a LONG time) he stayed home - YAY!!!

He went out to run some errands (most stores are open) and while he was gone, I created this:

I was SO happy with the way it turned out, I could hardly wait till today to share it with you!

I don't ever remember catching lightning bugs when I was little (probably because we lived in the city), but I always wished that I could...so this set is perfect! It lets me "catch" the lightning bugs without any of the "ick" factor (not so much a fan of bugs as I got older).

I try to tell him often how much he means to me and how much I love him, but on Monday I felt like doing a little bit "extra". It's our 25th wedding anniversary at the end of the month, so the "extra" seemed appropriate. :)

How about some details:

• The card base is 5 ½" x 8 ½" and scored at 4 ¼"
• The layer is 4" x 5 ¼" and is from the Serene Scenery Designer Series Paper Stack
• The other DSP layer is 2 ¼" x 4" and is from the A Little Foxy DSP Stack
• The Ribbon is Dapper Denim
• The circles were cut using the Layering Circles Framelits

• Our Sponge Daubers are *just* the right size for creating the "light" coming off the little lighting bug butts :)

• The sentiment is actually hanging, as in for I didn't adhere it in any way - I just tied it to the jar handle
• Linen Thread is *still* (after all these years being a demonstrator) one of my favourite ways to add "just a little bit" to a card

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

What do you think?

STAMPS: Jar of Love

INK: Dapper Denim, Basic Black, Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight

PAPERS: Whisper White and Dapper Denim Cardstock; Serene Scenery and A Little Foxy DSP

ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Dies, Sponge Dauber, Linen Thread, Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'! 

Take your die-cutting to the NEXT level!

This super fancy die will make your cards stand out in a crowd!




Happy Stampin'!

Merry & Bright

Today, I have just a quick little card for you!

We'll be creating this card (among MANY others!) at my Christmas Boot Camp on October 1st, 2016. You're coming, right??

What do you think?

STAMPS: Holly Jolly Greetings
INK: Soft Sky, Dapper Denim, Min Macaron
PAPERS: Whisper White & Soft Sky Cardstock
ACCESORIES: Basic Rhinestones

Happy Stampin'!

Time's UP!

Today, July 31st, 2016 is the LAST DAY to get in on the Bonus Days $6 coupons.

Earn a $6 coupon for each $60 you spend.  Then spend those coupons on any size order in August. 

Suggestion:  Purchase one or more of our bundles.

They are already 10% off. Then get your $6 coupon(s) and you have even more savings for next month!.  There is a whole section titled BUNDLES in my online store.  

Use this host code RCWUQHFY when placing your online order and get a free gift from me along with a hand-stamped thank you card.  That means even more free!  I love to spoil you:)

All Inclusive Card Kits

Just add adhesive!

Have you tried our All Inclusive Card Kits yet? They're a great gift if you'd like to complete them yourself and an even better gift if you'd like to give the gift of crafting to a friend. Just add adhesive! You may remember this post from when my daughter and I took a road trip to Quebec City. And this one where I gave you a few more details about the Watercolour Wishes Kit.

Now, I haven't purchased the Oh Happy Day Card Kit yet, but it's on my wish list! I might even buy one for a friend who doesn't stamp yet, so she can join me in the joy of stamping!

And if YOU order one today (along with a couple of different sticky stuffs), you'll get a coupon code to spend in August! For every $60 you spend, get a $6 coupon code sent to you via email. Just click HERE to place your order and be sure to use hostess code: RCWUQHFY if you'd like to receive a card in the mail!


Happy Stampin'!

It's a THROW DOWN!!

But just a colour one - aren't those the best?

I was checking my email this morning and came across the Colour Throwdown challenge. I was inspired by one of the cards created by the design team, so I whipped out my water pen and went a little nuts!

Check it out:

I was having so much fun that I went a little nuts and created SIX! Here are the details:

• Thick Whisper White Cardstock, 5 ½" x 8 ½" scored at 4 ¼"
• Peekaboo Peach (a new In Colour!) cut to 4 ⅜" x 3 ⅜"
• Watercolour Paper cut to 4 ½" x 3 ¼"
• Blushing Bride, Peekaboo Peach and So Saffron Ink/Re-inkers
• Hello You Thinnest (hello sentiment, cut from Whisper White Cardstock)
• Blushing Bride Bakers Twine
• Wink of Stella (which may or may not have exploded on one of the cards - OOPS!)

If you'd like to receive one of these cards in the mail (Canada ONLY), head on over to my Facebook Page and follow the directions! :)

What do you think?

STAMPS: None

INK: Blushing Bride, Peekaboo Peach, So Saffron

PAPERS: Whisper White (Thick and Regular) and Peekaboo Peach Cardstock; Watercolour Paper

ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Die Cut, Watercolour Pen

Happy Stampin'!

Shake it up with the Sprinkles Punch!

You're going to love this one! So much cuteness!




Happy Stampin'!

Hope it's AWESOME!

Do you have an expression? Like a favourite one? That you use A LOT?

For a while, mine was "That's SOOOOO CUTE!!!" Lately though, it's been "WOW! That's AWESOME!" And today's card reflects that. :)  I created it for my friend Jill's birthday (it was last week, so I'm not spoiling any surprises) and I sure hope she liked it!

Check it out:

I started off with a base of Sweet Sugarplum and added layers of Blooms and Bliss Designer Series Paper (same sheet, different side - I love that Stampin' UP! paper does that!). Then I cut out a tag and may or may not have gone a little crazy - LOL!

For Whisper White tag, I cut out a Sweet Sugarplum Swirl using the Swirly Scribbles Thinlits, stamped and punched out some Flower Shop flowers in Blushing Bride and Sweet Sugarplum and added a sentiment from Endless Birthday Wishes (I love that set!) in Sweet Sugarplum.

I stacked it all up and added some ribbon and linen thread:

Do you have a favourite accessory? Like something that pretty much goes on ALL your cards? And sometimes you even try to find ways to add it to your cards? Mine would be the linen thread. I think I add it to every single order! I just LOVE that stuff!

And here's where the AWESOME comes in!

If you look closely at the Endless Birthday Wishes stamp set, you'll notice that attached to the "hope it's" is an "an". In order to get the sentiment the way I wanted it, I just inked up the stamp and used my finger to wipe away the ink on the "an". Besides...as everyone knows, you haven't really been stamping if there's no ink on your fingers, right?

Don't forget to check out what the rest of the Crew have been up to!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Endless Birthday Wishes, Flower Shop
INK: Blushing Bride, Sweet Sugarplum
PAPERS: Whisper White and Sweet Sugarplum Cardstock; Blooms and Bliss DSP
ACCESSORIES: Dies, Punches, Ribbon, Linen Thread, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Oh....oh....it's magic!

I've always wanted to create a card like this and could never find the right tutorial that made it all make sense. Brandy to rescue! Thank goodness she knows I'm a visual learner! ;)



Happy Stampin'!