Blog Archives

Merry Ornamental Pine

8/14/2014

Gee, the Christmas Cards are getting trickier! This week's Merry Monday #121 is to use pine cones, greens and plaid ribbon - this could be a tall order! I have the perfect stamp set - but plaid ribbon?? Not so much!
After a bit of digging, all I could come up with for the whole plaid thing was this DSP from last year, which I still have a few scraps of - Season of Style. Not exactly ribbon-like, I know, lol! Still, I like the look of it layered on the card front, allowing the crisp and simple pine branch to stand on its own. Love it! Just a couple dimensionals really add to the realism...
Ornamental Pine Stamp Set; Season of Style DSP (retired); Old Olive, Crumb Cake & Whisper White CS; Old Olive, Early Espresso & Cherry Cobbler Inks.

Can you hear jingle bells?? I've been hearing them all week!
I am SO excited to announce our August classes: Christmas Cards! I have had such a blast putting this class together, and have tried to offer six very different designs to help inspire you for your own card giving plans!
Classes are being offered for Saturday, August 16, 3 pm or Thursday evening, August 21, 6:30 pm.
This class costs $25, and includes all supplies for the 6 different cards shown, an instruction sheet for you to keep, your own copy of the new 2014 Holiday Mini Catalog, snacks, libations and MUCH merriment! RSVP today for which class you would like to attend! See you soon!

Don't forget our Big Shot & Bundles deal is still going on! With every purchase of a Big Shot in August, you will receive one of five free stamp set/framelits bundles, your choice!
Not only that, but if you already own a Big Shot, you can still purchase these designated bundles at an amazing 15% off! This is one deal you won't want to miss - only available from August 1-31- as these bundles are one-time only exclusives. Click the picture to see the full flyer, and check out the awesome bundles!

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Pop Up Pumpkin (and some Yee-Haw!)

8/13/2014

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The stars are out for this week's My Pumpkin Challenge #0814 - Wishes & Stars!
So, we did a version of a pop-up card in our Pumpkin Club back on July 26, but I wanted to take another crack at it. We need a version that fits better into a regular envelope, AND I wanted to make this baby EXPLODE with stars, lol! This is the result...
To get the right size to fit one of the envelopes in the kit, keep your box folded flat while you do some trimming. Cut off all the bottom flaps along the bottom edge, and trim off the lid flap so that the box is 4 1/4" wide. I'd save these pieces to play with later, lol!
Cut a piece of Blackberry Bliss to 2 1/2" x 4", and a piece of Whisper White to same size. These will be your "upright" pieces, blackberry in front, and white on the back for your handwritten note. (I stamped "Happy Birthday" from the kit on mine.)
Cut two strips of Blackberry Bliss at 1 1/2" x 2 3/4" for the side flaps. I used the edge of the flaps to trace the shape and trim.
I randomly stamped all over the Blackberry Bliss pieces in Whisper White with the tiny star stamp from the kit, then decorated the envelope flap the same way with Blackberry Bliss, Soft Sky & Smoky Slate. Add your self-adhesive "wish" to the back, and stamp and adhere "on a star," too.
I put in three cross-braces at 3 3/4" x 5/8", scored a 1/2" on each end, and distributed them evenly across the open space. Using the same mix of papers, I punched stars of various sizes and mounted on clear strips. Voila! (Hint: if you keep your kit stamps in a stamp case, you can use the clear backing sheet to cut up for the strips for pop-up boxes!)
Wish Big Paper Pumpkin; plus, Soft Sky, Blackberry Bliss, Whisper White & Silver Glimmer CS; Soft Sky & Smoky Slate Inks; Large & Small Star Punches; Movers & Shapers Star Die.

Stampin' Up! is bringing us another awesome new photopolymer stamp set - introducing Yee Haw! This sweet western themed set has 25 amazing stamps in it, perfect for your rootin' tootin' stampin' days! All this for $25.95 - click the image to see the full flyer!
(You just KNOW I have to have a stamp set that says, "Rootin' Tootin'!")

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Retro Blooming In{k}spiration

8/12/2014

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What a lovely match-up for this week's Retro Sketch #127 and In{k}spire Me's #159!
When I see this kind of color array, it's hard not to think immediately of the totally awesome Flower Patch stamp set - so crazy versatile and easy to use! It totally feels like cheating, but it's also SO easy to make "home-made DSP" with it, too. And of course, the matching framelit set is just the jewel in the crown at that point... I loved translating this sketch into the a "Flower Patch" - gorgeous!
Flower Patch Stamp Set; Whisper White, Smoky Slate & Pear Pizzazz CD; Soft Sky, Smoky Slate, Blushing Bride & Pear Pizzazz Inks; Flower Fair & Project Life Cards & Labels Framelits; Basic Jewel Pearls.

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Fresh-Made Snapshot

8/11/2014

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I really like the off-set layers in this week's Freshly Made Sketch #148 - reminds me of a sideways polaroid! And wouldn't you know it, I have a framelit for that!
This seems like a good time to use my Snapshot stamp, too - SO fun to color in using the Blendas! I pretty much followed a coloring example I found in the catty - but I love the gradation I got our of it... Seemed like a fun pairing with the Bravo stamp set, too - I had a hard time picking out which sentiment I wanted to use! In the end, I went with one that looked like I could fussy cut pretty easily...
Bravo & Snapshot Stamp Sets; Lullaby DSP; Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana & Whisper White CS; Baked Brown Sugar & Memento Tuxedo Black Inks; Daffodil Delight, Coastal Cabana & Smoky Slate Blendabilities; On Film Framelits; Large Polka Dots Embossing Folder; Basic Jewel Rhinestones.

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Nacho From My Heart (& Our Next Class!)

8/10/2014

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Loving the combo of shapes and layers in this week's Nacho Average Challenge #101!
While I knew I wanted to play with new DSPs today, I decided to pull out an older stamp set - but still current! From My Heart has such sweet sentiments in it, though I admit, it was all about the teapot when I first got it, lol...
These fancy shapes just beg to be embossed, in my opinion, and of course, that makes them a snap to be aqua-painted after! Yay!
From My Heart Stamp Set; Crisp Cantaloupe, Whisper White, Garden Green & Pistachio Pudding CS; Gold Soiree Specialty DSP; Versamark, Garden Green, Calypso Coral & Pistachio Pudding Inks; Gold Embossing Powder; Labels Collection Framelits; Regals Candy Dots in Garden Green.

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Simple Blessings

8/9/2014

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Look at those lovely scallops on this week's Clean & Simple #302! Oo, let's play with that!
Boutique Borders gives me the perfect stamp for scallop shenanigans - and one that's easy to stamp multiple times to really cover the space, thanks to the photopolymer! I think I'm really getting the hang of stamping without a SAMJ (but I still love my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig!) now - and one secret is to use a block that gives you lots of block room around the edges, so you can really pinpoint where the edges of your image are. When you try to use a block that's too small, the curve of the block obscures right where you need to see! On this card, I stamped FOUR TIMES to get the coverage I wanted, and I totally can't see where I had the edges meet! Woo!
Boutique Borders & Blessed by God Stamp Sets; Lost Lagoon, Hello Honey, Whisper White & Mossy Meadow CS; Tangelo Twist, Lost Lagoon & Mossy Meadow Inks; Blackberry Bliss Stitched Satin Ribbon; Decorative Label & Keytag (retired) Punches; Basic Jewel Rhinestones.

If you're anything like me, you absolutely love when BIG opportunities come your way. And because we all know the Big Shot is a big deal, Stampin' Up! thought they'd offer you something you couldn't miss; an exclusive Big Shot opportunity that lasts for the entire month of August!
I want to put a Big Shot into the hands of every customer before the holiday catalog - full of sweet Big Shot accessories! That's why with every purchase of a Big Shot in August, you will receive one of five free stamp set/framelits bundles, your choice!
Not only that, but if you already own a Big Shot, you can still purchase these designated bundles at an amazing 15% off! This is one deal you won't want to miss - only available from August 1-31- as these bundles are one-time only exclusives. Click the picture to see the full flyer, and check out the awesome bundles!

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Fabulous, Bright & Beautiful

8/8/2014

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What a great way to play with dimension and layers at this week's Fab Friday #47 - what shapes can I use instead?
Well, something with framelits, of course! And that coordinates with a new stamp set from the 2014 Holiday Catalog? Bonus points! I have a feeling that I'll be embossing this set in gold and silver a lot, so I wanted to try these in some colors...
So I have to say, I think I've settled on my favorite Christmas colors this year already - lucky for me, there's a whole suite of products in this scheme winging its way to me even now - I can't wait!
Bright & Beautiful Stamp Set; Whisper White CS; Pear Pizzazz, Soft Sky, Smoky Slate & Encore Silver Inks; Silver Embossing Powder; Stars Framelits; Basic Jewel Rhinestones & Jumbo Rhinestones (retired); Silver 1/8" Ribbon.

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Merry Greeting Card Kids

8/7/2014

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It's good to get back on track with this week's Merry Monday #120 - Use Skis, Skates or a Sled - I totally dropped the ball last week! This week's theme is a tough one for me - I'll have to try the Room of Retirement, sigh...
Well, I found two stamp sets I still have that I could use - not including 25 & Counting... Hm, Snow Buddies or Greeting Card Kids?? Always choices...
So, I decided that it would be fun to try coloring this cute little girl with the blendas - gorgeous!
Greeting Card Kids (retired) & Christmas Bliss Stamp Sets; Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler & Old Olive CS; Season of Style DSP (retired); Tuxedo Memento & Early Espresso Inks; Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Smoky Slate; Daffodil Delight, Skin Tone Assortments Blendabilities; Color Lifter Marker; Chalk Talk & Bitty Banner Framelits; Basic Jewel Rhinestones & Jumbo Rhinestone (retired); Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon.

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Pumpkin Pouf Wishes

8/6/2014

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Yay - are you ready for a new challenge this month? I am! Let's get started on My Pumpkin Challenge #0814 - Wishes & Stars!
Our Pumpkin Club on July 26 featured our awesome new Paper Pumpkin kit - Wish Big, and for me, was all about looking beyond the basic contents of one's kit for those little extras that knock your socks off! (If you want to get in on our Pumpkin Club action, it's free every month for my subscribers, and chock full of exclusive projects! Visit My Paper Pumpkin today to join!)
So, all our fun kits come wrapped in the cutest blue tissue paper, that I have been regretting throwing out since day one. I decided to change all that today!
Salvage about 5" wide of a full-length piece of tissue paper. Smooth it out as best you can, but don't fret over the wrinkles, really, it's just tissue paper, people!
Fold over one long edge once, maybe about 1 1/2" wide, then twice, creasing sharply. You're going to fold over one more time, so that you have 4 layers of tissue total in one long tube, but run a strip of snail adhesive down the folded edge to help hold everything in place first. Trim off the rest of the tissue and save for another project (hint, hint!)
Next, run box tape or maybe Fast Fuse down one edge. I found box tape easier in this instance, so it wasn't sticky while I did the next step, which is...
...Use fringe scissors down the un-adhesived edge of the tissue, cutting gently so as not to rip all that tissue right off, lol. Did you make the awesome Burlap & Blooms Wreath Kit from last year's Occasions Mini Catalog? This is just like the fringed flowers in that kit!
Once you're all fringed, peel off the backing from the box tape, and roll up the length into a nice pouf. You have to be careful to not let the fringes get away from you and try to stick to your box tape, it's a job!
To mount the flower on my little gift box, I actually pierced the finished blossom's base with a needle threaded with the white Baker's Twine that comes in the kit, and tied it on, along with the tag. You could also hot glue it right on, I suppose.
So what are YOUR Pumpkin Wishes this month?
Paper Pumpkin Wish Big Kit; plus, Banner Punch (for flagging the sentiment) & Fringe Scissors.

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Retro Flower Patch

8/5/2014

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What a fun and cheery sketch at this week's Retro Sketch # 126! I think I'm going to have to play with some blossoms, even though I like to go rogue so much, usually!
So, I love the amazing new photopolymer set, Flower Patch - so many pieces to play with and arrange and re-arrange! Something I've noticed, though, is how I totally turn into a color freak with it - all those pieces get their own color, and they add up fast! It just comes out so elegant, though, whether you two-step-stamp it, or layer using all the amazing framelits that come in the accompanying Flower Fair Framelit set. Just gorgeous. And of course, the sentiments that come with it are just perfect. Ahhhh, floral gorgeousness!
Flower Patch Stamp Set; Pear Pizzazz, So Saffron & Whisper White CS; Pear Pizzazz, Old Olive, Soft Sky, Lost Lagoon, Hello Honey, Perfect Plum, Blackberry Bliss, Blushing Bride, Calypso Coral & Early Espresso Inks; Flower Fair Framelits; Basic Jewel Rhinestones & Jumbo Rhinestones (retired.)