Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Trick Or Treat Layout!



    Wow, cannot believe it's almost Halloween again!  This means my adorable grandson will be 5!!!  And the day before, I'll be... oh never mind... you don't need to know that!!  LOL
    Today, I'm showing you a layout I made for my club ladies using Stampin' Up products!  I used:
     Motley Monsters DSP, 135819
      Bermuda Bay CS
      Tangerine Tango CS
      Basic Black CS
      Whisper White CS
      Smoky Slate CS
      Sahara Sand CS
      Coordinating inks for stamped title
       Epic Alphabet Photopolymer stamp set - 133663
       Note tag punch (new) 135860 (for the tombstones)
       2 3/8" scallop circle punch
       1 1/4" circle punch (eye white)
        1" circle punch (eye Bermuda Bay)
        3/4" circle punch (eye Black)
       1/2" circle punch (eye white)
       Little labels punch pack (shoes)
      Itty bitty accents punch pack (heart hands)
      Retired bingo spots stamps
      New Hearts and Stars stencil

    What's really cool about this layout, is that I only used 2 inches of our DSP for the left border, and an inch of the candy corn one!  I love the little eyes peeking through the trees!  I created the nighttime starry sky by stenciling white stars using the stencil.  Using Sahara Sand, I tore the edge and shaded it with ink to make it look like dirt.  Since that was only 11" long, I had to improvise by adding smaller pieces which turned out great because it gave my dirt depth!
     Using the wonderful Epic Alphabet stamp set, I created my title using the same colors of ink that were being used in my layout.  I love the freedom you get with this stamp set in creating titles of any color and name!  Plus, it's photopolymer, so you can see exactly where you want to place it!
    The rest of the layout is pretty self-explanatory except for the mouth on the monster.  I used the small oval punch and punched once, and then again, to create the mouth.  The tooth is one of the petals from the Itty Bitty Accents punch (flower).  It even looks like it has a chip in it!
    I hope you are inspired to create some layouts using our wonderful DSP packs (designer series paper)!  All the coordinating is done for you color wise, so you can create beautiful scrapbook pages quickly, and easily!  Thanks for reading!
    Toodles!

Sunday, October 19, 2014

September Paper Pumpkin!!





    Hi everyone!  Sorry about the absence... lot's of things going on, but I'm bound and determined to get myself back on track!  I thought I would post my September Paper Pumpkin projects, since Halloween is right around the corner!  The kit included 6 little burlap bags, a stampin spot, exclusive stamps, tags, sequins, clothespins, black floss and stickers!  The possibilities are endless with these kits, and this one was no exception!
      The top picture I made a chrysanthemum out of black and made a blackberry bliss tag!  I love the way the flower came out!  Secret to making it stay?  Spritz paper scallop with water and then curl.  Nothing is going to squish this flower!!
   The second one I wanted to add a little witches dress using our dress up framelits (now on the clearance rack for $14.99).  Spritzed a little sparkle stuff to give it some jazz!
    The third one I made a little monster out of the scallop punch!  I also made a layout using one of these little guys!  I'll have to post that one next time!
    The fourth one is made the way the kit intended!  So you can see, there is so much you can do with these kits!  Not only that, as a subscriber, you have the opportunity to order past kits for a really good price!  You know, just in case you want to make a bazillion of these little bags for friends and family...  lol
    If you'd like to learn more about Paper Pumpkin, or subscribe, please feel free to contact me at crafty_chick@hotmail.com!
   For now, happy stamping and toodles!

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

More Convention Sample Photos!


   Hi everyone!  I'm posting some more sample board photos for you!  I was amazed at the amount of talent displayed on these boards!  On the above picture, just look at that mushroom!  Can you say A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!  And the Blendabilities Blended bloom card next to it is so pretty!  The twisted box below is awesome!  I've got to figure out how to do one of those...

    I'm totally in love with the little purse!  How stinking cute is that?   I'm also lovin' the stippled blossom card to the right!  I love that stamp set anyway!  The little muslin bag is adorable, and would make a wonderful little favor for a tea party!

   
     
       On this picture, I especially love how she cut out random letters along with the HELLO.  It's just plain cute!!!  One of my favorites has to be the Corner Garden one right next to HELLO.  I love, love, love the white embossed on the espresso, and the one flower embossed and colored in with Calypso Coral (I think!), and then she added the ribbon embellishment to top it off and ground the color!  Awesome!!!
    The fabulous work of art card is so pretty!  I couldn't get close enough to figure out how she did it, but I think she used our colored embossing powder on the espresso.  I love the contrast (I'm a big lover of contrast), and the simple beauty of this card.  Gonna have to try this for sure!  Oh, and listen to me, saying it was a SHE who made this, it could have easily been one of our very talented MALE demonstrators.  My apologies!!!
    I hope these inspire you to sit down soon and create something fantastic!  Happy stamping!  Toodles!

Monday, July 28, 2014

Convention 2014! We made Shelly's Blog!


  Hi everyone!  Imagine our surprise when we saw this picture while scrolling through Shelly's blog!  I've got my eyes closed (must've blinked), but wow!!!  We were at one of the Master Classes one evening, playing with water coloring and a new kit in our upcoming Holiday catalog (sshhh)!  Great fun!  I'll post some sample boards below for you to check out, too!

    Check out the adorable turtle made using the hamburger box die!!! 


 Here's a little Christmas in July for you!! 
 

 These two boards used our wonderful DSP line Park Lane!  I love that paper so much!  Mainly because it's got a lot of blackberry bliss in it, and I love love love that new color!!  Check out the gorgeous pine cone (top left of bottom photo).

    Hope you enjoyed this little peek... I'll be posting more later!  Hope these inspire you to create your own little works of art (heart!).  Happy Stamping and toodles!

Thursday, July 24, 2014

New Use for Project Life Stampin' Up! pens!





   Hi everyone!  Things are slowly getting back to normal around here!  Two months of company sure threw things in a tizzy around here, but I wouldn't have it any other way!  Today I'm posting some pictures that made a huge impression on me at Demonstrator Theater at Stampin' Up! Convention 2014.  I was totally mesmerized watching just how stinking easy this is, and then how stunning it turns out!
   It's our Blended Bloom stamp #135906, $11.95, and our Project Life Stampin' Up! journaling pens, #135304, $4.95 for two. 
    The top technique uses the 01 pen, and you just create lines that criss cross to create the thatched look.  The second technique uses the 01 for the inside lines, and basically you start from the bottom of the petal, and "flick" your pen upwards toward the center.  Repeat from the top of the petal, flicking downwards.  Using the 05 pen, add heavier lines where desired, and voila'!  Stunning! 
    The bottom technique is like the ever popular zentangle!  Basically, just fill in each petal with any desired pattern or shape!  Add a little of the lightest blendability Smoky Slate around the outside to give the bloom some depth, mount and you have an extra-special one-of-a-kind card for a dear friend or relative!
    I hope you give this a try with some of our other stamps as well!  I've been playing, so be on the lookout for some of my own projects using this technique!  Happy Stamping!  Toodles!

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Dazzling Divas at SU Convention 2014


    Hi everyone!  Back from an exciting and non-stop 4 days at Stampin' Up's Convention 2014!  This is a picture of my upline, Vicky Kahlandt and I with a wall of beautiful paper flowers behind us!  I'm so grateful to have her both as a friend, and my upline!

    I learned quite a bit this year, including some new techniques that I cannot wait to try out and then teach you!  You are going to absolutely love some of them!  Be sure to check out my Pinterest Board Convention 2014 for pictures of the sample boards and some of the beautiful swaps I got in return!  Had a wonderful time meeting new people and seeing some from last year!  It's truly a wonderful family of stampers that come together each year!


    Tonight, I'm posting a picture of a card we made in our Monday card class at the Senior Center last week.  I used Marina Mist and Whisper White as the two main colors.  I embossed half of the white with the retired script folder and the bottom half with the lace border from Delicate Designs.  I used a strip of Marina Mist DSP to separate the two, and added three pearls for accent.  Using the Flowershop stamp set, I stamped two flowers and punched them out.  Then, using the new Beautiful Bunch set and the new Blossom punch, I stamped one of those.  It's really nice how the two sets are coordinated!  Using an old fern blossom punch (non- SU), I added three branches in whisper white.  Mount on a piece of Marina Mist 4 1/8 x 5 3/8, and then mount on your card base.  I purposefully left off a sentiment because I liked the simplicity of the card without it.

     I hope you like this card and give it a try.  It's very elegant looking without much effort!  The ladies loved it, and I will probably make more using different colors and flower combinations!  If you would like to order anything, please look me up on the Stampin' Up DBWS website!  When I learn how to do links, it will be posted!!

   Have a great day, and happy stamping!  Toodles!

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Hello There!



     Hi!  Just a quick CASED card off Pinterest... I really have to start writing down who made the original!

   I changed it up a bit... wanted to add a bit of Gorgeous Grunge along with the Work of Art.  I actually used this for a Monday card class, and it was a hit!  The colors are basic gray, pistachio pudding, crushed curry, lost lagoon and strawberry slush.  I haven't done a lot of one layer cards, but after this one, I'm hooked!  I'm still a frilly card girl, but I know I need to try different things!
   
    Convention is this week... oh my gawsh, I am so stinking excited!  Of course, I haven't had time to make swaps, but I can hardly wait to meet new people and see what they've been up to!  I'll have plenty of pictures to post when I'm done, so there will be no loss for blog post ideas!

    So, have a great week, give one layer cards a try, you'll love them for their simplicity!  Happy stamping and as always, Toodles!

Missing in Action!

  
 My grandson Beckett made his first card in Gramma's card class!  He's so proud of it!

 My mom helping Beckett and my granddaughter, Piper making their cards!

Four generation picture!  My daughter Sophia, my sweet mommy, me, and Piper and Beckett!

    What a crazy summer it's been, and Convention isn't even here yet!  I've already driven to Washington for my niece's graduation, picked up my mom, brought her back with me for an extended visit.  Then two weeks later, on July 4th, my daughter and grandkids arrived for a three week visit!  Can you say full house?
    It's been amazing having the incredible sound of giggles and full out laughter from little kids in our home again!  Grandchildren are truly a special blessing!  (I don't even mind the little piles of toys and play-doh crumbs on the floor!)  I'm usually right there playing with it too, so Grandma's just as guilty there!
     I've got lot's of cards to post, and promise to get right back on it!

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Polka Dot Pieces



    Hello!  Can I just say I love this stamp set?!  For a long time, plaid was my weakness.  Now, I think it might be polka dots!  Although, a really nice plaid gets me every time!
    This set is amazingly versatile!  I love everything about it!  I saw a card like this on Pinterest, and just had to CASE it!!!
    The colors I went with this time were Melon Mambo, Gumball Green (I know it's retired, but I still have some to use up!!), and Whisper white!  I also used a retired punch, but darnit, it's just too cute to NOT use ever again!!
    I made this card for my Monday card class, and it was a huge hit!  If not for making 20 kits, I could've added some rhinestones on the scalloped edge border for some more bling.  I'm thinking a tiny silver ribbon and bow would look nice going across the DSP, behind the flower piece.  But, then again, simple is always good.
    I have a hard time doing simple sometimes, but it's also very easy to over-do a card.  I guess the best thing would be to think about the recipient.  i.e., do they like flourishy things?  Or do they prefer clean and simple things?  When I'm making a card for someone, I try and think about what would really wow them when they open the envelope, and that includes style as much as color and theme!  So the next time you sit down to create a card for someone special, try and think of more than one way to wow them!
    I hope you enjoyed this little cutie!  I'm actually thinking a set of them, in different colors would make an awesome gift for someone!!
    Happy stamping!  Toodles!

Monday, June 16, 2014

Graduation time!



   Hi everyone!  I am finally back from my trip up to Washington state for my niece's graduation!  It sure is a long drive, and it doesn't get any easier the older you get!  I remember making the whole trip in one go 7 years ago.  Not anymore.  I'm good for about 8 hours of driving, give or take.  Thank goodness for good CD's (with lots of Rob Thomas) to sing to!  Plus, a special thank goodness because no one can hear how horribly out of tune I can get!
     I do have to mention that I waited a day to leave just so I could get my demonstrator order; and yes, I took it all with me.  I'm that pitiful.  But so glad I did, because while up there, I created this little ditty!  I am loving the new star stamps and framelits!
    The colors are Blackberry Bliss and Hello Honey with whisper white.  I used the wooden cutout from one of my paper pumpkins, along with a bit of the envelope liner (gold).
     Here is an important tip about inking these little wooden shapes... especially with a new and very juicy ink pad.  LET IT DRY FOR 24 or more hours!  Everyone at the graduation party had purple/pink fingers and my sister put a wonderful, but permanent finger print on the front of the card!  I inked it right from the pad of Blackberry, so it's really dark!   If I would've had my glitter spray, I would've sprayed it with that, which would've probably sealed it!
     I also used the little sticky backed gold glitter circles to add some bling!  Her school colors are purple and gold, so it was perfect for her!  The polka dot paper is from the Moonlight pad that sells for $6.95.
     I'd also like to note the versatility of the Paper Pumpkin kits that come to your door once a month!  It is such an amazing value, and they provide a means for anyone to create something awesome and amazing!   I'll talk about this in an upcoming blog post, so stay tuned!
      I've brought my mom back with me for a visit, so the next month should be very eventful, because my sweet grand babies are also coming on July 4th!  And then it's convention... oh my!  Life is wonderful, you know?
    Happy creating!  Toodles!~

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Who doesn't love a moose?!


    Hi everyone!  Hope you're all having a wonderful day!  Today is 'hump' day, but we're celebrating with a Moose instead of a camel!  Although... if you look at a moose, he kind of has a hump on his shoulders...  Never mind my musings, on with the card!
     For this little card, I used the lint roller technique again.  Where?  It's on the whisper white, behind the moose.  I cut my white card stock to the size I knew I needed, and then applied SOFT SKY to the upper portion of the square.  Then I flipped my lint roller over, and loaded some crumb cake on the bottom half.  I could have done the marker on the acrylic block technique, but I wanted it to be more subtle than that.  I also wanted all the beautiful line work in the moose to stand out front and center.
     I stamped him in EARLY ESPRESSO, and the Thinking of You as well.  I used SOFT SKY to mount the argyle paper (from my stash... I think it's Basic Grey).  I also embossed a piece of SOFT SKY 1 1/4 x 5 with our wood grain folder and put 3 tiny silver brads off to the left to add a bit of 'manly' bling.
    The moose masterpiece is mounted on a square of EARLY ESPRESSO.  (The measurements of the layers are 3 x 3 and 3 1/8 x 3 1/8).   I entertained corner chomping the corners, but decided not to, so it was in keeping with the overall design of straight lines and angles.  If you do decide to chomp the corners, then I would suggest doing the same with the card base layers!
     I hope you give this card a try!  He's a beautiful moose and stamps up wonderfully!  Hopefully, my Stampin' Up! order will be here tomorrow and I can play with my new toys!!!  AAAACCKKK... it's so hard waiting!  As you could imagine, I was hopeless back when you had to send your film in by mail order to get it developed!  The waiting was excruciating!   I might have to go stalking UPS trucks tomorrow... Just kidding!
    Happy stamping!  Toodles!

Monday, June 2, 2014

Father's Day #2


    Hi there!  I'm back again with another Father's Day card!  I made three of them for my card class yesterday, and this one has to be my favorite!  Even though the stamp sets are retired, I have a few ladies that l-o-v-e lighthouses!  I still love the En Francais!
     I used the lint roller technique again on this one... crumb cake all over very vanilla.  I stamped the En Francais in soft suede, and the lighthouse in black stazon.  The other part of the base is crumb cake and basic black.  Very simple, but nice look!  Four copper colored brads completes the card.
     I hope this inspires you to drag out some of your favorite retired sets and play with them!  Try combining them with some new ones!  I've placed my demo order from the new catalog, and hopefully I'll get it SOONER rather than later.... I'm excited to play with my new toys!!!  It was very hard choosing, as I wanted it all... I just want more!  Remember the commercial that seemed to air at least once an hour this past winter; the one with the little girl nasally saying she wants more and her parents won't let her have more, but she just wants more...  That would be me.  Minus the nasal tone...  Anyway, patience, Valerie... your more will come... eventually!
   Happy stamping and see you next time!  Toodles

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Just Another Manic Monday!



    Hi everyone!  It's Sunday night, and I cannot believe it, but my 80 card kits are ready for card class tomorrow... my Stamp-A-Stack kits are ready for Stampin' Up club (another 60 kits), catalog and order forms are packed, (and so is the calculator that never seems to find it's way into my bag)!  I'm prepared!!!  Oh my gosh!  Anyone got a calendar so I can document this?
    Of course, for those who know me well, know there is always one tiny thing I forget, no matter how prepared I think I am.  Thank goodness I only live about 5 minutes away...  shhhh... 4, if I'm speeding.
     So, since Father's Day is right around the corner, I had to make a golf themed card for my husband, and thought, hey, why not combine the two!
    While the stamps, card stock and punches are from Stampin' Up, the argyle paper is from my extremely large stash (caused from way too many warehouse sales).  I love how it goes perfectly with our paper!  I used soft sky, gumball green, garden green, chocolate chip, and whisper white.  I know the stamp set is old, but gosh, we just need more men stamps!!!  My husband isn't a hunter, he doesn't fish, and he doesn't like the sea.  But he eats, sleeps, breathes GOLF... so this set it had to be!  I just love the shoes!
    I hope this inspires you to sit down and create something fun for the men/man in your life!  Have a great Monday!  Toodles!

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Lint roller???


  Hi everyone!  It's been hectic as usual around here, but the good news is my grand babies are coming!  Long story short, we've worked it out, and grampa and I couldn't be any happier!  This blog post is the very l-a-t-e Terrific Tip Time... it's about using a LINT ROLLER in place of a brayer.
    The idea came to me early one morning (about 2:00 a.m. I think), when I wanted to try a brayer look, but realized I didn't have one.  So... lightbulb moment... ta dah!  I'll use a lint roller!





    The first thing you need to do is rub it all over your clothes to get most of the sticky stuff off.  The four colors of ink I used for this card are Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Marina Mist and Pear Pizzazz.  The cardstock is Very Vanilla.  For the blue and green piece, start by loading your lint roller with some Marina Mist.  Work on a sheet of waxed paper, and begin rolling the ink onto your paper.  The lines will be softer and leave white bits, which is what I was looking for.  You can choose to add more ink or less, it's your design!  When you're done with the Marina Mist, change the tape on your lint roller to a clean one.  Again, rub on your clothes (you should have spotless clothes by the time you're done with this card!).  Add the Pear Pizzazz to it and start filling in your cardstock to however you would like it.
    With another half sheet of very vanilla, do the very same thing, with another clean lint roller, using crumb cake.  Add small bits of soft suede, so that it looks antiqued.  Do the same thing with a piece of 5 3/8 x 4 1/8 of Marina Mist.  And again to another half sheet of very vanilla (your card base).


   
  I used three stamp sets with this card.  World Map, The Open Sea and our new set Traveler.  I stamped a piece of crumb cake (5 1/4 x 4) with the World Map.  Once done, I ran the crumb cake/soft suede lint roller over it, and then ripped the edges and shaded them with soft suede.  Then I softened up the paper by running my bone folder over it again and again.  I didn't want the wrinkled look, hence no crumbling of paper!
    Then, on a piece of lint rollered vanilla, I stamped the manifest page from The Open Sea in Soft Suede. Tear, shade and distress the edges again.   I also stamped the tiny passport on the same sheet, using the same suede.  The ship was stamped with black stazon on the same vanilla sheet.   Next, stamp the globe from The Open Sea onto the Marina Mist and Pear Pizzazz masterpiece you created!  Cut by hand or circle framelit.
    I used a small piece of burlap ribbon and frayed the edges a little and cut it into a banner shape.  Using linen thread I sewed little "X's" on the left.
   Place your crumb cake piece down first, then the manifest piece.  Next, determine where you want your other three pieces and pop dot those.  I did a little extra fussy cutting on the ship so the globe would show through.
   Last touch was to add some more linen thread and a tiny gold anchor that I found in the jewelry department!  A little sentiment at the bottom would look nice but I don't think it's necessary.
    This card took me about an hour, which isn't bad when you're making a card for that special someone!  And Father's Day is right around the corner!  Happy stamping, and happy rolling!!  LOL!  Toodles

Monday, May 26, 2014

Try a little tenderness...


    Happy Memorial Day everyone. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all those men and women who have served our great country, including my Grandfather, my Father, my Husband, and my son-in-law.  We are a very proud military family (I served myself for 4.5 years), and I wouldn't change a thing!  
     I wanted to mark today's solemness with a couple of sympathy cards.  The first one is done in Wisteria Wonder, Basic Gray and Whisper white.  I love the simplicity of this tree.  I chose to add some pearls along the punched border instead of in the tree as I've seen in other cards.  A simple punched Praying for You and a neat knot bow finishes it off nicely.  I did use an Anna Griffin embossing folder... I just wanted a floral background.  The rest is all Stampin' Up! though!


   This next card is done with black, whisper white and wild wasabi.  I used some ribbon I'd gotten on the clearance rack (love it!).  The stamp set is Serene Silhouettes and Teeny Tiny Wishes.  Three tiny pearls add a little shuzzhh (a British term I picked up while living in England for 7 years)!  The embossing folder is our Fancy Fan one!

    The neat thing about these two cards is that you can change the sentiments and have two completely different cards!  Experiment by changing out the stamped images as well to come up with completely different cards!  The possibilities are endless with these simple layouts.   I hope you enjoyed these, and they inspire you to create your own 'works of art'!
   
     Until next time, toodles!

Friday, May 23, 2014

You're "Sew" Special!



    Happy Friday everyone!  Whoo hoo!!  Time for the weekend, and possibly a meteor shower tonight, clouds permitting!  Today I'm sharing a card I CASED off of Pinterest; but I changed the papers.  I had some retired Stampin' Up! DSP that I thought reminded me of retro quilt fabric.  I cut them into half inch strips, and the middle square is 1 1/4.  To start, take a white piece of paper cut at 4 x 5 1/4.  Eyeball the square and adhere it to the middle of your card.  Take your first strip (in my case the poppy) and lay it next to the square, edges flush.  Adhere, and trim off the edge.  Turn your card counter-clockwise, and lay another poppy strip flat edge to flat edge.  Trim off excess .  Repeat until you have the first 4 strips laid.  Continue going around and around like this until your whole white piece of paper is covered up.
      When you're finished with that, choose an embossing folder that gives the look of quilted lines (I used the Modern Mosaic one.), and emboss.  Mount on a coordinating colored back (4 1/8 x 5 3/8).  Make a simple border strip in whisper white, and add a strip of ribbon with a knot bow.  Add a few buttons or whatever you have available to keep it in the 'sewing' theme!  If you're really feeling the 'sewing' theme, do a little machine stitching or hand stitching as well!
    I chose not to add a sentiment, but a small one using the word window punch would look cute on the bottom right.  Especially now that starting June 2nd you'll be able to get your hands on an alphabet wheel, so you can customize your sentiments even more!  It's item # 133769;  it's $14.95; and it has space for 13 characters!
   Hope you enjoyed this little card.  I fell in love with it when I first saw it!  It looks harder than it actually is, so whoever is the recipient is going to think you slaved for hours making it!!!    Have a great weekend, and see you next week!  Don't forget to check back  for Tuesday's Terrific Tip!  Toodles!!

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Where does the time go?


   Hi everyone!  I could have sworn that today was Wednesday... but nope... so I'm a day late with this post!  I hope you all are keeping better track of time than me!  
    Today I'm posting a project that uses our new Blackberry Bliss color... can I just say that I LOVE THIS COLOR!  (no, I'm not yelling, I'm just excited!)  I created my own DSP by stamping Stippled Blossoms with Blackberry Bliss on whisper white; and then cut a circle using my circle framelits.  I also cut one the next size up of the Blackberry for the mat.  Cut them in half and layer, then place on a piece of whisper white that you have embossed (this particular folder isn't Stampin Up, but it's one of my Monday Senior card class ladies favorites).
     I stamped one of the images from Serene Silhouettes in Mossy Meadow and rounded two of the edges to give it a little wow factor.  I also matted it on some Mossy Meadow paper.  Add a few pearls, and use dimensionals to pop it up a bit.  Add a butterfly using the butterfly punch and Papillion Potpourri stamp set.  She deserves a few pearls too!  Add a small knot of Blackberry Bliss ribbon, and voila'!
    I hope you enjoy this little project!  I'll post another one tomorrow, since I'm behind a bit!  Have a good day!  Toodles

Monday, May 19, 2014

It's Monday! Yippee-Skippee!



    Happy Monday everyone!  Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  My husband got a new phone this weekend, so he hands it to me so I can look at it, and the very first thing I do is hit the FACE TIME button to call my grand kids!  Omgosh, that is a-w-e-s-o-m-e!  We skype, but this is so much better!  Yes, I love my grand babies and miss them so very much!
     Today's card is inspired off of one I'd seen on Pinterest (cannot remember the name of the designer!).  For my card, I chose to use the new Moonlight 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 pad in the upcoming new catalog!  I also used  Lost Lagoon and Hello Honey (new In-colors).  The neutrals are Basic Gray and Whisper White.

TERRIFIC TIP TIME:
    I do have a tip for cutting hexagons with our punch!  So you don't waste paper unnecessarily, start by punching half of a hexagon on the bottom right side of your sheet.  Then, line up your punch to punch a full one UP and to the LEFT of it.  Keep going with half, full, half, full until you've gone across the paper.  You should now be able to line your punch up for maximum hexagons with little or no wastage!  And for cards like this one, save those little scraps because you never know when you're going to need one to stick somewhere to fill a gap!

    I hope you enjoyed this edition of Terrific Tip Time.  I'm going to try and incorporate them into my blog posts at least once a week!  Happy creating, and toodles!!

Friday, May 16, 2014

Blackberry Bliss, oh my!



    It's Friday!  Whooeee!!!  Okay, I don't know if you've checked out the new colors we have, but can you say OH MY GOSH!  I am loving them!!
     Blackberry Bliss, Hello Honey, Lost Lagoon, Mossy Meadow and Tangelo Twist...  They are so rich and saturated, and just plain beautiful!  I am having so much fun playing with them, and I can't wait to post all the projects I've got done and the ones still in my head!
    For this card, I used our new Moonlight 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 pad (love these!).  Double sided heaven!  I used Sahara Sand as my neutral, and just had to make my favorite color combination (purple and yellow) with the blackberry bliss and hello honey!  The pinwheel is made with 1 1/4 squares, opposite corners rounded, and cut in half from point to point.  Assemble on a 1 inch circle.  Top with hello honey 1 inch circle, and then a 7/8 scallop punch of blackberry!  Top with a teeny bow of our vanilla and gold twine!
   I added some of the new 2014-2016 in color ribbon (it's gorgeous), and a tiny bit of bling with a gold punched star!  Easy-peasy, lemon squeezy!  This card literally goes together in like 10 minutes!
    I hope you enjoy it and give it a try!  Toodles!

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Bon Voyage!



   Happy Wednesday everyone!  It's hump day!  I thought I would post a card I made with one of my favorite NEW stamp sets and one of my favorite OLD stamp sets!  The new one is Traveler; 134513 Clear, $19.95!  It's got amazing line work, and stamps beautifully!  The OLD stamp is the World Map, 130345 Clear, $13.95.
    I used Sahara Sand, Whisper White and our lovely new Lost Lagoon!  It's a very simple card, and I didn't put a sentiment on the outside because I thought it would detract from the beauty of the stamps.  Plus, this way you can make it any occasion you need it for!
   I hope this inspires you to create something awesome!  If you're interested in ordering, let me know!
   Toodles!

Monday, May 12, 2014

Oh Look! It's Blendabilities!



   Happy belated Mother's Day to all you mommies out there!  I hope you all had a wonderful day!   I thought I would share with you today our new Blendabilities from Stampin' Up! Having had bad luck with "other" alcohol markers on the market, I was a little nervous at first, to even try them; even though I love, love, love to color with crayons!  I actually used to have the whole 64 box of crayons memorized!  I still miss Lemon Yellow...  Anyway....
    I decided to give them a try, and well... I'm hooked!  My downline came over and we played for almost 2 hours coloring with every color I had pre-ordered!  They are amazing to use, they blend extremely well, and they feel very comfortable in your hand.  I do have to note that you will need to use Memento Ink to stamp your image, because you can't mix alcohol and alcohol (i.e., Stazon with Alcohol markers).  Just like you can't use the Memento with our normal markers because you will get the dreaded 'bleeding' effect.
     That all being said, I cannot wait to get my hands on all of our other colors and I'm hoping that they come out with a Blendability set for every stamp/ink color we have!  Here are a few more pictures of some of what we played with!
      This is the Pumpkin Pie set with the Cherry Cobbler center:
             This is the Old Olive set with a Pumpkin Pie center:
            This is the Coastal Cabana set with a Daffodil Delight center:
           This is the Rich Razzleberry set with our Fleshtone center:
     

       My favorite one has to be the Coastal Cabana, followed by Cherry Cobbler!  I hope you've enjoyed a little sneak peak into the newest addition to our Stampin' Up! marker family!  Don't be afraid to try them, and they are considerably less expensive than others found on the market (which I've tried), and I love these so much more!  No more guessing which color is going to go with which color.  Each set is ONE color... the normal shade of it, a darker shade, and a lighter shade.  No guesswork, no boo boos.  And... it matches the cardstock!  And... the inks!  What more could you ask for?  So, now that you know about them, how many sets can I put you down for?!!