I finally had the opportunity to ink up a stamp I've had on my shelf for awhile  - the Just Thinking (#129940) stamp.  It's not often that I leave a stamp un-inked, but this one got over-looked.  It was time to put it to use!  Coupled with the paper from the Parker's Patterns Designer Series Paper (#131021), I was able to keep this card gender neutral.  The Cherry Cobbler paper, ink and seam binding give it a nice coordinated look and a "pop" from the base of the card.

To add a little texture, I used the Fancy Fan embossing folder (#127751) and the Big Shot.  This is one of my favorite embossing folders and complements most stamped images beautifully.

One of the great features of this stamp is that is coordinates with the Window Frame Framelits (#129021).  Framelits take the hassle out of cutting images and create perfect die-cut elements. 

And finally, what's a great card without a little 3-D?  I added an antique brad and some pearls to add a bit of dimension. Quick. Easy. Simple.

So, what stamp or embellishment have you neglected lately?  I encourage to get it out and use it! 

Happy Stamping!

I've had to restrict my time on Pinterest because like so many other inspirational websites, this one can consume HOURS of my time without me realizing it. However, the flip side to that is that I come across fantastic ideas!  The papercrafting ideas are limitless.  Some are over the top and some are more subtle. 

My card today is a case (copy and share everything) from Pinterest on the more subtle side.  I loved the clean, simple look of this card. This was made for my friend and demonstrator, Cassandra.  I typically like a lot of embellishments and layers, but I was drawn to the simplicity of this.  The white on white with just a touch of color is always a classy look.

The flower image is from the  beautiful Summer Silhouettes stamp set and the sentiment is from Bring on the Cake, a huge 13 piece word set dedicated especially for birthdays.  Between these two sets, endless birthday cards can be made.  Like the splash of color?  That's Raspberry Ripple, a new In Color. SO pretty!

Happy Birthday, Cassandra! 

And, as promised yesterday, I have a very special Kelley Creation to show you.  If you are new to my blog, a Kelley Creation is a one-of-a-kind fabric delight created by my dear friend Kelley Banducci.  In addition to stamping, Kelley rocks the sewing machine by creating beautiful and functional fabric projects using Stampin' Up! fabric and accessories. Check out her latest creation:

Isn't this fantastic?  I LOVE it!

The fabric used on the checkbook cover is Summer Smooches fabric (#125411).  It's so playful and fun.  Notice the fabulous flower on the front?  She created it using theFun Flower Bigz Die (#121812).  (Yes, Big Shot dies cut fabric too!)

Like the products you see here?  Visit my online store...and don't forget the Clearance Rack!

Thanks for visiting!

During the Stampin' Up! convention, Shelli, Stampin' Up!'s co-founder, presented a card she made with the Friendship Preserves stamp set (#127912 C #127910 W) and Window Frames Framelits (#129021).  What I loved most about the card was the interesting card fold and knew I wanted to re-create it.

Here is Shelli's version:

Here's my version of it:

I love the colors in the new Orchard Harvest designer paper (#126895), especially the striped paper.  The rich colors are so soothing to me!  I used the striped paper as my guide to the colors of the rest of the card.  Never in a million years would I have put Island Indigo and More Mustard together, but paired with that striped paper, it looks great!

Interested in making this card?  Here's how I did it:

The base of the card is a 4 x 5.5" piece of Crumb Cake.  It is specifically cut at 4" because the striped framelit hangs over the card by .25" so you need to make sure it will fit in an A2 envelope.  By reducing the card base, it will fit perfectly.

There are six sizes of Window Frames framelits (#129021) in one pack, ranging from small to large.  The Indigo and Mustard frames were created by using the two largest framelits.  The striped and sentiment were created by using 2nd and 3rd smallest.

On the Indigo and Mustard frame, score at 1".  It's the 1" piece that folds behind the card and is secured in the back.  Once the frames are secured, you will likely want to use either another piece of card stock or something else to cover up the back of the card.

It's a fun and easy card to put together and it's interesting too!  Have questions?  Please contact me.

It's August 1st and you know what that means, right?  It's the start of the Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini Catalog!  This 39 page holiday delight is loaded with fresh holiday products and ideas.  In my 10 years as a demostrator, this catalog, is by far the best one yet!

View the 2012 Holiday Mini Catalog

The ornament on the cover of the catalog is all the rage right now!  I had the pleasure of playing with paper with my friend and team member, Cassandra, and we had a blast making our own version of this awesome project.  It uses the Ornament Keepsakes stamp set (#128051 C, #128048 W) and the Holiday Ornaments framelits (#127816). Take a look:

These ornaments feature a number of fantastic, new products in the catalog.  New Big Shot dies, new designer paper, brushed bronze buttons, tulle and more! The possibilities are endless!  The framelits make these SO easy to create.  And, to make things even easier, Stampin' Up! is sweetening the pot by bundling the stamps and the framelits together at a discounted price!  By purchasing the Ornament Keepsakes Bundle, you'll save over 15%!! 

Ready to get your bundle?  Enter my online store here and get yours today!  Clear-mount bundle: 129950, Wood-mount bundle: 129949

Don't have a holiday mini catalog?  Contact me today to get your copy.

I've enjoyed several weeks of back-to-back vacations, one of which included 5 days in Salt Lake City at the 2012 Stampin' Up! convention.  With my bags finally unpacked and laundry put away, I am finally getting back to my routine again.  I love vacations, but I love being home too.

I had a great time at convention and met up with old friends and new.  Swapping card fronts, classes and product demonstrations - it was a great time.  Here are a couple of my swaps that I exchanged for some really cute cards:

This card features the stamp set Happy Youwhich is a hostess set in the 2012-2013 Stampin' Up! catalog.  It has 8 really cute, whimsical images that are fun to color with any medium.

My next card uses the Stippled Blossoms stamp set - a two-step stamping set that, in my opinion, is so beautiful.  It also features the new Finishing Touches Edgelits for the Big Shot:

 I also swapped a 3-D item that I will post tomorrow with directions.  Be sure to come back so you can see how it easy it is to make easy items with Stampin' Up!'s fabric!

Part of the order that arrived on my doorstep last night was my demonstrator pre-order products.  Woo Hoo!  Can I just tell you how much I love new crafting products?  Stampin' Up! never lets me down. 

Available to the public on April 1st, one of my favorite new products is a Big Shot die called Petite Purse.  It's adorable!  Perfect size for a table favor or as a little surprise for someone special. 

Also new in my crafting stash is new designer paper called Summer Smooches.  The colors are fantastic!  Bright, bold and fresh...just in time for Spring.  The mini purse pictured above showcases some of the new paper.

I have a few more new products to show you over the next few days.  Really cute stuff! 

In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your weekend!

I'm finishing up some Halloween projects this weekend and getting ready for my Fall stamp camp on Tuesday.  With paper medallions being so incredibly popular now, all of my "stamp campers" will learn how to make the medallion on this Halloween card:

 
There are a few products on this card that are retired, but one item that I thought was no longer IS still available.  See that bat on the card?  Well, the bat punch actually retired when the new catalog came out in July, but guess what?  New items are in the Clearance section and the bat punch is there!!  And, oh my, is it every priced right.  Can you guess??  It's only $6.99!!   Click here  to go check out all the fantastic items that have been recently added.  Lots of great product to use for the upcoming holidays too!

I am finishing up the tutorial for the candy holder in my last blog post.  I have just a few edits to make before I get it posted.  I'll have it up by the end of the weekend in addition to an adorable "boo banner" made by a dear friend of mine.  Halloween is always so much fun.

Ok, so you thought the new items in the Clearance was exciting, wait til you see this...

If you have ever considered joining my team and the Stampin' Up! family, THIS MONTH is the time to do it.  Take a look at this:

Free Big Shot Offer

An offer to DIE for!

If you've been looking for an opportunity to do what you love, while getting a 20 discount on your favorite products, now is the perfect time! During October, you'll get a FREE Big Shot when you join the Stampin' Up! family as a demonstrator.*

Use the Big Shot die-cutting machine and Stampin' Up!'s exclusive dies**  to create uniquely beautiful projects in a flash.

In addition, the new-demonstrator Starter Kit--a steal at just $175--contains over $345 worth of stamp sets, card stock, ink, accessories, and business supplies-everything you need to start your new business.

There are so many benefits of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, including

• A 20 percent product discount!
• A free monthly issue of Stampin' Up!'s demonstrator-only magazine, Stampin' Success!
• Sneak peeks at brand-new products!
• Invitations to exclusive Stampin' Up! events!
• Regular get-togethers to stamp!
• Free access to an online community of 30,000+ crafters/stampers and creative artists, as well as 160,000+ project samples!
• Plus, access to an exclusive video and training for your new Big Shot!

Seriously, this is one fantastic offer.  Besides all the great product in the starter kit, to get the Big Shot too?  WOW!

If you have questions or just want to talk a few things over, contact me!  Joining Stampin' Up! will be a rewarding experience you won't regret...and I'll be with you every step of the way.  Call me or email today!

Now GO shop the Clearance Rack!

I don't know what it is, but I'm really drawn to the hot air balloon images in the Stampin' Up! 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog.  In fact, one of the new stamps sets I am eagerly waiting to receive is Up,up and away - a set that features several hot air balloons and sentiments.  I can't wait to get my hands on it!  In the meantime, this balloon image is from the Ain't Love Grand hostess set - equally cute and equally fun to use.

 
I've used a technique on this card called inlaid embossing.  It uses the Big Shot and the Square Lattice embossing folder. If you are familiar with the technique of inlaying in other genres, you know that to inlay you are embedding pieces of contrasting or different colored material into your project. That is, in essence, what we are doing with our card.  The clouds, made from Whisper White card stock, are inlaid into the Bashful Blue card stock which represents my sky. Here's the really fun part of this card.  Can you guess what the clouds are made of?  The frosting on the cupcake punch!  They are perfect clouds! Take a look:

 Isn't that clever? They are even proportionately correct to the hot air balloon! I love when these things fall together so easily.  If you haven't tried the inlaid embossing technique, I encourage you to try it.  It's quick, easy and a great addition to any card or scrapbook page.

Are you ready to give it a try?  Click here to visit my on line store.  Listed at the end of this post are the products and the item #'s that I used for this card.

Are you interested in Stampin' Up! products and don't have a demonstrator? Contact me at: [email protected] .  I would love to help you find the products you have interest in and maybe even a few you didn't know you needed to have :)

Have a great day!

 
Card Recipe:

Stamps: Ain't Love Grand (#122507 clear), Happy Greetings (#123313 clear)

Ink:Real Red (#103133), Black Stazon (#101406), various markers

Paper: Crumb Cake (#120953 ), Real Red (#102482 ), Bashful Blue (#105120 ), Whisper White (#100730 )

Accessories: Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder (# 117335), Square Lattice embossing folder (#119976), Big Shot machine: (#113439), Cupcake Builder punch (#121807), Owl Builder punch - the small heart (#118074), gold brad (#104337), Real Red 5/8" Satin Ribbon (#117286)

No, I'm not going anywhere, but the 2010-2011 Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog is.  Today is the last day to purchase products from that catalog.  All retiring stamps and accessories are available only through the end of the day. For a complete list of last chance items, please refer to the links on the right side bar. Click here to visit my on-line store.

While I'm sad to see some of my favorite things go I am excited about the new products in the 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog...and you will be too! Just a bit of housekeeping before I show you today's project.  My online store and demonstrator website will be down for maintenance on July 1st from 7am to noon (MT).  This will allow all the new catalog information to be updated.  The store will be back in business 2PM (EST)!  I will also be updating my blog with new information over the weekend too, to include access to the catalog on-line.  And finally, if you want need a new catalog, please let me know.  I will make arrangements with locals for a pick-up.  If you are not in the Central FL area, I ask you pay the $4.95 priority shipping cost (US residents only).

Ok, on to today's project.  This is a continuation from my previous post - all about pretty packaging. 

I already had my sewing machine out and I had some "fun" fabric laying out so I grabbed my Island Floral die (#118871) and Big Shot machine (#113439) and cut out this flower and petals.  I really like this fabric and the bright, bold colors are eye-catching.

The flower is adhered to the box with mini glue dots and the box itself is another Big Shot die called Box #2 (#114518).  In order to match the blue color on the fabric, I  used some retired card stock (do you remember Brilliant Blue??).  The corduroy brad is also retired but available in the Clearance Rack section of my online store.  (There are some GREAT bargins in the Clearance Rack section - you need to check them out!).  And to tie things up, I used 5/8" Real Red grosgrain ribbon - which, by the way, is also retiring as of today. To add that final, personal touch, I added two sentiments from the Tiny Tags stamp set (#118592) and punched them out using the Jewelry tag punch (#117190) and wrapped them around the brad using white Baker's Twine (#124262).  To make this projects from beginning to end took less 20 minutes including the flower!

I encourage you to break out alternative materials and try them with your Big Shot.  You won't be disappointed.  Wait...what?  You don't have a Big Shot?? Luckily, I can help you with that too!

Thank you for visiting.  See you next time with a brand new catalog!!

It's been a long time coming, but we finally made it - the last installment of my Ain't Love Grand showcase. I hope you have enjoyed seeing the great images available in this soon-to-be-released set. I have definitely had fun playing with this set and so will you!  I highly recommend adding this set to your stamping arsenal.

Without further ado...

The layout is very simple.  I kept it simple because the designer paper is a little busy.  Much like yesterday's post, this card uses fabulous dsp that will be making it's exit on Friday. The Celebrations DSP is/was so versatile and gender friendly.  Hurry...you have until June 30th to call it your own.

Do you see that scalloped circle behind the main image?  It's new - it's part of a new Big Shot die called Perfect Pennants. It has five pieces and oh so many possibilities!  Look for it in the new catalog (page 221).  The rest of the card recipe is below.

So, do you remember my sneak peak from yesterday?  You have to come back tomorrow to see what I have been working on for the last 4 days straight.  Let's just say I'm a bit obsessed at the moment.  Here's another little peak...

See ya tomorrow!

Card recipe:

Stamps: Ain't Love Grand; Ink: Basic Black and various markers; Paper: Pacific Point, Real Red, Whisper White, Celebrations DSP; Accessories: Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Big Shot, Perfect Pennants die, scalloped edge punch, circle scissors plus.