Old, New, and Idea Room

Yesterday, we went on a tour of the Stampin' Up! facility in Riverton, Utah. I was so tired at the end of the day that I didn't even post to my blog; sorry! I took this photo while on the tour. The catalog shown is twenty years old! It's the very first Stampin' Up! catalog. This convention is celebrating twenty years of Stampin' Up!

Ta Dah! This is this year's catalog which will be available on August 11th. I will be having a Sneaky Peek Open House on August 8th though. The orders won't go in until the 11th. I LOVE the new sets and accessories!! I can't wait to demonstrate them! ALL of the new sets are die cut which makes it so much easier to mount the stamps. I'm going to have a Stamp Camp the end of August, so I hope to get to order some new stamps to use for that. You should see all the great new Hostess Sets! It pays to belong to a club or have your own workshop to earn them!!

During the tour, we visited the "Idea Room". There's a part of it that has three walls that are floor-to-ceiling dry erase boards. They gave us dry erase markers and let us leave our messages!

Here's a photo if what I wrote! Did I put Fernley, Nevada, on the map? LOL! We've had such a great time at this convention and there's still so much in store for us. We went to two classes today plus a Demonstrator Theater. We're back at the hotel for some down time and to change clothes for tonight's Awards Night and Entertainment. Wow! What a full schedule they've had for us! Maybe I'll post some photos of the beautiful cards on display if I can find time tomorrow! Thanks for stopping by!

Dinner With Friends

As promised, I'm posting a little blurp each evening while I'm at the Stampin' Up Convention. Tonight was when most of us flew in and got our hotel rooms. These ladies are all from Virginia and are mostly my sidelines. The blonde lady in the back is Carolyn, my 4th level upline. We met and went to Olive Garden for dinner. I was glad to get to know some of my sidelines and to finally meet Carolyn. She's been my Stampin' Up! inspiration! We had a wonderful time. We had a nice dinner! We were all just like a bunch of old friends even though this was the first time I've ever met any of them! Tomorrow is the first day of convention. I can't wait! We get our convention bags with the new catalog and three new stamp sets! It will be great! I think tomorrow is the day we go on the tour of the Stampin' Up! facility in Riverton, Utah. I'll let you know how the day went tomorrow night.

Enjoy (Convention Swap)

I'm in my hotel room in Salt Lake City having a little down time. There are SU! Demos EVERYWHERE!!! I sat with a demo from Reno on the plane, and the airport shuttle had 10 of us that needed to get to various hotels. This is going to be fun!!! I got my laptop running on the hotel's wireless network and remembered that I never uploaded one of my convention swaps; so, I got out my trusty camera, went into the bathroom where there's plenty of light and took this picture of my swap card. The card is in a transparent envelope. That's why it's shiny. It's sitting in the soap dish in the corner between two mirrors. It's not the greatest photo, but it will have to do! The "Enjoy" was stamped with Versamark and then with Pink Passion and then embossed with Clear Embossing Powder. The shine from the envelope takes away from the shine from those letters. I only made six of these, partly because I ran out of time, and also because I really didn't like how this card turned out! Oh well, they can't all be gems! LOL!

• Stamps: Enjoy Every Moment
• Papers: Pink Passion, Basic Black, Whisper White
• Ink: Versamark, Pink Passion
• Accessories: Clear EP, Basic Black GG Ribbon, 3-4-U and Double Rectangle Punches, Brad

Thanks for visiting today. I'll try to keep blogging while I'm at the convention if I can find the time.

Kind Word (Convention Swap)

I'm signed up for the Wow Swap for convention along with 149 other people! I'm only making 30 cards. Some people are making 100 or more! I just don't have the time. Anyway. it's supposed to be a card that a person would say "Wow!" when they see it. I think that water coloring usually is pretty impressive. I showed this to my hubby who said, "I think it's really pretty." From him, that's a wow! LOL! I used the new In-Colors: Riding Hood Red and Pink Pirouette, along with water color paper. The designer paper is the new Bella Rose and I also used the new Scallop Border Punch. The ribbon is Very Vanilla Taffeta. I hope this passes muster on Friday morning!

• Stamps: Serene Spring (Level 2 Hostess Set)
• Papers: Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, Water Color Paper
• Ink: Black Stazon
• Accessories: WCW Crayons, Aqua Painter, Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon, Scallop Border Punch

Thanks for stopping by! I might post from convention but there won't be photos.

Friend (FS77)

I didn't upload anything yesterday because I didn't make a card! Imagine that! I was on my second day of a two-day Stamp Camp, and when it was over, I was just too exhausted to do anything. There won't be much uploading done around here until next Sunday night when I get home from the Stampin' Up! Convention. I'll probably have a card or two from convention I can upload when I get back.

Today is Featured Stamper day. Julia (artystamper) is our featured stamper this week. What a great choice! I've admired Julia's work for some time now. Hey, Julia, I know you tagged me back in March, and I didn't participate. I'm sorry about that, but I just got so busy, I just didn't have the time!!! Congratulations on being chosen for the Featured Stamper!! Julia's card that I chose to CASE (Copy And Show Elsewhere) is shown above. Julia has lots of Bible verse stamps. I like that. I also liked the simplicity of her card which focuses on the verse.

I used a lot of non-SU! supplies on this one. I changed the stamp set and the colors (which includes paper, ink and flowers). My base card is SU! Perfect Plum, and it's layered with DCWV Mat Stack (Pocket Full of Posies) that I got from my Elf for Christmas. I stamped the sentiment from "God's Blessings" with Perfect Plum and sponged with the same ink. I had the yellow flower, but the purple one was originally white; I dyed it with the Perfect Plum ink pad. I added the baby blue brad to the flower center and adhered the flower with a Pop-up Glue Dot.

• Stamps: God's Blessings
• Papers: Perfect Plum, DCWV Mat Stack, Light Blue, Bright Yellow, GP White
• Ink: Perfect Plum
• Accessories: Ticket Corner Punch, Primas, Blue Brad, Pop-up Glue Dot

Thanks for visiting my blog today! I hope to be able to upload a couple of cards before I leave for convention on Tuesday!

Monkey Birthday (LSC178)

Today's Limited Supplies Challenge was really a challenge! It had to have a birthday theme, four or less layers, NO coloring supplies, and the only embellishments allowed were ribbon or cord (I think the thread I used was OK).

I stamped the monkey with Close To Cocoa on Naturals White and paper pieced him with various designer paper scraps. The eyes were punched from Basic Black. The ribbon is Purely Pomegranate Wide Satin Ribbon. I'm still using up my In-Color stuff! The balloon is Pomegranate. The base card is River Rock with the Twill background stamped in Pomegranate ink. The sentiment came from Birthday Whimsy (SAB set). Having to paper piece this little guy took more time than water coloring him, that's for sure!

• Stamps: Sock Monkey, Birthday Whimsy
• Papers: River Rock, Purely Pomegranate, GP White, Basic Black; Afternoon Tea, Ginger Blossom, Rose Red Prints DSP's
• Ink: Purely Pomegranate
• Accessories: Pomegranate Wide Satin Ribbon, Snips, Thread, 1/8" Hole Punch (eyes)

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Negative Cuts (WT176)

Today's Ways To Use It Challenge was to use 'Negative Space'. I created negative space with punches. First I punched the Basic Black panel with the Five-Petal Punch. I popped up the panel over Real Red to emphasize the negative space. I added punched, embossed flowers using the Spring Bouquet Punch (retired). I also added rhinestones to the centers of the embossed flowers and the stamped flowers. I created more negative space at the bottom with the Martha Stewart Doily Lace Border Punch. I lined the front of the card with Real Red card stock. On the inside, I stamped three more flowers from the "Fresh Cuts" set and added the "Thank You" sentiment.

• Stamps: Fresh Cuts
• Papers: Whisper White, Real Red, Basic Black
• Ink: Real Red
• Accessories: Five-Petal Punch, Spring Bouquet Punch (retired), MS Doily Lace Border Punch, Peel-n-stick Rhinestones, Dimensionals

Thanks for visiting my blog today!!!

July Christmas Card (CCC08-July)

I'm so busy with my next Stamp Camp and making convention swaps that I almost forgot to do my July Christmas cards for the Christmas Card Challenge. I only made 10 of these and they were very quick to make. Just mat a piece of Wintergreen designer paper on white; wrap Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon around that and add the knot; stamp the image from "So Many Scallops" (Sale-A-Bration 2008) with Sage Shadow on white card stock; punch out the image with the Scalloped Circle Punch, and then assemble the card using Sage Shadow base card and add a large rhinestone in the center of the snowflake. That's it!

• Stamps: So Many Scallops
• Papers: Sage Shadow, GP White, Wintergreen DSP
• Ink: Sage Shadow
• Accessories: Scallop Circle Punch, WW Taffeta Ribbon, Large Rhinestone, Quick Dry Adhesive, Pop-up Glue Dot

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!!!

Dropping By (SC186)

The photo shown at the right is the Sketch Challenge layout. I really like this one and plan to use it again very soon. I might even use it for one of my swaps for convention!

The base card is from the DCWV Glitter Pack. The horizontal rectangle is from the DCWV Mat Stack "Pocket Full of Posies" that I got from my elf for Christmas. I think I matted it on Lavender Lace, but I'm not sure. It was just a piece of card stock in my scrap basket. The same goes for the matting behind the main image. It was in my scrap basket, and I think it was Cranberry Crisp which was last year's In-Color. The main image is stamped with Stazon Timber Brown on Very Vanilla and then colored with markers. The parachute was colored with the one and only Copic marker that I have. I got that from my ellie during the White Elephant Stampede. The monkey's clothes were colored with SU! markers and I did the polka dots on the parachute with Elegant Eggplant marker. The ribbon is Elegant Eggplant layered on a strip of Wild Wasabi. The hot pick brads came from an assortment of Prima flowers and brads that I got online. It's pretty colorful, isn't it?!!!

• Stamps: Older & Wiser
• Papers: DCWV Glitter Pack, DCWV Mat Stack, Lavender Lace, Cranberry Crisp, Very Vanilla, Wild Wasabi
• Ink: Stazon Timber Brown, Copic Marker, SU! Markers
• Accessories: Elegant Eggplant GG Ribbon, Hot Pink Brads, Dimensionals

Thanks for visiting my blog today!!!

Western Birthday

I made this card for one of my grandsons who will be 13 soon. It is 5-3/8" square. The base card is striped card stock from DCWV's "Nana's Kids". Some of the card stocks have embossing and others have glitter. In fact, each of the little stars on the blue vertical stripes sparkles if you hold it at the right angle. I got a tablet of 48 sheets of really cute patterned card stock as a gift. The main image is stamped, stamped off once, and stamped off twice to get that fading effect. The small stars were stamped with Ruby Red and then punched out with the Small Star Punch. They were layered on larger stars that were punched out of Close To Cocoa card stock with the Large Star Punch.

This card is actually a gift card holder. The photo at right shows the inside of the card. I used a piece of "Western Sky" designer paper, notched the top with the Small Oval Punch, and applied adhesive to the sides and bottom, leaving the top open for the gift card to slide into the pocket. The sentiment is from "Sweet Serendipity."

• Stamps: Wanted, Sweet Serendipity
• Papers: DCWV "Nana's Kids" Pack, non-SU! Tan, Brocade Blue, Western Sky DSP
• Ink: Close To Cocoa, Ruby Red
• Accessories: Small & Large Star Punches, Ticket Corner Punch, Small Oval Punch

Thanks for stopping by today!!!

Seasonal (CC176)

I came to my computer to upload a birthday card I made for my grandson and realized I had not yet posted today's Color Challenge card. That was almost an "Oops!" for me! LOL! I love today's colors, too! We were to use River Rock, Very Vanilla, and Soft Sky. I've used these colors making Surprise Pop-up cards. If you're one of my ladies, you'll remember that! I think we used Naturals White instead of the Very Vanilla though. Either way, I love these colors together. I'm going to miss them! I called this card, "Seasonal," because I used the Seasonal Whimsy stamp set. Doesn't it look soft stamped with River Rock?!!! I used a silver glitter gel pen on the cut out butterfly's dots to give it a little sparkle.

• Stamps: Seasonal Whimsy
• Papers: River Rock, Soft Sky, Very Vanilla
• Ink: River Rock, Soft Sky; Silver Glitter Gel Pen
• Accessories: Cuttlebug Swiss Dots EF, Very Vanilla GG Ribbon, Snips

Heartfelt 20-30-40 (TLC178)

Today's Technique Lover's Challenge was really three challenges in one. It was called "20-30-40" because it was a combination of TLC20, CC30, and SC40. TLC20 was a technique challenge in which the baby wipes technique was used. For that technique, you use ink refills and drop ink onto folded baby wipes. You can pounce, dab, or swirl the inked baby wipe onto Glossy White card stock. I did mine differently. I dropped the ink onto the folded wipe and treated it like a stamp pad. I inked up my stamp on the inked wipe and used the regular Burgundy stamp pad for the second step of the 2-step stamping. CC30 was a Color Challenge to use Bravo Burgundy and Creamy Caramel. I thought that color combo was very masculine, but I wanted to make a feminine card, so I used flower stamps, fancy corner punch, fancy border punch, and ribbon. SC40 was a sketch challenge with a strip on the right hand side of the card with three circles over that. I added the main image panel as well.

• Stamps: Heartfelt Thanks
• Papers: Bravo Burgundy, Creamy Caramel, Glossy White
• Ink: Bravo Burgundy, Creamy Caramel Refills; Bravo Burgundy Classic Stampin' Pad
• Accessories: Freshen Ups Wipes (like baby wipes but meant for adults), Fancy Corner Punch, 1-1/4" and 1-3/8" Circle Punches, Fiskars Elegant Fountain Embossing Border Punch, Creamy Caramel Gingham Ribbon

Thanks for stopping by today!!!

For You (FS76)

Today's Featured Stamper is Susan (susiestampalot). I loved looking through her gallery, and it was hard to chose a card to CASE. The card I chose is shown at left. Look at all those layers! I like lots of layers and using ribbon as an embellishment. Her card sure fits the bill. The changes I made were: 1) Stamps, 2) Ribbons, 3) No brad at the top of the ribbon, and 4) Colors (card stock and designer papers).

This card is 5-3/8" square. The base card is Bashful Blue Textured card stock. The next layer is designer paper that was in a big tablet of about 200 sheets from WalMart. It was a Mother's Day gift. There's a strip of Bashful Blue that is scalloped with SU!'s new Scallop Punch and then I used Old Olive Twill Ribbon over that. The knot is a combination of the twill and some white sheer ribbon. On top of the polka dot designer paper is a rectangle of the plaid paper matted on more Bashful Blue. The main image panel is matted on Old Olive and has a Very Vanilla piece coming down from underneath the bottom. The sentiment is from "Fresh Cuts" and the main image is from a stamping kit from CostCo that I got as a gift a few years ago. The buttons are Soft Subtles and other miscellaneous buttons. This was really a tough one to CASE, but I love Susan's gallery!

• Stamps: CRI Daisey (CostCo), Fresh Cuts (Sentiment)
• Papers: Bashful Blue Textured, GP White, Very Vanilla, WalMart DP
• Ink: Black Stazon, Old Olive Marker
• Accessories: WCW Crayons, Aqua Painter, Ticket Corner Punch, Scallop Border Punch, Old Olive Twill Ribbon, White Sheer Ribbon, Soft Subtles Buttons, Misc. Buttons, Glue Dots

Thank you for visiting my blog today. Your comments are greatly appreciated!!!

Celebrate (ssnotime44)

Sharon's (notimetostamp) Stamp Simply weekend challenge was to use purple and a flower (or flowers) on a card. More information on her challenge may be found here. I did use a flower and it is purple! The base card is Elegant Eggplant with an embossed layer of white. The ribbon is also Elegant Eggplant grosgrain ribbon. I got the flowers from Pinky who was my big elephant for the Challenge Chasers White Elephant Stampede. A photo of my goodies with a list of what I received may be found here. I layered two of the flowers and used an Ice Circle Rhinestone Brad in the center. It was adhered with a Pop-up Glue Dot. The frame was a stamp (Combine Resources International) that came from CostCo. It came in a case with about eight pigment ink pads and many stamps in different sizes. I colored the frame with Pale Plum and Elegant Eggplant using a Blender Pen. I stamped the sentiment with Eggplant as well and popped up the panel with Dimensionals. This would have been a quickie card had it not been for coloring in the frame.

• Stamps: Sweet Serendipity, CRI Frame (CostCo)
• Papers: Elegant Eggplant, GP White
• Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Pale Plum
• Accessories: Cuttlebug Swiss Dots EF, Snips, Elegant Eggplant GG Ribbon, 2 layers purple flowers (unknown source), Ice Circle Rhinestone Brad

Thanks for visiting my blog! Your comments are greatly appreciated.

Two Way Card (LSC177)

Today's Limited Supplies Challenge was to use folding. We could make gate folded, Z-folded cards, or any other fold other than the normal way we fold them. We were also to keep our layers and embellishments limited. Using up more of my In-Color papers, I made this Two-Way Card out of scraps. I had a 6" X 6" piece of Groovy Guava card stock that I cut down to 5-3/8" X 5-3/8" to use as the base. This size fits into the medium square envelopes in the Stampin' Up! catalog. The second layer was a left over piece of "Darling Doodles" designer paper. Rather than cut off the triangular piece, I just folded it so that both sides of the paper show when the first flap is open. The medallion was made from a scallop circle that was cut on the Cricut machine about a year ago. It was actually photo paper that just wouldn't work in the printer. That's why there's some shine on the right side. The next layer of the medallion was punched with the Scallop Circle Punch, and the center was stamped with the new "Wow Flowers" and then punched out with the 1-1/4" Circle Punch. I added doodled dots with a white gel pen.

The photo at left shows the card when the first (triangular shaped) flap is open. You can see that the triangle is mostly Groovy Guava, but the part that is adhered to the base is the other side of the paper and is mostly Purely Pomegranate. I colored in the flowers on the image from the new "Dreams du Jour" set with a blender pen.

The photo at right shows the card with the second flap open. First, it opens to the left, then it opens up. Thus, the title, "Two-Way Card." The sentiment on the inside is also from the new "Dreams du Jour" set. I like this type of card, and I also like making the big square cards once in a while.

• Stamps: Wow Flowers, Dreams du Jour (both available August 10th from the new catalog)
• Papers: Groovy Guava Textured, Purely Pomegranate, GP White, Darling Doodles DSP, Glossy Photo Paper (pre-cut)
• Ink: Purely Pomegranate, Groovy Guava, Wild Wasabi, White Gel Pen
• Accessories: Snips, Blender Pen, Scallop Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch

Thanks for visiting my blog today!!! Comments are certainly welcome!

Sprinkled Cupcake (WT175)

The Ways To Use It Challenge was to use something from your spice cabinet on your card. I'm amazed by the talent and creativity that I've seen in the gallery for this challenge! One lady made a beautiful flower out of garlic skins!!! It's just awesome! I didn't really use a spice, but it was something I keep in my spice cabinet. I used colored candy sprinkles on the top of the cupcake. The great thing about that (opposed to using glitter) is that, when you drop some, you just wet your finger, pick it up, and eat it!!! LOL! This card is for my grand-daughter's birthday. It's also a gift card holder, so the inside has striped designer paper with the slot for the gift card. This was made with the new "Sock Monkey" set that will be in the Fall/Winter Idea Book and Catalog which is coming out on August 10th. I'm sure my grand-daughter will like this card!

• Stamps: Sock Monkey
• Papers: Pixie Pink, GP White, Non-SU! DP Inside
• Ink: Stazon Timber Brown and Cherry Pink; Markers: Pixie Pink, Orchid Opulence, Pink Passion, Yoyo Yellow
• Accessories: Cuttlebug Happy Birthday EF, Narrow Pink GG Ribbon, 1/8" Hole Punch, Large and Small Oval Punches, Snips, Cotton Ball (top of hat), Candy Sprinkles

Thank you for stopping by!!!

So Long, Farewell Stamp Camp

All of the projects for the stamp camp next week are made with retiring stamp sets, thus, the title of the stamp camp! Project #1 is made with "Give Thanks." I've used the bucket of apples from the set a lot but hardly ever used the sunflower. I figured this might be my last chance. I like the gingham ribbon with the sunflower. It gives it a more "country" feel. I saw a similar ribbon treatment online and liked the idea of using the eyelets. I also used dots of gold glitter in the flower center to kick it up a notch. The sentiment panel is popped up.

• Stamps: Give Thanks
• Papers: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Summer Sun, Naturals White
• Ink: Stazon Black; Markers: Summer Sun, Old Olive, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip
• Accessories: 1/8" and 1/16" Punch (for eyelets), Black Eyelets, Black Gingham Ribbon, Ticket Corner Punch, Dimensionals

Project #2 is a belated birthday card. We all need those now and then, right? This set, "Older & Wiser" is a Level 3 Hostess Set. The only reason I have it is because one of my ladies earned it, and she gave it to me!! Wasn't that sweet?!!! We might use the Word Window Punch for the sentiment instead of the way I did it here. The main image panel with all of its mats is popped up.

• Stamps: Older & Wiser
• Papers: Brilliant Blue, White, Green Galore, Brilliant Blue Prints DSP
• Ink: Stazon Azure Blue
• Accessories: WCW Crayons, Aqua Painter, Whisper White GG Ribbon, 1/8" Punch, Jump Ring

Project #3 is a sympathy card. I don't have ANY sympathy type stamps except this sentiment I got from my ellie in the White Elephant Stampede I participated in recently. I think we should all have at least one sympathy card on hand. I got the inspiration for this card from Happy Heart on Splitcoaststampers. Her card can be found here. I punched my flowers and used white gel pen for the centers, and I cut out stamped leaves. I also eliminated the butterfly so my ladies would have less cutting to do. I also eliminated the ribbon. Imagine that! ME! Leaving off ribbon!!! This is the only card for the stamp camp that doesn't have ribbon on it! LOL!

• Stamps: Blossoms Abound, Unknown Sympathy Sentiment
• Papers: GP White, Perfect Plum
• Ink: Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Mellow Moss, Certainly Celery, White Gel Pen
• Accessories: Cuttlebug Swiss Dots EF, SU! Scallop Punch (New), Spring Bouquet Flower Punch (retired), Snips, Glue Dots

Project #4 is a combination of two retiring sets. The rose buds are from "Wild Rose" and the sentiment is from "Never Ending Joy". I will really miss both of these sets; however, I can't wait to see the new catalog to see what replaces these! The roses are two-step stamped and then cut out and adhered with small glue dots. The little bow is also attached with a glue dot. The sentiment panel is popped up on Dimensionals.

• Stamps: Wild Rose, Never Ending Joy
• Papers: Certainly Celery, GP White
• Ink: Black Stazon, Yoyo Yellow, Certainly Celery
• Accessories: Cuttlebug Swiss Dots EF, Ticket Corner Punch, Snips, 1/8" Satin Ribbon, Ticket Corner Punch, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Do you recognize this? Project #5 is the same card that I made for this week's Sketch Challenge. I liked it so much that I thought I'd share it. I already explained how this one was made in this post.

• Stamps: Noble Deer, Itty Bitty Backgrounds
• Papers: Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip
• Ink: Stazon Timber Brown, Chocolate Chip
• Accessories: Old Olive Twill Ribbon, Chocolate Brown Square Brads, Cuttlebug Distressed Stripes EF, Sponge

I hope everyone will enjoy making all five of these projects!

Noble Deer (SC185)

Today's Sketch Challenge was perfect for me!!! I love working with horizontal lines and rectangles with lots of layers. It also works great when you're making a masculine card. I was able to add ribbon (my favorite embellishment) without making the card look girly!

The base card is Very Vanilla which is almost completely covered with the Basic Black mat. I only left about 1/32" all around. On the black mat is more Very Vanilla which is stamped with "Itty Bitty Backgrounds" using Chocolate Chip ink. Next comes the Old Olive embossed panel which is also matted on black. The horizontal strip is Chocolate Chip matted on black with Old Olive Twill Ribbon from the Occasions Mini (expired) Catalog. There are two square chocolate brown brads placed with points down like a diamond. Finally, the main image was stamped with Stazon Timber Brown on Very Vanilla and matted on black. No coloring here; I just let the stamp do its thing, and I distressed and sponged the panel. You will see this one posted again because I will use this card for my "So Long, Farewell" Stamp Camp where we will be using all retiring stamp sets. I hate to say "Good-bye" to this one!

• Stamps: Noble Deer, Itty Bitty Backgrounds
• Papers: Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Old Olive
• Ink: Stazon Timber Brown, Chocolate Chip
• Accessories: Old Olive Twill Ribbon, Chocolate Brown Square Brads, Cuttlebug Distressed Stripes EF, Sponge

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

Ladies' Night Out July Projects

I'm still trying to use up all of my "In-Color" card stock, ink and ribbons! Project #1 this Friday will be this Groovy Thank You card (Forgive the pun). The base card is Groovy Guava and it's stamped with the retiring "Weathered" background stamp using River Rock ink. The main image is stamped with Black Stazon on GP White and colored with Water Color Wonder Crayons. The matting is River Rock. A few extra leaves were stamped, colored, cut out, and adhered with quick dry adhesive. The spotlight frame is larger and thinner here than the one we will be using. This one is using 1-1/4" and 1-3/8" Square Punches. The one we will actually use will be using the 1" and 1-1/4" Square Punches.

• Stamps: A Little Bit of Happiness (Level 1 Hostess set)
• Papers: Groovy Guava, River Rock, GP White, Chocolate Chip
• Ink: Black Stazon
• Accessories: WCW Crayons, Aqua Painter, Square Punches, Snips, Groovy Guava DS Ribbon, Quick Dry Adhesive
  

I call Project #2 "Christmas in July"! I'm trying to use retiring stamp sets, but I don't want to duplicate the ones we will use for my "So Long, Farewell" Stamp Camp. I don't think I've ever used the Christmas tree from the "Year After Year" stamp set. The base card here is Purely Pomegranate with a layer of Wild Wasabi. The next layer is GP White that has been embossed with the Cuttlebug Snowflakes embossing folder. Before adhering the embossed layer, the Wild Wasabi Ribbon was added. The sentiment was added to the knot with a jump ring. The main image was matted on Pomegranate and Wasabi and mounted on foam dots. The tree in the foreground was also popped up. The star on that tree was colored with the Yoyo Yellow Marker and Silver Bead Duo seed beads were added with quick drying adhesive. It's fun to make Christmas cards in July!!

• Stamps: Year After Year, Short & Sweet
• Papers: Purely Pomegranate, Wild Wasabi, GP White
• Ink: Wild Wasabi, Purely Pomegranate, Yoyo Yellow Marker
• Accessories: Cuttlebug Snowflakes EF, Foam Dots, Wild Wasabi DS Ribbon, Word Window Punch, Silver Due Seed Beads, Quick Drying Adhesive, Jump Ring

I had to skip yesterday's challenge because I was gone most of the day and was too tired to stamp by the time I got home! I'll be doing more uploading today though. This card was for the Color Challenge to use Almost Amethyst, Wild Wasabi, and So Saffron. The base card is Saffron with a layer of Amethyst that is embossed on the top portion. On the lower portion, there's a layer of designer paper from the Prints Pack (Hostess Level 1) which is punched at the bottom with the new Scallop Border Punch (available from the new 2008 Fall/Winter Idea Book & Catalog). Wasabi Double Stitched Ribbon was added before adhering these layers to the card base. The main image was stamped with Black Stazon and colored with Water Color Wonder Crayons, Aqua Painter, Wasabi Ink Pad, and Blender Pen. After coloring, it was matted on Saffron, Amethyst, and Saffron again; then, it was adhered to the card with Dimensionals.

• Stamps: Serene Spring (New Level 2 Hostess set)
• Papers: So Saffron, Almost Amethyst, Prints Pack Wasabi DSP, Water Color Paper
• Ink: Wild Wasabi Classic Stampin' Pad and Almost Amethyst Marker
• Accessories: WCW Crayons, Aqua Painter, Blender Pen, Wild Wasabi DS Ribbon, Scallop Border Punch, Cuttlebug Stylized Flowers EF, Dimensionals

Stephanie Hargis was today's Featured Stamper. Her card (shown at left) that I chose to CASE was simple and quick, yet elegant. The changes I made were colors, including card stock and ink, stamp, and brads.

My base card is Groovy Guava and then there's a layer of Afternoon Tea designer paper. The next level is Groovy Guava matted on Wild Wasabi. The three chocolate brads and the grosgrain ribbon were added before adhering to the card. The main image is the friend themed sentiment from All Holidays stamped with Wild Wasabi and matted on Chocolate Chip. It was a quick card to make, and I really like that kind!

• Stamps: All Holidays
• Papers: Groovy Guava, Wild Wasabi, Chocolate Chip, GP White, Afternoon Tea DSP
• Ink: Wild Wasabi
• Accessories: Whisper White GG Ribbon, Chocolate Brads, Dimensionals

It's good to be home from a weekend of meetings! Thanks for stopping by!

Love Card (WT174)

Today's Ways To Use It Challenge is called, "Mini Madness". We could make something mini like a mini album or mini clip board, or we could just use mini embellishments on a card. One person used a mini charm which was really cute. I used mini brads, rhinestones, and punched flowers (3-4-U Punch). The flowers from "Year After Year" (retiring) were stamped with Wild Wasabi, and the leaves were colored in with a Blender Pen, then they were overlaid with layered flowers made with Primas, punched and embossed flowers, and rhinestones. The bottom border was punched with a Fiskars border punch and mini brads were added. The "Love" charm came from the wedding section at WalMart.

• Stamps: Year After Year
• Papers: Purely Pomegranate, GP White
• Ink: Wild Wasabi
• Accessories: Sheer Ribbon, Love Charm, Primas, 3-4-U Punch, Peel n' Stick Rhinestones, White Mini Brads, Fiskars Elegant Fountain Embossing Border Punch

Thanks for stopping by!

S)uspension Card (CC174, TLC176)

This card was for yesterday's Color Challenge and Monday's Technique Lovers Challenge. I wasn't going to post it to my blog because I just didn't like it, but not every card we make is a gem, right? The Color Challenge was to use Groovy Guava, Chocolate Chip, and Barely Banana. I really like the chocolate and guava, but just can't figure out what to do with that yellow! I think I did OK with the suspension card technique though. It was fun to do and really not all that hard. The heart was stamped with Versamark and then Chocolate Chip and heat embossed with Clear embossing powder. The heart-shaped brads were a 40% discount item at Joann's. One of my ladies last night really liked this card! Go figure! LOL! I tried to dress the card up by adding what we call, "Faith Dots" at SCS. Faith does some absolutely FANTASTIC work! You can see her beautiful works of art on her blog.

• Stamps: Always, Short & Sweet
• Papers: Groovy Guava, Chocolate Chip, Barely Banana
• Ink: Chocolate Chip, Versamark, White Gel Pen, Chocolate Chip Marker
• Accessories: 1-1/4" and 1-3/8" Circle Punches, Word Window Punch, Sticky Strip, Dental Floss, Heart-shaped Brads, Clear EP

I appreciate your visiting my blog; come again!

Wild Summer (SC184)

Today's sketch was a fun one. I reversed it so that my zebra would be facing the right direction. I called my card "Wild Summer" because I thought the colors were definitely for summer and the zebra is a wild animal. I think this would make a great birthday card, new baby card, or just a summery "Hello!"

I think I got the ribbon some time ago in Michael's $1 bin. The buttons came from WalMart. I turned the card stock ninety degrees before embossing and ran it through the machine twice to cover the whole piece because I wanted the lines to be vertical like the zebra's stripes. The buttons are adhered with glue dots on stamped and colored flowers from the "Happy Heart Day" set. I really like this sketch and will use it again!

• Stamps: Zoofari, Happy Heart Day
• Papers: Green Galore, Yoyo Yellow, Naturals White
• Ink: Black Stazon; Markers: Green Galore, Yoyo Yellow, Basic Black
• Accessories: Cuttlebug Distressed Lines EF, Striped Ribbon, Orange Buttons

Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday Nighters July Projects

Since our second project will take some time, I tried to make Project #1 kind of simple. All four stamps from "Elementary Essentials" were stamped and cut out. A sentiment may be added by printing with a journaler on the lines. I've made a similar card to this before and sent it to my grandson for his birthday. I'm glad I had enough of those screw top brads for my ladies to use to make their scissors!

• Stamps: Elementary Essentials
• Papers: Yoyo Yellow, GP White
• Ink: Real Red, Brilliant Blue, Basic Black; Markers: Basic Black, Going Gray, Really Rust
• Accessories: Snips, Brass Screw Top Brads
  

After seeing what I was doing for my Stamp Camp, my Tuesday Nighters asked if they could make this surprise pop-up card this month. Project #2 has been all cut out and the pieces placed in baggies (since there are so many pieces!). I punched out the flowers and the circles used on the slider as well. I even printed out the instructions. This won't take as long as it did for Stamp Camp, but I know they will like it!

• Stamps: Fresh Cuts, Pretty Petals BG
• Papers: Soft Sky, GP White, River Rock
• Ink: Soft Sky, River Rock
• Accessories: Spring Bouquet Punch (retired), Rhinestones, Sponge, Corner Rounder, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, 1/8" Punch, 1/8" Ribbon or Silver Cord, Sticky Strip

Thanks for visiting my blog today!!!

WES Goodies

I'm a member of a group called "CCRAK" which stands for Challenge Chasers Random Acts of Kindness. We chat, get to know one another, send cards to one another, and wait for those challenges to get posted! Several of us participated in an activity called White Elephant Stampede (WES). We were assigned "Baby Elephants" to send things to. We were supposed to find $15 to $20 worth of goodies that we don't use and send them to our Baby Ellie. My big ellie was Pinky. We had to make a White Elepahnt card out of scraps. The WES card I made for my baby ellie can be found here. The lovely card I got from Pinky is here. Here's all the stuff I got from Pinky for my White Ellie!!! There's more in that little lunch pail!! Here's the list:

• Craft organizer box with embroidery thread spools
• Glossy CS folded to fit the envies that came with it (about 10 each?)
• Blue transparent envies (How Cool!!!)
• Small organizer box with six spaces full of heart and flower brads
• Chipboard letters (27)
• Pocket Notebook
• Color Box Fresh Green Pigment Ink Pad
• 5 CD cases with stamps in each for mounting on acrylic blocks
• 9 brightly colored spools of ribbon
• Purple flowers
• 2 silk bags, 4-1/2" X 7"
• Bottle of Dew Drops (blue and green)
• Package of adhesive printed tags
• "Little Swivels" "Adventures" Pocket Album
• Magnetic Note Pad
• Copic Marker RV04
• 5 packages metal tags
• Package of Button Snaps
• Small Binder Clips
• Gift Tags
• Small package of tags with fibers
• Stamp - "With Deepest Sympathy" (I really needed this!)
• Handmade Post-it Holder (Cute!)
• Mini Lunch Pail

What a great bunch of White Elephant Stampede goodies!!! Thank You, Pinky!!!!

Birthday Remembered

One of my online friends is having a birthday soon, and I'm finally getting a card out in time. I think all the cards I sent in June were late! The base card here is Whisper White. After folding the base card, I made the border with a Fiskars border punch, then I adhered the strip of Real Red beneath it. After adding the Red Gingham Ribbon (SU!), and the cloth covered brads (Target $1 bin), I lined the inside of the card with GP White so that the ribbon and brad ends wouldn't show. The main image panel was trimmed with Fiskars medium scallop scissors.

• Stamps: Older & Wiser
• Papers: Whisper White, Real Red, GP White
• Ink: Real Red
• Accessories: Fiskars Border Punch and Medium Scallop Scissors, SU! Red Gingham Ribbon, Cloth Covered Brads, Foam Dots

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Convention Swap

When you have to make a lot of cards (or card fronts), and you don't have a lot of time, keep it simple. I think some of the simplest cards look so elegant. This one is very easy and can be done assembly line style. First, do all the cutting, then all the embossing, then add the ribbons, adhere to base card, add ribbon knots, and finally, add the half pearl. Very simple, very easy!

• Stamps: Kind Thoughts
• Papers: Mellow Moss, Naturals White
• Ink: Versamark
• Accessories: Silver EP, Mellow Moss Taffeta Ribbon, Pretties Kit Half Pearl, Quick Drying Adhesive

Friend-ship Thanks

On 4th of July, early in the day, my son took one of my dogs, Minnie Mutt, out to the front yard to play. He got distracted, and the next thing he knew, Minnie was gone! He went all around the neighborhood looking for her. We also drove around in the car while he hung out the window calling her name. We called the animal shelter, but they were closed for the holiday. Minnie is 14 years old and very much a part of our family. We were all pretty upset. I was one of the volunteer drivers for a church youth group event on Saturday afternoon. When we got home, my hubby greeted us at the door with BOTH of my dogs! What a relief that was! Two ladies who live two blocks away found Minnie and kept her safe in their yard with their dogs. They took her picture with a Polaroid camera and put up posters with Minnie's photo on them by all the mail boxes and at the local grocery store! My husband's friend and co-worker lives around the block, and he noticed the posters, called my husband, and they both went over to rescue Minnie Mutt! This card is a Thank You card for those ladies. Interesting color combo, huh!

• Stamps: Boatloads of Love, Loads of Love Accessories (dogs)
• Papers: Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, GP White
• Ink: Black Stazon, Real Red
• Accessories: WCW Crayons, Aqua Painter, Cuttlebug Distressed Lines EF, Word Window Punch, Piercer & Mat Pack (for brad placement), Real Red Brads, Real Red GG Ribbon, Thank You Charm, Lots of Foam Dots

Thank You Blooms (FS74)

Today's Featured Stamper was {Teneale}. She doesn't have a huge gallery, but it's quality, not quantity, for her! Every card is a work of art! Her card (shown at left) has stamped flowers over stamped Script behind a cut-out oval. I love the cut-out idea and that pretty ribbon.

I'm still trying to use up my In-Colors since I have the new ones on order, and I need the space. The first thing I changed was the colors. I stamped the blooms with Black Stazon on acetate and colored the back with a blender pen. Instead of stamped script, I used the Script embossing folder on Very Vanilla behind the main image. I used Pomegranate wide satin ribbon and added the "Thank You" charm. I also added some paper piercing above the main image. Obviously, I changed the oval cut-out to a square.

• Stamps: Bloomin' Beautiful
• Papers: Wild Wasabi, Purely Pomegranate, Very Vanilla
• Ink: Black Stazon, Purely Pomegranate, Wild Wasabi
• Accessories: Blender Pen, Cuttlebug Script EF, Paper Trimmer (for square cut-out), Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, Purely Pomegranate Wide Satin Ribbon, "Thank You" Charm

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

Go Girly Baby (ssnotime42)

Sharon's (notimetostamp) Stamp Simply Challenge this weekend is to "Go Girly." What could be more girly than a baby girl?!! Pink and white, Swiss Dots, scallops, and sheer ribbon are feminine touches, in my opinion. I got that pink plastic diaper pin in the baby shower section at WalMart. They have lots of neat goodies to use for party favors, and some of them work well on cards. The main image panel was trimmed with Fiskars medium scallop scissors and then popped up on foam dots. The pink matting was also popped up. The sentiment was punched out with the Word Window punch, adhered to a 1/2" wide strip of the pink, and trimmed around the ends. The pink sheer ribbon was threaded through the diaper pin before adhering it to the embossed panel. I added a small glue dot under the ribbon and top of the diaper pin to make it lie flat. I tied the bow separately and adhered it to the top of the pin with another small glue dot. This card was fun to make, and I don't even know anyone who's expecting a girl! LOL! Sooner or later there will be one, and I'll have this card in my stash!

• Stamps: Fun & Fast Notes, Short & Sweet
• Papers: Pretty In Pink, GP White
• Ink: Pretty In Pink
• Accessories: Cuttlebug Swiss Dots EF, Sheer Pink Ribbon, Plastic Diaper Pin, Fiskars Medium Scallop Scissors, Word Window Punch, Snips, Foam Dots, Glue Dots

Thanks for stopping by!

Sailing (LSC175)

Independence Day! Some of us refer to it simply as "4th of July". In honor of that, our Limited Supplies Challenge had a theme of "Four."

We could use 1) Red, 2) White, 3) And, 4) Blue (4 words, LOL!). We could have only four layers or less. We could use a combination of four tools or embellishments. Here's my fours:

• White main image panel matted on blue and red on a blue base card. That's four layers.
• Colors are those allowed (four words!)
• Tools and embellishments are: 1) Cuttlebug, 2) Ribbon, and 3) Sponge,

I used Dimensionals to pop of the main panel, but I found out that it's considered an adhesive and does not count as an embellishment! At least I did follow all the rules of the Challenge!

• Stamps: Winds of Grace
• Papers: Night of Navy, Real Red, GP White
• Ink: Night of Navy
• Accessories: Cuttlebug Distressed Lines EF, Real Red Striped Ribbon, Sponge

Happy 4th of July!!!!