Tropically Fab - Stampin' Up! Tropical Chic - Fab Friday 164

   Did you all think that I had fallen off the face of the earth??  I'm still here and kicking but we've made an addition to our family that has been taking up a lot of my time!  Meet our new pup Aggie!!

  She's a very sweet pup but I've had to adjust to the "new baby in the house" routine and it hasn't left me with much time for stamping. It seems that once she falls asleep I race around trying to get to all of my regular tasks around the house and stamping has fallen to the bottom of the list.  I haven't tried bringing her into the stamp room yet.  I think I need to Aggie-proof it first.  Who knows what she'd find on the floor in there!  Are dimensional backings bad for dogs?? 

  But even with my limited stamping time I made sure to make time for this week's Fab Friday challenge!  It's a great color combination!  Do you see spring in these colors?  Here in Central VA it is leaning towards hot early summer these days but I can still appreciate some spring like colors.

   My mind went immediately to the Tropical Chic bundle.  The bundle pricing will be going away once the new catalog comes out so don't wait to order this one!

 

  You can't get more tropical than this!  My favorite things on this card are the Soft Seafoam die cut leaves that are popped over the leaf frame.  They fit just right and look cool hanging just over the edge of the frame diecut.  I also love the stepped down stamping of the blossom.  I only inked my blossom stamp once with Flirty Flamingo and then stamped it 3 times to get the gradient colors.  

  Definitely check out what the rest of the Fab Friday team has done with these colors!  I guarantee that you'll see something to inspire your own stamping!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Tropical Chic

Ink: Flirty Flamingo, Soft Seafoam, Pear Pizzazz

Paper: Flirty Flamingo, Pear Pizzazz, Soft Seafoam, Whisper White

Accessories: Tropical Thinlets, dimensionals, Pear Pizzazz baker's twine

Crazy Cats - Stampin' Up! Nine Lives

  I'm late to the cat punch love fest but once I got the Nine Lives stamp set from the Occasions catalog I had to design a card for my last class to show off how cute this stamp set is along with the punch.

  While everyone can do the 'stamp your image then punch it out' thing I always like to show my stampers some other ways they can use their Stampin' Up! products that maybe they haven't thought of.  I decided to show them how to create a background using different colors of cardstock and the punch.  This is also a nice way to use up some smaller scraps.  If you can get even a small part of the cat punched you can use it to fill in some of the extra spaces.  Just punch all the cats and then arrange them on a piece of Whisper White cardstock.  I arrange them first then take a quick picture with my phone then adhere them referring back to picture to see how I had them 'just so'.  After you have the cats adhered just trim off the overhanging bits and use of those pieces to fill in space if needed.

  The cat background panel is adhered to a Gray Granite card base.  The stamped and punched cat is mounted on a stitched rectangle die cut with dimensionals.  The sentiment is stamped in Memento Black and the whole panel is popped with dimensionals.

  After this card was finished it reminded me of a favorite picture book of my boys when they were little.  It's called Cat Count by Betsy Lewin  The boys loved counting the cats on each page and the rhyming gives the story a nice pace.  Definitely check it out if you see this one at your library and have little ones.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

 Stamps: Nine Lives

Ink: Gray Granite, Sahara Sand, Memento Black

Paper: Gray Granite, Whisper White, Sahara Sand, Smoky Slate, Basic Gray, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede

Accessories: Cat punch, Stitched Rectangles dies, dimensionals, Nature's twine

 

Wild Highland Rose - Stampin' Up! To A Wild Rose - Fab Friday 163

  We're back with another fun Fab Friday challenge!  We have a great sketch for you this time...what can you do with!  Don't forget to share your creation in the gallery so we can all ooohh and aaahh over it!

  I used a whole bunch of new products on this card because I couldn't wait to break into my preorder when it came on Monday!

  So. Many. Awesome. New. Things!! I don't even know where to start!

I guess we'll start at the beginning!  The DSP is the lovely new Garden Lane.  Great designs using different greens.  Next is the new Scalloped Linen ribbon in Purple Posy (a new In Color!!)...look at that soft purple!  I didn't stick with the flag from the sketch but changed it to a stitched label die cut in Mossy Meadow from the Wild Rose die set.

  Next is the lovely Stitched Lace die that is big enough for a whole card front if you want.  I just cut a bit to keep with the sketch but it's beautiful as a large piece or a smaller on.

  The rose comes next and is a beautiful multi-layered blossom!  I used all 3 stamps starting with the outline in Smoky Slate, then the next layer is Highland Heather stamped off once, then the final layer in full strength Highland Heather.  The coordinating die makes quick work of cutting it out.  The leaf is stamped in similar fashion except using Mint Macaron and Mossy Meadow inks.

  The sentiment is stamped in Highland Heather ink onto Purple Posy cardstock using the Itty Bitty Greetings stamp set.  The flower, leaf and sentiment are popped on dimensionals.

  I can't wait to see the gallery for this challenge!  Check out the rest of the Design Team too; they always inspire with their creativity!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: To a Wild Rose, Itty Bitty Greetings

Ink: Smoky Slate, Highland Heather, Mint Macaron, Mossy Meadow, Garden Lane DSP

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Mossy Meadow, Purple Posy

Accessories: Wild Rose dies, Stitched Lace die,  scalloped linen trim, dimensionals

Bluebird Ballad - Stampin' Up! Free As a Bird

  So I have no (or very little) self-control when there is a Stampin' Up! demonstrator pre-order!  I admit it!  I want it all and I want it now!  Actually I think I do ok and just order a few things to play with because I really just want a hard copy of the catalog.  It could be really easy to go nuts but I try to limit myself to get items that I absolutely love. My preorder came on Monday and I wasted no time opening up that box and seeing my new goodies!

  The Free As a Bird bundle jumped out at me because I love birds and we just had our first nest of bluebirds for the season fledge.  I knew I had to make a bluebird card to celebrate.  How cute are these guys?

  I got some of my inspiration from my fellow Fab Friday Design Team member Brian King who is also on the Global Design Project team and his card is the inspiration this week.  The Balmy Blue gingham paper is a sweet background for these birds.

  I did a lot of coloring with my Stampin' Blends on the birds and flowers.  Prepare yourself for a lot of upcoming bird cards!  The flowers were stamped, colored then fussy cut; they're small so it's pretty easy!

  The new Stitched Nested Label dies are going to be really fun to work with.  They have a nice shape and the set has 9 dies so you'll be sure to have just the right size for your project.

  The little Old Olive leaf sprigs come from the also new Wild Rose dies which you'll be seeing a lot more of as well!

  What are you most excited to see in the new catalog?  What are you going to miss when it retires from the current catalog?

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Free as a Bird

Ink: Memento Black

Blends: Night of Navy light, Balmy Blue light & dark,  Pumpkin Pie light & dark, Ivory, Granny Apple Green light & dark, Old Olive light, Soft Suede dark, Daffodil Delight light & dark, Mango Melody light, Pool Party light

Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Gingham Gala DSP, Old Olive

Accessories: Stitched Nested Label dies, Stitched Rectangle dies, Wild Rose dies, dimensionals, 1/8" Blueberry Bushel grosgrain ribbon

Mirrored Giraffe Love - Stampin' Up! Animal Outing

  Why does this time of the year always seem so busy and it always seems to catch me off guard?  You'd think after all these years of having kids in school and sports and whatever else our family is involved in that I would plan for the end of April until school gets out as being crazy busy!  Nope. Can't seem to do it.  So it ends up being that I haven't blogged in a while and my to do list is a mile long and I have stamping stuff piled on my dining room table left from a class last week! *sigh* At least I found a few minutes to take some card photographs today so that I could share when I have a moment to breathe!

  Today's card is one of the projects we made at my April stamp club last week.  I wanted to show off the Animal Outing bundle.  The stamp set and dies are carrying over to the new catalog but they won't be offered at the bundle pricing.  You definitely don't want to miss out on savings on something you're planning to buy anyway right?

  I was browsing Pinterest for some inspiration and came across the mirror technique on several cards.  Now in the past I've never had much luck getting a crisp mirror image when I've tried the technique using various plastic sheets so when I saw this card from BJ Peters along with a quick video of the technique I knew it was something I needed to teach my stampers.  It's so easy with the Stamp-a-ratus!  Definitely watch the video to see how easy it is. 

  We made these 2 giraffes who are clearly in love and turned them into a polaroid picture.  Once we had the giraffes and leaves stamped and colored in with Blends we cut the frame in Balmy Blue with Layering Square framelits.  Added a punched heart from the dog builder punch and a sentiment from Itty Bitty Greetings.  An adhesive sequin with a grosgrain ribbon knot finish off the frame accents.

  The vine die was used to make the accent at the bottom of the card front and we adhered a strip of the Animal Expedition DSP so that the Lemon Lime Twist color would show through the cut outs.

  I love the bright colors and fresh clean lines of this card.  Now I just need someone to get engaged so I can send it out!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Animal Outing, Itty Bitty Greetings

Ink: Memento Black  Marker: Lemon Lime Twist

Blends: Daffodil Delight light & dark, Soft Suede light, Crumb Cake light

Paper: Call Me Clover, Balmy Blue, Poppy Parade, Whisper White

Accessories: Animal Friends thinlets, dimensionals, Layering Squares framelits, dog builder punch, adhesive sequins, 1/8" Call Me Clover grosgrain ribbon

Beautiful Butterflies - Stampin' Up! Butterfly Gala - Fab Friday 162

Wow!  Mindy put the test to the Fab Friday design team this week!  It's a 5 color challenge this time around at Fab Friday!  I know you can all do it!  It's called a challenge for a reason and we want to see all of your creations in our gallery!

    They are lovely aren't they?  I couldn't decide on which colors I wanted to highlight so I made the same card twice to see what I liked better and I still can't decide!  I'm so glad the Butterfly Gala bundle is back because I really can't get enough of this fantastic stamp set and coordinating punch!

  For the first sample I used Blushing Bride, Pool Party and Coastal Cabana cardstock on the card front and stamped the butterflies in Poppy Parade and colored them in with my Petal Pink Blends.

 
The second sample is a bit more bold with Poppy Parade, Blushing Bride and Petal Pink as the cardstock on the front and the butterflies stamped in Coastal Cabana ink and colored in with Pool Party Blends.

  The butterfly bodies and sentiment are stamped with Basic Gray.  Some Polka Dot tulle ribbon tied in a knot and a sprinkling of rhinestones finishes off both cards.

  So which do you like better?  Let's see what you can come up with and share it with us at Fab Friday!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Butterfly Gala

Ink: Basic Gray, Poppy Parade, Coastal Cabana

Blends: Pool Party light & dark, Petal Pink light & dark

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White thick, Blushing Bride, Pool Party, Coastal Cabana, Poppy Parade, Petal Pink

Accessories: Softly Falling embossing folder, Polka Dot tulle ribbon, rhinestones, Butterfly Duet punch, dimensionals

Cute Pup - Stampin' Up! Happy Tails

I have been MIA lately and haven't been stamping much.  We've been busy with the start of spring soccer, Easter and just general life stuff.  And pulling all of my retiring products off my shelves and out of my drawers was a bit depressing lol!  It took a while to make sure I had everything; the list is really long this year.  Once I had it all pulled I didn't quite know what to do with myself so I just looked at the large laundry basket full of stuff for a few days.

While I'm getting myself and my class next week sorted I thought I would share a fun card we made last month at class.  I know I've used the Happy Tails a lot but it's so cute I can't resist!  This card is a fun and easy fun fold.  Just a few scores to make the pieces.

  The base is Tranquil Tide which is retiring and really is a great green and will certainly be missed.  Cut the base to 8.5" x 4.25" and score at 5.5".  We put some Nature's Poem DSP on the front flap.

 Next are the pawprints across the Crumb Cake panel as well as the sentiment in Tranquil Tide.  For this panel just adhere the one side to the card front leaving it loose on the other so you can open it up.

  The Mint Macaron strip is 4.25" x 1.5" scored at 2.5".  Adhere the smaller end under the panel on the inside of the card.  Stamp and punch out the sweet pup and put him/her on this flap.

  It's hard to photograph fun folds and show the details so I hope you can see how the pieces fit together!

 

 And here it is with both flaps opened.  I love the little paw prints on the inside as well.  That little pup has been all over the place!

I hope to be back with some new designs soon!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Happy Tails

Ink: Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Tranquil Tide

Paper: Tranquil Tide, Crumb Cake, Mint Macaron, Whisper White, Petal Pink

Accessories: Dog Builder punch, white bakers twine, dimensionals

Blooms in Romance - Stampin' Up! All That You Are

  I ran out of time yesterday morning to post a project and just never found time to do it later in the day.  If I was really on the ball I would schedule my posts the day before but I'm really not that organized!

  Today's card is one we made in my February class.  I haven't shared it before now because each time I wanted to the photo was too horrible to put out in the universe.  I think I took 3 sets of pictures of it and each time I got them uploaded and went to edit them with my watermark I could see how poor the quality was.  So I would set it aside and do it again with the next group of cards I made.

  Finally a "good enough for government work" photo of it to share!

  My stampers really enjoyed getting to work with the Floral Romance Specialty paper from the Occasions catalog.  Not only are the colors and patterns beautiful you get 2 printed vellum patterns which are really fun to work with!  We used 2 of the regular patterns on this card and the Petal Pink design is the vellum.  It's a great mix with the leaves and lacy vellum.  The pieces are adhered to a Whisper White panel cut with the Stitched Rectangles die.

  A bit of Powder Pink ruffled ribbon (very close match to Petal Pink) wraps around the DSP panel.

 For the flowers I showed my stampers a fun way to use Stampin' Blends.  Instead of stamping the flowers in Mossy Meadow and then coloring in the flowers we scribbled the blends onto Whisper White blending the colors together and then stamped the flower image over the top and then cut them out with the Frosted Bouquets framelits.  We added a Mossy Meadow leafy branch and popped the flowers on dimensionals over the top.

  Add in a few adhesive sequins and this card is finished!  It's a great Mother's Day, Easter or all purpose spring card with those gorgeous pinks and greens!

  And now for some Stampin' Up! business; the Last Chance list has been released.  Head over to my Stampin' Up! site to see what's retiring so you don't miss out!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: All That You Are

Ink: Mossy Meadow

Blends: Flirty Flamingo light & dark, Petal Pink light & dark

Paper: Mossy Meadow, Whisper White, Floral Romance Specialty DSP

Accessories: Stitched Rectangles framelits, Frosted Bouquet framelits, adhesive sequins, ruffled ribbon, dimensionals