Clean & Simple Fireworks Burst

  I made this quick card the other night using 2 challenges over on Splitcoaststampers (these challenges can be addicting!).  The first challenge was the Clean and Simple (CAS63) Challenge which was to make a card using a layout that they provided.  The second challenge was the Technique Lover's Challenge (TLC269) to using piercing on your card.

  I also wanted to use at least one color that will be retiring to make way for the Stampin' Up Color Renovation this summer.  I think that will be one of my own personal challenges....to use up some of the retiring paper and embellishments to make room for the new! 

  This is a really easy card to make and the only real trick to it is to get your images lined up just right or the piercing will look uneven.  To get my fireworks (or flowers or dandelion heads!) lined up I just used my Stamp-a-ma-jig.  This is a really underrated tool and it's super helpful to have when you're anal and like to have your images stamped just so or if you want a really neat clean looking card.  Nothing throws a card off like a crooked image!  When I first got my SAMJ it took me a little bit to figure it out and every time I used it I had to refer back to the instructions that came with it.  But now I'm a pro at it and I reach for it a lot.

  I must apologize for the poor quality of this photo as well as the ones in my last several posts.  I had noticed that my images were not really crisp and they seemed kind of dark.  I thought I just wasn't taking the photos with enough light so I took more on a sunny day and turned all the lights on in my stamp room and nothing seemed to help.  I even resorted to reading the manual for my camera--yikes!  I finally asked my husband to take a look at the photos and offer his opinion.  He picked up the camera clicked a few buttons and told me somehow the image quality had been set to the lowest quality and that was the problem.  I should have just asked him in the first place!  So hopefully my future photos will look better.  Unfortunately I had already sent this card off so I couldn't re-take the photo.

Stamps: Good Friend, Vintage Labels (sentiment)

Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Rose Red, Taken with Teal

Paper: Whisper White, Taken with Teal

Accessories: Stamp-a-ma-jig, paper piercing tool & template

Goodbye Lavender Lace & Almost Amethyst

 2 posts in one day!!  What is going on here??  =)  Since Stampin' Up's announcement of the Color Renovation I've decided to start posting samples of cards made using the colors that will be retiring.  I've always like Almost Amethyst but just never used it that much.  I even had a full sized Almost Amethyst ink pad on my "to order" list before the announcement.  I've lived for 5 years of stamping just using the ink spot and I was thinking that now is the time to order a full sized pad.  Not anymore.  I'm trying to use up some of the retiring colors to make some space in my stamping room for all the new goodies coming this summer!

 I haven't had a lot of time to just sit and mess around in my stamp room so when I have a bit of time I like to try to narrow my supplies/colors/layout down to some specifics so I don't just sit there staring at everything and getting nothing created.   I've been checking out the daily challenges over on Splitcoaststampers to give myself a jumping off point.  It helps me to have some guidelines to get started especially when I'm crunched for time.  What I end up doesn't always fit the original criteria of the challenge but I still have a finished card at the end.

 This card was one of those challenges.  On Saturdays there is an "Inspiration" Challenge where they usually post a website that has a lot of pictures; either of merchandise or photos or really anything that has a lot of color and texture.  I browsed through the website and found several items that inspired me to get going on this card. So I guess the point of all this rambling is; If you find yourself lost for a starting point for a card check out some challenges, you never know what will inspire your next creation!

The white flower (I think it looks like a dandelion gone to seed!) & sentiment are stamped with Versamark and then embossed with white embossing powder.  The background flower is stamped with Lavender Lace.  I really like the tone on tone look of this card and the white mat and white images on the top panel really make it pop. 

Stamps: Good Friend, Define Your Life

Ink: Versamark, Lavender Lace

Paper: Lavender Lace, Almost Amethyst, Whisper White

Accessories: white embossing powder, white grosgrain ribbon

Color Renovation!

If you're into stamping and don't live under a rock, the last 2 weeks have been pretty exciting for Stampin' Up Demonstrators & customers alike.  Stampin' Up announced that they are doing a Color Renovation to their color palette.  They are updating and freshening up their color options to make them a little less daunting to new stampers as well as offering new options for seasoned stampers.  Some old favorites will be retiring to make room for the new; but don't worry you still have time to stock up on those favorite colors that you won't be able to live without. 

Starting June 1 the retiring colors will be on a first come, first served basis on the "Last Chance List" along with other retiring accessories.  Don't worry though....retiring stamps will be available throughout the "Last Chance" period.  Starting July 1 the new colors will be available in the 2010-2011 catalog!      A lot of you out there will be happy to know that some past In Colors are making another appearance as colors in the new color collections. Yay!

I'm putting 2 charts on my sidebar to the right. Just click on the image to see a PDF of the retiring colors or the new Color Collections. Check out the awesome new collections! If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment or send me an e-mail!

New Baby Gift

I designed this card to give as part of a gift for our neighbors who are new parents to an adorable baby boy. When I have time, I usually include a set of cards for the new parents to use as thank yous for all the gifts they receive during this exciting time. I know that I wrote tons of thank yous before and after my boys were born and I figure that most new parents will be needing some cards along the way.

I brought the pieces of this card along with me on my recent trip to CT and was able to a lot of it finished in only a few hours. The square pieces of Designer Series Paper were punched out using the 1 3/8" square punch. 4 of these punched squares fit perfectly across an A2 size card! I layered my squares across a strip of Whisper White and added a line of paper piercing underneath. I stamped the elephant using Old Olive ink and then cut him out and adhered him using dimensionals (have you noticed I LOVE using dimensionals??). A quick "thanks" stamped with Chocolate Chip ink and the card is finished....Repeat 7 more times for a quick new parent gift set!

Stamps: Animal Stories, Fundamental Phrases

Ink: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip

Paper: Kraft, Whisper White, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper, Good Neighbors Designer Series Paper

Accessories: paper piercer, dimensionals, 1 3/8" square punch

Birdhouse Card - March Stamp Club

I'm finally getting around to posting the 3rd project from my March Stamp Club. With Easter and a quick trip with the boys to visit the grandparents I didn't have a moment to sit down and get this one posted.

I wanted to showcase the XL Two Step Bird punch from the Occasions Mini but I didn't want it to be just a punch card. I thought making a birdhouse and using the Itty Bitty Backgrounds sets to add some texture to the card would be a perfect combination. We used one pattern on the roof and another on the birdhouse front (there are 4 patterns in the set).

For the roof we used the scalloped edge punch and added a strip of Sweet Pea Designer Series paper. Adhere just the top edge of the roof to the kraft piece and then bend the roof up a little to make it look like it overhangs a little. A linen thread knot adhered with a glue dot dresses up the top of the card.

Using the 1 3/8" circle punch we made the little opening for the 2 little birds to look at each other. The birds were punched out using various designs from the Sweet Pea DSP as well as Pumpkin Pie Textured cardstock. It was fun to see how everyone chose different patterns and combination's for their cards.

For the inside we used the Happy Everything set. I always seem to stamp the smaller sentiment crooked (and I'm too lazy to use the Stamp-a-ma-jig for just that one tiny stamp!) so to remedy this I've started to stamp the small stamps on some scraps and then punch it out with the Word Window punch. That way I can make sure I have it just where I want it. It's fun to open the card to see one of the little birds.

I thought this would make a good anniversary card as I imagined the birds as husband & wife!!

Stamps: Itty Bitty Backgrounds

Ink: Close to Cocoa, Taken With Teal, Pumpkin Pie

Paper: kraft, Taken With Teal, Sweet Pea DSP, Pumpkin Pie Textured cardstock

Accessories: linen thread, glue dots, XL 2 Step Bird punch, scalloped edge punch, Word Window punch, 1 3/8" circle punch

Happy Easter - Chocolate Bunny Treat Box

Happy Easter! I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday enjoying family, friends & of course CHOCOLATE!

Here is the 2nd project we did this past week at my stamp club. This is a fairly simple project that looks super cute and would make great little place cards for Easter dinner. Instead of a regular square or rectangle shape this box is a triangle. This template is one that Stampin' Up makes available to us demonstrators to use (one of the many great perks of being a demo!) for our workshops and classes. It's neat because all you do is print out the template right onto the card stock and then just cut it out and assemble using red sticky tape.

Before we assembled our treat boxes we used the scalloped edge border punch (keep your fingers crossed that this item will make it into the big catalog this summer!) to dress up the top edge. A strip of Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper is wrapped around as is a length of Chocolate Chip satin ribbon. We used the Chocolate Bunny stamp inked with Versamark and then stamped onto Close to Cocoa cardstock and embossed with clear embossing powder. When you emboss this image it looks very much like a real chocolate bunny yummy enough to eat! Cut the bunny out with your paper snips and adhere it to the box.

We used the crimper to crimp some pieces of cardstock and then ran them through my regular old paper shredder to make "Easter Grass" for our little chocolate eggs to nest in.

Stamps: Chocolate Bunny

Ink: Versamark

Cardstock: So Saffron, Close to Cocoa, Sweet Pea DSP

Accessories: red stick tape, satin ribbon, clear embossing power, crimper, paper shredder, chocolate eggs

Ruffled Ribbon Butterflies - March Stamp Club

This is one of the projects we did earlier in the week at my March Stampin' Tuesday class. This is a quick and easy spring/Easter/girlie birthday card. The vines from Vintage Vogue (only available for 1 more month!!) are stamped in Certainly Celery. I used the Beautiful Wings Embosslit to make the butterflies. The pink butterflies are from the Sweet Pea DSP pack (also only available for 1 more month!!). The larger butterfly is popped on dimensionals.

To make the ruffled ribbon just run your SNAIL adhesive across the Whisper White cardstock and then do it again just slightly overlapping your first line. Lightly press your ribbon to the SNAIL (lightly because you can adjust your ribbon if needed but once it's pressed down hard it will tear the paper if you try to move it). Then begin making small loops and pressing the end down and then making another loop and keep going until you have enough ruffles for your liking. This is a great technique for a shabby chic look as the ribbon ruffles do not need to be uniform or perfectly straight. Add a brad to one end of the ribbon for some balance. Don't forget to use your ticket corner punch before you add the ruffled ribbon! Ask me how I know!!!

Stamps: Vintage Vogue

Ink: Certainly Celery

Paper: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Sweet Pea DSP

Accessories: Beautiful Wings embosslits die, dimensionals, Satin Ribbon, brad, ticket corner punch

New House Congratulations

Here is a quick card that I made to send to my cousin and his wife who recently bought their first house. I was inspired by this card and this card over on Splitcoaststampers...there is a never ending supply of inspiration and ideas over there!

Since I still have so much of the Sweet Pea Designer Series paper pack left I cut into yet another pattern that I haven't used yet. The hounds tooth pattern keeps the Old Olive layer from looking too flat. I used the scallop trim border punch for a quick little detail under the house panel. And a brad and small loop of Chocolate Chip satin ribbon complete the embellishments.

I tried out a new setting on my camera to take this photo and it doesn't show the detail of the textured Old Olive cardstock that I used for the strip of "grass" under the house. I guess I'll go back to the old settings!

The stamping is pretty basic using the clear mount Good Neighbors Sale-A-Bration set (only 4 days left to get free stamps & accessories!!). I did learn a little trick with this set to make sure your roof doesn't end up floating high above your house. Just take your craft & rubber scissors and trim off the little bit of extra rubber underneath the roof piece so you can get the 2 pieces to match up just right. Mount the house panel using dimensionals.

Remember there are only 4 days left to get Good Neighbors and other great sets for free during Sale-A-Bration. Click on the link to the right to begin shopping on my Stampin' Up website! Don't miss out!

Stamps: Good Neighbors

Ink: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue

Paper: Very Vanilla, Old Olive, Old Olive Textured, Chocolate Chip, Sweet Pea DSP

Accessories: Scallop Trim Border punch, brad, dimensionals, Satin Ribbon