Day 12: Wonderful Wreath

When I saw the "Wondrous Wreath" stamp set in Stampin' Up's Holiday catalogue I knew it was one I was going to "have" to have!  When it arrived I realized it was even better than I imagined.  It's a "2-step" stamping set.  Usually that means I've got to pull out my stamp-a-ma-jig and try to line things up.  Generally getting frustrated in the process.  Because "Wondrous Wreath" is a photopolymer set it is TOTALLY clear AND it has nifty little tabs on it to aid in lining up the layered stamping!

I stamped 3 layers on this wreath....the Old Olive "base", Mossy Meadow darker leaves, and Cherry Cobbler holly berries.   All without my Stamp-a-ma-jig!  Yay!

To add a little more texture and "step-up" my card, I coloured some Pearl Basic Jewels with my Cherry Cobbler Blendabilities and then put them on some of the stamped holly berries.

Colour your Pearl Basic Jewels with Blendabilities to "step-up" your card

Click here to see Day 11 of the "Twelve Days of Christmas Cards".

Happy Stampin'

P.S. Place an order with me before November 30th and receive FREE shipping on your entire order :)

Day 11: Happy Winter (FMS 164)

It's hard to believe that December is only days away.  I'm left wondering where November went and realizing I'd better get going on getting the rest of my Christmas cards made and sent out.  Not to mention decorating the house, baking cookies, and all of the other fun things to do before Christmas actually arrives!

For today's "Twelve Days of Christmas Cards" card I used this week's sketch from the lovely designers over at Freshly Made Sketches:

I love the simplicity of the sketch and the endless possibilities it conjures up.

Here's what I did with it (this time):

I love this colour combination; Cool Cabana and Real Red.  Using the Cool Cabana Blendabilities markers allows you to explore the different "saturations" within that colour.

Consider "stepping up" this card by using the Filigree Frame TIEF or by adding some sparkle through Rhinestone Basic Jewels or Dazzling Details.

Click here to see Day 10 of my Twelve Days of Christmas Cards posts.

Happy Stampin'!

Day 10: That's shiny ;)

So, I got side-tracked off my Twelve Days of Christmas Cards postings.   I got distracted on Friday by taking one kid to the doctor because of an endless cough and a little bout of stomach flu.  No worries, I'd have the weekend to catch up, right?

I was SO excited to have a weekend with "nothing" going on.  No parties, no places to go, no big errands to run.  I had a breakfast date with my son and then my lovely father-in-law arrived.  He not only brought us winter tires and put them on the car (THANK YOU, THANK YOU!), he took the kids away for a few hours!

Yay!

That's shiny!

Okay, so put aside stamping for a bit...let's go Christmas shopping for the kids and out for lunch.  It was great, we went to our favourite Indian place, then across the street to our favourite toy store and topped it off with a yummy holiday drink before heading home.

I fully planned on capping off my wonderful day by spending the late afternoon and evening stamping and watching a movie with my husband.

Cue the stomach flu!

Yuck!

I'm beginning to feel myself again and got stamping again this evening.   I turned to CAS -- Colours and Sketches and The Paper Players for colour and sketch inspiration for today's Christmas card:

I LOVE this colour combination and the sketch is so versatile.

That's shiny!

 The Metallic Silver (Encore) ink adds a little bit of "shininess" to the tree in the forefront as well as the Letterpress Winter snowflakes in the background.  Here's a better look at it:

Use Encore Silver ink to add some texture to your Christmas trees

Happy Stampin'!

Click here to see Day Nine of the Twelve Days of Christmas Cards.

Day Ten: A Merry Little Wish

A number of weeks ago Stampin' Up! held an event for demonstrators in my city.  I always enjoy getting together with other stampers and crafting, especially when I don't have to do the prep :)   It's also fun because I always learn something new.

At this particular event, we used the Cherry Cobbler Blendabilities markers to colour Basic Pearls!  I wanted to use that technique again and found that using them to decorate a tree from the Festival of Trees stamp set was perfect.

Use Blendabilities markers to colour your pearls

Here's what the whole card looks like.

Here's another tip:  Did you know that you can curve the Photopolymer stamps?  That's what I did here to make them "hug" the circle.  They are "bendy" stamps and you just have to adhere them to your clear blocks with a little curve and you're all set to go.

Try stepping up this card by using the "On Point" TIEF to emboss the circle.

Click here to see yesterday's Twelve Days of Christmas Cards post.

Happy Stampin'!

Day Nine: Seasonally Scattered

Scattered.....that's a great word for today!

Wednesday is my busy day!  You know that day of the week when you feel like you have to do everything.

You know that one when you've got dishes EVERYWHERE and there are toys EVERYWHERE and you'll be lucky to have breakfast cleaned up before supper starts because you're just running from one thing to the next?   That's today!

Of course, it doesn't help that I don't organize myself ahead of time and I self-indulge by lying in my warm bed in the morning instead of getting up.

You'd think I'd learn right?

Nope!

I do it EVERY week!

What's the definition of insanity again?

....better not go there :)

So I needed to make a quick card for today's post because I didn't have one ready ahead of time (of course).   The Seasonally Scattered stamp set is PERFECT for a quick (and pretty) card!

Add a little "All is Calm" DSP and the Dotted Scallop Ribbon punched border and you've got a pretty little card.

I can't wait to play with this stamp set more.  There are so many possibilities!

Click here to see yesterday's Twelve Days of Christmas Cards post.

Happy Stampin'!

Day Eight: Work of Art Wreath

Today was a great day to hole up inside and do some stamping.  It was really blustery here and very cold!  I'm not sure how I feel about -21C with windchill but I am loving the snow.  

For today's card I turned to an "everyday" stamp set, "Work of Art".  By alternating the small "smudge" using Mossy Meadow and Old Olive you can create a really pretty wreath.  

Add some holly berries by using Candy dots (I used the Cherry Cobbler from the Regals set).

Again, a super-easy card that doesn't use any punches or the Big Shot.

Click here to check out yesterday's Twelve Days of Christmas Cards post.

Happy Stampin'!

Day Seven: Variations on a Theme

Happy Monday!  It's another snowy morning here in my corner of the world and the kids are loving it!  There's not quite enough here to build a snow fort yet but I think some snowmen will be built after school : )  Isn't it pretty?!

The view from my window this morning

As a Stampin' Up! demonstrator I get to decide my work hours and schedule.  Sweet!  I really enjoy running what I call "Make and Takes" for my friends and customers.  A group of ladies come by house to make cards and take them home.    It's very fun!

Sometimes people have to cancel last minute and I'm left with a whole bunch of pre-cut card templates to use up.  I was cleaning some of these up a few weeks ago and created two different Christmas cards to use up the supplies I cut in the spring.

Card 1:

I used Festival of Trees and some Frosted Sequins for this card.   

Card 2:

Use different colours on the Wondrous Wreath stamps to create pretty wreaths.

Personally I like Card 1 better.  I used a lot more textures on it using my TIEFs and the Frosted Sequins.   But I do like the colours (Lost Lagoon and Mossy Meadow) for card 2.  

Tip:  Sponge a little colour onto Tea Lace Doilies to help them stand out again Whisper White card stock.

Click here to see yesterday's Twelve Days of Christmas Cards post.

Happy Stampin'!

Day Six: Wintery Wishes

The snow has started falling here...yay!!!  I admit that I LOVE the snow and I'm excited it's here early this year!  Bring on the wintery fun....snow forts, snowball fights, skating, and most importantly, an excuse to have hot chocolate!  Yay!

Today's card reminds me of the dusting of snow we've got right now.  I was inspired by a beautiful card I saw on Pinterest that used the same colour scheme and stamps.

I love the look that the Tea Lace doily brings to the whole card and the subtleness of the stamping.

To create the look, use White Craft ink to stamp onto the Crumb Cake paper and also to sponge some on to create the "frosted" look.  Bling the whole thing up with some Basic Rhinestone jewels.

Click here to see yesterday's Twelve Days of Christmas Cards post.

Happy Stampin'!

Day Five: Endless (wishes) Possibilities

I'm a musician by training.  More specifically, a music teacher.  Last weekend I was able to attend the Ontario Music Educator's Association conference for the first time in many years (I've been on parental leave).  It is a FABULOUS conference with HUNDREDS (close to 1000) music educators converging on a city for 2 days of learning, reconnecting and having fun!  It was so exciting to be back and reaffirmed in me my love of teaching and desire to return to the schools.

One thing (of many) that I took away from last weekend's conference that my job as a music educator is to unlock the "Master Builder" in all my students so they can see the millions of possibilities when creating and performing music.  

Awesome!

Daunting!!!!!

That concept, of course, is easily transferable across all art forms, including paper crafting and stamping!  

So exciting!

And SO daunting!

I cannot count the number of times I've sat down at my desk and been so overwhelmed by all the possibilities I am paralyzed....

....so for these cards I chose one colour scheme (Lost Lagoon, Blackberry Bliss and Sahara Sand) and one stamp set (Endless Wishes).

The second is variation on the theme:

Again, they are simple cards that can be used as a template to create a bunch to send out to your friends and family.

Click here to see yesterday's Twelve Days of Christmas Cards post.

Happy Stampin'!

Day Four: Ornamental Pine

It's hard to remember a time before I had a Big Shot or very many punches.  But it did exist, and yes, I did manage to make some pretty decent looking cards!

Keeping in mind that many of my friends don't own Big Shots I designed a card for my Christmas Cards Make and Take that deliberately didn't use one!

No Big Shot.  No punches.

 Not bad, eh?  By using a variety of textures (card stock vs. linen ribbon vs. Dazzling details) and depths (Thank You Stampin' Dimensionals!) you can create an interesting card very quickly!   No punching! No embossing!  Just stamps, ink and scissors!

Use different textures to create interest.

Attention dear reader:

You CAN create a beautiful card WITHOUT a Big Shot!

but it's REALLY, REALLY fun to have one too :)

Click here to see Day Three of the Twelve Days of Christmas Cards!

Happy Stampin'!

Day Three: Celebrate the Season

This is a card that we did last week at my Christmas Cards Make and Take.  Remember the theme?

Simple yet pretty!

For Christmas cards you want to be able to get out as many as possible is as little time as possible because, really?  Who has time?!

Use Washi Tape in different combinations to create different looks

Washi Tape and Gorgeous Grunge are a perfect combination for any card!  Add a little Christmas tree and some Frosted Sequins and you're all set!

The great thing about the All is Calm Washi Tape is that there are 5 (yes FIVE!) rolls to choose from!  The possibilities are endless.  So for all you who like to have a little variety in your cards, you can have the same template and supplies yet they can all be slightly different!

Yay!

Click here to see Day Two of Twelve Days of Christmas Cards.

Happy Stampin'!

Day Two: Joy Sparkles

For Day Two of the "Twelve Days of Christmas Cards" I'm posting one of my favourites!

If you haven't already noticed, I'm a big fan of simple cards!  Especially Christmas Cards.  When you've got a ton to produce it's just SO much easier when there a just a few elements that can be done quickly.   It's even easier when there's no stamping involved!

Simple, yet elegant Christmas Card

For this card I started with an idea that I saw on Pinterest of a card my friend, Leena had created.  I really liked how she used the Mosaic punch with the Glimmer Paper.  Somehow that morphed into me using the same idea but with Coastal Cabana and Real Red as my feature colours.   I punched one "Mosaic" out of  Real Red Glimmer Paper and then two from the Silver Glimmer Paper.  By sponging Bermuda Bay ink onto one of those I was able to create a third colour of glimmer paper.

Sponge ink onto Silver Glimmer paper to create a new colour

I wanted something to go over the Mosaic punched peaces but not to cover them so I used the "Joy" die out of my Wonderful Wreath Framelits dies.  To anchor the whole thing I used the Real Red 3/8" Satin Ribbon (Holiday catalogue) and the Silver 1/8" taffeta ribbon.


Just a note to the wise, be careful how you orient your Whisper White card stock in the Mosiac TIEF or you'll end up with your shapes running the wrong way : )

Click here to see Day One of the Twelve Days of Christmas Cards : )

Happy Stamping!

Day One: Easy Christmas card

I am continually moved by our Remembrance Day ceremonies here in Canada particularly as our WWII veterans age and pass on.  They were the ones that liberated my grandparents in the Netherlands and, for that, I will always be grateful.  They sacrificed their youth so that other youth could be free and that has had an enormous "trickle down" effect.  So, I'll send a huge "THANK YOU" out into cyberspace to those who have served and continue to serve our great country.

Now that Remembrance Day has past here in Canada, I feel more at liberty to post Christmas cards.  I've been working on Christmas cards for a number of weeks now but it always feels a little "wrong" to post them before we've taken the time to remember the huge sacrifices made for the freedom we now enjoy. 

Freedom to celebrate Christmas, for one! 

Freedom to have and spend money on the "extras".....

...like supplies for this card:

Super simple Christmas card

This is the Christmas card my parents will send out this year.  They are SO simple to make!  I've spent about 15 minutes each day for the past two days cutting and stamping for 25 cards and I'm almost ready to assemble....that's 30 minutes for 25 cards!!!  I'll probably only need another 20 and I'll be done! 

Awesome!

Simple is key!

Use Fast Fuse or Sticky Strip adhesive to adhere the Cherry Cobbler 1" Sheer Linen Ribbon

This is the first in a "Twelve Days of Christmas Cards" thread.  Tune in tomorrow for the next installment!

Happy Stampin'!

Give Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving!    I am so thankful for the wonderful family I've got.  This weekend I got to spend it with my parents, brothers and sister-in-law as well as some very dear extended family.  I am blessed to have a wonderfully close extended family and it always so much fun to get together to share some time together. As we end this Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada I'd like to share an easy little gift that I made for each of my family members for our dinner last evening.

Here's what they got:

Give thanks for yummy after dinner mints!

Cute, eh?  They are quick and easy to make as well!  

To make a little gift package like this begin with a strip of DSP or card stock cut to 8" x 2".  I used "Color Me Autumn" from the Holiday Catalogue for these gifts.  Using the Scalloped Tag Topper punch both ends of your paper.  Score the paper at 3" and 5" then fold up, add treats (I used a little SNAIL to secure my mints) and tie with ribbon of your choice.  

To make the sentiment I used the "Good Greetings" stamp set and long retired stamp set that I found in my mother's stash.  

You can earn the Good Greetings stamp set free....contact me to learn how!

Happy Stamping!

Something "old", something "new"

I've been having a lot of fun using old and new product recently.  One of my favourite "new" products is one of the 2014-2015 In-Colours, Lost Lagoon.   The "Endless Wishes" stamp set is my "old" product for this card.  I got this set last year but it is in this year's Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalogue.  Yay!   It's so easy to use....and for those who read this blog often, you know that's important to me!  Here's what I came up with:

Easy Endless Wishes card

Isn't it so pretty?!  I love the look created by the "All is Calm" washi tape and paper doily.  The rhinestones add a little sparkle.  Super simple and super pretty!

Happy Stamping!

Thankful for friends

This weekend is Thanksgiving in Canada and it's definitely starting to feel cooler and like autumn in my part of the world.  It's hard to believe that it was actually warm enough about 10 days ago to go swimming.  But it was!  Here I am with a few of my favourite ladies on the beach of my family's cottage.  I am so thankful for these gals.  They keep me grounded and sane!

Hanging out with a few of my favourite ladies!

I had the pleasure of hosting them for a little retreat 2 weekends ago.  No kids.  No husbands.  Just us with good food, a little wine, a fabulous Bible study and lots of laughter.  I wanted to start their weekends off with a little something special.....but I didn't take a picture of it....thanks Julia for taking a picture and blogging about the weekend :)   

Here's what they got:

A little gift for my special gals

The gift box is from one of my Paper Pumpkin kits!  It came with everything I needed to put it together already die cut and ready to go.   Sweet!

The card (and yes, I know it doesn't coordinate) uses Color Me Autumn DSP from the current Holiday Catalogue and one of my favourite stamp sets, "Work of Art".   I really wanted use some of that DSP and I wasn't too worried about everything matching.  It fits the cottage vibe :)

I am so thankful to be blessed with a generous family who allowed us to use the cottage and a wonderful husband and mother-in-law who made it possible for me to be away!  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Stamping again with Ornamental Pine

Happy Belated World-Cardmaking Day!  I had the privilege of spending this past Friday evening and part of Saturday stamping with some friends at Stampin' Up! Canada's Fall Conference.  It was held only 5 minutes from my house!

So nice!

It's been quite a while since I've done any stamping but a day with other crafty people got the creative juices flowing again.  Getting FREE stamp sets certainly helped too :)  I love being a demonstrator with Stampin' Up!  They sure know how to spoil us!  And I still have $20 in FREE stuff to come!  Woohoo!

Spoiled by Stampin' Up!

I figured I'd better start using all this stuff I've been amassing!  I'd been looking at the "Ornamental Pine" stamp set in the Holiday Catalogue but hadn't ordered it yet!  I'm sure glad I didn't : )

It's such a pretty set and super simple to create a pretty card with.

Ornamental Pine stamp set

I chose a classic Christmas colour combo for this card, Old Olive and Cherry Cobbler.  I broke out my Project Life by Stampin' Up framelits to frame the sentiment and added some sparkle with my little bottle of Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details.  To get the texture in the background I used the Woodgrain TIEF right on my card base.  Simple and pretty!

Let's hope I can keep the momentum going!

Happy Stamping!

P.S.  If you'd like to learn more about the benefits of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator contact me or click here.

Teacher Thank You

My son has his last day of Junior Kindergarten tomorrow.  Where is my life going?!!!

It's hard to believe that another school year has passed.  It doesn't seem that long ago that I was fretting over sending him to JK.....what would his teachers be like?  Would he like them?  Would he make friends?  Not to mention the fact that I was going from spending all day with him to sending to school ALL day, EVERY day!  I was a wreck!

But, it's been a FABULOUS experience!  He's loved all of his teachers (in my part of the world, kindergarten classes have a teacher and an early childhood educator in each classroom), he's made lots of friends and he's learned so much more than I could have taught him at home!

I have such admiration for those who teach Kindergarten, and teach it well!  As a teacher myself, I know how much work goes into running classes but I can't even imagine the energy one needs to teach 25 4 and 5 year olds ALL day!

I wanted to make some special cards to thank his teachers and loved the idea of making apples using stamps from the "Work of Art" stamp set!

I love how versatile the stamps in the "Work of Art" stamp set can be.  I took the smaller "smudge" and stamped it a few times, rotating it to get the rounder edges on both sides.  To make the stem I use a photopolymer stamp from my "Eye-Catching Ikat" set and bent it a little on my block to create the curve.

Here's a closer look:

I wish ALL teachers a fabulous summer!  You have earned some relaxation time!!!!

Here's what you'll need to make this card:

Stamp sets:  Work of Art, Eye-Catching Ikat photopolymer stamps

Ink and Paper:  Hello Honey, Whisper White, Real Red, Garden Green and Night of Navy

Other:  Alphabet TIEF

Happy Stamping!!!!!

Blended Bloom

I love this time of year.

I love it for so many reasons.  Everything seems new and the possibilities endless.  After a long, dark, and, I should add, cold, VERY cold winter it is so nice to be able to be outside without 10 layers even if I do get eaten alive by mosquitos.

I don't know about you, but I find that during the winter everything in my body just wants to shut down and sleep.  The energy that it takes to do anything seems insurmountable sometimes!  Everything is a chore.  Including the things that I really enjoy doing.....like stamping!

Then spring comes.  And with it a renewed sense of optimism and purpose.   This year is no different except that I've added a new twist.   My church's regular Wednesday morning women's Bible study ends at the beginning of May.  For many of us, that's just too early.   What do mean we're ending?  There's still 8 weeks until summer.  My sanity is going to be thrown out the window if I don't have this!

So, a dear friend and I decided to continue on with a small little group with a new study.  It's about stepping out of our "boats" and, suffice it to say, I needed a little push.  This week we challenged each other to complete at least one task.   Mine was to clean my stampin' desk and make (at least) 2 cards!  There's nothing like some accountability to make sure I finish a task!  

I posted the first card yesterday.  Here is the second:

Speaking of new things and endless possibilities....these new Blendabilities markers from Stampin' Up! are fabulous!!!!   If you like Copic, you love these!!!  Each colour comes with 3 shades/markers and the blend so nicely.  Hence the name "Blendabilities"!

I used Daffodil Delight and Rich Razzleberry here to colour in the "Blended Blooms" stamp.   The darker shade in the Rich Razzleberry collection is very close to one of the new In-Colours, Blackberry Bliss.  The background paper is from the Moonlight DSP Pack.

Now that I've put one foot out of my little boat I think I might be able to stick the other toe in.  I'm excited to stamp some more this weekend as I play around with my new products!

Happy Stamping!

It's a "work of art"

It's that time of year again.....

Stampin' Up!'s 2014-2015 Annual Catalogue is now LIVE!  WOOHOO!  Check out the link on the side to view it or, even better come out to my 4th Annual Catalogue Launch Party on June 17th to get your own, glossy copy : )

Check out my newest creation using the "Work of Art" stamp set, new Moonlight Designer Series Paper Pack and new In-Colours.

I'll admit, I've had these products for a few weeks now and I just got them out today!  How bad is that?  I know....it's bad.   Especially since the new In-Colours are A-MAZ-ING!!!!  I'm loving "Lost Lagoon".....this is my new Baja Breeze!  And those "dots".....that's a stamp!  I know!  SO fun!

Right....time to get back to my stamping space : )

Supplies you'll need to make this card:

Stamp sets:  Work of Art

Ink:  Lost Lagoon, Hello Honey, Smoky Slate

Paper:  Lost Lagoon, Moonlight DSP Pack, Whisper White

Other:  Scalloped Tag Topper Punch, Smoky Slate 3/4" Chevron Ribbon, Whisper White Baker's Twine.

Happy Stamping!

Project Life by Stampin' Up!

What an exciting day!  Not only did the sun shine for an hour or so (it's been raining all week) my Project Life stuff arrived from Stampin' Up!  AND the new catalogue was released to demonstrators!  WOOHOO!  Granted, I saw the new catalogue about a month ago (a perk of being on an advisory panel) but it was still very exciting : )

My Project Life stuff arrived JUST before I started teaching piano....argh!  So I had to wait until after the kids were in bed to really take a look at it.  I'm loving what I'm seeing!

Confession:  I have a TERRIBLE time scrapbooking!  I tend towards perfectionism when scrapbooking.  Add to that the fact that digital photography means that instead of 24 photos needing to being catalogued I have hundreds!  I'm sure that many of you can relate.  So I vowed to myself this morning that I would just find what photos I had printed and would make a page with my new Project Life by Stampin' Up! stuff when it arrived.

I had so much fun with it!  Here's what I came up with:

And this isn't even embellished!  I'm so pleased with the result!

Here's what I'm loving about Project Life by Stampin' Up! so far:

1.  There are 100 DIFFERENT cards in the card collection (#135298, $19.95).  It makes filling the spaces SO EASY!  I simply swapped out different cards until I found the one I liked.  No cutting!  No waste!  Beautiful!

2.  I can use the Cards and Labels Project Life framelits to crop my photos perfectly!  No guessing where to cut....I simply place the framelit around the part of the photo I want and run it through the Big Shot!  Wow!

3.  All of the colours coordinate with Stampin' Up! colours....of course!  So I'm able to stamp what I want and it will match perfectly!  Nice!

I could go on and on and on......and I've only done one page so far!  I can't wait to share more with you!  Click here to see what is currently available from Project Life by Stampin' Up!  And then contact me to order your own Project Life by Stampin' Up! product!

P.S. There are many more Project Life by Stampin' Up! themes in the annual catalogue.....woohoo!

Mosaic Birthday for DD100 and TSOT165

I'm a little sad as I write this post.  One of my favourite challenge blogs, The Dynamic Duos, is saying farewell after this challenge : (  While I didn't always enter each week I certainly was looking and taking inspiration from the colour combinations posted.  I wish Anne Marie and Lesley as well as the rest of the design team all the best as they pursue new opportunities.


Here are this week's colours:

Another challenge blog that I love is Try Stampin' On Tuesday.  Again, I don't always enter but I've always got one eye on their sketch for the week.  Here is this week's sketch:

I love the colour combination and this sketch is just so versatile!  It's been a while since I used my scallop-edge punch so I was glad to get it out again for this card.

Pretty, eh?  We have a lot of birthdays in May and June in my family so I'm stocking up on my stash of birthday cards to send out.  

I'm sad to see the "Simply Sketched" hostess set go and I'm pretty sure that it'll be one of those sets that I hold on to even after it's retired.

Here's what you'll need to make this card:

Stamp Sets:  Mosaic Madness, Flower Shop, Simply Sketched (Hostess set.....contact me to host your own party)

Paper and Ink:  Smoky Slate, Pool Party, So Saffron, Whisper White

Other:  Pansy Punch, Petite Petals Punch, Itty Bitty Punch Pack (scallop circle), 3/16" corner rounder punch, Scallop Edge Punch, Basic Rhinestone Jewels, bone folder (to curl edges of the flowers), Mosaic TIEF.

Happy Stamping!

Project Life by Stampin' Up!

I don't know about you but I just can't get it together with scrapbooking!  Card-making, yes!  I can make a project in a few minutes and then move on.  Scrapbooking just isn't my thing.  I tried when my son was born...I've got 6 beautiful pages of the first 2 weeks of his life.....he'll be 5 in a month!  I just don't have the organizational skills or time to be able to the medium justice!

So when Stampin' Up announced today that it is partnering with "Project Life" to launch a new, simplified way to document memories I was intrigued.  I didn't know anything about Project Life or what it was about but as I listened to Becky Higgins describe it I knew this was for me!  I can't wait to get my own package : )

For those familiar with Project Life this is AUTHENTIC PROJECT LIFE PRODUCT, NOW IN EXCLUSIVE STAMPIN' UP! COLOURS AND DESIGN!!!!  Woohoo!!!!

Check it out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=r8r2VmVJ2Zk



I'm so excited!!!!  As a demonstrator I can order this on April 21st.....if you want to become a demonstrator contact me today and I'll guide you through the process.  Otherwise, you can order this beginning May 1st!

Happy Stamping!

CAS Happy Birthday Lanterns

I've got another Clean and Simple (CAS) card for you tonight.  My Crushed Curry ink pad stayed on my desk today and I was able to use it again for this week's Paper Players colour challenge - Marina Mist, Crushed Curry and Smoky Slate.

I really like the "Happy Congratulations" stamp set from this year's Occasions Catalogue.  It's got a really fun vibe and makes me think of the summer patio season.....which will be here soon....right?  I love winter but I know that spring is coming....sometime....maybe : )  So I pulled it out for this super simple birthday card.

This card is based on a sketch from Sketch Frenzy Friday

There are SO many possibilities for cards from this sketch!  I was looking my collection and so many possibilities came to mind...stay tuned for more cards using this sketch.

Here's what you need to make tonight's card:

Stamps:  Happy Congratulations, Remembering Your Birthday

Ink and Paper:  Smoky Slate, Marina Mist, Crushed Curry, Whisper White

Other: White Baker's Twine, 3/4" circle punch.

Thanks for reading!  Happy Stamping!

Perfectly Purple CAS Birthday

For those of you who follow this blog regularly, tonight's colour combination will look eerily similar to yesterday's post.  That's because it is almost identical.   Yesterday I wrote about how this week's CAS - Colours and Sketches colour combination had been "speaking" to me for a number of days.  In fact, I had it a little wrong.  I wrote yesterday's blog post, published and linked it up to the CAS - Colours and Sketches challenge and another challenge AND THEN realized I had one of the colours "wrong"!  I had used Summer Starfruit instead of Crushed Curry.

Oh horrors!

Luckily, I quickly realized my error and "un-linked" from the CAS - Colours and Sketches challenge : ) I went back to my desk and put the Summer Starfruit ink pad back in it's spot in my colour caddy.  Just for the fun of it, pulled Crushed Curry down and set it beside the two purples.  Then I went to bed, because it really was late and my brain was not ready to start another project.

Today, again, the colours "spoke" to me.  So this evening I gave it another go, this time with the sketch from Try Stampin' On Tuesday.  I have to say, while I like Summer Starfruit with these two purples, Crushed Curry really does make it "pop" more.....

The twist this week...use stripes and squares.  

Fun....and totally different than yesterday!  I really like how this card could be adapted to masculine or feminine.  Firstly, one could really use any combination of colours and it would still work.  Secondly, while I used the flowers from "Banner Blast", there are also little stars and hearts in that stamp set that could be easily substituted in.

I reached way back into my big stash of DSP (I have a problem using DSP....) and found some "old" Perfect Plum DSP from a stack of "Subtles" I bought about 4 years ago and haven't used up yet.  I like how the DSP adds texture to the card without having to use a Big Shot or Texture Boutique machine.

Here are all the supplies you'll need to make this card:

Stamps:  "Banner Blast" (Sale-a-bration 2014), Remembering Your Birthday

Ink and Paper:  Perfect Plum, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White, Crushed Curry

Other:  White Baker's Twine, 1/2" circle punch, Rhinestones Basic Jewels.

Thanks for reading!  Happy Stamping!