A Fresh Start

I love using new products!  I'm especially excited about all the new things that the 2012 Occasions Mini has to offer.  When I got the catalogue in December I couldn't put it down and every page held something else to love!  So now that Christmas cards are finally over I've delved into the new stuff to create a card for my cousin's baby shower on Friday evening (so E.M. if you're reading....stop now until after Friday night!).   My cousin and I are due ONE DAY apart in March....what are the chances?!!   I'm so excited for her, as this will be her first baby. 

I based her card on this week's A la Card Monkey's sketch...."A Fresh Start"....so fitting for this time of year and also for the card I needed : )  Thanks again ladies for the inspiration!

Monkey Challenge 89 Sketch

Here's my card:

Baby Prints Card

And here's a different angle of the same card:

Baby Prints...a second view

I wish I could say that I just "whipped" this card out, but in reality it went through a number of incarnations.  One of the choices I had to make was what colour to make the hand prints.  Neither of us know the gender of our baby so I decided to one of each colour.....as I finished I realised it could double as a wedding card : )  

So many fun new products....Twitterpated DSP, Blushing Bride Smooch Spritz, Blushing Bride Pleated Satin Ribbon, Hearts FRAMELITS  (I LOVE these!!!!!), new embossing folders.....so great!

Hearts close-up

The other stamp I've been wanting to use is "All Packed for Baby".   I selectively coloured just the onesie from it for this card....but stayed tuned for more using the whole stamp.

Inside view

I could go on and on about this new mini....but it's time for bed : )  Here are the details:

Stamp Sets:  Baby Prints, All Packed for Baby, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Four Frames, Occasions Alphabet

Papers:  Basic Grey CS, Blushing Bride CS, Pear Pizazz CS, Whisper White CS, Twitterpated DSP

Inks:  Riding Hood Red, Island Indigo, Blushing Bride, Basic Grey, Pear Pizazz

Accessories:  Hearts Framelits, Adorning Accents Embossing Folders, Blushing Bride Pleated Satin Ribbon, Baja Breeze Seam Binding Ribbon, Blushing Bride Smooch Spritz, various punches


Happy Stamping!!  More to come : )

I'm ba-ack...

...for a short time at least.  I've just enjoyed 10 days away with my family, camping in Quebec.  What a fabulous province!  This is the second summer that we've spent vacationing there and we've loved both experiences.  The province itself is absolutely GORGEOUS and there is so much diversity in the landscape.  The people are friendly and the food amazing!  It was so nice to get out canoeing again this year.  It was my son's first time in a canoe and I have to admit, he did pretty well.  Our first outing was only about 1/2 hour but the second was 3 hours!  Not bad for a 2 year old....the key is to bring lots of snacks and a bag of rocks : )

We ended our trip at my sister-in-law's place for my father-in-law's 60th birthday.  We spent a lovely day canoeing the Saugeen River near Walkerton and then had a nice family dinner at a local restaurant.  All-in-all a great day for a great dad!

We began our trip at my cousin's wedding and I'd like to share the card that I made for her and her new husband.  I had a lot of fun with my new "Occasions Alphabet" stamp set for this one!



Summer Wedding

 
I chose to stick with a relatively simple colour palette that was similar to the bride's colours for the day; Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry and Very Vanilla.  I wanted to incorporate butterflies somehow and I really like how they look against the flowers from the "Just Believe" set.  The largest butterfly has had it's wings brushed with Rich Razzleberry to give them a little more depth (thanks to S.M. from TheMuseum for the idea!).

Monogram using Occasions Alphabet

For the monogram I simply coloured just the letter from the "Occasions Alphabet" stamp and framed it using one of the frames from "Four Frames".  The "bling" on the monogram and butterfly are rhinestones.

For the Newlyweds

 Finally, for the inside of the card, I wanted to say something about being "Newlywed".  I framed the sentiment again with a frame from "Four Frames"...the one with the bird, but coloured to omit the bird.

Where has the time gone...

This summer is going by so quickly and I feel as though I've hardly had time to enjoy it yet!  It's been so busy....hence, my lack of posting...and it just keeps going!  I'm starting to understand that expression, "I need a vacation from my vacation" : )

I had a couple of events this week that went really well and thanks to the ladies over at Try Stamping on Tuesday I was able to pull out a project last minute for my Idea Book and Catalogue Launch Party on Tuesday.  Thank you!

Here's their sketch:

Try Stamping on Tuesday Challenge 23

Here's my version:

Occasions Alphabet card

Everthing about this card was last minute.  I had ordered the Occasions Alphabet stamp set as part of my Sale-a-bration reward and it didn't arrive until Tuesday, the same day as my party!  I absolutely LOVE that set wanted to use it right away.  I was also stuck for an idea for a layout....so again, thanks to CherylAnn and the other ladies for this template. 

The colour combination for this card is Baja Breeze, Rich Razzleberry, and Island Indigo.  So pretty!  I sponged Baja Breeze ink onto the card stock base to add a little texture to the background and then layered Pocketful of Posies DSP, Island Indigo (using the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder) and Rich Razzleberry again. 

The sentiment is framed in Baja Breeze using one of the Four Frames stamps and punched using the Decorative Label punch.

I'm looking forward to some time off over the next couple of weeks but I'll be back in August.