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A Blog Hop for Linda Callahan

A Blog Hop for Linda Callahan published on 7 Comments on A Blog Hop for Linda Callahan

Many of you know the very talented Linda Callahan of Stampin’ Seasons.  She inspires so many of us with her amazing cards!  Today we are celebrating her taking on a new role…grandmother!

A garden of love grows in a Grandmother’s heart. — Author Unknown

Could there be any more beautiful way to describe a grandmother than that?  One of my very special grandmothers, Miriam Walker, was known by us grandkids as Nena.  She became Nena to a lot of other people too!  I have to say that her overwhelming love of her family is still a touchable part of my memories of her.

 

 

 

 

 

These pictures of Nena (and my mom) with my oldest are such a lovely display of her joy in children and their love of her!  How blessed I was to have her as my grandmother!

Linda, I am so thrilled for you and your family!  We will miss you stamping with us for a while but the gift of your time with your grandchildren will be priceless!

The hop participants are here.  Don’t forget to hop over to Linda’s blog and give her a big congratulations!

Freshly Made Sketches #41

Freshly Made Sketches #41 published on 9 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches #41

Just look at what we have for you at Freshly Made Sketches this week!  Our sketch designer this week is Cindy Hall of Pretty Impact.  This is her very first sketch.  Cool, huh?  I think she knocked it out of the park!!  Make sure you let her know and then show us your fantastic creation with it.

I just had to pull out the Floral District DSP again!  The colors just scream summer and the flowers in this print are so fun!  I chose the flower from Button Buddies to go with it.  What a great bold flower this is!  Since it was designed to be used with SU buttons, I just “had” to pull them out.  And then I kept pulling them out and put more on the corner.  Hopefully not too much??!!  I finished this with a sentiment from my latest go-to set, Made for You.  Love the font and size of this one!  I popped the center panel, the flower and the Razzleberry button up on Dimensionals.

So glad you dropped by today!  As always, you will be so impressed with this week’s work by the design team.  Hope you will be able to join us!

Stamps:  Button Buddies, Made For You; Paper:  Floral District DSP, Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White; Ink:  Rich Razzleberry; Accessories:  Brights Designer Buttons, Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

SUOC48 – Bird District

SUOC48 – Bird District published on 4 Comments on SUOC48 – Bird District

I am so excited for you to see what Stampin’ Up Only Challenges has for you this week!  A fun theme that we can all join in on….For the Birds!  I didn’t realize how many cool birds SU has until I started looking at this challenge.  You have almost unlimited style choices.

I chose to pull out Betsy’s Blossoms again since I seem to just be obsessed with this stamp set.  The bold images combined with the Floral District DSP are so summer-like!  For this one, I also pulled out a brand new toy…um, product…from Stampin’ Up!  The Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack (p. 181…go take a look) is awesome!  True to Stampin’ Up form, they coordinated this tool with a number of different punches and dies to create a super easy way to add another layer of texture to your projects.  I got the new Stampin’ Pierce Mat and Paper Piercing Tool too and they work perfectly!  I used the biggest circle template to go around the outside of the 2-1/2″ Circle Punch in the card.  I also got out my new Made for You stamp set (p. 44).  I think you all know by now how much I love Teeny Tiny Wishes but this set just might give it a little competition.  Only three sentiments but the ones I use most often.  Perfectly sized for the inside or outside of your cards too.  You’ll be seeing it a lot!!

We made this card yesterday with my Hostess Club.  It was our first meeting of the Stampin’ Up year and I just love this group.  Always a great time!!

Along with the busy flying schedule, I am busily working on a bunch of swap cards for Convention.  Yes, I said it, Convention!!  I get to go to Stampin’ Up’s annual Convention for the very first time this year!!  Yea me!!  I’ll be a bit quiet as I work on the swap cards but I’ll have lots to show you once Convention starts.  I hope I’ll get to meet some of you there!  Thanks for stopping by today.  Back tomorrow with a new sketch from Freshly Made Sketches.  Have a great day!

Stamps:  Betsy’s Blossoms, Made for You; Paper:  Floral District DSP, Razzleberry, Whisper White; Ink:  Lucky Limeade, Rich Razzleberry; Accessories:  2-1/2 Circle Punch, Essentials Paper Piercing Pack, Stampin’ Pierce Mat, Paper-Piercing Tool, Stamp-a-ma-jig

Freshly Made Sketches #40

Freshly Made Sketches #40 published on 11 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches #40

Oh goody, it is Wednesday!!  Of course that means that Freshly Made Sketches has a new sketch for you.  This one is courtesy of Lesley Croghan from Always Playing with Paper.  She has given us another of those ever so useful layouts that can be used in so many ways.

As soon as I saw Blast Off in the new catalog, it was a “must purchase” for me!!  My two boys are obsessed with all things space and this set is just what I need to make card for them.  THANK YOU SU!!  It is fun to customize the astronaut with hair and eye colors.  This one is my oldest son.  My youngest used the set to make a Father’s Day card (I really must get that posted) that looks like him.  I used the new and awesome Midnight Muse and Gumball Green with a print from Summer Smooches DSP.  A little fussy cutting was all this took.  The rocket and the upper shooting star are popped up on Dimensionals.  You will be seeing more cards from me with this one, that is for sure!

I can’t wait for you to see what the rest of the team has made.  So many wonderful styles all with the same sketch!!

Thanks so much for stopping in today.  I hope you are having a great week so far!

Stamp:  Blast Off; Paper:  Summer Smooches DSP, Midnight Muse, Gumball Green, Whisper White; Ink:  Midnight Muse, Gumball Green, Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Basic Gray; Accessories:  Stamp-a-ma-jig, Dimensionals, Big Shot, Ovals Die (retired)

French Foliage Birthday

French Foliage Birthday published on 5 Comments on French Foliage Birthday

Well, this isn’t a post with new products but it is a post, so I’m happy.  I can’t say enough about the cool sketch from Freshly Made Sketches this week and I used it again here.  I also wanted to celebrate The Paper Players 100th Challenge.  They want you to choose any of their past challenges and play along (not anything goes).  I chose challenge #62, a theme challenge – birthdays.  This one is near and dear to my heart because I was chosen as Headliner with this card.  Being chosen by this group of stampers out of that pool of talent was such a big deal to me and I still remember how excited I was to be selected!

I made a masculine birthday card for a friend of our family turning 40.  I turned to a go-to set, French Foliage.  Always perfect for a masculine card!  I still have some of the awesome Well Worn DSP from last year’s catalog and love it with this stamp set.  I let the paper be my guide for colors and stamped leaves in Crumb Cake and Cajun Craze.  The circle is punched with a 2-1/2″ Circle Punch and stamped with the background words from the stamp set.  Some Linen Thread and a Very Vanilla button are the final touches.

Congratulations to the team at The Paper Players on their great success.  Thanks for all the inspiration you have provided to so many!

Back on Wednesday with a new sketch from Freshly Made Sketches!  I appreciate you stopping by!

Stamps:  French Foliage, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper:  Well Worn DSP, Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze, Naturals Ivory; Ink:  Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze; Accessories:  Linen Thread, Neutrals Buttons, 2-1/2″ Circle Punch, Sponges, Dimensionals

 

Freshly Made Sketches #39

Freshly Made Sketches #39 published on 11 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches #39

Now just look what Freshly Made Sketches has for you this week!  Jen Mitchell from I Create has designed this layout for us.  So many lovely possibilities!!

As I said yesterday, I seem to be working in a bit of a minimalist style these days.  Less layers, lots of white space.  Maybe it is the summer weather. I turned to Betsy’s Blossoms again and the beautiful prints in Floral District.  This pretty Lucky Limeade monochromatic print is at the top of a poppy design on one of the sheets.  Just perfectly sized for a sketch like this!  I flipped the leaf stamp and used the end as a stem and then added a single leaf using my trust Stamp-a-ma-jig.  I added a little version of the flower next to the sentiment for a little extra emphasis.

The design team has made so many pretty inspiration cards.  I love the different takes on the “any shape” panel!  We had so much fun with all the entries last week (103…wow!).  Hope you will join us again this week.

I just got a box from Mr. Brown (aka, the UPS man).  New stamps and new accessories!  Oh, the possibilities!  I hope to be back with something by the end of the week!  Thanks for stopping in today.  I hope you have a wonderful day!

Stamps:  Betsy’s Blossoms, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper:  Floral District DSP, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White; Ink:  Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie, Lucky Limeade; Accessories:  Big Shot, Ovals Die (retired), Stamp-a-ma-jig, Brights Buttons, White Baker’s Twine, Mini Glue Dots, Dimensionals

SUOC 47 – Creative Frills

SUOC 47 – Creative Frills published on 3 Comments on SUOC 47 – Creative Frills

Over at SUO Challenges this week we are all about Fancy Frills.  Show us you lace, your ribbons and your doilies.  Anything frilly and we want to see it!

There must be something about this summer weather that has me working in a “less is more” attitude.  I seem to be taking off layers and keeping things a bit simpler.  Not always my style but I guess I just have to go with it.  Even with this theme I couldn’t seem to get all layered up.  Instead I pulled out this beautiful Victoria Crochet Trim and that was my starting point.  I also wanted to use this new In Color, Midnight Muse.  I am a big fan of Not Quite Navy and Midnight Muse just seems to be a richer, deeper version.  I LOVE IT!  I also am falling in love with the new ink pad style.  There is a learning curve but the coverage when stamping is beautiful.  I inked up the butterfly from Creative Elements and stamped it on Naturals Ivory paper, then fussy cut it.  The frame from Creative Elements and the sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes seem made for each other and I love the proportions. I finished with a Night of Navy button and some Linen Thread.  The button isn’t a match but it seems to go.

This is an anniversary card for my husband.  We will be celebrating our 11th on Saturday. I hope this isn’t too frilly but he is always a good sport about my cards.  Never fear, his gift isn’t the least bit girly!  Pretty sure he never reads this but just in case, I’ll hold the details.

A little late on my post today.  We are still getting into the summer schedule…aren’t things supposed to calm down??!!  The boys are on swim team with practices every morning and this week they have Vacation Bible School.  Such fun!

I hope your week is going well.  I’ll see you tomorrow with a new card for Freshly Made Sketches!  Thanks so much for dropping by!

Stamps:  Creative Elements, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper:  Crumb Cake, Naturals Ivory; Ink:  Midnight Muse; Accessories:  Victoria Crochet Lace, Sticky Strip, Regals Buttons, Linen Thread, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Dimensionals

Freshly Made Sketches #38

Freshly Made Sketches #38 published on 26 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches #38

The fantastic Linda Callahan of Stampin’ Seasons has brought us this week’s sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.  I love this sketch for all its possibilities and it was so easy to use.  It was so much fun having the surprise hop for Rita last week.  This week we continue the fun with the addition of new members to the design team.  Lesley has put so much talent in one place and you will be so impressed with this week’s team cards.  How lucky I am to be in the company of such wonderful stampers!

I guess this week is one of surprises for moms-to-be. My oldest son’s teacher is pregnant and the parents threw her a surprise baby shower in the class yesterday.  We played the baby diaper game (which the kids thought was hilarious) and a few other guessing games.  Such fun!  I just got this new set, Betsy’s Blossoms, and its coordinating Floral District DSP.  I am in love with this bird and the whole stamp set is bold and fresh looking.  It seems that between this DSP and the Summer Smooches DSP that Rich Razzleberry is becoming one of my go-to colors for the summer.  It has never been a favorite of mine but right now I can’t get enough of it!!  I used some Daffodil Delight Seam Binding for the bow and Teeny Tiny Wishes for the sentiment.  The little bird is fussy cut and put up on Dimensionals.

I hope you can join us this week for the latest sketch.  Make sure you drop by and welcome the latest members to the team.  They will be with us through December 2012 and I know I look forward to how they will inspire us every week!

On a personal note, I am back to flying and my stamping has been a bit curtailed.  I will post as often as I can but the summer flying schedule is sure to be full.  My boys are also out from school at the end of the week and the summer activities are beginning.  I love hanging out with them but, again, my stamping time tends to fall off.  Worth every bit of time with them though!!  So glad you stopped by today.  Thanks so much!

Stamps:  Betsy’s Blossoms, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper:  Floral District DSP, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White; Ink:  Rich Razzleberry, Lucky Limeade; Accessories:  Daffodil Delight Seam Binding, Brights Buttons, White Baker’s Twine, Dimensionals

The 2012-13 Stampin’ Up Catalog

The 2012-13 Stampin’ Up Catalog published on No Comments on The 2012-13 Stampin’ Up Catalog

Oh just look at it!  Isn’t it beautiful?  Clean, fresh and modern!!  Just wait until you see what is in it – click the image to open it up!!  I already have some new favorites.  Here are some of the highlights of what I love.

  • More Merry Messages  (p. 15) – A Christmas word set that is top of my list
  • Star Tee and Christmas Blessings (p. 19) – Lovely new Christmas sets
  • Two by Two (p. 60) – A lovely little stamp for baby cards (set of 1)
  • Blast Off (p. 65) – A space set….fantastic!
  • Serene Silhouettes (p. 75) – Gorgeous art work for elegant cards
  • Page 85 – For stampers who love realistic images to color
  • International Bazaar suite (pp 96 – 99) – Dramatic new patterns and striking images
  • Papillon Potpourri (p. 115) – A beautiful butterfly set that has a coordinating new punch!
  • Daydream Medallions (p. 117) – Medallion stamps with coordinating Framelits
  • DSPs (p. 162 -165) – Natural Composition, Floral District, Polka Dot Parade
  • Piercing Template and Mat (p. 181) – New larger size with coordinating piercing guides…wow!
  • New Big Shot accessories (pp. 188 – 194) – Just look for the new tag in front of the title.  So many great tools!
  • New Hostess items (pp. 200 – 205) – Hostess choices for every stamping style!
  • Moving Forward (p. 209) – Our Ronald McDonald House set this year…adorable!

And yes, that is just the highlights.  New items are codes with “NEW” before the title so they are easy to find.  If you don’t already have a demonstrator and need a personal copy of the catalog, please just let me know (go to the My Stampin’ Up Website tab above and you will link to my demonstrator page with all the information).

For Rita – A Surprise Blog Hop!

For Rita – A Surprise Blog Hop! published on 22 Comments on For Rita – A Surprise Blog Hop!

It is Wednesday and that means Freshly Made Sketches has a new challenge for you but we also have a surprise cooked up for our dear friend Rita Wright!  Yep, a surprise blog hop in her honor.  Conveniently enough the sketch this week is hers (we just turned it into this lovely hop badge).

For those of you who don’t know, Rita is pregnant and getting ready to take a leave of absence from our design team.  She is a wonderful stamper but an even more wonderful person!  The teams of Freshly Made Sketches and The Paper Players have joined together for this hop.  You are sure to be wowed and we hope that Rita sees how much we love and respect her for all she does.

For my card I took inspiration from this post from Rita.  The fabrics for little Laila’s quilt are so pretty and I thought this paper from Twitterpated DSP and the images from Joie (SAB ’11, French version) were perfect.  Rita, I wish you all the joy that you and your family so richly deserve.  Hugs to you, my friend!

If you have been hopping around already, you probably came over from Jen Mitchell at I Create.  The next blog on the list is Kathy Tanner at Stamping Still.  Here are all the participants:

We have a team blog where we post our pictures and we had to keep the secret so the Freshly Made Sketches team also designed “decoy” cards so that Rita wouldn’t get suspicious.  We have all been so excited about the big day on this!  Here is my other version of the sketch:

I am so thrilled to be a part of this little party in Rita’s honor.  Make sure you drop by Rita’s Creations and leave her a note.  You can be a part of the fun too!

Rita’s Card — Stamp:  Joie (SAB ’11); Paper:  Twitterpated DSP, Daffodil Delight, Basic Gray; Ink:  Daffodil Delight, Basic Gray; Accessories:  Perfect Pennants Die, Big Shot, 1-3/4″ Circle Punch, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Basic Pearls, Dimensionals

Card 2 — Stamps:  Bright Blossoms, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper:  Summer Smooches, Whisper White; Ink:  Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo; Accessories:  Big Shot, Adorning Accents Edgelits, 1-3/4″ Circle Punch, Neutrals Buttons, White Baker’s Twine

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