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SU Only Challenge 13 – Joie

SU Only Challenge 13 – Joie published on 7 Comments on SU Only Challenge 13 – Joie

Over at SU Only Challenges we are celebrating our favorite time of the Stampin’ Up year!!  Sale-a-bration!!!  Truly, the only thing better than new stamps is getting new stamps FREE.  I actually had a hard time choosing which of my SAB sets to use for this challenge but decided I wanted to show you something you might have missed.  If you look at the bottom of each SAB set with words, you get a choice of language. 

So as you look at this card and think, that looks like Bliss…it is…except in French!  I felt like “Joie” was a phrase I could find lots of uses for and this set has a French feel to me.  One of the best things I am finding with this set (especially in combination with the Framed Tulips Embossing Folder) is that a simple layout is best.  I stamped the flourish in Early Espresso and then put Joie in a place that felt like a continuation of the flourish.  Even with using a clear mount stamp, my Stamp-a-ma-jig was pulled out to make sure it was just right!  I inked up the butterfly in Baja Breeze and added some Early Espresso to the edges of the stamp with a sponge dauber.  After stamping, I cut it out and sponged a little more Espresso on the cut edges.  Additional sponging in Early Espresso was done on the image panel and on the embossed layer.  I used the thread pulling technique on the Baja Breeze Seam Binding.

Hint:  I find this works best if you simply leave the ribbon on the roll and pull the thread until you have enough scrunched ribbon.

The balance was a little off so I started looking at buttons and brads.  You know what I found??!!  This particular Antique Brad has a flower on it that is almost identical to the flower in Bliss/Joie.  And this, my friends is why Stampin’ Up products make me so happy!!  The type A personality in me knows that these items simply work….beautifully!!  This free set has just as much thought put into its design as any catalog set.  The attention to detail speaks for itself!

I wrapped the brad around the ribbon and attached it to the card with Mini Glue Dots.  Finally, I realized that Basic Pearls were “required” to complete the card.  The different sizes on the sheet really do make them a joy to use!  I attached one wing of the butterfly with Mini Glue Dots and let the other stay loose.  Finally, I popped the image panel up on Dimensionals.

This is the very first card I have made with this set but I think this will be a go-to set for a while!  Shelli Gardner, Stampin’ Up’s CEO, has a challenge on her blog this month for Sale-a-bration projects.  This card definitely qualifies so I am putting my name in the hat with it.   

Because I couldn’t quite make up my mind which project to feature today, I want to share this mini photo album with you too.  I had so much fun making the project for the Stampin’ Addicts SAB Blog Hop, I made another version using the SAB set, Sweet Summer.  I’ll post more details tomorrow since I changed the measurements on this one.

Thanks for stopping in today.  I can’t wait to see your Stampin’ Up Only projects using the SAB offerings.  Make sure you post them over at the SUO Challenge site!  Don’t forget to go see the fabulous things made by the rest of the SUO Challenge design team.  I hope you have a really great week!

Stamp:  Joie (French Bliss – 123242); Paper:  Baja Breeze (111342), Early Espresso (119686), Naturals Ivory (101849); Ink:  Baja Breeze Marker (120965), Early Espresso Pad (119670); Accessories:  Baja Breeze Seam Binding (122331), Antique Brads (117273), Basic Pearls (119247), Mini Glue Dots (103683), Dimensionals (104430), Sponge Daubers (102892), Big Shot (113439), Framed Tulips Embossing Folder (121809)

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ColorLab 29

ColorLab 29 published on 18 Comments on ColorLab 29

Razzleberry…hmmmm….what to do with Razzleberry??  This week’s ColorLab Challenge colors were interesting to me.  What do you think?

Now I must say that I love the idea of combining Old Olive and Pear Pizzazz since they are such sister greens so the Razzleberry became a little less intimidating.  When I am a little stumped with one element of a card, I usually go find a good layout.  For me, it helps me see what to do next.  Sure enough, there is a great basic layout over at Stampin’ 411 – SSC190.  Once I saw that I knew I wanted to use the Pear DSP from Greenhouse Gala for the bottom panel.  Putting Old Olive behind it looked great so then I layered everything with Rich Razzleberry.

  My image panel was completed last and I’ll admit this wasn’t the first panel created.  I was making it way too hard!!  I pulled out this wonderful flower from Friends Never Fade and inked it up with my Stampin’ Write Markers in the three challenge colors.  I knew I was on to something!  I added the phrase from Say It Simply (Occasions Mini) and was left needing one more element.  Given that I rarely use Rich Razzleberry, I don’t have any Taffeta Ribbon in that color.  But I can make any color I want!!  I dampened a piece of White Taffeta Ribbon and inked up the ribbon using my marker.  I then rubbed the color around a little to even it out.

Hint:  Unless you want Razzleberry fingers all day, you may want to use a paper towel or protective gloves when handling the damp ribbon (ask me how I know!).  For really saturated color, you may need to apply your ink twice.

Recently, I won some blog candy from Stampin’ Celebration and the little Olive clip was in my box of treasures.  I am so happy that I could use it for this!  I popped the image panel up on Dimensionals and I am happy with the result.  This is why you should try color challenges especially when one of the colors is “out of your box”.  You end up making a card you might never have considered.  Since I used my markers on both the flower image and the ribbon, this qualifies for Stampin’ Royalty’s Mark It Up Challenge this week.

Glad to see you today.  Make sure to check out the other fantastic work over at ColorLab.  I hope to have something else ready to post this weekend but I’ll definitely be back next Tuesday with the next SU Only Challenge.  See you soon!

Stamps:  Friends Never Fade, Say It Simply; Paper:  Greenhouse Gala DSP, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White; Ink:  Rich Razzleberry, Pear Pizzazz, Old Olive; Accessories:  White Taffeta Ribbon (dyed), Old Olive Library Clip (retired), Dimensionals

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Valentine-a-pa-looza!!

Valentine-a-pa-looza!! published on 12 Comments on Valentine-a-pa-looza!!

It was a busy weekend around my house.  In typical style, I was working last minute on Valentine’s Day treats for my boys’ classes and their teachers.  Not sure why but this always seems to be something I put off.  I started out with the treats for the kids by pulling out an old set called Mini Messages.  This is one that I bought early in my stamping life and never knew quite what to do with it.  Inspiration hit and off I went!

I stamped the “my friend” script in Soft Suede on Very Vanilla and punched it out with a Large Tag punch.  I then stamped the heart in Cherry Cobbler and cut it out.  Yes, it would have been loads easier if I had used any of our large variety of heart punches but sadly, none live at my house (this WILL be fixed!!).  The Extra-Large Tag Punch was used on Cherry Cobbler paper and I just had to assemble.  I put some chocolate into Medium Cellophane Bags, punched a hole in the tags with a 1/16″ Circle Punch and tied them closed with Vanilla 1/8″ Taffeta Ribbon.  Easy and done!

Being a demonstrator has so many cool advantages and one was that we received a sample of the Love Impressions Rub-Ons as a free gift from Stampin’ Up!  Before I went to work on cards for the teachers, I wanted to make two Valentine’s for my sweet sons.  The front card is one of those.  It uses the FTL127 layout which seemed perfect for this.  There is absolutely no stamping on either of these cards.  It is all rub-ons (even on the inside of the card)!  I put the heart balloons on Whisper White card stock and cut them out so that I could pop them up on Dimensionals.  The heart paper is from the Play Date DSP set.  When I saw Stampin’ Celebration’s inspiration piece this week, I knew I’d use the XOXO balloon for it!  Don’t forget to take a look at all the cool Valentine’s Day goodies they created!

Both of the cards here were used for my sons’ teachers (of course some treats were included for them too).  All of these cards qualify for one of my favorite challenges, Stampin’ Royalty.  Their SR#58 is Hearts, Hearts and More Hearts and that sums up my crafting this weekend!

Thanks for stopping by to see my crazy Valentine-a-pa-looza weekend results.  I hope your day is a happy one!

Cards:

Stamps:  None; Paper:  Whisper White, Basic Gray, Real Red, Play Date DSP; Ink:  None; Accessories:  Love Impressions Rub-ons (Occasions Mini), Dimensionals, Brights Buttons, Thread (non-SU)

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ColorLab 28

ColorLab 28 published on 10 Comments on ColorLab 28

What a great set of colors ColorLab has for this week…just in time for your final Valentine’s Day cards!

These are such classic colors for the season but I went a little non-traditional.  I didn’t use one of my heart images.  Instead, I wanted to play with my new Sweet Summer set.  I just love the flowers and all the little stamps that go with them!  I saw the Friday Mashup Sketch for this week and knew that was just what I needed to get started.

I stamped my little flower and stem in Basic Black using my Stamp-a-ma-jig to perfectly align the stem.  Even though I have the clear mount stamps, the Stamp-a-ma-jig is a great help when you want to stamp something “just so” (it was made for type A people like me!)!  I pulled out the Real Red polka dots from my Play Date DSP (your prints from the Brights Paper Pack would be great here too).  After I did a basic look at the layout, I colored the flower in Real Red and the stem in Crumb Cake using my blender pen.

Hint:  When coloring on Very Vanilla or Whisper White, think like you are placing color with the Blender Pen instead of swirling on the color.  If you want to really blend and mix colors, use Watercolor Paper instead.

The sentiment is from Short & Sweet, one of the best sentiment sets ever!  I tied my bow and wrapped the ribbon around the DSP layer, popped the image up on dimensionals and done with the front.  I didn’t take a picture of it but I used the little butterfly on the inside (colored red also), along with the “happy valentine’s day” sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes.  I’ll be making a few more of these and I think they are perfect for teacher Valentine’s from my boys.

So glad you joined me today!  I look forward to your creations with these colors and don’t forget to take a look at the other Color Chemists’ projects!  See you soon!

Stamps:  Sweet Summer (SAB), Short & Sweet, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper:  Play Date DSP, Real Red, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla; Ink:  Basic Black, Real Red, Crumb Cake; Accessories:  Real Red Wide Grosgrain, Blender Pen, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Dimensionals

SUO Challenge 12 – Stampin’ Around

SUO Challenge 12 – Stampin’ Around published on 17 Comments on SUO Challenge 12 – Stampin’ Around

Over at SU Only Challenges this week, we are “Stampin’ Around”!!  Yes, we have pulled out our wheels and the variety of ideas is wonderful!  Wheels can add dimension to your background or can be the focal image on your project! 

I saw the coolest layout last week, designed by the very talented SU demonstrator Mary Fish, over at Mojo Monday.  To start, the Very Vintage wheel was rolled on Very Vanilla paper in Soft Suede.  I lightly colored some of the flowers in Blushing Bride and cut the curve with my Paper Snips.  Vintage Vogue is a set that coordinates beautifully with this wheel so I pulled it out.  I inked the flowers in Blushing Bride and the sponged a little Soft Suede on the edges with a Sponge Dauber.  After I layed it out, something was missing so out came the Big Shot and my Framed Tulips Embossing Folder.  What a difference!!  I used my Stampin’ Write Marker in Soft Suede to only ink the “friend” part of the big F stamp and put it on a little banner.  Finally, the ribbon needed to be finished.  At first I tried just Very Vanilla Satin but it just wasn’t right.  So I dyed it!  Oh, no…it isn’t hard…really!!  Take your piece of ribbon and color it using a Stampin’ Write Marker (Blushing Bride in this case).  It will look a bit splotchy.  Next take your Aqua Painter and wet the ribbon (a spray bottle would work too).  The Aqua Painter will help you move the color around to make it even.  Let it dry and you have perfectly coordinated ribbon.

Hint:  I found that starting with a base color ribbon the same as my base color paper helped it match better.  When you stamp a light ink on Very Vanilla it will take on a slightly different hue than if you stamp on Whisper White.  Since I stamped on Vanilla paper for this, I used Vanilla ribbon as a base.

The Basic Pearls were the perfect finishing touch for this Vintage themed card!  I love those little jewels and it is amazing how much they add.  In fact, I stamped another little flower inside to card and added a pearl there to make the inside feel just as special as the outside.

I’m so glad to see you again and I look forward to seeing what your wheels create for this challenge!  See you again soon!

Stamp:  Vintage Vogue (117690); Wheel: Very Vintage (117693); Paper:  Soft Suede (115318), Very Vanilla (101650); Ink:  Soft Suede Classic Pad (115657), Blushing Bride Marker (In-Color Pack 119801); Accessories:  Big Shot (113439), Framed Tulips Folder (121809), Very Vanilla Satin (117291), Basic Pearls (119247), Sticky Strip (104294), Aqua Painter (103954), Sponge Daubers (102892)

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First Edition Valentine

First Edition Valentine published on 14 Comments on First Edition Valentine

I got an order last week and I have been playing with my new products!!  Oh what fun!  Tonight is my 3rd Quarter Hostess Club Meeting and the club ladies will be making this.  I can’t wait!!  First things first, this card is a CASE from the very talented Debra Burgin over at Heartfelt Inkspirations.  I knew I had to make it as soon as I saw it.  In the effort to add my own touch, I did change the colors and the sentiment plus added a layer.  My colors were inspired by this week’s Stampin’ Celebration piece…a great Valentine’s Day palette! 

I pulled out my Framed Tulips Embossing Folder and my Big Shot and rolled the frame right onto the base.  I then added Whisper White Craft Ink.  I did not use a brayer like Debra did (although that would work, of course).  Instead I used another technique that I will cover in an upcoming Stampin’ Addicts Birthday Blog Hop (Feb. 25th – Feb. 27th).  I cut a section of the First Edition DSP that talks about Cherry Blossoms.  Somehow that seemed appropriate with my use of Cherry Cobbler!  The Be My Valentine heart was stamped in Cherry Cobbler and cut out (cutting off the banner) and I stamped the “valentine” from my Teeny Tiny Wishes “happy valentine’s day” stamp in Basic Gray on a 1/2″ strip of Very Vanilla and just snipped the corners.  Aren’t Stampin’ Write Markers handy??!!  The Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding and Victoria Crochet Trim were tied together with dyed thread (again with a marker) and a Basic Gray Button.  I used a barely inked flower from Fresh Cuts to add a little color to the First Edition paper.

Thanks to Debra for allowing me to CASE her.  Be sure to take a look at her many beautiful creations using the link at the beginning of the post!  I’ll be back tomorrow with the latest SU Only Challenge.  I hope your day is great!

Stamps:  Be My Valentine (122045), Fresh Cuts (111634), Teeny Tiny Wishes (115370); Paper:  Cherry Cobbler (119685), Basic Gray (121044), Very Vanilla (101650), First Edition DSP (121878); Ink:  Cherry Cobbler Classic Pad (119669), Basic Gray Marker (120966), Whisper White Craft Pad (101731); Accessories:  Big Shot (113439), Framed Tulips Folder (121809); Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding (120992), Victoria Crochet Lace (118481), Neutrals Buttons (119743)

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ColorLab 27

ColorLab 27 published on 11 Comments on ColorLab 27

Snow, bad weather for our friends in the Southern Hemisphere, cabin fever…I have the solution!!  Bright, happy colors from ColorLab!!  At least your little stamping corner will have sunny weather.

As you can see from my previous card, the weather was affecting my stamping mood.  This color palette shook me right out of the icy colors.  After spending so much time with Funky Four on last weekend’s Stampin’ Addicts SAB Blog Hop, you would think I’d be done with that set.  But no…out it came again.  I’m so excited that you can earn it FREE with your $50 order!!  Of course, who can stop at just one of those free choices…believe me, I couldn’t.  My own free sets should be arriving later today so you can expect to see projects with them next week.

Ok, I digress.  Today’s card came together so quickly and is perfect for a little teacher note I need this week.  All I had to do was stamp the leaf image in the three colors and pop on a sentiment from the Apple Blossoms Hostess Set.  The striped paper is from the Brights Designer Series Paper Stack.  What a handy pack of paper to have!!  I seem to be using it all the time.  The final touch was a black button with a little bit of Peach Parfait thread.  Just take a little bit of white thread and color it with your Stampin’ Write Marker.  The sketch comes from the Splitcoaststampers Sketch Challenge this week.  I love the off-center panel and how it steps up a basic layout. 

 I can’t wait to see what you do with the colors this week!  Don’t forget to go see what the other Color Chemists have concocted (say that three times fast).  I’ll be back next week with a new SUO Challenge.  Have a happy and safe weekend!

Stamps:  Funky Four (120438-C), Apple Blossoms (Hostess-120139-C); Paper:  Brights DSP Stack (117155), Basic Black (121045), Pear Pizzazz (119795); Whisper White (100730); Ink:  Melon Mambo (121074), In Color Markers (119801), Basic Black (100082); Accessories:  Neutrals Designer Buttons (119743), Thread (non-SU)

Fresh Birthday

Fresh Birthday published on 19 Comments on Fresh Birthday

I wanted a little change of pace from the “clean” cards I made for the blog hop last weekend.  I must say that Funky Four pretty much demands a clean style.  For today’s card, I pulled out a set that has been languishing in my stamp drawer for far too long…Fresh Cuts.  I found yet another great sketch from the Operators at Stampin’ 411:

They really have a knack for a great layout!  I, like many of you, have a stash of designer paper.  When things retire, I hold on to my very favorites.  One of the DSPs from last year that I just loved was Nouveau Chic.  The colors are so pretty together and seemed to fit my stamping mood.  Gray, icy, a little distressed…just like the view outside my window today.

As a starting point, I stamped the “background” image from Fresh Cuts in Sage Shadow (retired) and then stamped the leaf image in Basic Gray over it.  After that I chose the papers for the panels and distressed everything.  It was still missing something so I stamped the words and punched them out with my Large Oval Punch and put on a Scallop Oval base.  Finally, I added some Basic Gray Taffeta ribbon using the scrunching technique and frayed the ends a bit.

Hint:  Once you have distressed the edges of your designer paper, sponge some color on the edges to finish the look (Basic Gray used here).

So glad you were able to stop in today.  I hope you are not adversely affected by the huge weather pattern crossing the U.S. today!!  See you again on Thursday for another ColorLab Challenge.

Stamp:  Fresh Cuts (111634); Paper:  Nouveau Chic DSP (retired), Basic Gray (121044), Very Vanilla (101650); Ink:  Sage Shadow (retired), Basic Gray (120966); Accessories:  Basic Gray Taffeta (retired), Large Oval Punch (119855), Scallop Oval Punch (119856), Antique Brads (117273), Sponges (101610), Dimensionals (104430)

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Funky Photo Card

Funky Photo Card published on 2 Comments on Funky Photo Card

As promised, I am back with some more specifics about my photo book from the Blog Hop this weekend.  The tutorial I based this on came from the ultra-talented (and totally generous) Sarah Wills.  Her blog has tons of ideas and I used her Scallop Square Die Mini Scrapbook Tutorial as the basis for my card.  I thought it would be a fun little something to make for my mom since she came to visit this week.

I started with a base of On Board chipboard knowing she would keep this to show to her friends.  I cut the chipboard into two 4 1/4″ squares and then cut four pieces of Old Olive card stock to the same size.  Using my Anywhere Glue Stick, I attached three of the pieces to the chipboard and left the last one off to allow for ribbon placement.  Just like Sarah’s instructions, I cut a piece of Chocolate Chip stock to 3 3/4″ x 11 1/4″ and folded it concertina style.  I decorated the two pages on each side using Funky Four and the Play Date DSP that coordinates with it.

Here is the before and after of the front two pages.  I created a 2 1/8″ x 3 1/8″ panel for the picture I wanted to put in.  I then used the little leaf stamp from Funky Four as further embellishment.  I love that the DSP matches this image and simply cut a square for the facing page.

I then moved to the back and designed two more facing pages.  Again, I used some of the Play Date paper and a stamp from the set.  I initially made a square for the photo but then adjusted once I chose my picture.  I used a 1/8″ bigger panel behind it.

I connected these panels to my chipboard covered pieces using Sticky Strip (again, per Sarah’s suggestion).  I then decorated the front of the card.  All that was left was to attach my ribbon.  I lined up where the ribbon should go, attached it to the chipboard using Sticky Strip and then glued down the Old Olive Paper over the ribbon.

I love that this project comes together so quickly and makes such an nice little gift!!  Thanks, again, to Sarah for her generosity of ideas. 

Those who stamp with me know that I don’t make a lot of “3-D” projects.  I tend to be a little too practical, I think.  This went a bit outside the box for me so I’m going to enter it into the So Shelli Creative Challenge this month.  Shelli Gardner (CEO of Stampin’ Up!) challenged us to go outside our comfort zone.  I’m so glad I did!!  I think my mom is pretty glad too because she is already talking about showing this to her friends. *smile*

Thanks for stopping back in today.  I’ll see you later this week with another ColorLab challenge on Thursday and maybe something before then (if there are no snow days!).

Stamp:  Funky Four (113738), Say It Simply (122324); Play Date DSP (117168), Old Olive (100702), Chocolate Chip (102128), Whisper White (100730); Ink:  Real Red Marker (100052), Tempting Turquoise (100058), Chocolate Chip (100071), Old Olive (100079); Accessories:  Real Red Wide Grosgrain (109052), On Board Sheets (114320)

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Sale-a-brate with the Stampin’ Addicts!

Sale-a-brate with the Stampin’ Addicts! published on 29 Comments on Sale-a-brate with the Stampin’ Addicts!

Welcome to the Stampin’ Addicts Sale-a-bration Blog Hop!!  I hope you are enjoying the projects you can make with all the FREE stamps available with the SAB promotion.  I know you loved Holly’s projects over at InkPaperStamps with Forest Friends!  She always has the best ideas.

I am going to show you some things I made with Funky Four.  Talk about a fun set!!  It is part of the “Family Organization Suite” and has matching designer paper called Play Date.  I have used that on a couple of things today because, let’s face it, they are made for each other!  FYI, you can click on any picture to see it in more detail. 

My first project is a quick card that uses the designer paper to create grass.  Ok, alternate universe grass but the bright colors are really perfect!  I just used my paper snips to create the hills using Play Date DSP and the Brights Paper Stack DSP.  I inked up the tree in Old Olive and Early Espresso, stamped on Whisper White and cut it out.  The sentiment comes from Teeny Tiny wishes and the punches (Word Window, Modern Label) are perfect for that set.  The sentiment, the tree and the yellow “grass” are all popped up on Dimensionals. 

I’ll admit that the next card is for someone of a certain sense of humor.  I certainly did not originate the idea with the mushrooms but I find it really funny!  The psychedelic  rick-rack paper comes from the Greenhouse Gala DSP.  I used my markers to color the mushrooms and sentiment is from Party Hearty.  I created a bow with my Pumkin Pie Narrow Grosgrain and cinched it up with thread through a Brights Button.  The sketch comes from Mary-Jo Price and is perfect for these little mushrooms!

 

Since I am limited on the number of pictures for the hop, I created a collage of my last project using My Digital Studio.  This is a mini photo book that uses a variation of a tutorial from Sarah Wills (she is stop number 5 on this hop, by the way).  I will give more specifics on my variation, plus a link to her instructions, on Monday.

I’m so glad you stopped by today and that you like these fun projects!  Your next stop on the hop is Holly at Rubber Redneck.  You will be so impressed with what she made using Ornate Blossom!  Thanks for hopping with me today.  I look forward to seeing you again soon!

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