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Freshly Made Sketches #85

Freshly Made Sketches #85 published on 14 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches #85

FMS Final 85-001Wednesday!!!  My favorite day for stamping inspiration!!  This week at Freshly Made Sketches our sketch hostess is the uber-talented Narelle Farrugia and she has created a great one!

FMS85 - Flower for youI knew that I wanted to play with my new Print Poetry Paper Stack that I got at the Baltimore Regionals!  It has some of the  most wonderful designs (and they are only available until May 31st).  I chose a selection of prints containing Midnight Muse and started trying out different things with them.  Fun Flowers seemed like the perfect thing for this sketch so I popped a few out of the polka dot print.  They are perfect against the script background!  In order to add a sentiment I flipped the sketch, put in a couple of flagged pieces and stamped a sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes.  Some ribbon and a button finish it off.

I hope that you will join us this week and I can’t wait to see what you create.  As always, the design team has made diverse and fantastic cards to inspire you!!

Well, it has been work, work, work since last Wednesday.  No stamping but lots of flying. Funny story…my Captain on the 4-day trip over the weekend is the husband of another Stampin’ Up demo!  When I figured this out, I’m sure I saw panic in his eyes as I discussed the new catalog (and his wife’s favorites).  I cut the poor man a break and didn’t ask him too many questions.  *smile*  Home for a few days now and trying to catch up.  Stamping NEEDS to be on the agenda but we’ll see.  In the mean time, I’m so glad you stopped in today.  I look forward to hearing what you think about my flower card and to seeing you in the gallery at FMS!

Stamp:  Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper:  Print Poetry DSP Stack, Midnight Muse, Very Vanilla; Ink:  Midnight Muse:  Accessories:  Big Shot, Fun Flowers, Midnight Muse Stitched Satin Ribbon, Regals Button

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Freshly Made Sketches #84

Freshly Made Sketches #84 published on 13 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches #84

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Happy Wednesday to you and happy May!!  Wow, where did April go??!!  Here today with the latest Freshly Made Sketches challenge.  Our sketch this week is from the fabulous Linda Suarez.  Great isn’t it??!!

FMS84 - Hey thereI just knew I wanted to play with the Epic Day DSP some more.  Not sure what it is about this paper but I’m smitten!  These prints are really fantastic to use and I pulled out some card stock that I’m pretty sure I’ve never used…Gumball Green.  I know, I know.  It really is a great green but somehow it has been neglected.  Apparently this DSP will fix that for me!  I really wanted the paper to do the work since the sketch seems to lean that way but what to do with the sentiment?  I pulled out the My Paper Pumpkin Try It Kit and used part of one of the stamps!  Love it!  I thought a little butterfly would be a nice addition so I used another one of the cool patterns from the DSP.

You are going to love the variety of cards from the design team this week.  I’m all ready for some “pinning”!    Make sure you go tell Linda how much you enjoy the sketch and I can’t wait to see the gallery this week!

Not sure when I will be back next.  My leave from United Airlines is over and I am officially back to work today.  Not only that, but I have been working on some really amazing stuff that I can’t share quite yet.  It is so hard not to show you but when I can, you’ll have more posts than you know what to do with!!  Hoping to have some time over the next couple of days just to stamp for me (and have something to share).  Until next time, I really appreciate you stopping by and thank you for all the encouraging words you so kindly leave!  Have a great week!

Stamp:  MPP Hey There Kit; Paper:  Epic Day DSP, Gumball Green; Ink:  Basic Gray; Accessories:  Big Shot, Beautiful Butterflies Die, Neutrals Buttons, Thread

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Retirement Lists are here!

Retirement Lists are here! published on No Comments on Retirement Lists are here!

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It is such a bittersweet time of the year at Stampin’ Up!  As we prepare for the arrival of the new catalog it is time to say goodbye to some old friends!  Yep…the Retirement Lists are here (just click on each to see them):

Retiring Stamp Sets and Accessories

60% off Digital Content Discs

40% off Accessories

25% off Accessories

Retired Stamps PDF

Retired Accessories PDF

While the stamps are available until June 3, 2013, the accessories are only as supplies last.  I strongly recommend that you order as soon as possible on those!  The online store is the best way to do this!  Link to my store here.

There really are some great deals here!  Let me know if I can answer any questions or help you in any way!

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Freshly Made Sketches #83

Freshly Made Sketches #83 published on 11 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches #83

FMS Final 83-001This week at Freshly Made Sketches we have a little surprise for you and a dear stamper that inspires us all!  Not only do we have this awesome sketch courtesy of Allisa Chilton but we are participating in a birthday blog hop for the amazing Vicki Burdick.  I’m pretty sure everyone has seen one of Vicki’s lovely cards…certainly if you are on Pinterest!!  Imagine our delight when we found out about this birthday blog hop in her honor.  We just had to join in!

FMS83 - Flowers for VickiOne of the notable things about Vicki’s stamping is her use of flowers.  Truly, so many of her flower cards are jaw-dropping!  I have also noticed that she uses Regal Rose like no other.  So I tried to channel my inner Vicki and try my hand at both.  Hmmmmm…she is the queen for a reason!!  I started with this lovely hydrangea from the Best of Flowers (March) set and stamped it onto some First Edition DSP.  I saw Vicki do this a number of times with the poppies set and had to give it a go.  I re-stamped the flower portion onto Very Vanilla, colored it and cut it out.  I thought some Regal Rose DSP from the Brights Designer Paper Pack would be good as a background panel.  Of course, Vicki’s cards seem to feature the most gorgeous bows so I had to add one on!  I pinned on the sentiment with a Vintage Trinkets safety pin to finish it off.

I hope you will join us in wishing Vicki a very happy birthday!  I know you will have a great time with Allisa’s sketch this week too!  So glad you hopped on through today.  Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you again soon!

Stamps:  Best of Flowers, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper:  Crumb Cake, Regal Rose, First Edition DSP, Brights Paper Pack, Very Vanilla; Ink:  Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Regal Rose, Pink Pirouette; Accessories:  Crumb Cake Seam Binding, Vintage Trinkets, Jewelry Tag Punch, Blender Pen

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SUOC69 – Epic Butterflies

SUOC69 – Epic Butterflies published on 3 Comments on SUOC69 – Epic Butterflies

Our theme this week over at SUO Challenges is Anything Sizzix from Stampin’ Up.  Wow…where does one start??  Well I needed a design for swaps at the Regionals in Baltimore and I knew I wanted to use the new Epic Day DSP so I went from there.

SUOC69 - Baltimore Swap CardI think the papers in that set are so beautiful and I love this Daffodil Delight design.  For some reason it said “butterfly” to me so I used my Beautiful Butterflies Die to create this fellow.  I used another lined print to add a smaller layer.  The Flower Trim is so pretty as centers on the butterflies so I dyed some with Daffodil Delight to match the Seam Binding.  To add a little dimension to the card, I chose this zigzag pattern for a crossing panel.  I scored on either side of it then used my Piercing Tool with the Essentials Paper Piercing Pack.  The bow is a shabby bow made from the beautiful Daffodil Delight Seam Binding.  Funny, I don’t normally think of this sunny yellow for a vintage card but I think it works well here.  As you can see, I made a few of these for my swaps and I received some fabulous cards in return.

I have a small announcement to make with regards to SUO Challenges.  This will be my last challenge with them as a design team member.  I have had such an amazing time being on a team with such awesome talent.  Truly, these stampers are some of the best!  I am grateful for the opportunity they have provided to be in their company and look forward to continued inspiration from them (and their new team members!).

I am so glad you dropped by today.  I look forward to hearing your thoughts on my Epic Butterflies!  Hope your day is wonderful!

Stamp:  Made for You; Paper:  Epic Day DSP, Crumb Cake; Ink:  Crumb Cake; Accessories:  Big Shot, Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die, 7/8″ Flower Trim, Daffodil Delight Seam Binding, Paper Piercing Tool, Essentials Paper Piercing  Pack, Simply Scored Scoring Tool

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Regionals Projects

Regionals Projects published on 2 Comments on Regionals Projects

I knew you would enjoy seeing a couple of the things we made at Stampin’ Up Regionals so I am bringing them to you today.

Baltimore Rgnl - M&TThe stamp set focus for the day was Clockworks.  It really is a fun set and perfect for collage stamping.  This projects was actually designed to be a cover of a notepad but I decided to change it into a card.  The Basic Gray background piece is scored using the Simply Scored Tool which adds a nice dimension.  The stamps were inked in Pool Party, Calypso Coral, More Mustard and Gumball Green.  The little strips were cut from coordinating colors and the pennant ends are hand cut.  Three flowers were punched out of Pool Party with the Fancy Flower Punch, spritzed with water and crumpled a bit.

Baltimore Rgnl - Box and cardsOur second project is this cute little box made with the Two Tags Die.  Now their original design used Clockworks again but I did not make it at the Regionals.  Instead I used Oh Hello to create it and the matching notecards.  Calypso Coral, Gumball Green and Daffodil Delight are the colors.  I will be using this as a hostess gift for a customer…so excited for her to see it!

I hope you enjoy seeing these as much as I enjoyed making them.  Let me know if you have any questions about them!  I hope your week has been good.  Thanks so much for stopping in!!

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Freshly Made Sketches #82

Freshly Made Sketches #82 published on 14 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches #82

FMS Final 82-001What a fabulous sketch we have for you this week over at Freshly Made Sketches!!  I am so excited about this one…so cute and original, don’t you think??!!  It comes from the oh so wonderful Jen Brum and I could not wait to work with it!

FMS82 - Birthday ButtonsI started knowing that I need to restock my birthday card supply.  I always seem to need them at the last minute, particularly the ones for kids.  What better than this Summer Smooches DSP??  This print always reminds me of party balloons and I think it is so festive.  With the print being so busy I didn’t need to add much else.  I pulled out my trust Made for You birthday sentiment and some coordinating Brights Buttons to finish the sketch.  This one just make me happy!!  In fact, I may make a few more since they are perfect for boys and girls!

I apologize for my absence last week.  It just seemed to be one of those weeks and life got in the way of stamping.  I was amazed as always by the creations of the design team and of course I am again this week.  Last week’s gallery was so impressive too.  I have a feeling you are going to like this sketch as much as I do and I foresee lots of fun cards!

I did get the good fortune of going to the Baltimore Regionals for Stampin’ Up on Saturday and it was so much fun!!  I got to hang out with some amazing stampers.  Not to drop names or anything but:  Amanda Mertz, Marla Reed, LeAnne Pugliese and Donna Wicks.  Yep, lucky me!!  I made a swap card (that I get to share with you next week) and got to see all kinds of fun sneak peeks from Stampin’ Up.  I’m working on the finishing touches of my Make & Takes (or Take & Makes in my case).  They are fun…you will love them.  I hope to have them up by Friday.

Ok, off to the FMS site with you to get inspired by the team!  Thanks so much for stopping in.  I look forward to seeing your creations!

Stamp:  Made for You; Paper:  Summer Smooches DSP, Real Red, Pacific Point, Whisper White; Ink:  Pacific Point; Accessories:  Brights Buttons, Thread, Mini Glue Dots

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SUOC68 – An Ode to Baja Breeze

SUOC68 – An Ode to Baja Breeze published on 5 Comments on SUOC68 – An Ode to Baja Breeze

Our theme this week at SUO Challenges is Monochomatic Cards so I thought that it was the perfect excuse to show you a card that is all about Baja Breeze.  Yes, it is retiring…sigh….and I know I will have a new favorite in no time but for now, here it is.

SUOC68 - Ode to BajaI started with the beautiful hydrangea from the Best of Flowers set (Best of March).  I love this flower!  The background paper is from Storytime DSP.  Both the notebook paper design and the Baja Breeze design are from that set.  Yes, I know that it is technically supposed to be Pool Party but it really looks like Baja Breeze to me.  I wrapped the blue layer with some Naturals Ribbon (held over from the Holiday Catalog) and then tied on a shabby bow made from the Baja Breeze Seam Binding.  Some Basic Pearls are the finishing touch.

I can’t wait to see what you create this week.  Also, I would like to bid a fond farewell from the SUO Challenges team to my friend Heidi Baks.  She is so incredibly talented and I have loved being inspired by her!!

Thanks so much for stopping in today.  See you again soon!

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Mystery Hostess plus Blog Hop Details

Mystery Hostess plus Blog Hop Details published on 1 Comment on Mystery Hostess plus Blog Hop Details

As part of my celebration of the Free Shipping being offered by Stampin’ Up, I am offering a chance to be a Mystery Hostess!!  You qualify if you make a $30 or more (before tax) order from my Online Store by Monday at 6p Eastern using this Hostess Code:  DHH32PGZ.  Where do you enter the code?  Take a look at the screen shot below and in the lower left corner you can see where to enter it.  This is the Checkout page and your order has to have the code entered to qualify.

Screen Shot 2013-04-07 at 1.41.24 PMYou can also contact me with your order and payment information at the email address in my blog header and I’ll be happy to enter it for you!!  I will need to be able to contact the winner after 6p Eastern to find out their hostess requests.

Ok…now onto the blog hop details.  If you missed the hop, you will want to go take a look!  The Stampin’ Addicts celebrated the Color Refresh by highlighting the retiring colors.   My color was Riding Hood Red!

SA Color Refresh Hop - Sailboat

 

I think this is a lovely rich vintage red and it makes fabulous boy cards.  It is particularly nice with Early Espresso!  I used my Stampin’ Write Markers to color this sailboat from Moving Forward.  I just love this little stamp!  This lined print from Storytime DSP is one of my favorites in that pack (and I love that pack).  It added a wonderful tone-on-tone feel to this layout!  I have been using it a lot lately.

SA Color Refresh Hop - Angel

 

To create this angel card I pulled out my Ovals Framelits and the Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder.  First I found the right sized oval for the angel and then grabbed the next one up.  Using Very Vanilla card stock, I cut out the oval first and then embossed the layer with the embossing folder.  I took the cut out oval and then put the smaller framelit on it to cut the right sized piece for stamping (and almost no wasted card stock).  After stamping the angel it seemed to still need a little something so I sponged the edges of the oval and the embossed panel with Crumb Cake ink.  Then, I tied up a shabby bow out of Very Vanilla Seam Binding and tied it up with a Vintage Faceted Button and some Linen Thread.  I used the words this way for some other Christmas cards last year and really liked it so I did it again here.  It keeps the sentiment subtle but highlights the reason for the season!  Both the oval and the embossed layer are popped up on Dimensionals and the bow was attached using Sticky Strip.

I hope you enjoyed these projects and I look forward to seeing who the winner is of the Mystery Hostess benefits!!  Thanks so much for stopping back by today!  See you tomorrow for the latest SUO Challenge!

Card 1 – Stamps:  Moving Forward, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper:  Riding Hood Red, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Storytime DSP; Ink:  Riding Hood Red, Early Espresso; Accessories:  Neutrals Buttons, 1-3/4″ Square Punch, Cherry Cobbler Baker’s Twine

Card 2 – Stamp:  Rejoicing With You; Paper:  Very Vanilla; Ink:  Riding Hood Red; Accessories:  Big Shot, Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder, Ovals Framelits, Very Vanilla Seam Binding, Jewelry Tag Punch, Vintage Faceted Buttons, Linen Thread

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Stampin’ Addicts Retiring Colors Blog Hop

Stampin’ Addicts Retiring Colors Blog Hop published on 21 Comments on Stampin’ Addicts Retiring Colors Blog Hop

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Welcome to the Stampin’ Addicts Retiring Color Blog Hop!!  I am joining in with my friends from Stampin’ Addicts to bid a fond farewell to colors that are retiring in the Color Refresh at Stampin’ Up.  We have all chosen a focus color and you will have a great time hopping around for inspiration!  If you are coming in from Cindy’s blog Heart’s Delight Cards, I know you are amazed by her gorgeous projects with Baja Breeze.  Her flowers are amazing!  Let’s take a moment of silence for one of my all time favorite colors, shall we???  *smile*  Yes, I do really love Baja Breeze!

My color for the hop is Riding Hood Red.  This is a lovely vintage red and pairs so beautifully with browns and grays.  I particularly love it with Early Espresso!

SA Color Refresh Hop - SailboatI think is is wonderful for boy cards so I created a birthday card using the sailboat from Moving Forward (the RMHC set).  I added in a little bit of Storytime DSP and a sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes.  The sketch is courtesy of Fab Friday Challenges.

Another fabulous use for this rich red is for Christmas cards so I pulled out one of my favorite new sets from this year’s catalog, Rejoicing with You.

SA Color Refresh Hop - AngelI wanted to really show off the angel so I kept all the accessories as subtle as possible.  This red takes on a real elegance when paired with the Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder.  I topped it off with a shabby bow tied up with a Vintage Faceted Button and some Linen Thread.  Little sentiments from the same set were punched with the Jewelry Tag Punch and tucked under the button.

I hope that you have enjoyed my Riding Hood Red projects.  Next up on the hop is Debbi at Come Stamp With Me.  She is focusing on Bravo Burgandy and I know you will love her work!  Thanks so much for stopping in.  If you have any questions on my cards, I will post a little more detail tomorrow (Monday).  See you again soon!

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