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SUOC42 – Congratulations!

SUOC42 – Congratulations! published on 11 Comments on SUOC42 – Congratulations!

Over at SUO Challenges this week we are celebrating!  Our own Michelle Laycock has been a Stampin’ Up demonstrator for 10 years and we thought it appropriate to make “Congratulations” cards in her honor.  These are always fun cards to make, aren’t they??!!

As I told you last week, my boys and I went down to Washington DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival and to visit the wonderful museums.  Card first and then I’ll share the inspiration photos.  With cherry blossoms on the brain, I had no choice but to pull out a flower set…and what better set than Elements of Style?  I wanted the focus to be on the flowers so I thought I’d try using my Labels Collection Embosslits to create a frame.  First I cut the center piece out of Watercolor Paper.  I stamped the flower and colored it using my Blender Pen with Pink Pirouette, Blushing Bride and Pear Pizzazz inks.  Next, I created an embossed frame on Very Vanilla paper.  Getting the Big Shot “sandwich” right was the only difficult part.  Here it is:

  • Multipurpose Platform on Tab 1
  • Cutting Pad
  • Silicone Rubber Mat
  • Very Vanilla Card Stock
  • Embosslit with the cutting edge turned up (**see note)
  • Typing paper
  • Cutting Pad
  • Shim (for me a piece of thick paper that comes in the DSP packs)

**Note:  Make sure the cutting edge is turned up or you could cut into your silicone mat

Every Big Shot is a little different so you may have to play with the “shim” part to get the desired level of embossing.

I added a “Potato Masher” bow (tutorial here) and some of the tiniest of the pearls in the Basic Pearl pack.  I love the elegance of this card!!

 

 

Now, in truth, almost all the cherry blossoms are already gone.  But I went in search of and found some holdouts!  The first picture is from a set of trees near the Jefferson Memorial (which you see in the background).  These are a later blooming variant.  The second picture is from a lone tree along the Tidal Basin that was still blooming.  I loved that I could get the Washington Monument in the photo!  I tormented my children with many pictures of them with the trees too but will save those for an MDS project.

Well, off to enjoy a beautiful day here in Virginia.  I hope that you will join us at SUO Challenges with your happy cards!  See you tomorrow!

Stamps:  Elements of Style, Silhouette Sentiments (hostess, retired); Paper:  Very Vanilla, Watercolor; Ink:  Early Espresso, Pink Pirouette, Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz; Accessories:  Big Shot, Labels Collection Embosslits, Very Vanilla Seam Binding, Blender Pen, Basic Pearls, Dimensionals

Freshly Made Sketches #28

Freshly Made Sketches #28 published on 20 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches #28

I know I am completely biased but I just love the sketches from Freshly Made Sketches  every single week.  This week Lesley Croghan of Always Playing with Paper has brought us another great one.

I started in a whole different direction on this one using a watercolored panel and some masculine papers.  But you know what…the Bright Blossoms and Summer Smooches just kept calling out to me.  Sometimes you just have to listen!  I have just fallen in love with these little flowers.  I love tulips anyways and the fun little prints on these stamps add so much.  As soon as I saw the little rectangles on this sketch, I knew that it would involve little bows of some sort (what a surprise!).  I used the fork bow method using this tutorial and the awesome Island Indigo Ruffled Ribbon.  Because of the weight of the ribbon, I used Sticky Strip instead of Mini Glue Dots to hold them onto the card.  With the texture coming from the bows I realized that the stamped panel need some dimension.  I stamped a couple more flowers and the vase and the fussy cut them.  To add that little extra finish to those, I ran a Stampin’ Write Marker around the edges of the cut out pieces (I find doing this from behind reduces the risk to your cut pieces in case you slip).  That lovely sentiment from Precious Butterflies came out again.  I just love the happy colors from the Summer Smooches DSP and this print is particularly great!  The stamp and the DSP will be available in April so just a couple more days!!

The design team has some fabulous takes on the sketch and I know you will love using it.  Can’t wait to see what you dream up!

I’m off to the Cherry Blossom Festival today (even though they are mostly gone) and some fun with my boys.  I hope your day is fantastic.  See you again soon!!

Stamps:  Bright Blossoms, Precious Butterflies (hostess); Paper:  Summer Smooches DSP, Daffodil Delight, Island Indigo, Whisper White; Ink:  Daffodil Delight, Island Indigo; Accessories:  Island Indigo 3/8″ Ruffled Ribbon, Dimensionals, Sticky Strip

SSC247 – Pear Romance

SSC247 – Pear Romance published on 15 Comments on SSC247 – Pear Romance

Can you believe it?  Three posts in three days!!  I got a little extra stamping time with one of my friends yesterday and decided to play along with the Stamping 411 Sketch Challenge.  Great sketch, isn’t it??  My brain seems to work well with sketches and they really help me make cards faster!

Even though it was a dreary morning, I am feeling like spring.  My cherry tree is blooming and it has the most lovely little pale pink blossoms.  I guess that affected my flower colors. I went a bit Pear Pizzazz crazy on this one but it really is the perfect spring green.  Bordering on Romance had to come out with the Twitterpated DSP.  I just think they are fabulous together!  I colored the flowers with a Blender Pen using Rose Red and Pear Pizzazz ink.  The little buttons are actually Certainly Celery but the greens coordinate so well that they look super with the Pear ribbon and paper.  Teeny Tiny Wishes makes another showing and I chose “just for you”.  I always find it the right sentiment when I’m not sure how I will use the card.

Off to a club meeting with my awesome stamp club!  Hope you have time to stamp today too!  Thanks for stopping in!

Stamps:  Bordering on Romance, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper:  Twitterpated DSP, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White; Ink:  Basic Gray, Pear Pizzazz, Rose Red; Accessories:  Blender Pen, Subtles Buttons, Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding, Dimensionals

Freshly Made Sketches #27

Freshly Made Sketches #27 published on 15 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches #27

Ok, don’t say I didn’t tell you that this sketch was cool!  This layout from Freshly Made Sketches is care of Lesley Croghan of Always Playing with Paper.  While I admit that this one intimidated me a bit at first, I think you will be surprised at how easy it is to use!  When you see the inspiration pieces from the design team you will see what I mean.  They are all going into my CASE files!

This card is pretty much all about punches and dies for the Big Shot.  I started with my 1 3/4″ and 1 1/4″ Circle Punches and the Everyday Enchantment DSP from Sale-a-bration.  The great thing about designer paper packs is that they coordinate.  Certainly makes it easy to create a card like this.  All I had to do was decide which patterns to put together and I was most of the way there.  I added some butterflies from the Beautiful Wings Embosslit and the little flowers from the Fun Flowers die, along with some Basic Pearl accents.  I sponged along all the edges with a some Soft Suede ink.  Finally, a little banner with my sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes and done!

This is one that would be easy to duplicate and create a whole pack of cards for myself or a gift.  Hmmm…might have to do that!

Now get right to work and try this sketch.  Don’t let it intimidate you…you’ll be happy you tried it!  Don’t forget to take a peek at the fab cards from the rest of the team.  Amazing!

Glad you stopped in today.  I’m getting ready for my stamping club meeting tomorrow.  If I have any extra stamping time, maybe I’ll have something else to share later this week.  Have a great day!

Stamp:  Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper:  Everyday Enchantment DSP (SAB), Very Vanilla, Baha Breeze, Poppy Parade, Pear Pizzazz;  Ink:  Soft Suede; Accessories:  Circle Punches (1 3/4″, 1 1/4″), Big Shot,  Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Fun Flowers Die, Basic Pearls, Sponge, Dimensionals

SUOC41 – Spring or Fall

SUOC41 – Spring or Fall published on 7 Comments on SUOC41 – Spring or Fall

This is the time of year for seasonal changes and we want you to show us your cards inspired by those.  At SUO Challenges, spring fever has definitely set in.  But we know that many of you live in the Southern Hemisphere and we want to see your beautiful fall cards.

When I got to go to Cindy Elam’s house a couple of weeks ago, one of the most fun things we did was prepare for this challenge.  We used the same sketch to create our cards.  She chose spring and I chose fall.  Here are the cards side-by-side.  Fun, huh??!!

I started by embossing a Crumb Cake panel with Cindy’s Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder.  So pretty!  With that lovely background I wanted to keep the rest pretty clean so I went to Cindy’s punch rack and started punching out flowers to layer.  Aren’t they pretty together?  All I did was sponge the layers of the flower and the edges of the Crumb Cake panels.    I chose this lovely sentiment from the Sale-a-bration set Elementary Elegance.  Finally, the bow was the one I made for the bow tutorial we created.  I thought this had a bit of a fall feel with the color choices, especially when put next to Cindy’s amazing spring card!  This sketch was one Cindy had saved and I really like both results with it.

I hope you will be able to join us at SUO Challenges with this fun theme!  The design team has created some fabulous cards for inspiration so make sure you drop by to see them.

I will be back tomorrow for another Freshly Made Sketches Challenge.  Make sure you check back in because it is a cool sketch…unlike any that I have used before!  Until then, have a great day and thanks for stopping in.

Stamps:  Elementary Elegance (SAB); Paper:  Crumb Cake, Rich Razzleberry, Naturals Ivory: Ink:  Rich Razzleberry; Accessories:  Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper EF, Regals Button, Crumb Cake Seam Binding, Dimensionals, Punches – Blossom, 5-Petal Flower, Boho Blossoms

PPA131 – Summer Blossoms

PPA131 – Summer Blossoms published on 16 Comments on PPA131 – Summer Blossoms

I got some time to stamp yesterday and just had to pull out my new things from the Summer Smooches package being offered in April.  Many of you know that I have what I call “seasonal stampers disorder”.  My colors choices are completely and utterly seasonal!  I have to say that this beautiful selection of products fits that syndrome beautifully!

Just look at the bright, happy colors here!  They are just perfect for Margaret Moody’s wonderful sketch over at Pals Paper Arts this week.  The Summer Smooches DSP has the most wonderful designs.  I thought this pattern would be fun to use with the matching stamp from Bright Blossoms.  All I did was mimic the colors from the paper when I stamped the flowers.  I matched the little yellow centers from the DSP with a Daffodil Delight brad in the middle of the biggest flower.  Easy and fun!  For the little flag, I pulled out my trusty Teeny Tiny Wishes for the sentiment.  What would I do without that set??!!  The card seemed to need something else so out came the handy dandy Mat Pack for some paper piercing.

I’m still enjoying all of my Sale-a-bration products and the ones from the Occasions mini but it was nice to get a little preview of the upcoming catalog.  The Summer Smooches suite of products will become available on April 1st for one month only (some of the products will only be offered for that month!!).  Just wait until you see the little purses made with the new Big Shot die.  I’d show you the one I made the other day but it was already taken by a friend of my boys…she just loved it!!

I have some great new cards to show you next week!  I’ll be back Tuesday with the SUO Challenge and Wednesday with Freshly Made Sketches.  Until then, thanks for stopping by.  Have a great weekend!

Stamps:  Bright Blossoms, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper:  Summer Smooches DSP, Daffodil Delight, Island Indigo; Ink:  Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Island Indigo, Tangerine Tango; Accessories:  Mat Pack, Piercing Tool, Dimensionals

Freshly Made Sketches #26

Freshly Made Sketches #26 published on 16 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches #26

Happy middle of the week!  I hope your week is going well so far.  Just take a look at this cool sketch from Freshly Made Sketches this week.  It is brought to you by Jen Mitchell of I Create.  I’ve said it before but I just love her cards.  I think I have a disproportionate amount of them pinned for later inspiration.  *smile*

I made my card for today while stamping at Cindy’s last week.  Again, I just “had” to use some of her things that I don’t have.  I started with the hostess set Simply Soft.  I inked it with Versamark ink and then Chocolate Chip, stamped it on Shimmery White paper and embossed with Clear Stampin’ Emboss Powder.  I colored the flower first with Pink Pirouette ink and then Pretty in Pink using a Blender Pen.  The background paper was embossed using the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder.  Then came the bow.  I love these double bows and I knew I wanted to add one on this card.  Cindy had some ribbon in her stash that was a perfect match.  How lucky for me!  I stamped a sentiment from Three Little Words to finish it off.  Back to the bow…while I was at Cindy’s, she was kind enough to actually create a video of me tying one of these.  It is so hard to explain but actually very easy when you see it done.  Here is the link to the bow tutorial.  I cannot emphasize enough that when you are done tying the bow, you will need to pull on the tails and re-fluff the loops a bit.  My bow on the tutorial has a knot that is a bit looser than the one on this card.  We did it in only one take and you can get the basics.  This bow has a tighter center and I like it a bit better.  The bow from the tutorial will be on a card next week.

You won’t be disappointed by the cards from the design team this week.  As always there is lots of variety and so much inspiration!  Can’t wait to see what you make with the sketch.

Thanks for dropping by today.  If you have any questions about the bow or anything else stamping related, just drop me a note.  See you again soon!

Stamps:  Simply Soft, Three Little Words; Paper:  Shimmery White, Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip; Ink:  Versamark, Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink; Accessories:  Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Blender Pen, Stampin’ Emboss Powder, Heat Tool, Pink Ribbon, Dimensionals

Just Believe

Just Believe published on 12 Comments on Just Believe

As promised, I wanted to post one of the cards I made at Cindy’s house while visiting.  It was so amazing to be at her house and overwhelming to be able to stamp with her lovely things.  In fact, I struggled to know what to make.  So Cindy challenged me to use……Sahara Sand.  Oh my!

Blessedly, she also pulled out her Color Coach to see what it put together and it coordinated Pink Pirouette and, drumroll, Bravo Burgandy.  Again, oh my.  Well, I held up the colors and you know what?  They look great together!!  Those brilliant people at SU.  Now I tried some watercolored flowers and then finally settled on using Just Believe.  This is a set I have loved since I first saw it but somehow never have gotten.  Using markers, I inked up the stamp in the Sahara Sand and Bravo Burgandy and stamped on Whisper White.  So pretty.  I thought the image was a stand alone kind of panel so I kept the rest of the card simple.  Cindy had some retired Bravo Burgandy Wide Grosgrain (really, she has EVERYTHING!!) and I tied it up with some Linen Thread.  So Cindy, I met your challenge and actually made a card I like using two colors that Ihardly every use.  This is why I love stamping with friends (my stamp group at home inspires me the same way)!!

I have two more cards to show you but not yet!  Cindy has also put together a video of me tying a double bow and we will post it as soon as she finishes the final touches.

Thanks for stopping in today.  The post is a little late going up but my boys are out of school and we’ve been busy all day.  See you again soon!

Freshly Made Sketches 25

Freshly Made Sketches 25 published on 15 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches 25

As promised, I’m back with a new layout from Freshly Made Sketches!  This week’s sketch is courtesy of Linda Callahan of Stampin’ Seasons.  What a great sketch.  Last week’s response to the sketch was amazing and I’m so excited to see what you create this week.

Before I get to my card, I just have to tell you how much fun I had with Cindy Elam of Heart’s Delight Cards.  She has the most fabulous stamp room and she gave me free run of it.  Yippee!  We made a card using the same sketch that you will see in an upcoming post.  I love how two stampers can use the same layout to create such different cards.

Speaking of which, back to this week’s challenge.  I wanted to try this print from the Twitterpated DSP after seeing some beautiful cards make with it and thought the little vase from Button Buddies would be a nice match.  I think this set is really cool.  The buttons are such a fun way to add texture.    These are actually the Cajun Craze buttons but they look like Riding Hood Red next to the DSP.  I tried a few different ribbon ideas before finally settling on the Basic Gray Taffeta (retired).  The little sentiment is from Day of Gratitude punched with a 1 1/4″ circle punch.

This sketch has so many possibilities that I may try another card with it later this week.  I’ll also post one of the cards I made at Cindy’s (the other two will be shown in upcoming SUO Challenges).

I’m so glad you dropped by today.  As always the team has amazing cards for you so make sure you go see their beautiful creations.  We welcome Narelle and Allisa as guest designers this month.  What gorgeous examples they have made!  Have a great day and see you soon!

Stamps:  Button Buddies, Day of Gratitude; Paper:  Twitterpated DSP, Basic Gray, Whisper White, Baja Breeze; Ink:  Basic Gray, Pear Pizzazz; Accessories:  Regals buttons, 1 1/4″ and 1 3/8″ circle punches, Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon, Dimensionals

SUOC40 – Easy being green

SUOC40 – Easy being green published on 2 Comments on SUOC40 – Easy being green

The SUO Challenge team is back with a new challenge for you.  We want you to use any SU green as your focal color.  Stampin’ Up has so many pretty greens that there is sure to be one that is your favorite!

 My choice of green was Lucky Limeade.  It is a weird choice for me because I didn’t really love it at first.  But like many other things, as soon as I saw the coordinating things made with the color it has grown on me.  I started with some of Berry Blossoms DSP and felt inspired by one of the prints.  I saw a beautiful flower over at Yvette’s Paper Garden and went to look at her tutorial link created by Melanie Hopes.  The tutorial shows how to created a variety of flowers using different SU punches and dies…amazing!  I chose one of the flowers from Fun Flowers to try.  It is easy, fast and wow.  My kind of project!  I love that I could just add the 3-d flower to the print in the DSP.  As I was looking for way to finish the card, I noticed that my Sale-a-bration brads coordinated and just had to add them in.

I can’t wait to hear what you think about this big flower and I’m sure you’ll want to try some right away too.  Remember that it is easy to be green with SU so I hope to see you in the challenge!!

I am writing this post ahead of time but with any luck I will be at Cindy Elam’s house (Heart’s Delight Cards) when this goes live!!  I am planning on serious stamp-a-pa-looza!!   How cool that one job will take me to a friend made doing my other job!!  I’m sure we’ll both have lots to post after this visit!!

Thanks for dropping in today.  See you tomorrow for another Freshly Made Sketches challenge!

Stamp:  Inviting; Paper:  Berry Blossoms DSP, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White; Ink:  Lucky Limeade; Accessories:  Big Shot, Fun Flowers Die, SAB Brads

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