It's been a long time :)

It has been a long time since I've taken the time to update my blog.....I have been very neglectful indeed. Stampin' UP has some great deals on for the Christmas holidays that are available only from November 26 to December 1, 2008. Save up to 50% off selected merchandise bundles!!!! Click on the link below for more details.

http://www.stampinup.com/ca/documents/bundles_CA.pdf

Also worthy of note: I will be in Keswick on Saturday November 29 for an open house, contact me for details. Drop by, it will be the perfect time to place an order before the holidays!!!

Live Laugh and Love!

We had a blast with this card! I don't know where to start telling you about this card because there was so many new toys and techniques we got to try. I'll start out with the easy stuff first. The butterfly is from Garden Whimsy, it is stamped in Blue Bayou on Whisper White Card stock and cut out. We used the new Big Shot to cut out the scallop circle in Whisper White Card stock. This scallop is the larger of the two scallops on the Scallop circle #2 die. The sentiment is from the new birthday stamp set On Your Birthday. To be honest I was really disappointed when Stampin Up! decided to retire It's Your Birthday stamp set. I loved it and it was good for all ages; but this set has some great sentiments and I had nothing to be worried about:) To add colour around the outside of the scallop we used the sponge daubers, daubed on the Blue Bayou ink pad and gently sponged around the edges.

I'm not sure if you can see it in the photo but the Certainly Celery Card stock is textured. One of the benefits of the Big Shot is it's versatility. I have an embossing plate from Cuttlebug, it's Swiss Dots (I could be mistaken on the name....but I think it's something like that). Sure enough it was easy to select the tabs to use with the embossing plate. I have so many dies from different companies and I love that I'm going to be able to use them with my Big Shot!

Now for that letter L! The letter is from Stampin' Up!'s On Board Simon Upper chipboard set. Everyone chose which letter or shape they would like to use for this project. It was great because every one's project was unique. The letter L was a safe bet for me...a funny thing about my friends...half of their names start with the letter L. Lisa, Lisa, Lori, Lorrie, Linda and Linda..lol. Oh and my daughter Lauren! I'm not sure if I need to get out more or if it's just one of those coincidences in life that make you laugh! With that said I gave the card to my mom to use for my Aunt Lois's birthday....hahahaha! I'm surrounded by L's.....not losers.....lovely ladies whose names begin with L!

Supplies for the L are: versamark ink, heat & stick powder, heat tool, Stampin' Glitter, powder pals (tray and brush).

1. Generously apply versamark to the chipboard. The chipboard will look dark where it's stamped, you want it covered so the heat & stick powder will have something to stick to.
2. Put the chipboard in one of the powder pals trays and pour heat & stick powder all over the chipboard. Don't sprinkle it...it won't be enough pour lots of it on. Tap off the excess.
3. Using the heat tool, melt the heat & stick powder. The powder will change from a powder to a glassy texture.
4. Put the chipboard in the other powder pals tray. Pour Stampin' glitter all over the chipboard. Again don't be stingy...lol. You want to cover the chipboard.
5. Using the heat tool heat the chipboard once again. This will set the glitter.
6. Remove the plug on the neck of the powder pals tray and pour the left over heat & stick powder back into the container. You can use the brush to help make sure you get as much as possible back in the container. Do the same for the glitter.

Voila! You are done! I absolutely cannot believe how much the Stampin' Glitter sparkles! I think everyone loved this project the best of all the ones we've done together.

Priceless

I am so excited right now! My order of new goodies is arriving tomorrow! I can't wait to play with my Big Shot and my new stamps! Like a kid in a candy store!!!! lol! This is one of the projects I made earlier this summer. The Priceless set is one of the most versatile sets I have. I have made so many cards and they all look so different. I randomly stamped the circle and the flowers in chocolate chip, pale plum and perfect plum ink, on whisper white card stock. The Happy stamp is from the It's All Good stamp set on page 148 of the new catalogue. To accentuate the Happy I took a piece of Pale Plum card stock and punched a 1 1/4" circle in it; then I took the scallop circle punch and punched around the 1 1/4" circle. The trick is to punch the center circle first. If you punch the scallop first it will be tricky to put the scallop in the punch and center the inner circle. Trust me I tried...lol. I put some brads through Chocolate chip ribbon to hold it in place around the scallop frame. Birthday is from Sincere Salutations set, an oldie but a goodie. I've "borrowed" this set from my Aunt....is it still called borrowing when you don't return it? LOL! I'm just teasing...I will return it...eventually...heheheheheeee. To stamp only one word or part of a stamp colour the rubber stamp with the Marvelous Markers. It helps to breath heavily on the stamp before stamping on the paper. I've been told it re-moistens the ink which is really important if it takes a while to colour in the stamp.

Well it has been a busy summer...I can't believe where the time went; the kids are getting ready to head back to school, I'll be running out back to school shopping.

Something Old, Something New!

I have just received my catalogues today and I'm like a kid in a candy store!!!LOL!!! One of the coolest things that Stampin' UP! has added to this seasons catty are the Stampin' Technique pages. Scattered throughout the book are instructional pages with photos, guiding you step by step through various techniques. Fabulous idea!!! and what a bonus for you....and especially to newbies just discovering stamping :)

Well I've created my must have list and working on a wish list....is there really a difference!

As a toast to the past I've included these beautiful cards that my Mom made with a retired set that she purchased. These cards are just gorgeous; she has a real flair for water colouring. The images are stamped in black stazon ink and coloured in using the water colour crayons and aqua painter.

Never Before Seen Promotion!!!

From August 11-September 30, Stampin' Up! is providing never-before-seen savings on brand-new stamp sets: 15% off select new, die-cut stamp sets from the Fall-Winter 2008 Idea Book & Catalogue--no additional purchase necessary. From August 11-September 30, Stampin' Up! is providing never-before-seen savings on brand-new stamp sets: 15% off select new, die-cut stamp sets from the Fall-Winter 2008 Idea Book & Catalogue--no additional purchase necessary.

This is such an exciting time for Stampin UP! With the arrival of the new catalogue comes so many amazing deals and new products!!! Contact me for details on the new recruit specials, and hostess bonuses starting August 11th!

Download the flyer!

http://www.stampinup.com/ca/documents/Never_Before_Seen_CA.pdf

Lovely as a Tree

It has been a long time and my poor blog has been very very neglected. On the up side I have been enjoying the weather and keeping busy:) I hope everyone has had a wonderful summer so far! I have to admit I am soooo excited, Stampin' UP! has some very exciting things happening over the next few weeks.....the new catalogue is coming out and I feel like a kid at Christmas! I just can't wait...LOL! I have many projects to share with you, so check back the updates will be happening more frequently for the next bit as I try to catch up and share.

I grouped some cards that my mom, aunt and I made with the Lovely as a Tree set. These cards make fabulous masculine cards.....always a challenge...lol. Or they are great as Christmas cards as well. I plan to make some with white glitter to look like snow at Christmas time.

We tried different colouring techniques to get slightly different effects. The tall Christmas tree was coloured using water colour crayons. Stamp the tree in stazon ink, it helps to minimize the bleeding, and colour with 3 water colour crayons. Using the aqua painter blend the colours together. It gives it a very natural look.

The oak tree with the tear across the bottom was a card that I did at one of my club workshops. Everyone was intimidated by the card, but once they saw how easy it was they dove right in! I wish I had taken a picture because all of the trees turn out slightly different but equally as beautiful. We have been experimenting colouring with different techniques and we have really enjoyed it! If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it....it's easier than it looks :)

Introducing Decor Elements!

Introducing Décor Elements™. . . Stampin’ Up!®’s new addition to our Definitely Decorative® product line! Our Décor Elements designs coordinate with many of our exciting products, so you can combine them to make beautiful, handcrafted home décor pieces. Personalize your surroundings with a variety of exclusive images designed to create a customized, unique space. With our self-adhesive vinyl elements (which are easy to apply and remove), you’ll discover how easy and cost effective it can be to do your own decorating!

Hodgepodge Hardware Discount!

From July 1 through August 10, the following Hodgepodge Hardware finishes are being offered at a special 25 percent discount:

• item #105532 pg. 188
  Aged Copper Hodgepodge Hardware, reg $35.95 on sale for $25.08
• item #105531 pg. 188
  Antique Brass Hodgepodge Hardware, reg $35.95 on sale for $25.08
• item #105515 pg. 188
  Pewter Hodgepodge Hardware, reg $35.95 on sale for $25.08

Don't wait too long--these products are retiring and are only available while supplies last! Contact me to place your order today!

Embrace Life!

Sometimes simplicity is everything. I was inspired by a card that my mom did, actually the only thing I changed was the colours (this is what I had on hand) and the scallop at the bottom, she had a different punch. Maybe I should be taking credit for her creativity? LOL! I couldn't do that....there's more than enough creativity and kudos to go around.

The flower is from the Embrace Life (pg.84, item# 111011) set and coloured in with Pale Plum and Perfect Plum markers. The card stock is Very Vanilla and Perfect Plum, a very elegant and rich combination. The sentiment is from Short & Sweet (pg.146, item# 109369). The scallop was made with the corner rounder....I did a tutorial a while back if you haven't done this yet. Voila! Another card done and many many more to go! lol!

My Dear Kind & Wonderful Friend

This is a quick and easy but very elegant card, if I do say so myself...lol. Yep that's me patting my back...I truly love this sentiment "My dear kind & wonderful friend" I think it's because that's exactly how I feel about the ones I love. I feel truly blessed and fortunate to have such wonderful women in my life, with the kindest of hearts, that I am truly proud to call my friends. I wish they had this stamp but with the word Mother replacing Friend. Although I am lucky that my mom is both my friend and my mother.

So this card is made with Basic Grey and Soft Sky card stock. I am really going to miss Soft Sky when it retires in August with the rest of the In Colour family. I don't know how Stampin Up! is going to top themselves this year! The background is stamped in Encore Silver ink, with the Baroque Motifs (pg. 120 item#109403) and the sentiment (All Holidays pg. 146 item #109397) is embossed in silver embossing powder. Sheer ribbon is added for that elegant touch and voila! Quick and easy and oh so beautiful!

Wonderful You!

I have the cutest little story to tell about my bestest gal pals while we were making this card at a recent club. I'm telling this story with love and affection:-) My girlfriend B was the first to arrive, and she started making this card. When she got to the end she picked up the "wonderful you" stamp looked at it and said "wonderful me!" and stamped it on. My friend L arrived late and about an hour or so later she was making the same card....she picked up the same stamp and said "wonderful me!". B and I started laughing.....I kept looking at them wondering if it was me or their reading! LOL! Actually I know the truth, they were right, they truly are wonderful!

This card was made with Very Vanilla and Chocolate Chip cardstock. The background was wheeled on with the Stemp & Silhouettes wheel (pg.91 item #111262) in So Saffron. I stamped the leaf stamp from the Wonderful You (pg. 91 item#111181) stamp set in Chocolate Chip and Certainly Celery. It's such an elegant set with so many possibilities. When I got this set I thought it would be great for double stamping....but I have yet to do that with it! I've coloured in the outlines of the flower, I've stamped the solid leaves, maybe next time I'll double stamp!

Happy stamping! I hope you are enjoying creating as much as I am!

Escape with Stampin' UP! and Save!

Put down the phone, turn off the computer, and break free from the ‘e’! Remember when you got letters in your mailbox instead of your inbox? On June 25, 2008, Stampin' Up! is taking the day to unplug and unwind, and reconnect on a personal level with friends and loved ones through handmade cards. And we invite you to eScape with us throughout the month of June!

Reconnect with your “wireless network” by attending an escape event or hosting one of your own! Take advantage of the 25 percent discount on select products in the eScape bundle to help you create that special message from the heart.

eScape Bundle (item 113700):
Circle of Friendship stamp set p. 143 $22.95
Love Notes assortment p. 167 $11.50
Rose Red Classic Stampin' Pad p. 165 $6.75
Very Vanilla 5/8" grosgrain ribbon p. 191 $10.50
Total (non-bundled) $51.70
eScape Bundle price $36.05

Contact me to place your order! A great savings so take advantage...I know I will...lol.

Happpy Father's Day!

Manly cards are more challenging than making something pretty and full of flowers and butterflies and all things feminine. Or is it just me? Maybe it's the fact that most of my stamps center on a more feminine theme....that definately doesn't help things :) On the up side that means I get to buy another stamp set...oh no! lol!

Well I figured the best place to start was with a manly colour scheme. I did the same card in two different colour ways....can you guess which one I did first? The top left card is made on basic grey, blue bayou and whisper white card stock. I used the encore silver ink pad to apply the ink all over the dotted stamp, and used the brayer to apply even pressure on the back of the inked stamp. The happy father's day stamp is from the All Holidays stamp set. This has turned into one of the most versatile sets there are! Seriously! Mother's Day, Father's Day, Easter, Christmas, My Dear Kind and Wonderful Friend, and many more! The Happy Father's Day stamp is embossed in silver on this card and gold on the next card.
This next card uses Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla and Blue Bayou card stock. The background is stamped with Chocolate Chip Classic ink pad and accented with Blue Bayou double stitched ribbon. This card is so verstatile, if you change up the sentiment on the front it can be for almost any occassion. In fact some of the stampers at the Bradford Club used the Birthdays are the Best stamp on the front of the card. I should have took a picture because it turned out really good! Why is it that hind sight is 20/20 and foresight not so much? lol!

Baby Onsie card!

I will be honest this card takes some time and patience to make, but it is well worth the effort! If requested I might make this at a workshop but it takes more time and I think I have to finesse the process a little bit.

Start by cutting your card 4 1/4" x 11", so length wise in half instead of width wise (5 1/2" x 8 1/2"). I used the circle punch and scallop punch to cut out the neck line and leg holes. To make the arms and sides I used the cutter and eye balled it. I will make a template so it's more even in the future, but for now I'm roughing it with my eye...lol. Hmmm....a template....yes I think we can do this card with a template! Great idea, glad I thought of it! HAHAHAHA! The center stamp is one from this years Sale-a-bration promotion that I earned for free! It was a limited time offer and the stamp is now retired, but it is so sweet I couldn't help myself!

Bundled in Love

Since I know that my brother and his girlfriend are having a baby boy we made this adorable card! The card stock used was chocolate chip and soft sky...my two favourite colours. This is a fairly simple card, mostly just paper layering and water colouring. The hippo is from the Bundled in Love stamp set and stamped in Blue Bayou ink on water colour paper. Using the watercolour crayons and aqua painter we painted the hippo. Added a little colour for the bow on the hippo, made a bow from the double stitched ribbon in blue bayou and voila! Quick and easy, but I just love the colour combination and the simplicity of the card.

Wild About You!

I am sure wild about baby cards! lol! I've had quite a few requests lately for baby cards so I'm on a roll! This card was done at our Bradford Stampers Club during the May long weekend. Bonnie was the hostess with the mostess and we are all looking forward to Barb's in June! I think they need a stamp that says "hostess with the mostess"..lol. I really am THAT corny...lol.

Ok so back to the card, we randomly stamped the penguin, flower and bird from the wild about you stamp set in Certainly Celery ink on Certainly Celery cs. On a piece of whipser white cardstock we stamped the elephant in Pale Plum, the lion in Soft Sky and the Giraffe in So Saffron. We punched out the animals using the 1 1/4" circle punch. Using the 1 3/8" circle punch and the scallop circle punch, punch circles in Soft Sky, Pale Plum and Barely Banana. After the cardstock (cs) is glued and layered, add some glitter to the animals for that little bit of sparkle. We used the two way glue pen to add glue to the specific areas of the animals, like the lion's mane, and added glitter. The colours are gender neutral so it's perfect for a baby.

Wonderful You!

This card is similar to one I did earlier, in different colours and a slightly different technique. I used the glossy paper and stayzon ink in jet black on this card. I used the markers to colour in the center of the flower first with So Saffron Stampin' Write marker as well as the petals. Tip: colour in only a few petals at a time so that you can use the blender pens to blend the colours. If you take too long and colour in all of the petals before blending the markers, it will dry and doesn't blend as well. The trick to blending is having the ink wet enough to blend. I used Almost Amethyst, and Elegant Eggplant as a dark accent. The glossy paper made a big difference when using the Stampin' write markers. This card that I had made in Mellow Moss was done with regular Whisper White cardstock. The blender pen didn't really blend it, but using the coordinating markers and ink made it a lovely card none the less. There are so many options and techniques when working with the markers and colouring. So much to do...so little time...lol.

Baby! Baby! Baby!

My funny mom, wanted to use each of the animals in the Bundled with Love set so that she didn't get bored making the same thing 30 times! hahahaha!
We used Watercolour paper, and could have used stayzon ink to prevent bleeding of the outline, but we wanted a softer outline and used blue bayou ink for the outline. All in all it didn't bleed too much. My mom used the watercolour crayons in soft subtles and the aqua painter to paint all of the animals. Welcome Baby is from the Short & Sweet stamp set and added something extra to some of the cards. On the little duckie she added a ribbon to the pull string which was really cute! The slot punch was used to create the hole for the ribbon at the top of the card. The rest was layers of paper.

Baby Shower Invitation!

My brother and his girlfriend are having a baby in July and my Mom and I are having a baby shower for our friends and family. These are the invitations that we made. I am sooo excited to have a baby around that I can give back when they're crying and stinky! LOL! And hug and hold when they are happy and satisfied! I'm kidding...sort of...lol. Seriously I love this stamp set, Bundled in Love is exactly what a baby is! We had to make 30 or so of these invitations so I used the computer to create the announcement and shower details. I coloured out our address and phone number for posting purposes...I can't imagine why can you? lol. It's much easier than you might think, I used Microsoft Word, chose my font, and copy and pasted the words on the document, saved and printed it on cardstock.

Photo Shadow Box Card

I have been very busy and feel like I've been neglecting my blog :( Just so you know, I have been thinking that I have been thinking about all of you and finally found some time! Yay! LOL!

Just before Mother's Day, I made a photo shadow box card with my Burlington stamping group.

Here's the thing, I only have 2 kids, the baby in the photo isn't mine, it's one of my girlfriends and the photo is a little dated...I know how bad is that? My poor mother.

I used blush blossom paper, and stamped Pretty Petals background stamp in Pretty in Pink. After stamping the front I used by Quickutz Revolution and nesting flowers die to cut the hole for the photo. The Happy Mother's Day stamp is from the All Holidays Set and stamped in Pretty in Pink ink. To get the edges I used a circle punch.

One of my Burlington crew got all creative and made the shadow card using stamps instead of a photo and it turned out just beautiful. The flower and the little flowers in the background are from the Priceless stamp set. She cut out the butterfly, glittered it up and used dimensionals to add dimension. The sentiment Thinking of You is from the Sincere Salutations set and I'm sure this card will bring a smile to someones day. Just goes to show what you can accomplish with some imagination. The best part of all is my friend, always tries to tell me how uncrafty she is! LOL! I think she has discovered her hidden crafter!

Wild About You!

Yep, it's official, I LOVE this set! It is my standby set for anything child or babyish. This is another of the non-cutting out cards that I've made recently. I just love how the Pixie Pink and Tempting Turquoise cs jumps out against the whisper white cs. I recently received my marker set and coloured in the flower, so now I can have green stems...whoo hoo! I also used the markers to colour in the words, wild about you. The stamp has the words in one line, but using the markers let me colour in one or more words at a time to stamp them to fit. The semi circle was made using my circle punch and I added some diamond glitter to the elephant's ear and flower for that little bit of sparkle.

Wild About You!

Yep it's true! I'm Wild About You! LOL! This card is all about the texture and more new toys! LOL! For those of you not familiar with the Quickutz Revolution or Cuttlebug, you have no idea what you are missing! I will be featuring some additional workshops showcasing these fun tools, check back for more information on dates and times! So to get back to the card, I used a cuttlebug embossing plate in my revolution tool to create the texture on the Wild Wasabi CS. It takes some fiddling as they aren't really made to work together, but hey that's part of the challenge! I put some Yo Yo Yellow cs through the crimper for some additional texture. The polka dotted paper is from the Level 1 hostess set, Print Pack. The adorable alligator is from the Wild About You stamp set, I used my new markers to colour him in Certainly Celery. I used the Round Tab punch and used the markers to colour in the words and stamp them one at a time. A little time consuming, but well worth the effort :)

Wonderful You

I recently received two goodies, one is a set of markers in the soft subtles colour family the other was the Wonderful You bundle which included the free wheel! I'm all about the deal..lol! So my crafty gals and I made this card, using my new goodies :) The flower outlines were stamped in mellow moss to coordinate with the mellow moss cs. I used the Apricot Appeal marker to colour in the center of the flower, certainly celery to add some soft subtle green and barely banana to bring in Barely Banana cs. The overall affect is soft and elegant. Using the round tab punch I used the Wonderful You sentiment included in the stamp set.

Before I forget, I must say I am so proud and astonished with myself. Last night we were making cards and I noticed that all four cards that we made did not have any cutting out! The Bradford crew is probably jealous...LOL! I think it's a first for me, I've certainly been on a cutting spree lately! LOL!

Cause for Celebration!

This card is inspired by something I saw on another web site, split coast stampers. For your viewing pleasure I've added a new list to my blog called My Favourites, under the heading is a list of my favourite blogs and web sites. I have been playing around with some shadow box card ideas so stay tuned fro more on that including a tutorial. This is the link to the shadow box card that inspired today's post. http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/860617?si=cause%20for%20celebration

To get the same effect, with out the shadow box card itself, I cut out a circle on the front of the card after stamping the back ground image. The butterflies on this card are from the Level 2 hostess set Cause for Celebration. The first card was made with a Soft Sky and Blue Bayou colour combination, and Pretty Petals as the background stamp. The second card was made with Whisper White and Blue Bayou combination, and the background was created using the Petals wheel.

Credit Cards Now Accepted! Whoo Hoo!

As of Wednesday April 26th I am now able to accept customer credit cards for all Stampin' UP! mercandise orders! Whoo Hoo! I'm excited, I hope this will bring a much needed convenience to our clubs, workshops and parties! I know I'm excited, but really when aren't I? LOL!

Happy Stamping!

Cards from the Contest!

As promised, although delayed, these are the two cards that we did at the Bradford Stampin' UP! Club that entitled the commentors to enter the draw. Good golly does that make sense to anyone other than me? lol! The first card was done earlier in the month in soft sky and chocolate chip. I changed things up a bit by substituting Tempting Turquoise. Using the blender pens and the Turquoise Classic stamp pad we added highlights and colour to the bird from the Pretty Amazing stamp set.


This second card was actually done in Old Olive at the club, but I've recently made it with Pale Plum water colour crayons and Perfect Plum ink. I've decided to use this image to show another colour option for a very versatile card. The card can be found in an older post in Old Olive under Heartfelt Thanks. This set is quickly becoming one of my faves! One of my fellow crafters stamped "Happy Mother's Day" on the strip of Pale Plum that you can see going down the side of the card; not seen here in this photo.

Stay tuned for a special mother's day project. I will be waiting until after mother's day to post it as it's a special surprise for my Mom! It's so hard making something for her....we are often card making together! LOL!

With Sympathy

My extended family recently suffered two losses within days of each other. My heart went out to my Aunt and Uncle, their two children and their respective families. So with a heavy heart I set out to make some cards to let them know that I was thinking of them during this difficult time.

Stem Silhouettes is a really elegant set and gave the right sentiment. For this look stamp your image with versa mark ink and emboss with silver embossing powder on silver paper. I mounted the images on Basic Black CS for simple contrast. The Thinking of You sentiment came from the Sincere Salutations set and Love came from the Wonderful Words set that I use a lot!

I waited for a week or so before posting this article as I wanted time for my family to receive the cards before sharing them with all of you. In these difficult times it is often hard to think of the appropriate thing to say, so I wanted to share with you some ideas I had come up with that expressed what I was feeling.

AND THE WINNER IS....!

I will be posting pictures of the cards that we made at this past weekend's Bradford Stamping Club; I made 2 cards from the blog and everyone who commented on either card were entered into the draw. Stay tuned for pictures of the prize winning projects! My brother's wonderful and very pregnant girlfriend Liz was given the task of picking a name out of a zippy bag and Tracey was the winner! Congratulations Tracey, I hope you enjoy the stamps and ribbons!

I would like to thank everyone who entered the contest for contributing and commenting on my blog! I enjoyed reading the comments, love to hear your feedback!

Contest Alert!

Good morning my crazy crafters! I have a contest just for you! This weekend I'm hosting another party and trying to decide what we are going to make. All you have to do is post a comment on some of the projects that you think would be fun to make! If I pick one of the cards with your comments, you will be entered to win a surprise gift! This is a picture of the box of goodies...no peeking! LOL! The box is made with the Ginger Blossom double sided printed paper, and the contents are a surprise! You do not have to attend the workshop to enter, and enter as many times as you like. The more comments you post the better your chances of winning! Be sure to check the archives for great ideas!

Pretty Amazing Diorama

I really wanted to try a diorama card and this is it! I used the 1 3/8" circle punch for the larger circles and the 1 1/4" circle punch for the smaller circles. I just love the Pretty Amazing stamp set I find it so versatile! I think Pale Plum and Perfect Plum are becoming one of my favourite colour combos! I'm thinking of doing this card at my next workshop, but it involves more cutting....sigh. LOL!

I used blender pens and the Perfect Plum ink pad to add some colour and dimension to the bird and of course some glitter for our friendly little butterfly. If you are coming to one of my next workshops let me know if you would like to make this card by leaving a comment! Hint, hint.

Thank you card!

I just love this colour combo (don't I always say that? LOL). Pink Passion, Gable Green and Whisper White. The So Swirls roller was used for the background (another one of my faves) and to add texture I used the crimper. It's so easy and it just gives that added dimension and texture to a card. The butterfly is from the Pretty Amazing set and Thank you is from Wonderful Words. For that added sparkle I used glue and diamond glitter. The funnniest thing happens with glitter. I was making this card with a friend of mine and I did the typical thing and was covered in glitter. The funny thing is....I wasn't even making the card she was! It worked out perfect because we were all glittered up and ready for a girls night out! I hope you enjoy and thanks again!

Pretty Amazing!

Another project from this last weekend! I was so busy prepping last week that my blog was left unattended:( But I'm back and raring to go....sharing ideas!

This card is really interesting with the way it opens up....once you untie the card the card opens up on the 45 angle. This is one of my favourite colour combinations....just ask my mom..LOL! I used Soft sky, chocolate chip and whisper white. For the bird I used the blender pen and the ink pad to add some highlight and dimension to the bird. The Pretty Amazing set is so versatile and elegant, I used the three flower stamp to create the background, the branch is on it's side and the bird. I don't know why but I always thought of the using the branch upright, but it's actually more natural on it's side like a branch.

Scalloped Edge Tutorial

Scalloped Edge Tutorial

I have had some requests for a tutorial on creating the scalloped edges using the Stampin' UP! corner rounder. So here it is! I hope you find it helpful and it adds creativity to your day!

1. The Stampin UP! Corner rounder looks like this.

2. You can take the guard off of the corner rounder so you now have 2 peices like this:


3. Turn your corner rounder upside down so you can see what you are punching. Instead of placing the paper into the corner as if you were trying to round a corner place the paper flat. I like to punch starting in the center of the piece of paper so that it looks somewhat even on the sides.

   
4. Line up the punch so that you can just see the first scallop through the punch and continue punching left and then right.

   

Double Stamping

This weekend we did this card at Karen's party and at the Burlington Stampers club! Thank you Karen for being such a wonderful hostess! The Burlington clubbers and I had a great time as always!

The flowers in this card are from the Heartfelt thanks set. Although there are many ways to double stamp we did the solid flower in Pale Plum ink and the outline of the flower in Perfect Plum. I think the Brilliant Blue CS just adds that pop of colour and makes for a bright colour combo. I'm loving my gem brads and use them to add that little bit of sparkle as much as possible.

Stay tuned! I will be posting the other projects we did over the weekend shortly!

Sneak Peak!

Well ladies, this is a preview of one of the projects I have in store for you this weekend! I wanted to give you a little teaser by showcasing one of the cards we will be making. This card is using the Embrace Life stamp set, chocolate chip and soft sky CS, Blue Bayou Double Stitched Ribbon, blender pens and Stampin' Pastels. To create the illusion of depth and dimension on the flowers I used a blender pen and Stampin' Pastels. A highlight of other techniques we will be doing this weekend include: double stamping, stampin' around rollers, glitter, blender pens and ink, we will also be using the Crimper and Crop-A-Dile. I am so excited I can hardly wait! I'm looking forward to seeing my crafting crews this weekend...newbies and die hards alike!

Spinner Card Tutorial

Supplies: Paper cutter, Scallop Circle punch, 1 3/8” circle punch, 1 ¼” circle punch, Word Window Punch, Wild About You stamp set, Barely Banana, Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue and Whisper White Card Stock (CS), So Saffron and Mellow Moss Classic Ink pads, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Anywhere glue stick and 2 pennies.

2. Cut Cerainly Celery CS 5 ½” x 8 ½”. Stamp the elephant and the bird from the Wild About You stamp set in Mellow Moss.

3. Cut a piece of Barely Banana CS 5 ½” x 2 ½”.
Slide the cs all the way to the bottom of the word window punch and punch a hole in the middle of the piece of cs.

Note: the word window will not be centered top to bottom, we will trim later.

Tip: Keep the CS pushed all the way into the punch to punch in a straight line. Move the punch to the left and right until your word window is the desired width.

4. To center the word window trim ½” from the wider (in the picture it’s the bottom) side of the CS.

5. On a piece of Whisper White CS stamp the lion in So Saffron ink. Cut out the lion head with the 1 ¼” circle punch.

Use the 1 3/8” circle punch to punch out a circle in Bashful Blue CS.

Punch out a Scallop circle in Certainly Celery.
Glue the 3 circles together.

6. Take the 2 pennies and adhere a stampin’ dimensional to the center of each penny.

Stick the 2 stampin’ dimensionals together so that you now have a sandwich with pennies on the outside and 2 dimensionals on the inside.

7. Stamp Wild About You in So Saffron along the top and bottom of the Barely Banana CS.

Glue the Bashful Blue CS to the front of the card.

8. Take your penny sandwich and attach the scallop circle image of the lion to the pennies with a stampin’ dimensional.

Slide one of the pennies through the word window, keeping the other penny with the lion attached on the front of the CS.

9. Use Stampin’ Dimensionals on the 4 corners of the back of the barely banana cs, and dimensionals in the center of the CS leaving enough room for the penny to slide.

Note: Yours probably will not have wild about you stamped on the back of the card stock….our little secret? Lol…

10. Attach the barely banana cs to the front of the card.

Voila! You are done!