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 :)