Always Card Trio

This is a trio of cards made at my card class over the weekend. All three use the Always stamp set along with Heard From the Heart. Even though the same stamps were used you can see how easily you can create totally different looks just by changing the color scheme. One even works as a Christmas card.

The three color combos I used were: Really Rust, Sage Shadow & Chocolate Chip, Baja Blue, Blush Blossom & Chocolate Chip and Riding Hood Red, Always Artichoke & Chocolate Chip. The bird was inked in a coordinating ink and then the rock 'n rolled in Chocolate Chip.

I just love that cute little bird! Now that he is available as a Decor Element, I'm trying to figure out a good spot I can put him in my stamping room! I'm thinking perhaps he can perch on the top of my peg board. The best part is that he's even available in one of my favorite SU! colors...Certainly Celery. :-)

Thanks for stopping by today...enjoy your day!

Scalloped Birds & Blooms

Hi there! A quick post to show you a cute little card we made at my card class yesterday afternoon. I've been kind of busy and just got around to photographing some of the projects I've been working on lately. This one was made almost completely with die cuts using my Big Shot.
I cut a piece of scored Certainly Celery card stock on the fold using the largest Scallop Bigz die to form the card base. The Ruby Red & Blush Blossoms circles were cut with the coluzzle. I stamped part of the tree from Season of Friendship inked with my Chocolate Chip marker, then proceeded to add the leaves - cut from Haiku paper using the Birds & Blooms Sizzlets, and of course the cute little bird which is also included in that set of dies. The little flowers were punched out with the Boho Blossoms Punch and embellished with little rhinestones for a touch of sparkle.

I was tempted to add some paper piercing around the circle and a background stamp to the Blush layer for more detail, but since we were making so many cards at the class I had to keep it a bit simpler than I normally would. Maybe I'll do that on the next one I make. Have a good evening!

A Quick & Easy Cardinal Christmas

This is a new set in the new Holiday Mini catalog, called A Cardinal Christmas. Even though I already own something similar I just couldn't pass it up! I've been super busy working on some other projects right now, but I just had to get this out and make at least one card with it, right? This card came together really quickly just using the images from the set. Love the solid foliage stamp that I used for the background! The cardinal is pretty easy to watercolor...I just used SU! classic inks and my aqua painter.
I used Riding Hood Red, Always Artichoke & Whisper White card stock. The greeting is embossed in Winter White EP. To add a little more detail I used the Ticket Corner punch on the cardinal image and it's mats and tied on some Riding Hood Red Striped grosgrain ribbon. This stamp set will be available to order starting October 1st.

Look what I got in the mail from my super sweet & very talented blogger friend Denise:
Isn't this card adorable!? The little girl image is just so sweet and I love the way she colored her and added glitter to her wings. She even included some images for me to color. Thanks Denise!!! You totally made my day with this nice surprise! See more of Denise beautiful work at her blog: Stamping With Denise.


Looks like a beautiful Summer Fall day out there today...hope you find some time to enjoy it!

House of Haunts Swap

Earlier this month I participated in a new catalog card swap with the swap group I belong to - the QC Swappers, and last week I got back a FABULOUS variety of beautiful cards. I thought I would share them with you here today.

Since I only got a few new stamp sets on my first order, and those were already chosen among the group, I went with a Halloween card using the House of Haunts set and the coordinating jumbo wheel- Haunting.

To create the focal image I first stamped the tree on glossy card stock using Black Stazon. I thought a full moon would add a nice touch behind the tree, so to create that I punched a 3/4" circle from a post-it note. I set aside the circle punch out for later. I used the post-it with the punched out circle as a stencil for the moon. I placed it over my tree, and using Summer Sun ink I sponged inside the circle. After I removed my post-it stencil, I then covered the moon I had just created with the 3/4" circle I had previously punched out. This created a mask that covered my moon as I sponged the other colors around it. After I sponged all colors, I removed the 3/4" post-it circle and a beautiful, golden moon popped against the spooky background. I like the way it turned out, and hopefully the swap group liked it as well!
In addition to the glossy card stock used for my focal image, I also used: Tangerine Tango, Basic Black, Perfect Plum & Kiwi Kiss. The card base was stamped with the Canvas background inked in Tangerine.
Here are the beautiful swaps I got in return:
Make sure to click on this photo so you can enjoy all the details on each card. There sure are a talented bunch of women in this group! Each card showed me something new...maybe it was an accessory or stamp set I hadn't seen in real life, or a technique or a color combo...it sure was a real treat unpacking each card. I'm glad that I was invited to be a part of this group! Hope these cards inspire you as well! Thanks for stopping by to visit...have a great day!

Haiku Tree

I saw this great sketch on Beate's blog, Fresh & Fun yesterday and thought it would be perfect to use with my new Season of Friendship set. Since the tree image is so large, a square card is just the ticket for showcasing the image yet still have room to use some pretty patterned papers and embellishments.

I inked the tree in Creamy Caramel thumped in Close to Cocoa. Then I used my markers to ink the leaves: More Mustard, Ruby Red & Old Olive. I created the sky behind the tree by using my Not Quite Navy pastel. The Haiku designer paper is so pretty and is perfect for fall, so I used a couple of the prints from that paper pack along with Not Quite Navy, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive and Very Vanilla card stock.

See the little scalloped tabs? I created those using the Scallop Square Punch. I just cut off the corners. Cute, huh? I was excited when I tried it and it actually worked out like I was thinking. I'm sure someone else has probably tried it before me, but to me it's a new thing. I was so excited to get those brads inserted to see how it looked that I suffered a devastating stampin' injury! (One of the prongs from the brad poked down deep inside my thumbnail, and it still hurts.) I probably won't even be able to clean house today because of it! ;-)

Other than my little injury I was quite happy with the way this one came together. I always love Beate's weekend sketches, so I'm glad I had some time to play along.

Have you heard?
Stampin' Up! will be releasing Phase two of their Decor Elements product line on October 1st. You're gonna love it! There are new designs just in time for the upcoming holidays, some cute decor for your kids' rooms and more color choices!

Just in time for Spooktacular Halloween Projects:
Make your home and Halloween projects spooktacular this year with the Spooky Spider Décor Elements™! Decorate your candy jar to thrill the treaters, or adhere it above your door to scare off the tricksters.The exclusive Spooky Spider comes in three sizes and two colors and is designed to coordinate with our Ghostly Greetings Designer Series paper and our Chills & Thrills Rub-Ons from the Fall-Winter 2008 Idea Book & Catalog.

Spooky Spider:
Small: 4-5/8" x 4" - $5.95
Medium: 8-7/8" x 7-3/4" - $10.95
Large: 14-15/16" x 13" - $14.95

Extra Web Lengths (included)
Small: 4-1/2"
Medium: 8-11/16"
Large: 9-1/2"

These spiders won’t hang around long, so contact me today to get your Spooky Spider Décor Elements before they vanish into the night!

Inspired by Nature Page

Last month on club night I took a photo of each one of the girls out in my garden where the Cone Flowers and Black Eyed Susans were blooming. I told them it would be used for our September club project. As always, the month went flying by, and this past Friday was September stamp club night! Here is the project I had ready for them:
They each got a full sized portrait of themselves along with the group shot... they could then decide how to use them. They had a choice of 2 different color schemes, either the Mellow Moss with So Saffron & the Haiku designer paper as shown above or Mellow Moss with Perfect Plum and the Perfect Plum prints as shown below. They could use the "live with passion" stamp that came with the Inspired by Nature set or the "Time spent with friends..." stamp from the retired Level 3 hostess set Time Well Spent. The Mellow Moss background was stamped with the cone flowers inked in Versa mark and then we used the poppin' pastels technique to color them. Next the grass was added using Mellow Moss ink. At the top of the page the swirl from Baroque Motifs was added and then over the top of that I used the Sanded background stamp to give the page some texture.

This is the first club meeting where my "Big Shot" could join us...so of course I had to use the Top Note die cut for the journaling box. I was a little concerned that perhaps the group would have "Big Shot envy"(I've heard of other cases of this! ;-), but I shouldn't have worried...they were CRAZY for my Big Shot so that made me happy! Actually, my hostess club groups always make me feel happy and appreciated. I think they really liked the projects I had for them this time because I was getting a big head with all the nice compliments they were giving me.

Before I started with Stampin' Up! I only knew 2 of these ladies - it was through them that I have had the pleasure of meeting the rest of our group. I'm now lucky to consider them as my friends. I think that has been the most rewarding part of being with Stampin' Up!...meeting so many nice people who share a common interest.

I also did a second page to include the entire group. Here's my completed 2 page layout:
See guys...I told you that you all would be on the page and not just Julie! (they thought I was playing favorites when they saw my sample) I will also do a 2nd page for the plum layout that will include photos of the flowers I've taken in my garden this summer...because I am "inspired by nature". ;-)

Thanks for visiting me today...hope you have an inspiring day!

Sparkley Scrap Bucket

Isn't this the cutest garbage can you've ever seen? This is one of the projects my stamp club made last night. I've had a little altered bucket similar to this on my stamping table for scraps for a while now, and it has always gotten a lot of comments. One club member in particular has even threatened that she was going to take it home when I'm not looking. So...I had them all make one so I could quit worrying about mine coming up missing. ;-) After seeing Pam Morgan's great demo using Heat & Stick Powder, Fine Cosmo Glitter & chipboard on the SU! website, I've been dying to try it. The Heat & Stick Powder & glitter came in my last order, and I still had some pieces of chipboard left from the On Board Blossoms & Basics so that's what I used.

I bought the tin buckets from the Target's Dollar Spot and drilled a hole in the center. The glittery flowers are attached with one of the pretty brads from the Styled Silver HPH set. Then we just tied different ribbons on the handle. I had 3 different colored buckets for them to choose from and the flowers were different shapes and sizes, so it was fun to see how they all turned out.

This weeks challenge over at the Stamp Something blog is to "Embellish Something". I think this qualifies. :-) I'll be back tomorrow to show you the other project we did last night.

I started to put the glitter & chipboard away and decided while it was all out I may as well add a little glitz and glamour to another bucket and this metal container I keep my paper plates in. I think I'll also add some rub ons to go around the large one, but for now this is good. I better put away that glitter now before I go crazy and start putting it on everything!

Eat, Drink & Be Scary!

I just love Halloween, so when I saw the Eat, Drink & Be Scary! set in the Holiday Mini I knew I HAD to have it! I have so many Halloween photos yet to scrap so I figure it will get lots of use. A friend came over to do a little scrappin' a few days ago and she was more than happy to play with my new goodies along with me. This is the page we did that day.
The old rickety picket fence is a new jumbo wheel called Frightful Fence which will also be available in the Holiday Mini starting October 1st. The spooky tree & pumpkin sitting on the fence are from the House of Haunts set. For the title I used the Well Worn alphabet stamped in Only Orange, Lavender Lace & Kiwi Kiss ink. I've been hording my favorite Halloween paper from SU! - Halloween Nights. I used a bit of it on this page. I really like the colors in those papers, and wish they would have included a bit of purple in this years Halloween pack. Even the NEW Halloween M&M's have purple in them! See...
Aren't they frighteningly festive!? I better hurry and make more packaged treats because those M&M's are mysteriously disappearing. (I had to eat all the ones I use for a "prop" in this photo...cause I touched them...I couldn't put them back after that, now could I? ;-) I prepared this cute little project for one of the M&T's at a meeting I had here for my downline & upline Wednesday night. The topper was cut out using the Top Note die, then wheeled with the Haunting jumbo wheel. I thought that the little spider was a nice detail stamped on the bag. I used Black Stazon for that. Not a big fan of spiders in real life...especially when they are in the house (yikes!) but it looks cute here.

Well, I need to go get things ready for my stamp club girls who will be here tonight. Check back tomorrow or Sunday to see the projects we did. I think they are going to like them. Have a great weekend!

Little Bundle of Boy

I made this a while ago for a stampin' friend who recently had a beautiful baby boy. I realized I had forgotten to post it here after I knew she had received it. I used the Level 1 hostess set Punches Three and my favorite In Colors from last year - Soft Sky & Blue Bayou, which are just perfect for a baby boy. I inked the stamp first in Soft Sky and then rolled it in Blue Bayou. You cannot tell so much from this photo, but the image is cut out and raised up on dimensionals. The silver star brads are from the Styled Silver Hodgepodge kit.

I also made her some scrap candy embellishments she could quickly add to her scrapbook pages using the retired set Baby's Firsts. Those babys are just so cute, aren't they? I stamped Ethan's name using the Outline Alphabet in Black Stazon, then water colored it. Thanks for stopping by...have a wonderful day!

Top Note Paisley Purse

Here is another card we did at my All Occasion Card Class over the weekend. I had seen the idea to make a cute purse using the Top Note die on my SBS sister Cindy's blog - Stamps, Paper & Ink, and thought it was the cutest thing! Since I'm addicted to my Big Shot (and the Top Note die!) I knew I needed to try this.

The only stamping was on the Chocolate Chip layers using White Craft ink & the Paisley background stamp. All pieces were cut out using the Big shot: Large Scallop (Bigz), Birds & Blooms (Sizzlets) and of course the Top Note die. The large circle was cut using my Coluzzle. The scallop was cut out of Pretty in Pink card stock & the large flower is Pink Pirouette. It was finished with a pink brad and 5/8" Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon for the handle.

Wouldn't this be perfect to hold a gift card? Thanks for the wonderful inspiration Cindy!

Thanks for stopping by...have a creative day!

Top Note Thank You

Quick post today to show you this cute little card I created using the Top Note, Birds & Blooms & Swirls Scribbles dies. I cut the Top Note card by inserting my pre-folded card with the fold just below the cutting blade. The Blush Blossom layer is stamped with Blush craft ink and the Paisley background.

I joined a Big Shot swap in which I'll receive all the die cuts. I'm doing the Birds & Blooms & the Swirls & Scribbles. These are the colors I used for my die cuts and while cutting I thought the color combo would make a pretty card. So this is the outcome. Can't wait to get all the die cuts back the beginning of next month!

Well gotta run...(well, walk actually). My walking buddy will be here shortly since it's not raining today to go on our daily 4 mile walk. Looks like a sunny day...enjoy!

Season of Friendship

Guess it's been a while since I posted...sorry about that. I've been busy creating cards for my all occasion card classes - the first one was yesterday. I think this card was the group favorite. It uses the new stamp set - Season of Friendship which will be available in the Holiday Mini catalog starting in October.

This is a 2 step stampin' set which will be very versatile because the tree and leaves are separate images. The set also includes a flower, bird & a snowflake for a winter scene. I can't wait to create more projects with this set...I've got lots of ideas, but so far only time for this card. Instead of using markers to ink the leaves, we used the wet wipe technique for quick and easy inking to create the fall foliage.

Stamps: Season of Friendship
Ink: Close to Cocoa, Really Rust, re-inkers for wet wipe technique
Card stock: More Mustard, Really Rust, Very Vanilla, Haiku Double-sided Designer Paper
Accessories: Photo Corner, 3/4" & 1" circle punches, Earth Element brads & Taupe grosgrain ribbon

If you'ld like to make this card, plus more...I still have two more card classes coming up: September 26th or 28th. Sign up today!

Have a good day!

Now You Can Order SU! Products Directly From My Website!

I've got some exciting news to share! You can now browse & order Stampin' Up! products online right from my new SU! website...day or night! See the Stampin' Up logo there to the right? Just click on that and it will bring you to my Stampin' Up! website, where you can shop in the comfort of your own home ...24~7.

Just like always, any order that comes to $150 in merchandise will qualify for hostess credit. The first three online orders I receive will receive an extra little something from me as a thank you to you!

Would you like to attend one of my classes? Don't forget to check my Calendar of Events to sign up for one of my upcoming classes.

Edited to add: The beautiful flower card shown here was not created by me...it is a corporate photo taken from my SU! website.

Stamp Something 4 Fall

Well...I was supposed to be out the door 15 minutes ago for an appointment to get my hair cut. I got in my always dependable Durango and she wouldn't start! All three of the guys already left for the day...so now I'm stuck. Luckily my stylist is super nice and understanding so she squeezed me in for tomorrow morning. Hopefully it's no biggie (I'm thinking battery)and my hubby can figure it out when he gets home. Oh well...it means I have some time to post this morning after all.

It's another fun challenge from the girls at the Stamp Something challenge blog...stamp something fall! I need to swap out my summer decor on my buffet so I was already thinking fall. I decided to stamp myself a candle.

I used a couple of my favorite retired stamps for this project - the oak leaf is from Autumn Leaf Prints and then I stamped the Weathered background inked in Creamy Caramel over the leaf pattern when I was done. I inked up the leaves with my Petal Point Chalk Inks in the Earth Elements. SU! used to sell these, but discontinued them a few years ago. I really liked using them...especially with this stamp set.

If you've never done a stamped candle...you should try it! All you do is:

• cut a piece of tissue paper to fit around your candle.
• Stamp your design on the tissue paper - craft or chalk inks remain bolder in color, but classic inks can be used with good results as well.
• using your glue stick, add a bit of glue to the ends of the tissue and wrap around the candle.
• cut a long piece of waxed paper - this is going to create a sling type holder for the candle.
• Lay the candle in the middle of the wax paper and draw up both ends around the candle to create a sling. Hold on to the ends, while the candle hangs inside the waxed paper holder.
• Use your heat tool moving it constantly over the area where the stamped image is. Be sure to keep the wax paper tight over your design. You'll start to see the tissue paper become almost transparent as it melts into the candle.

Please note: Every candle will have a different wax melting point, but you should see a change begin to take place within a few seconds. As the candle heats up, the pressure from the wax paper should push the image into the melting wax of the candle, embedding the image onto the candle. I've found that inexpensive candles work best as the wax is not as soft. (plus if you mess up it's not a big deal ;-)

• When your image looks consistently melted into the candle, slowly peel the wax paper off the candle. This works best while it is still warm.

Hopefully I described this well for you, but if you have any questions...just ask. Since I'm stuck here at home for the day I better make good use of my time and do some cleaning or maybe some stamping! :-) Enjoy your day!

Inspired Again

As you can see...I am very inspired by this set! I even decided to give my blog a little face lift and used this cone flower image to design my new banner. I still have a little work to do on that...hopefully my son can help me with that later, because I couldn't figure out how to make the other changes I wanted to make. ;-)

To ink this image I colored right on my stamp with Summer Sun, More Mustard, Old Olive & Chocolate Chip markers. Before I stamped the image I misted it lightly with a spray of water to give kind of a watercolor feel to it. Be careful not to use too much water, or it could turn into a muddy mess...don't ask my how I found that one out! ;-)

I thought the little bee from Bloomin' Beautiful would be a nice addition, so I stamped him/her? in Basic Brown so I could add a bit of watercolor. Lastly, I lightly sponged the background with Not Quite Navy to add a bit of sky.

Since it's starting to feel a lot like fall around here, (and I'm Inspired by Nature, after all hehe) I used More Mustard for my card base and used the Floral Background inked in the same. A bit of Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon and a couple Earth Element brads finish off this ensemble.

Have a wonderful day!

Snow Swirled Holiday Tresures

Hi...just a quick post tonight as I spent most of my day hanging around with a bad migraine. Now that it's almost time for bed I'm feeling better. Oh well...hopefully tomorrow I'll be back to 100%.

Here's a Christmas card I created the other night using the Snow Swirled set that is on sale right now. I just love this set! I colored the Christmas tree with my Old Olive, Ruby Red & Chocolate Chip markers. The Old Olive background is stamped with a couple of the pretty snowflake images from this set. I used a strip of the beautiful Holiday Treasures paper matted on a piece of Chocolate Chip card stock that I first punched with the Scalloped Border punch. I also pierced the top edge using the mat pack as my guide.

The ribbon knotted around the center is the new Riding Hood Red Striped Grosgrain. The Merry Christmas greeting is from Season of Joy and I embossed that with Winter White EP.

Check out the new slide show I posted to the right. I decided to part with some of my retired stamp sets & Simply Scrappin' Kits that I haven't been using. Let me know if you see something you would like.

Enjoy your weekend!

Back 2 School!

It's that time of year many moms look forward to, but I know a lot of kids and a few teachers who are disappointed to see their summer vacation come to an end. WOW...summer sure flew by, didn't it!?

This weeks theme challenge at Stamp Something was Back to School. I've been seeing the cutest little backpack boxes posted at Splitcoast and figured this was the perfect time to try one!
When I think of back to school, I think of bright, primary colors. So I thought the Cutie Pie, Saffron & Rose Designer Prints papers would be perfect. this is a great project to use up some of those paper scraps you may have piling up. Here's another view of the little box so you can better see the front.
I used the SU! Birds & Blooms Sizzlets along with my Big Shot to create the cute little flower embellishments. I added a little extra detail to them with my white gel pen. The flaps stay closed with just a bit of velcro adhered with sticky strip.

If you are interested in trying one of these cute little boxes, I found an awesome tutorial complete with a template posted on this great blog: Stamp Happens - yet another blog I had to add to my ever growing list of favorites!

Thanks for stopping by...have a wonderful day!

Check this out!

I was out watering my flowers this morning and look what I spotted! Isn't he the cutest!? I just love froggies and was so excited to see this that I had to share this photo with all of you. What a rude awakening he got thanks to me! I'm sure he was probably snoozing comfortably inside my zinnia until I came along spraying him with water. The poor little guy does look a bit annoyed, doesn't he?

Yesterday was an awesome mail day for me...check out what I got!
Isn't this card adorable!? My sweet and very talented blogger friend Wendy sent it to me along with the nicest message inside. She used the super cute new set Crazy for Cupcakes. I love the colors and the glitter she added to the tops of the cupcakes...mmmm, yummy! I could go for a cupcake about now...and I need this stamp set too! Thanks Wendy...you totally made my day!

If that wasn't enough...look what else showed up in my mail...
I know...it's not Stampin' Up!...but a lot of it was FREE! You may remember a while back when I posted about being super excited because I won the blog candy from the Stamp Something challenge blog after entering this page in their scrapbook challenge. It was a gift certificate from the Coconut Scrap Shop. They have soooo much cute stuff that it was hard to decide what to get...so I got a bunch of stuff! I just loooove paper...I really do think I have a problem and have to face the fact that I'm a paperholic. It wouldn't be so bad...but I really need to start using up all this paper I keep getting and hoarding!

Well, that reminds me...I need to get busy on some projects I've been working on for some upcoming classes I am planning. I should have some new cards I can share here tomorrow. Enjoy your day!