Flashback Friday: Tropical Party Layout

Today I have a two page layout, using a fun, but now retired set called Tropical Party along with the coordinating Island Oasis  DSP. Both of these items were available from the 2010 Summer Mini Catalog.

The smaller flowers, palm fronds and the palm trees were stamped and cut out, while the larger flowers were cut from a piece of the DSP. I cut the title using a Sizzix Bigz Die set called Go Slim. I cut the letters from both DSP and chipboard for some added dimension.

The second page of my two page layout uses an addition retired set called Happy Hour along with the current, new set Botanical Blooms. Look how nicely the stamped and die cut leaves on the right hand side of page coordinate with the leaves in the DSP running along the bottom of the page.

Most of the elements on these two pages went together easily, but I kept going back and forth with one little piece...

See the little flagged strip of umbrella DSP on the left side of the photo...not sure I like it or not? I think it needed something, but not sure if that is the "something" it needed. It's still only attached with temporary adhesive! LOL. What do you think? With or without?

Here's a look at both pages together.

Have a wonderful weekend! I have more tropical photos from our Hawaiian vacation to scrap, so I'm going to pretend I'm somewhere warm and sunny! 

Biplane Birthday Banner

I've had this idea in my head since I first saw this set and finally got the time to try it.

The base is Soft Sky and stamped with clouds and then I added a little white to each cloud with White Craft ink and a sponge dauber. The banner was created by selecting a sentiment from a photopolymer set...in theis case Sprinkles of Life, so that it can be bent into shape to fit inside the curvy Banner Framelit.

I used It's My Party DSP for the bottom strip and for the banner and finished off the card with some Bakers Twine. If the Sky is the Limit stamp set is on your wishlist...don't forget that this is a limited time set, only available through February 15th!

Timeless Texture Botanicals

I just love the way this card turned out! I combined several of my new favorite stamp sets, along with some of my favorite colors...

For the background layers I used a couple of the stamps from the Timeless Textures set. The Happy Birthday image is from the Sale-A-Brations set Perfect Pairings. I love that the font has a little bit of worn texture to it...which really works well with the background.

The flowers and foliage were all cut using the Botanical Builder Framelits. I just love these dies! I've been busy working on some scrapbooking pages using them...I'll share those later this week. Here's a closer look at the details...

I think you can see a little better how there is paper piercing around the circle and on the sentiment piece. The colors I used are: Hello Honey, Blackberry Bliss, Perfect Plum, Rich Razzleberry & Mossy Meadow.

Thanks for visiting today. :-)

Flashback Friday: Honeycomb Cheep Talk

This week just flew by! Cannot believe it's already time to share another Flashback Friday project. I've been thinking that the adorable little bird from Honeycomb Happiness needed a little branch to sit on, so I dug out my retired Cheep Talk set...

Do you remember this set? So cute, right?! I love the sentiments that are curved to fit around the branch...which just happens to be the perfect perch for the Honeycomb Happiness bird.

Since the bird is an outline image that needs to be colored and the branch is a solid image, I outlined the branch after stamping it with the fine tip Project Life Journaling Pen. (I highly recommend these pens even if you don't scrapbook.) Outlining the branch makes it coordinate better with the line art image.

I also used the Bloomin' Love stamp set and Bloomin' Heart Thinlit Dies for the little flowers, which are popped up and added a Basic Rhinestone to the center.

I used 3 different prints from the Love Blossoms Paper Stack as well...this stack has such super cute patterns! I used one of my favorite retired punches...the Photo Corner Punch and Crumb Cake Seam Binding Ribbon as well. Glad I have an extra roll of that in my stash!

Have a GREAT weekend! If you need a good laugh, go see the movie Sisters with Tina Fey & Amy Poehler! I laughed so hard in a few parts I was crying! Those two make such a great team...it truly was one of the funniest movies I've seen a long time.

Honeycomb Birthday Bird

Here's the sweet little bird from Honeycomb Happiness to put a smile on your face this cold Monday morning.

I used my Aqua Painter and ink refills to water color this adorable little guy & his balloon...choosing colors from the It's My Party Designer Series Paper.

The Mint Macaron layer is embossed with the Confetti Embossing Folder. If you don't have it yet, I highly recommend it. Of course I also recommend the Honeycomb Happiness stamp set...which can be yours for FREE during Sale-A-Bration. Visit my Stampin' Store to place your Sale-A-Bration order today!

Flashback Friday: Timeless Textures Pup

Each Friday I am going to try and share a post using an old favorite along with something new. I'm sure if you have been stamping for a long time like me, you have lots of old favorites that maybe don't get used as often as you would like. For me, I think it's because I tend to grab the latest and greatest while my old favorites are stashed away. This weekly post will remind me to use these oldie, but goodies. This weeks Flashback Friday project uses this adorable puppy image from the retired set For Father, which appeared in the 2008 Occasions Catalog. Can you spot the new items used with it?

Along with my old favorite stamp set I used a new favorite...Timeless Textures. This stamp set can really add nice subtle detail to any project. The die cut flower is one of the dies included with the Bloomin' Heart Thinlits Dies. I used two prints from the Love Blossoms DSP Stack as well...they are such cute prints!

After water coloring the sweet pup and allowing it to dry, I went over the top of the image with the wood grain looking stamp from Timeless Textures inked lightly in Crumb Cake. I also did the same to the strip of Love Blossoms DSP. Here's a closer look...

Notice the touch of sparkle on the little die cut flower? I used the clear Wink of Stella Glitter Brush to do that. It's an easy way to add a touch of glitter to your stamped or die cuts images with no mess. I love it!

Have a GREAT weekend!

Botanical Blooms Thank You

There are so many great bundles offered in the Occasions catalog, but my favorite has to be the Botanical Blooms Bundle! I just LOVE the beautiful die cuts and the rich colors in the paper.

During Sale-A-Bration, when you purchase this bundle you can choose a FREE Sale-A-Bration item! A favorite of mine is the Perfect Pairings stamp set which I used for the sentiment on the card above.

Flashback Friday: Prehistoric Party Wishes

Last Friday, in my New Years posting I mentioned that I planned to start doing a Flash Back Friday post each week. So here I am with my very first one! This card combines brand new products along with a stamp set that's so old it's prehistoric!

Prehistoric Party was featured in Stampin' Up!'s 2004-05 Winter Mini Catalog...that was way back when I was a brand new demo. I've used it here with the Party Wishes stamp set and Party Punch Pack. Along the bottom you can see some It's My Party DSP...I just love all the cute party prints in that paper stack! I've also used the Confetti Embossing Folder as well. These new products can all be found in the 2016 Occasions Catalog.

For the sentiment I used a great new Sale-A-Bration stamp set called Perfect Pairings. It's a 9 piece set that includes sentiments for many different occasions...it's another winner! This set can be yours for FREE during Sale-A-Bration.

Colors used: Cucumber Crush, Basic Black, Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo & Crushed Curry.

Thanks for visiting today...have a GREAT weekend!

The Sky is the Limit!

Todays card features the great new Sale-A-Bration set, Sky is the Limit. This is a great set for making masculine cards! Not only does the 8 piece set contain this fantastic plane image, but several great sentiments in a beautiful font as well. The only bad thing about this set is that it's only available for a limited time! You can get in now through February 15th for FREE with your $50 Sale-A-Bration order.

I used the World Map background stamp to create the background on the Crumb Cake layer and another new set called Timeless Textures to create the background on the Island Indigo layer. If you love to create texture and backgrounds, this new set of 9 different textures is a must have!

To finish off my card I used an Antique Brad and Chevron Ribbon to embellish, yet still keep the card masculine looking.

If you like this set...make sure to place your order before February 15th!  

It's Time to Sale-A-Brate!

The most exciting time of the Stampin' Up year is finally here!

If that's not enough excitement...The NEW 2016 Stampin' Up! Occasions Catalog has also been released today and all items are available in my Online Store.

Have you thought about trying a Paper Pumpkin Subscription?

Now is a great time to sign up! With your 3 Month Pre-Paid Subscription you can choose a FREE Sale-A-Bration item.

During the month of January, when you Shop My Stampin' Store and use the Hostess Code: 7ANSZJ9J ($50 minimum purchase) you'll receive a bonus PDF project tutorial delivered to your inbox featuring the new Botanical Blooms Bundle.

Honeycomb Happiness Hello

If I had to pick just one favorite image from both the upcoming Sale-A-Bration and the Occasions catalogs, I think it would have to be this sweet little bird from the Honeycomb Happiness stamp set. Isn't he just darling?

Even sweeter than this little bird...is the fact that the Honeycomb Happiness stamp set is available for FREE as part of this years Sale-A-Bration!

I stamped him in Black Stazon and then water colored him in Crumb Cake ink using my Aqua Painter. The little die cut flower is part of the Bloomin' Love stamp set, which has a set of coordinating Thinlits. The DSP is part of the Love Blossoms Paper Stack...it has 24 different designs included in the 6x6" stack!

Sale-A-Bration starts tomorrow...January 5th!

New Year Party Wishes

HAPPY 2016!!! 
Wishing you a peaceful New Year filled with happiness, good health and much creativity!

This card was created using the new Party Wishes stamp set available on January 5th in the Occasions Catalog. There are balloons, cupcakes & candle images in this set which all coordinate with the Party Punch Pack of punches!  While there is a "happy birthday" sentiment included in this set, the word "HAPPY" used here is actually from the Celebrate Today stamp set...because it was way easier to just ink up the single word rather than using markers. Plus, Celebrate Today is a photopolymer set so it was easy to line up.

On the Basic Black layer I used the new Confetti Embossing Folder. Then to make it look even more festive, I used Silver Dazzling Details to add some sparkling confetti dots and attach a few Bermuda Bay Sequins.

Colors used: Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo & Crushed Curry

January 1st not only marks the start of the New Year, but it is also the anniversary of starting this blog. Can you believe that it has been 9 years today since my first post!? I can't! But it's true, I first starting sharing my cards & more back in 2007. At that time I didn't know for sure if I would stick to it, but thought it would be fun. I never dreamed that 9 years later I would still be at it! Thanks to all who stop by and visit...it's always nice to get the occasional comment (that isn't SPAM! lol) or email from you. 

This little look back at the past has given me an idea for a new weekly feature I would like to try...each Friday I will do a Flash Back Friday post featuring one of my favorite retired stamp sets. I have kept so many of my favorite sets from years past but don't get the opportunity it use them as often as I would like.

CHEERS to 2016! Lets make it a GREAT year!