I'm Moving On Like Lovely as a Tree

As they say..."all good things must come to an end". The time has come for Stampin' Up! to retire their oldest stamp set, the iconic Lovely As A Tree.

Like Lovely as a Tree, the time has also come for me to say goodbye to Stampin' Up! as well.

I thought it was fitting to share a card made with this stamp set today as I tell you of my decision to leave Stampin' Up! as a demonstrator. The past couple of years I have been finding less and less time to stamp as my passion for portrait photography has grown.

While I love SU! products and sharing stamping time as well as my creations with family and friends, I feel it best to devote my time and energy into fulfilling my dream of launching my photography business. I'm still in the process, but hope to be officially in business later this year.

Over the years I have loved spending time being creative with such an amazing array of products, but the thing I loved most about Stampin' Up! was all the wonderful people I have met along the way. Several women who came into my life as casual acquaintances or even complete strangers, solely because of our common interest in paper crafting, have become dear friends.

Some I met when they came to my classes or invited me into their home for a workshop and others I met through my blog. Many of you have left encouraging comments, some have purchased SU! products or bought my tutorials...to all of you I say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart! I don't honestly think I would have stayed at this for almost 15 years if it weren't for all of you!

OK...onto the card! :-)

Lovely as a Tree was first introduced in 2001 and it was one of the first stamp sets I purchased after signing up as a SU! Demonstrator in 2004. I have used it a lot! I've also used Hardwood and Thoughtful Banners quite a bit and those are retiring as well.

This set has always been so versatile and timeless. It is great for any season or occasion and perfect for a variety of techniques. I've used one of my favorite techniques...the Watercolor Background Technique to easily create a colorful blended background for the trees.

A photo I recently took in my backyard was the inspiration for my card. I love the beautiful colors of sunset...and on this evening the sky was absolutely spectacular with so many different hues and the clouds had created such an interesting pattern.

I still plan to post my occasional projects here, but if you would like to stay in touch I do have a Facebook page dedicated to my photography. I'd love for you to like my page and follow me on my new journey. You can also find me on Instagram. I have been re-organizing my studio space and plan to have some SU! products to sell...so check back here soon for updates.

Thanks again for being part of my Stampin' Up! journey!

Very Vintage Sitting Here

I'm here today to share a card using a couple of my very favorite stamps sets...sadly, both will be retiring when this current catalog ends.

The Very Vintage set adds a pretty floral design in the corner and helps break up the long lines of the rope on the swing. I also used the birthday sentiment from that set as well. I love the idea of sitting and relaxing on a porch swing, so even without the adorable critters and accessories to add to the swing I would still be drawn to the Sitting Here stamp set. Plus if you know me, you know I love to watercolor, so that is another plus.

If you don't already have these sets in your collection, you better grab them up while they are still available. While you are at it, make sure to check out the entire Retirement List for other favorite items before they are gone for good.

So Hoppy Valentine

I meant to post this card BEFORE Valentines day, but got busy with other things...sorry about that!  The little frogs in the So Hoppy Together set are just too cute, and just perfect for a Valentine or any occasion. This fun set can be yours for FREE during Sale-A-Bration!

The tiny hearts that the froggie is juggling and the "love you" sentiment are from the retired Bloomin' Love set. The DSP used here is also retired and is from the Stacked With Love Designer Series Paper Stack. The stack is loaded with cute Valentine themed prints and I had a lot of scraps left. This card layout is perfect for using up those scraps!

A quick brag to share my favorite sweet Valentine shown here in a surprise photo session I did for her Mommy & Daddy. The pennant banner in the background was created using SU! products.

She's at such a fun age and she sure brings so much joy into all our lives! Have a wonderful day!

Nine Lives

If you are a cat lover like I am, then you will love the new Nine Lives stamp set!

Here I have stamped one of the cat images and watercolored it using my Aqua Painter. I then masked the kitty and stamped some foliage and flowers using images from the Jar of Love set to create a little scene.

The cool thing about this set is that it coordinates with the Cat Punch! Even though I didn't use it here, it will be nice to have a set to go with the punch.

I also used a couple other products from the new Occasions Catalog...the Stitched Rectangle Framelits and the Lace Embossing Folder.

Thanks for visiting today!

Hoppy Birthday

Here's a fun birthday card featuring the adorable Sale-A-Bration set So Hoppy Together. When I was creating the Bella & Friends shaker card that I shared earlier this week I thought this cute froggie would be perfect holding a bunch of balloons, so I used the puppy and balloon image from that set...obviously just inking the balloon.

The Buffalo Check background inked in Bermuda Bay was perfect for this guy card.

I used some Crystal Effects over the balloons for some extra detail. As you can see, I'm already getting a lot of use out of my Stitched Rectangle Framelits...I seem to grab them for every card since I got them! Here's a look at the inside of the card and the coordinating envelope.

This set is so cute! It can be yours for free with any $50 order you place during Sale-A-Bration! Visit this link to see all your choices: 2019 Sale-A-Bration

Bella & Friend Shaker Card

It's hard to believe, but my sweet granddaughter has already turned two! She's at that age where everything she says, her adorable expressions, etc...are all just so darn CUTE! She just loves animals... and puppies are one of her favorites, so of course I had to use Bella & Friends to create her birthday card.

I thought a fun shaker card would be perfect, so I used the new Stitched Rectangle Framelits to easily create a frame. One balloon just wasn't enough, so I masked off the single balloon from the image and stamped a couple more. I watercolored the image using my Aqua Painter and various colored inks. Pool Party cardstock was used for the main, embossed panel and Berry Burst for the die cut frame.

Here's a look at the various confetti sequins and microbeads as they shake around inside the card. Madelyn liked the card because of the movement and the sound created by the shaker element. She wanted to inspect it closer and almost tore off the frame...but luckily her mommy was quicker than she was!

Very Vintage Friend

Better hope my friend who I made this birthday card for doesn't see this blog title! LOL Seriously though, at our age vintage does better than "old", right? Not sure "very" vintage sounds good, but hey, it works with what I have used here...

The new Lace Embossing Folder sure pairs up nicely with the beautiful host set Very Vintage, don't you think? I used Fresh Fig and Tranquil Tide card stock as well as the ink to watercolor the image using my Aqua Painter. 

One of the things I was most excited to see in the new Occasions Catalog were Stitched Rectangle Framelits! I used a couple of them here. The cool thing about these framelits is that it cuts out both a stitched frame and a layering piece at the same time. 

Have a GREAT weekend!