Flashback Friday - Noble Deer

Happy Friday! Today I would like to share a retirement card I made using, appropriately enough, a retired stamp set...Noble Deer. I remember purchasing this great set on my first order as a new demonstrator. It is still one of my favorite stamp sets.

My hubby's friend and co-worker is retiring after 40+ years on the job and he's an avid hunter, so I thought this card would be perfect for him. I watercolored the beautiful image using my Aqua Painter and die cut it using the largest square die in the Stitched Shapes Framelit set.

The "congratulations on your retirement" sentiment is from another great set, which is current...Wild About Flowers. I used my favorite new embossing folder - Pinewood Planks to give some texture to the Crumb Cake layer. The image and the base layer are both matted onto Always Artichoke.

Have a GREAT weekend!

Dad's Pocket

The Pocketful of Sunshine stamp set with the coordinating Pocket Framelits is super fun and makes creating pocket cards super easy!

I stamped the stitching onto Marina Mist cardstock using Dapper Denim Ink. One pass through the Big Shot cuts and scores the pocket...so easy! Then I used a longtime retired favorite background stamp...Linen, to create the look of denim on both the pocket and the background panel. The cute little "DAD tag" was stamped onto Smokey Slate using the Thoughtful Banners stamp set. "You Rock" across the bottom is from the retired Crazy About You set.

This pocket was to hold concert tickets so I used a non SU! set I have in my stash that features a guitar and other rocker style images.

I think the Pocketful of Sunshine set is going to be a lot of fun for both cards and scrapbook pages.

Hope your weekend ROCKS!

Project Life - Road Trip Pages

Recently I shared the cover of the 6x8 Project Life Album I created for some dear friends here. Today I have a few pages to share with you.

The first page of the album starts off with my friends' engagement. I used the retired Wedding Words Jumbo Wheel inked in Crumb Cake for the entire background and then inked it again in Early Espresso to emphasize a few of the phrases.

Sometimes you need to get creative so that the photos fit into the pockets...especially if they are portrait vs landscape. If you don't want to crop out any of the details, you can cut the photos in half to fit in the pockets like I did here.

It's fun to stamp overlays or even stamp right onto the photo using Stazon Ink. The photo at the top left is stamped with White Stazon. The journaling cards were left blank in the album so that my friends could write their memories.

Again, I created an overlay using a Window Sheet stamped with White Stazon for the photo pocket on the bottom left. The full sized pocket pages, like that shown at the right, allow you to create more tradional pages or you could use them to place souvenirs or  mementos. I chose to create a full page layout and embellished the photo with beautiful Flourish diecut from Gold Foil Sheets. The DSP is from the Serene Scenery Paper Stack.

The next page also features a fun, full sized layout with overlay and DSP from the Serene Scenery Paper Stack. I used several retired stamps here including Painted Petals & Remember This.

The Everyday Adventure Project Life Cards (retired) are perfect for these road trip photos! My friend will be able to easily jot down her favorite memories of their trip. On the photos used on the right page I cut them both in half to fit the small 3x4 pockets. Check back next week to see more of the album.

Have a GREAT weekend!

Flashback Friday: Daydream Medallion Gift Topper

I'm not one to just buy to buy...I buy what I love! That being said, if I love it...It's hard to let it go just because it's retired! The Daydream Medallions stamp set and it's coordinating Floral Framelits are definitely one of these items that I cannot part with and continue to use in my collection. It's always fun to get out these "old friends" to play...that's why I love the Flashback Friday posts!

Today I'm sharing how you can dress up a wrapped package using stamps and dies. Use whatever you may have in your collection. Try to use colors featured in the gift wrap (or make your own wrap) and you will end up with a pretty, personalized gift in no time!

Crumb Cake cardstock embossed with White Embossing Powder was a good match to my wrap. Each layer is sponged using Early Espresso ink. I also used the retired Typeset Alphabet to stamp the names onto my tag. I keep all my alphabet stamps for use in my scrapbooks.

Here's a closer look...

This wrapped package contained a Project Life Album I created for my friends. So, if you plan to gift one of these albums, make sure to keep the nice sturdy box that the album is packaged in so that you don't need to search for a box when it's finished.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Project Life Album

I put together a 6 x 8 Project Life Album for some dear friends. The album starts with their engagement and has photos from a road trip they took here to Michigan during the summer (they are from California) and finshes with wedding photos I took on their special day. They got married in a beautiful, cliffside ceremony in Laguna Beach. Here's a look at the cover of the album.

As you can see, I used a combination of new and retired SU! products. A few of the items that are still available include the Labeler Alphabet, Lace Doilies, Gold Sequin Trim, Linen Thread, 5/8" Burlap Ribbon, & Gold Foil Sheets. Here's a closer look...

Since they were married oceanside, they had a beach theme for their wedding. I used the retired set Beautiful Beach and embossed the shell images in gold and then sponged on a little color for added interest. I used one of the shells on the cover and then others throughout the album.

Their big, happy smiles warm my heart! I'm so glad we were able to be there to share their special day! Putting together this album for them was truly a labor of love and it was fun looking back at the wonderful moments we shared...now preserved for them to look back at whenever they would like. I will share some more photos of the inside pages in the weeks to come...som make sure to check back!

Have a great weekend!

Up & Away Pretty Kitty

I love being able to combine favorite stamp sets to make something unique...so when I found that the flower pot kitty image from Pretty Kitty would work with the Up & Away Thinlits Dies I was "on cloud nine!" (to quote one of the sentiment stamps from the coordinating Lift Me Up stamp set!)

I stamped the kitty onto Shimmery White Card stock and cut away the flowers. Then I stamped the flower pot onto Falling In Love DSP hoping to make it look more like a basket rather than a flower pot. The pieces were then water colored using my Aqua Painter and the pot was paper pieced onto the Shimmery White layer.  The little banner was cut using the Balloon Framelits Dies. I had hoped to stamp "HELLO" using my Labeler stamp set, but the letters were too big, so I wrote it myself using my Sweet Sugarplum Marker.

For Flashback Friday I used the retired Cloudy Day Embossing Folder for the background. Too bad it's retired because it goes perfectly with the Lift Me Up Bundle!

Have an uplifting weekend!

Flippin' Flashback Friday: Joyous Snowflake Card

Happy Friday! Today's card is a double Flashback Friday! Before SU! retired all the flip card dies, I used to share flip cards on most Fridays and I called those posts Flippin' Friday. Recently I started sharing creations using some of my favorite retired items and I call it Flashback Friday...anyways...today's card uses retired items along with some current items as well!

Remember the Letterpress Winter stamp set with the coordinating Snowflake Card Thinlits? These great products were featured in the 2014 Holiday Catalog, but they are brand new to me! I purchased them last year (I think?) when they were either on Stampin' Up!'s Clearance Rack or another sale of some sort. They had been on my wish list, but I hadn't ended up getting them. Seeing them on such a great discount I just couldn't pass them up!

Yesterday Stampin' Up! released their Year End Closeout Sale...featuring many items at reduced prices! There are all sorts of items - some will be retiring from the current Holiday Catalog, some over-stock merchandise that is being offered at much reduced prices from the current annual catalog, as well as retired Clearance Rack merchandise. It is definitely worth a look to see if there is anything there you have been wanting! Check it out!

The flip side of the card uses a sentiment from the current Christmas Pines set. I masked over it before lightly stamping the large snowflake. It is stamped high enough to leave room to sign the card. I also used the tiny snowflake and dot image from the Christmas Pines set inked in Whisper White to stamp over the snowflakes on the left panel of the card. The right panel is embossed with a pretty snowflake and swirl embossing folder...it's not SU!, but it's so pretty I HAD to have it! (I believe I picked it up at Michaels.)

The gorgeous Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper along with the Fancy Frost Sequins make this card sparkle! Have a wonderful weekend!

Flashback Friday: Beautiful Beach Wedding Invitations

Two weeks ago today my husband and I had the pleasure of attending the wedding of some dear friends. They live out in California, and I have been wanting to visit my friend for the longest time...so their wedding was the perfect excuse to make that happen! They started their life as Mr. & Mrs. with a cliff side ceremony overlooking the gorgeous Crescent Bay in Laguna Beach. The ceremony was perfect and the views were breathtaking!

Back in August I designed their wedding invitations for them...and of course they wanted a beach theme! The bride had selected a teal blue for her accent color, so Bermuda Bay was the SU! color that was the best match.

I used the Seaside Embossing Folder on the Bermuda Bay layer. The bottom, Very Vanilla piece was printed with the bride & groom's names using my home printer and then stamped with a seashell border stamp in Crumb Cake ink, that was included in the long retired set Beautiful Beach. I love that set...so luckily I still had it in my collection!

The open weave 5/8" Burlap Ribbon added a nice texture that complimented the beach them of the invitation. The pretty gold starfish charms with rhinestone & pearl added the crowning touch. Those were tied on with Linen Thread.

The inside of the invitation had the seashell border stamped along the bottom again along with a seashell from another retired set...Stippled Shells. So you got a two-fer today for Flashback Friday!
These cards were done larger than the standard cards I usually make - the finished size was 5x7.

Here's a look at the cards in various stages of completion.

It was a small wedding, so I only had to make 3 dozen invitations.

We had such a great time during our week in California! After our weekend in Laguna Beach we took a drive along the coast up to San Francisco. So many gorgeous views along the way!

Have a beautiful weekend! Thanks for visiting today.

Bella for Baby

We recently got some exciting news...we are going to be grandparents! This past weekend there was a gender reveal party and now we even now know what the baby will be! I had never been to a gender reveal party before. It was so much fun, and very emotional to all find out the baby's gender together.  I passed down a special gift...the baby quilt my Grandmother stitched with love and gave to me when I was pregnant with my son (the daddy to be). Here is the card that I created to go along with the quilt.

I thought adorable little Bella would be cute on a card for a little girl or boy. For the background I used a retired set called Cuddles & Tickles...which makes this card perfect for a Flashback Friday post. The little foot prints create an adorable background and then I used a little heart (on the girl side) and a tiny star (on the boy side) both are included in the Labeler Alphabet set.

I used this great new alphabet set for the words girl & boy on the front and to also create the sentiment on the inside.

I know...it's a little crooked! I messed up on the word joy, but did pretty good on the rest. So...are you wondering if its going to be a girl???

or a boy???

We will be blessed with a GRAND DAUGHTER in January! I'm the mother of two sons, so it's going to be extra fun having a baby girl to spoil!

You've Got This Garden Collage

Happy (Flashback) Friday! Today I have a card to share which uses my all time favorite Sale-A-Bration set - Garden Collage. It was from way back in 2005, which also happens to be my very first SAB with Stampin' Up!

Actually it was called Sell-a-Bration back then and the rubber was manufactured in a special color just for SAB, so this set has mint colored rubber. With each $50 spent, there were six stamp sets to choose from. Just a little flashback trivia for you along with this card...

I stamped the burlap looking background from You've Got This in So Saffron and then watercolored the image using my Aqua Painter. The edges are sponged with Soft Suede and the butterfly and flowers have a little sparkle to them thanks to Wink of Stella.

Have a great weekend!

Flashback Friday - Roses in Winter

It's Friday...and time for a blast from the past! Today I have a card to share using the gorgeous stamp set Roses In Winter. It is one of the sets I have available for sale on my Retired Stamps Page.

It is a 2 Step Definitely Decorative stamp set...meaning it uses more than one stamp, which are layered to create the finished image. The Definitely Decorative line of stamps are great to use on different surfaces such as painted furniture, walls, fabric...and of course paper.

Colors used are Watermelon Wonder, Mint Macaron, & Bermuda Bay and also the still current Gorgeous Grunge stamp set. The background was embossed using the Spring Flowers Embossing Folder, which is available right now on the Clearance Rack.

Roses in Winter was one of the first sets I purchase as a demo. It retired back in 2007, the same year I started my blog, so even though it was one of my most loved & used sets, most of  of my creations using it were not shared here. However, I did find this card here.

The sentiment on this card uses Sincere Salutations,which is an awesome set as well. I have both of these sets available for sale on my Retired Stamps page. If you would like to purchase the Roses In Winter set, as a bonus I am including the card and matching envelope I shared here today along with three other cards for inspiration...all for $20. Please contact me if you are interested in this or any other sets I have for sale.

For more info regarding these sets and to view all my retired stamps for sale, visit my Retired Stamps page.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Hawaiian Botanical Blooms

This has been a busy week with not much spare time to stamp or post. I did however work a little here and there to complete a two page layout using all the awesome products included in my favorite bundle from the Occasions Catalog. Here's a look at the left page...

I was so excited when I saw this bundle offered because I have a TON of vacation photos to scrap. I've been having lots of fun layering the different die cut pieces using the Botanical Builder Framelits to create a variety of different flowers. Don't you just love the look of the leaf edgelit included in the set of framelits? I used it to cut a border along the bottom of both my pages. Then I layered on my diecut flowers.The leaves were stamped first using the Botanical Blooms stamp set.

The Botanical Gardens DSP has a real tropical feel to it. I chose my color scheme from the colors used in the papers...Cajun Craze, Hello Honey, Mossy Meadow & Old Olive. I also used some Cherry Cobbler to pull in the red from my photos and substituted the Mint Macaron in favor of Pool Party because I thought Pool Party coordinated better with my photos.

Each Friday I've been sharing a flashback post featuring a retired product. This weeks Flashback Friday is kind of subtle. You probably did not pay much attention to the background pages of my layout, but I used an old favorite wheel to add a textured pattern to my otherwise solid 12x12 cardstock. I had several sheets of 12x12 So Saffron, but I didn't have any 12x12 in Hello Honey (which is what I really needed) so I just used Hello Honey Ink along with the Rough Around the Edges wheel to add texture and darken the lighter cardstock.

The strip of So Saffron card stock to the left of the wheel shows how it looked if I just wheeled over it once. However, for my background I went over it several times to get the look I wanted. Wheels with random, textured patterns are great for this technique, and it is super quick & easy...even without an ink cartridge! Here's a look at both pages of my layout...

I love the way the items in this bundle work together to easily get great results when creating a variety of different projects. This bundle includes the Botanical Blooms stamp set,  Botanical Builder Framelits and the coordinating Botanical Gardens DSP.  All of these products can be found in my Online Store.

The weather may be part of the reason I've been enjoying working on these tropical scrapbook pages so much. This is what it looks like outside my window here in Michigan today...

Here I am with Spring on my mind, and we just got blasted with around 10 inches of snow! Looking at a beautiful tropical sunset and flowers was a nice little escape!

Have a GREAT weekend!