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!

Very Vintage Blessing

The new host set Very Vintage has some really pretty images and great sentiments that are perfect for creating collage style cards, so of course I HAD to have this set!

I water colored the beautiful floral image using my Aqua Painter and several new colors...Merry Merlot, Gorgeous Grape & Granny Apple Green, along with Fresh Fig, Powder Pink, Mint Macaron & Tranquil Tide. I really like the way Fresh Fig and Merry Merlot blend together when water coloring. The doily image was stamped in Sahara Sand after I finished water coloring.

Here's a closer look that shows the stitching around the edge created using the Stitched Label Framelits. This set of framelits was also a must have for me because I think they are going to be very versatile. I love the idea that with two different styles of stitched edgelits I can pretty much make any size square or rectangle and get that stitched look along the edge.

Have a GREAT weekend!

Feathery Friends Congrats

A dear friend won a well deserved teaching award last week so I made this card for her using the Feathery Friends and Hardwood stamp sets along with a few sentiment stamps from some retired sets.

I inked Hardwood in White Craft ink and stamped on Crumb Cake cardstock to create the frame for the chalkboard. I cut it into strips and inked the edges with Soft Suede ink. The little banner was punched from Picture Perfect Party DSP.

The sweet little bird was stamped in Basic Black and watercolored using my Aqua Painter and colors of ink that are featured in the Picture Perfect Party DSP.

Have a GREAT weekend!

Life is Beautiful With (Feathery) Friends

Hello! It's been a while since I posted, and I can totally relate to the sentiment above! Summertime is always so busy...trying to cram in trips to the beach, BBQ's with family and other warm weather activities while we still have the chance. Anyways... I had to share this adorable (if I do say so myself!) card I created using the Feathery Friends stamp set.

The images in this set just make me smile! I just love the acute birds! They are super fun to watercolor too! I used my Aqua Painter and went to town using a variety of inks pooled in the lids of my ink pad. If you've never done this, it's easy...just give yr inkpad a squeeze and you have an instant pallet right in the lid. The Feathery Friends stamp set can be ordered with hostess rewards, as it is a host set. The sentiment is from the Colorful Seasons stamp set...don't you  just love the font they used? It's an awesome saying too...because life truly is a beautiful thing!

Have a beautiful weekend!

Stepped Up Feathery Friends

Today I have two versions of the same card to share with you. The first version, shown below is a card we made at my recent All Occasions Card Class. It is very cute, but more basic because the attendees were making 8 cards within a short time, so I kept the design more simple.

The background pieces were stamped with images in the Feathery Friends stamp set. The adorable little bird and fussy cut flower were watercolored using an Aqua Painter. A piece of Berry Burst Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon separate the Tranquil Tide layer from the Lemon Lime Twist layer. The adorable little bird just looks like she's singing, "oh, happy day!" So I chose that sentiment from the Thoughtful Banners set.

It's a cute card, right? I know the ladies at my class love it, but I wanted to show you how adding a couple small touches can make a basic card even more special.

I added a couple embellishments die cut using the Flourish Thinlits to pull the Tranquil Tide color down onto the Lemon Lime Twist layer. The center of the fussy cut flower also received a little Glitter Enamel Dot.

I hope you liked seeing the comparison of these two cards. Have a happy day!

Feathery Friends Thanks

I must say, there are some really great stamp sets Just For Hosts in the new catalog! I just LOVE the adorable images in the Feathery Friends set...especially the sweet bird I used on this thank you card.

I had fun watercoloring these images and I tried a couple of my favorite new In Colors...Lemon Lime Twist & Berry Burst along with a couple of lasts years In Colors...Peekaboo Peach & Flirty Flamingo.

The textured background was created by inking up the new Pinewood Planks Dynamic Embossing Folder with Crumb Cake ink before rolling it through my Big Shot.

Don't you just love this ribbon? It's the new Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon in Berry Burst. Another new embellishment used on this card is the Glitter Enamel Dots. They are really super cute and even much prettier in person because they really do sparkle,

Have you checked out the great Just For Hosts section at the back of the new catalog? Now is the perfect time to earn these wonderful new sets with the WE ♥ HOSTS promo going on through June.

Contact me today to schedule your workshop or place your order. Read all the details here.

Blackberry Butterfly

To me, a beautiful butterfly created with various shades of purple = LOVE. Can you believe that at first look through the new catalog I foolishly thought I didn't need the Watercolor Wings stamp set!? (somehow it still landed on my 1st order!) I'm so glad it did,  because it truly does make creating beautiful cards so easy! This was one of the cards we made at my recent All Occasions Card Class.

The butterfly is stamped in three layers to get this pretty, water colored look...but since the stamp set is Photopolymer it is very easy to line each layer up. The first layer is the lightest and stamped in Perfect Plum. The second layer is Rich Razzleberry and the third and final layer is Blackberry Bliss.This stamp set is more fun because there is also a coordinating set of framelits...which I also used here.

The Happy Birthday sentiment is from the Happy Birthday Everyone stamp set and can be yours as part of the Host Rewards when hosting a workshop or placing a qualifying order. Contact me to find out more...

The gorgeous Tip Top Taupe Dotted Lace Trim adds a beautiful accent to finish off the card.

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

Best Thoughts

The beautiful large hydrangea image takes center stage on this simple card. The Best Thoughts set is one of the great host sets you can choose from in the new annual catalog.

I used my Aqua Painter and Wisteria Wonder, Perfect Plum and Lost Lagoon inks to color the flower and butterfly...it was so much fun to color! Thanks for bringing this set to our "play date" Rachel!

Do you love the look of water color but struggle with the technique? If you would like to learn more on the art of water coloring using your Stampin' Up! supplies, then you should check out one of my tutorials that feature water colored images such as Butterfly Basics, Moon Lake or my newest tutorial featuring The Wilderness Awaits. In all three of these tutorials I'll take you step by step with instructions and tips on how you can achieve great results using your Aqua Painter and you will make a great set of cards along the way.

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

Bohemian Birthday

Here's a quick and easy masculine birthday card using the new Host Set, Happy Birthday Everyone.

This came together easily just by choosing my ink and card stock colors from the beautiful, rich colors used in the Bohemian Designers Series Paper. I used Island Indigo card stock for the base, Bermuda Bay for the focal panel along with Island Indigo and Blackberry Bliss inks.

My good friend and stampin' buddy is coming over to play today...looking forward to seeing her and spending some time visiting and getting creative with our new stampin' goodies! Hope you have a creative day as well!

Bohemian Moon Lake

One of my favorite stamp sets from the Occasions Catalog is the Moon Lake set. Quite a few of my other favorites from the Occasions Catalog have made it into the new Annual Catalog, but unfortunately Moon Lake isn't one of them. Don't worry however...there is still a few days left to grab this set if you haven't already.

Today I've combined a couple brand new items that will soon be available along with this great stamp set. The result is a striking (if I do say so myself!) masculine card.

The DSP I used is called Bohemian and I love it because it has some of my favorite rich colors...Blackberry Bliss, Island Indigo, Bermuda Bay and the new Delightful Dijon. It has some really bold patterns along with a more subtle pattern on the flip side.

I used one of the larger, bold patterns like I would have used a piece of ribbon, had I been making a more feminine card. The "to a wonderful man" sentiment is from a great new host set called Happy Birthday Everyone. It has a large birthday stamp in a beautiful font and you can add other phrases such as the one above to personalize the birthday wish.  I also used Gorgeous Grunge on the Island Indigo & Bermuda Bay layers.

If you are looking for more ideas on how to use this stamp set, earlier this month I put out a tutorial using the Moon Lake stamp set along with some fun techniques to create a set of six masculine cards...just in time for Father's Day!  Check it out here.

Have a GREAT weekend!

Wisteria Bloom

I took a welcome break from Christmas cookie baking to stamp a birthday card. Recently it seems everything I have been stamping has been for Christmas as well, so I chose a pretty flower from the Bloom With Hope hostess set to color with my Wisteria Wonder set of Blendies...(with a touch of Rich Razzleberry)

The background was stamped in Crumb Cake using the leafy branch image. I also used the rough line image from Gorgeous Grunge to add a little texture to the "happy birthday" strip. The chevron design is from Work of Art and is stamped in Blackberry Bliss.

Thanks for visiting!

Spooky Good Times

With the leaves starting to change and the cool weather we've been having, I've got Halloween on the brain! Today I'd like to share a couple pages I created using photos from out last Halloween party along with the retired Wicked Fun DSP.

You cannot see from my first photo too well, but the tag says "boo to you" that stamp is from the Good Greetings stamp set which is FREE right now when you host a party of $300 or more. It's a great set...check it out!

Here's a look at the right page of the layout...

I just love that skull image which is part of the retired set From the Crypt. Even though it is retired, this set is still available in My Digital Studio. I actually used MDS to import the bat stamp brush image into my Silhouette to cut it a larger size. The original size bat stamp is also shown embossed in black and cut out on three different spots on the layout.

I used Kiwi Lane Templates to create the wavy borders. My good friend and scrappin' buddy has a few sets and I enjoyed playing with them the last few times we've gotten together.

Saying Goodbye: Secret Garden Bundle

Saying goodbye to a favorite stamp set is even harder when it also has coordinating framelits...which is the case with the Secret Garden set. Today I have a card to share that uses the Secret Garden Bundle and a really cool technique created using the Square Lattice Embossing Folder.

Adhere your punched or die cut pieces onto a cardstock base and then run through your Big Shot using an embossing folder with an all over tight pattern. Once it is embossed, the die cut pieces are embedded into the background, giving it the name Inlaid Embossing. I think it kind of has the look of a woven textile. The Square Lattice Embossing Folder is perfect for this technique. Here's a closer look...

The largest flower was embossed with Pool Party Embossing Powder and then watercolored using the Aqua Painter. Can you spot all the retiring items used to make this card? Check out this photo for some clues...

In addition to the Secret Garden stamp set and framelits, I also used:

• Express Yourself (Hostess set)
• Large Pearls (part of this weeks weekly deal!)
• Square Lattice Embossing Folder
• Needlepoint Border Embossing Folder
• Pool Party Core'dinations Cardstock

Today is the last day to take advantage of  FREE SHIPPING so if you don't already have the great products used to create this card, now is the time to get them!

Have a GREAT weekend!

See Ya Later, Love

This was supposed to be yesterdays posting for Valentine's Day. Unfortunately, I had a really bad migraine and it didn't get posted. Hopefully you had a better Valentine's Day than I did! I'm feeling much better...so the hubby and I will celebrate today instead. On the up side...I bet the restaurants will be less crowded.

The Sale-a-Bration set See Ya Later was used for this, along with Pennant Parade, Hardwood background and the Hostess Set, Express Yourself. The DSP used for the pennants is one of the patterns from Sweet Sorbet (FREE during SAB!)

It doesn't show real well in my photo, but I also used the Needlepoint Border Embossing Folder on both edges of the Basic Black layer that mats the main image. I find myself grabbing this embossing folder a lot when I want to add a little extra detail.

See ya later...have a great weekend!
Supply List:

• Pennant Parade - Clear-Mount Stamp
• Hardwood [clear]
• Express Yourself Clear-mount Stamp Set
• See Ya Later Wood-Mount Stamp Set
• Pool Party 8-1/2 X 11 Card Stock
• Basic Black 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Crumb Cake 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Whisper White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Red Glimmer Paper
• Sweet Sorbet Designer Series Paper
• Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad
• Jet Black StazOn Pad
• Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker
• Hearts Collection Framelits Dies
• Petite Pennants Builder Punch
• Needlepoint Border Textured Impressions Embossing Folders
• White Baker's Twine
• Natural 5/8" Chevron Ribbon

Simply Sketched Hardwood Birthday

Today I have a masculine birthday card to share using the Hostess Set Simply Sketched, the new background stamp Hardwood and Gorgeous Grunge.

I used watercolor paper for the bird image and created the background by first lightly spraying with water and then using my largest Aqua Painter, adding some swipes of color with some Classic Ink, allowing the colors to bleed and blend together. While still wet, I stamped some ink splatters with the Gorgeous Grunge stamp. After my paper dried (I helped it along with my heat tool) I stamped the bird in Black Stazon and added a little more color to the image with my Aqua Painter.

I like the Hardwood stamp inked in White Craft ink and then stamped on Crumb Cake...it has that pickled wood look. Since this is a manly card, I used a stamped strip in place of ribbon and added a little paper piercing for some extra detail.

This cute little bird sitting on the green grasses has me longing for Spring...this has been such a coooold, snowy winter! I hope that wherever you are, you are staying warm!

Cherry Vanilla Warmth & Wonder

In my last post I shared some cards almost exactly as I have today...only a different color scheme. Todays cards are probably considered more traditional Christmas colors compared to the Island Indigo used on the previous post.

As I told you in Tuesdays posting, I was inspired by a gorgeous card created by Sandy. The one above is closest to the inspiration card. I also did some with the deer embossed in gold, as shown in the middle card below.

Just to change things up and keep things super exciting (yes...I know, it doesn't take much to amuse me!) as I stamped a large batch of these babies, I also did some in Cherry Cobbler.

The only current DSP I had featuring predominately Crumb Cake was from the Season of Style Paper Stack, and I didn't feel it was elegant enough for this design, so I chose some from the Elegant Soirée DSP. Although it is now retired, you can still get it as a Digital Download.

Here's a close up of the two...

and a look at all twenty that I made.

I really cannot decide which one I like the most. Which color combo do you prefer?

Hope to be back soon...but I'm falling behind on Christmas shopping...still more to do, wrapping...not one gift wrapped yet! And to make matters worse...I'm still working on some gifts that I am making...and Christmas is less than a week away! Have a GREAT day!
Supply List:

• Warmth Wonder Clear-Mount Stamp Set
• Happy Day Clear-mount Stamp Set
• Crumb Cake 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Very Vanilla 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Cherry Cobbler 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Brushed Gold 8-1/2X11 Card Stock
• Elegant Soirée Designer Series Paper - Digital Download
• Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad
• Versamark Pad
• Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder
• White Stampin' Emboss Powder
• Heat Tool
• Embossing Buddy
• Stamp-A-Ma-Jig
• Beautifully Baroque Textured Impressions Embossing Folder
• Set Designer Frames Textured Impressions Embossing Folder Die
• Deco Labels Collection Framelits Dies
• Extra-Large Oval Punch
• Cherry Cobbler 1/2 Inch Seam Binding Ribbon
• Crumb Cake 1/2 Inch Seam Binding Ribbon
• Basic Pearls Jewel Accents