Vintage Smooch

My favorite set from the the Occasions Mini...Vintage Vogue gets some added sparkle with a little smooch from Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz. Cute name, but kind of a tongue twister, huh? This product will be available in the upcoming Summer Mini, in 4 different colors choices.

You cannot see just how shimmery this is from the photo, but after stamping the flower images on Whisper White, I spritzed them with the Smooch Spritz and it looks like they had been stamped on Shimmery White cardstock. Since I'm a huge fan of the Shimmery White cardstock, I know I'll be "smooching" lots of my future projects! You can kind of see the shimmer a little better on the closeup of this flower.

Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Teeny Tiny Wishes & Very Vintage Wheel
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie & Wild Wasabi
Card stock: Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie & Whisper White
Accessories: Rich Razzleberry Polka- dot ribbon, Large & Small Oval punches, Scallop Trim Border punch, Paper Peircer, Mat Pack, Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz & Dew Drops
Have a wonderful weekend!

Parade for Baby

The images in the Picnic Parade set are so adorable and just perfect for a baby card! This set is only available to hostesses from the Occasions Mini. Hard to believe that in only a couple weeks that catalog comes to an end! Where does the time go?

I stamped my little scene in Black Stazon on Whisper White card stock and thencolored it with my Aqua Painter and various Classic Inks. I stamped the little flag twice and used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to add the word baby from the Fancy Flexible Phrases (retired) set. Then I cut out the banner and popped up the end to make it look like it was blowing in the breeze.

Speaking of breezes...have I told you I'm loving me some Baja Breeze once again! I used that for my base and embossed it with the Perfect Polka Dots folder. On the Wild Wasabi layer I used the Scallop Trim Border punch. If you didn't get it for free during SAB, don't worry...it will be available again soon when the new IB&C comes out in July.

Thanks for stopping by today...Have a great weekend!

Woo Hoo! 50 & Fabulous!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter! We had a very nice day. All three of my guys managed to get off of work and we enjoyed a nice brunch here with family and lots of yummy food. Everyone loved the little milk carton totes filled with candy that I made for them. On Saturday night we went to a surprise birthday party for my SIL. We had a great time! This is the card I made for her.

I was inspired to use the owl from Fox & Friends along with a greeting using the Billboard Alphabet from  this adorable card made by my talented friend Renee. Of course Lori wasn't really woo hoo-ing about turning 50, but she did love the card. Here's a peek at the inside...

I'm sure this sentiment made her feel better! ;-) I originally had created a really cute panel for the inside using MDS, but when I went to print it, our colored ink cartridge was so low that it printed out an awful yellowy green. So I had to resort to printing it in black ink. Here is how I wrapped her gift.

I used some retired DP paper that I had, I think the pack was called Walk in the Park. Using the Daisies #2 die I made the flower and then added a large rhinestone to the center. I thought it turned out pretty cute and it saved me from running to the store when I realized I had forgotten to buy wrapping.

Thanks for stopping by...enjoy your day!

Easter Milk Carton Totes

I love it!!! Again today we are blessed with a gorgeous, warm, sunny day! I can't wait to get outside and enjoy it! First, I had to finish up these projects so they would be ready for my Easter Brunch on Sunday. Before I run outside to work in my garden, I want to share them here with you because I think they turned out so cute. I just LOVE that Mini Milk Carton Die!

Each little tote holds four Mini Milk Cartons. I used my favorite wheel...Always in Bloom to decorate the milk cartons and the handle of the tote before assembling. I choose the pretty Spring colors - Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, So Saffron & Lavendar Lace, based on the candy that would be inside. Here's a closer look of the individual totes.

Isn't that little bunny just adorable? He is from the Level 2 Hostess set in the Occasions Mini called Picnic Parade. I used patterned paper from the Sweet Pea pack to wrap around the base of the totes. One of my other fav new dies for the Big Shot is the Beautiful Wings Embosslit Die, and I used that here to embellish the handle of the tote.

I swapped out the blue for pink on this set, and also embellished the handle a bit differently. I used a few different stamps sets - Boho Backgrounds, Always, and You Make Me Happy (retired) to create the flower and leaf embellishment. To close each of the cartons, I punched two holes using my Crop-A-Dile and ran White Grosgrain thru one way, criss-crossed it in the back and fed it back thru. This closes the top nicely but still allows the milk carton to open at one side to get to the treats inside. Here is another cute option to close the milk carton.

For this carton I punched a window using the 1-1/4" Circle Punch, and adhered a window sheet inside. I closed it with one of the adorable little Library Clips. I didn't put windows in the cartons inside the tote, because you only would see a small portion of the window once they are placed inside the tote. About now, you may now be wondering how to make this adorable tote...I found this wonderful tutorial on another blog I like to visit. Thanks Kathleen for sharing how to make this adorable project!

Besides the obvious changes I made to my milk carton tote (colors, stamps, etc...) I did make one structural change as well. Since I was loading it down with lots of candy and it would become quite heavy, I decided to double up on the handle layer to make it a little sturdier. I just cut two handles, punched and glued together.

Enjoy your day and have a wonderful Easter!

Cheery Friend Card

I used the With All My Heart set quite a bit around Valentines Day, but it's so much more than a Valentine set. By choosing a different color scheme or sentiment this set is quite versatile.

Stamps: With All My Heart
Card stock: Certainly Celery, Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo & Whisper White
Ink: Certainly Celery, Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo & Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Bermuda Bay Polka Dotted Grosgrain, Scalloped Oval & Scallop Trim Border punches, Movers & Shapers Scalloped Oval die, Soft Subtle Brad

Thanks for all the nice comments and emails regarding my vacation to Hawaii (last post). You all are so nice! Enjoy your day!

Vintage Medallion Trio

Here is another trio of cards we made at my last card class. This set uses one of my favorite stamps...the Medallion Background.

Creating a beautiful card with the Medallion stamp is so easy. Combine it with the Vintage Label set available during SAB and the Very Vintage Jumbo wheel from the Occasions Mini for a winning combo. Its shown here in three different color combos: Perfect Plum & Vanilla, Close to Cocoa & Pretty in Pink and Sage Shadow and Blush Blossom.

Enjoy your day!

Fox & Friends Trio

Here's another set of cards we made at my card class last Sunday using the adorable new set Fox and Friends stamp set and Sweet Pea papers.

The ice cream & cake sentiment is from the Birthday Bliss which is a FREE selection during SAB. These cards are perfect for a childs birthday or to welcome a new baby. Images were stamped and punched out using the 1-3/8" Square and the 1-1/4" Circle punches.

Thanks for stopping by!

A Trio of Flowers for All Seasons

Yesterday I had one of my All Occasion Card Classes and it was so much fun! Thanks to everyone who came...I enjoyed seeing you all! At my All Occasion Card Classes we do twelve cards - 3 each of 4 different designs. I try to change up the colors or stamps a bit for each set so that there is a nice variety. Participants can choose which sentiment stamps they want so that they walk away with cards perfectly suited for their needs. My next All Occasion Card Class will be on March 28th, so if you missed out on this one, maybe I'll see you at the next one! I'm also considering offering it as a Class by mail, so let me know if you are interested. Here is the first set of cards.

I just love these sweet little images from A Flower for All Seasons set. (available FREE during SAB!) They punch out perfectly using the 1-3/4" Circle Punch. I paired this up with a couple of my fav new Big Shot accessories available from the Occasions Mini...the Perfect Polka Dot Textured Folder and the Beautiful Wings Embosslit. Sentiments stamped in a coordinating ink using Teeny Tiny Wishes and punched out with Word Window punch and matted on the Modern Label complete this first set of cards.

I'll be sharing more cards we made at my class in the next couple of weeks while I am gone on vacation. Being that I scheduled these posts in advance, I will not be able to answer any questions until I am back home. Thanks for stopping by!

Good Time Monkeys

I finally got a chance to play with the adorable new set Fox & Friends found in the Occasions Mini. I just love that cute little monkey, so that was the first stamp I inked up. I combined it with the Great Friend set to create this card.

The patterned paper is from the Sweet Pea pack. I also used a couple pieces of the Sweet Pea Stitched Felt...aren't they cute?! The felt pieces and the background embossed with the Perfect Polka Dot Impressions Folder adds nice textures and dimension to this card. The little label from the Great Friends set layers perfectly on one of the tags from the Matchbox Die.

We will be using this set to make a trio of cards perfect for children/baby at my upcoming All Occasions Card Class, so if you haven't registered yet, quit monkeying around...the deadline is soon approaching! ;-) Have a great day!

I Only Have Eyes For You!

That's what the crazy looking potato in a tutu said! I couldn't help myself, I just had to use this retired set called Stew Pot Pals for my hubby's valentine. He's the manager of the produce department at a large grocery store and is always making us groan with bad puns, so this was perfect for him! Plus, I really do only have eyes for him and probably look about as good in a tutu as that potato!

He commented on how cool he thought the tri-shutter cards I've made recently, so I had to make another. I used the Sending Love papers and the I {Love} Love jumbo wheel for the background.  I was wishing I had some heart brads or some other heart embellishments when I got a good idea...I punched out some hearts from Real Red card stock, covered them in Crystal Effects, let them dry and then adhered them to my card front. They look like epoxy hearts or heart brads, don't you think?

I recently got a new toy for my Big Shot to play with...the Mini Milk Carton Bigz die. They are so cute! I made a few to decorate to give away for Valentines Day. I created the window in the front by using my 1-1/4" circle punch and adhering a small square cut from a window sheet inside.

Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Sending Love Valentine Class

Hope you all had a great weekend! Today I have a few projects to share from my Valentine Class. I used the With All My Heart stamp set along with the gorgeous new Sending Love specialty papers and the I {Love}Love jumbo wheel.

What Valentine wouldn't feel special when they receive this tri-shutter card? These are so much fun to make and a lot simpler than they look. For a great tutorial on how to make one yourself, visit SCS.

Isn't the I {Love} Love jumbo wheel great?! It's so easy to create a background or just use part of it to add a sentiment or focal point. I just {Love} it! Check out the cute treat cup cards too.

Just pull up on the "be mine" tab and you can dispense the m&m's from the punched out hole in the back.  Along with these great new items from the Occasions Mini catalog, I also used a couple retired stamps sets - Punch Party (be mine tab) and Cute Converse (all you need is love).

Out of the three projects for my Valentine Class, my absolute favorite project was the LOVE banner shown in the first photo. Come back tomorrow to see more on that.

Vintage Neighbors

No...I'm not talking about Larry & Vi who live next door to us. I'm talking about combining two stamp sets offered during SAB...Vintage Labels and Good Neighbors.

The Good Neighbors set is such a fun little set. I enjoyed creating this bight cheery neighborhood. The scallopped "best wishes" sentiment was created using the Vintage Lables set. I love any set that can be used with my punches, so this one was a must have for me!

Colors used: Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie and Certainly Celery. The patterned paper is from the Sweet Pea stack.

Have a beautiful day in your neighborhood!

Vintage Birthday

Another busy weekend! It all started with the fabulous Catty Cruise. I sure enjoyed visiting all my crewmates blogs to see their fantastic creations using new products from the Occasions Mini. I also really enjoyed all the wonderful comments many of you left for me here regarding my projects using Vintage Vogue. Quite a few of you said you were visiting me for the first time. I hope you will continue to stop by and visit. Thanks to all who stopped by and took the time to leave me a sweet comment...I appreciate it!

Yesterday I held my annual Sale~A~Bration party. Thanks to everyone who came. I enjoyed stamping and visiting with you all! Here is the first make and take we made yesterday.

This uses a combo of my favorite new things: Vintage Vogue, Very Vintage Wheel, Vintage Labels, (sentiment) Beautiful Wings Embosslits & Scallop Trim Border. A party isn't complete without prizes, right!?

A couple lucky ladies had their name drawn during my Sale~A~Bration and they received these adorable matchboxes filled with embellishments. I am still waiting on a couple orders to draw the name of the winner of the free stamp set...so if you couldn't make it to my Sale~A~Bration but would like to place an order, let me know today and you can be part of the drawing as well.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Port Vintage Vogue

Climb aboard the Occasions Mini Catty Cruise! Make sure to visit each port where my talented crew mates are showcasing some wonderful projects using their favorite stamps and accessories from the Occasions Mini. I am delighted to share the projects I created using my favorite new set...Vintage Vogue.

Vintage Friend Card & Pillow Box

This card with the matching Pillow Box favor uses the matching jumbo wheel called Very Vintage. This wheel has so much detail, I just love it! The center of the flowers are adorned with the new Chocolate Chip Epoxy Brads. I also used the Scallop Trim Border punch available for free during Sale~A~Bration and Pretty In Pink Satin ribbon on the Pillow Box. The new 5/8" Satin Ribbon is so soft and easy to work with and it's available in 9 colors in the Occasions Mini.

Vintage Medallion Card

When I first saw the Vintage Vogue set I couldn't wait to try it with the Medallion Background stamp. For this one I used a color combo that I hadn't used in a while: Sage Shadow, Close to Cocoa and Blush Blossom...these colors have a very vintage feel to me. I stamped the Medallion three times and cut the centers from two and adhered them with dimensionals . The center of the flower is a pearl from the Pretties Kit. I saved my favorite project for last...

Framed Friends Page

This is an 8x8 scrapbook page that I created for a shadowbox frame. I used a small monotone print from the Bella Blue paper pack for my background. The print adds interest, yet doesn't over power the stamped images. This is a great stamp set for scrapping! I need to get busy and scrap the other photos I took during this weekend trip with friends touring the wine country in Northern Michigan.

I took the photo above before I inserted the page into the shadowbox frame because I figured the glare from the glass would make taking a good photo nearly impossible. Here's what it looks like framed.

I hope you like the projects I've shown you using this versatile set. Please cruise on to the next port where Becky Roberts is going to "tote-ally" blow you out of the water with her fantastic projects using the stamp set Tote-ally Tess!

Sending Love With All My Heart

Here's an easy Valentine card I created with all new stuff from the Occasions Mini and the Sale~A~Brations catalog.

I just love the Polka Dot Texture Folder and can't stop using it! I am also happy to say that even after tearing my hair out and having a few tantrums I am now really liking the Scallop Trim Corner Punch. Used along with the Scallop Trim Border Punch (available for FREE during SAB) you can created scallopped mats for all your projects. I have to thank Gretchen Barron for sharing her excellent instructions on how to get the perfect scalloped squares!


The large heart was cut out of the Sending Love Specialty papers. It is so pretty with it's embossed texture and sparkley shine.

Stamps: With All My Heart
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Card stock: Pretty In Pink, Chocolate Chip, Real Red & Sending Love Specialty paper
Accessories: Pretty In Pink Satin Ribbon, Real Red Corduroy Buttons, Polka Dot Texture Folder, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Scallop Trim Corner Punch, Modern Label & Word Window Punches.
Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to come back tomorrow to join me on the Catty Cruise!

Sweet Neighbor

Here's a bright, cheery card using the adorable SAB set Good Neighbors along with a few prints from the Sweet Pea paper pack.

The Curly Label punched tag with sentiment was created using the Vintage Labels set which is also available during SAB. I used two of my favorite new accessories...the Beautiful Wings Embosslit and the Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder. I just {LOVE} both of these so much!

If you live near me and would like to try some of these products, then you should plan to attend my Sale~A~Bration Party this Sunday, January 31st. I have two time slots available: 11:30 - 1 and 1:30 - 3:00. There will be prizes and make & takes. You just need to RSVP by this Friday.

I hope you will all climb aboard the Catty Cruise coming up this Friday the 29th! We will be highlighting products from the Occasions Mini catalog. I will be showcasing my favorite set, Vintage Vogue. I'm excited to share what I've created with this awesome new set. Here's a little sneak peek of one of the projects I'll be sharing during the cruise. Hope you'll join us!

May Your Layers Be Many...

(...and your frosting be thick!) I think many layers decribes this card well! Yesterday was my Mom's birthday, and that called for a special card. Ever since my friend sent me an awesome tri-shutter card at Christmas, I've been wanting to try one. I used her card for my pattern and inspiration. (thanks Rach!) Here's what it looks like closed.

I just love that little froggie stamp from the Flowers For All Season set and the fun colorful patterns in the Sweet Pea Paper Stack. With 48 different designs, it sure was hard to choose which ones to use! I think my favorite new accessory has to be the Beautiful Wings Embosslit all the cute little embossed butterflies make great accents. Here's what the card looks like opened up:

I may have gotten a little bit carried away, but it sure was fun to play with some new stuff and decorate this festive card. Along with A Flower For All Seasons I also used the Birthday Bliss stamp set. Both of these sets can be selected for FREE during SAB. I love that SU! added the "choose any catalog set under $15.95" as an option this year!

The blank circle with the "make a wish" tag is where I wrote a greeting and signed the card. The little cake image dangles freely from a bit of fishing line. I got that great idea from my inspiration card created by my friend Rachel. Isn't it cute?

Stamps: A Flower For All Seasons, Birthday Bliss, Lots of Thoughts (retired)

Card stock: So Saffron, Taken With Teal, Rose Red, Whisper White & Sweet Pea DP

Ink: Black Stazon, Taken With Teal & Rose Red

Accessories: Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon, Rich Regal Brads, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Tag Punches, Latte Buttons

If you think you would like to make a tri-shutter card for yourself, you should sign up for my Valentine Class on February 6th. We'll be make one with a Valentine theme.

Have a great day!

Vintage Friendship

Bold & bright, cheery colors always perk me up on a cold wintry day, so I picked out a few of my favorite colors (Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie and Summer Sun) and paired them with a couple of my favorite stamp sets to create this card.
I used the sketch featured as this weeks challenge at Stamp Something. I also gave myself a little challenge of my own as I reached for my patterned papers...use only my stamps and ink to create my own patterned paper. The pretty stamps included in the new Vintage Vogue set from the Occasions mini made that challenge pretty simple. The bird image is from the Level 2 Hostess Set Wings of Friendship. I used a Summer Sun Corduroy Button and a bit of Crystal Effects over punched 1/4" circles of card stock for the centers of the flowers.

Working with these colors and stamps this afternoon helped warm up my cold, wintry day. Enjoy your day!

Sending Love

I've been excited to create something using the gorgeous new specialty papers from the Occasions Mini called Sending Love. One side of each of the 12 sheets is printed with embossed glittery designs to add extra shimmer to projects...it's really pretty paper!

I stamped the heart image from Framed With Love and punched it out with my Full Heart punch. I punched a second heart from one of the prints from the Sending Love papers and layered those onto larger hearts punched out using the Movers and Shapers die and my Big Shot. I used a Clear Button and a scrap of matching paper punched with the 3/4" Circle Punch to embellish my bow tied from Vanilla Grosgrain and layered onto Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon. The Valentine sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes and I punched that using the Word Window Punch. The Pretty In Pink border at the bottom of the card was created using the new Scallop Trim Border Punch available for FREE during Sale~A~Bration.
Thanks for stopping by!

Something New

First off...HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU! Hope you all received some new crafting goodies over the holidays. I received a few things and I also treated myself to a few new toys. Using new goodies is the theme this week at Stamp Something...what a perfect opportunity to play with new stuff, right? I also used this weeks sketch from Mojo Monday for my card.
The new goodies I used were: Vintage Vogue stamp set from the upcoming Occasions Mini catalog (available to order on January 5th), Sweet Pea Stitched Felt, and Nestabilities Circles. I used the floral border stamp and my stamp-a-ma-jig to create my "scalloped" panel for the sketch. I used the rock 'n roll technique to ink my flower and friends stamps. For the flower I first inked my stamp in Regal Rose then r 'n r in Rose Red. The Friend stamp was first inked in Certainly Celery then r 'n r in Bermuda Bay. I also used the coordinating card stock for those four colors plus Whisper White.

My Certainly Celery layer was embossed using the small Polka Dot Texturz Plate and my Big Shot. I also used the Nestibilities Scallop Die and Bermuda Bay Polka-dot Ribbon.

Thanks for stopping by...enjoy your day!