Lovely Floral Embossed Thank You

Hello! I knew it had been a while since I posted, but didn't realize it had been this long! Recently I have had a few people reach out to me to see if all was well because they noticed I hadn't shared in a while. Thank you so much, I truly appreciate that!

Things have been going well here, but truthfully I just haven't been finding the time to stamp in recent months. Many of you know that we were blessed with a precious granddaughter almost two years ago now. With her birth came a renewed interest in photography as I captured each milestone along with all the adorable moments in between. Lately, in my spare time I have put all my creative energy into learning more about photography so I can take even better photos. My stamping classroom has been transformed into a photo studio, so I have not offered classes since the Spring.

After seeing photos of my darling granddaughter, I started getting requests from others for me to photograph their little ones. Right now I am in the beginning stages of starting my own portrait photography business. It's exciting, yet a little scary! There are so many things to consider and I am learning so many new things as I go.

I'm sure you didn't come here to read my ramblings...LOL so here is a card I created for a wonderful and talented stamping friend/customer that I've had the pleasure to know through blogging. 

I feel SU! has really knocked it out of the park with their selection of embossing folders lately! This card uses two from the latest Annual Catalog. The main focus is on the Lovely Floral embossed panel. I used my Aqua Painter to watercolor the embossed design and then went over the color with Wink of Stella for some shimmer.

Also used here is the Stitched All Around stamp set and the coordinating Stitched Label Framelits along with the Tufted Embossing Folder.

Here is a little collage I created using some photos I took of our Maddy as we enjoyed a beautiful autumn day here in Michigan. She sure has brought so much joy into our lives!

For now, I plan to remain a SU! demo as long as I meet my minimums. I can still take orders, but I did cancel my SU! business website several months back. I am so grateful to all the wonderful people I have met over the years through my SU! business...both online and in person. With the colder weather I will hopefully find more time to stamp again, and with that hopefully share more posts here. Thanks for visiting today!

Home for Cozy Christmas

The paper printed with the adorable fawns in the Home for Christmas DSP is my favorite! I only wish these images were also available as a stamp set with framelits! Oh well...I got busy and fussy cut a bunch of these guys and here is one little cutie hanging out in the snowy forest.

I inked up my Woodland Embossing Folder with Soft Sky ink before running it through my Big Shot. The little snowflakes are one of the accessory dies included with the Square Pillow Box die set. I cut them from Dazzling Diamonds Shimmer Paper...another favorite of mine! Just love the beautiful sparkle this paper adds to any project.

The sentiment is from the Cozy Christmas set. I matted it onto a square piece cut using another one of the pieces from the Square Pillow Box die set...I sure have been getting a lot of use out of those little accessories!

If you like the Home for Christmas DSP I think you are going to absolutely love the project I've been working on! I cannot wait to share it with you...hopefully on Wednesday.

Don't forget...SU!'s Online Extravaganza Sale ends today with a 24 hour flash sale.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Vintage Wilderness

I just LOVE this cute little fox from The Wilderness Awaits set! I've paired it up here with an equally great set, Vintage Leaves, for a masculine birthday card.

I created a tutorial a while back detailing step by step how I water colored this little guy and created the background using the Brick Wall Embossing Folder. There's a link on my sidebar or here if you would like more info. My latest tutorial features home decor projects using the Vintage Leave set...you may want to check that one out as well.

Thanks for visiting today!

Framed Painted Tulips

These little tulips from the Painted Petals set fit perfectly inside the embossed Fun Frame window. I'm really looking forward to looking outside my window and seeing some colorful tulips.

Until then, I colored these spring flowers easily using my Rose Red. Rich Razzleberry and Daffodil Delight markers. The Wild Wasabi strip down the center was stamped with the striped background stamp that comes with this set. I love that this set comes with two fun background stamps...the polka dot one is super cute too!  I inked the Spring Flowers Embossing Folder with Pool Party ink before running it through my Big Shot.

Lovely Lace Fun Framed Flower

I took a welcome break from my Christmas crafting yesterday to create a fun card using some new goodies dropped off by UPS earlier in the day.

As you can see I chose non-Christmassy colors and one of my go to stamp sets...Mixed Bunch to create a quick card.

Can you believe I didn't already have the Lovely Lace or the Fun Frames embossing folders in my collection? I was happy they were part of last weeks doorbuster special!

I used these colors to create this card: Pistachio Pudding, Crumb Cake, Blushing Bride &  Crisp Cantaloupe.

Update: I will have more All Is Calm 6 x 6 Pocket Album Kits ready to ship out the middle of next week. I'll have a few extras...so please contact me to reserve your kit.

Stippled Blossom Blues

One of my absolute favorite sets right now has to be Stippled Blossoms. It looks lovely in so many different color combos I've tried, and one of my favorites are these pretty blossoms inked in Baja Breeze & Not Quite Navy.

Stamps: Stippled Blossoms & You Are Loved
Ink: Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Crumb Cake, Certainly Celery & Wild Wasabi
Card stock: Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Crumb Cake & Very Vanilla
Accessories: Window Frames Framelits, Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, Crumb Cake Seam Binding ribbon, Victoria Crochet Trim, Basic Pearls & Stamp-a-ma-jig

I've been having fun playing with this set, so stop by again soon to see more...

Brayered Lovely Trees

Still one of my very favorite sets after all these years...Lovely As a Tree. Even though it's one of my favorites, I hadn't used it in a while. I was inspired by this beautiful card I saw in the gallery at SCS to get it out and create this.

The background is brayered using Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze & Certainly Celery inks. I then used my Simply Scored tool to create some lines for added interest. The bottom of the Whisper White panel was cut using the new Edgelits Dies and then embossed with the coordinated embossing folder. Ribbon is Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding.

Have a lovely weekend!

Good Luck Shamrock

A quick post to share a quick & easy card that is perfect for St. Patrick's Day.

I used the heart stamp from Hello Again (FREE during SAB) and my Stamp-a-ma-jig to create this four leafed clover. The sentiment is from another SAB set...So Happy For You, and so is the dotted line I used for the stem. See the stamps I used here...

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Razzleberry Blessed Mother

I just got this pretty new stamp set from the Occasions Mini called Blessed Mother. I immediately loved the sentiments and liked the images, but was unsure if they would be suited for traditional watercoloring since they seemed kind of dark and detailed in the catalog. The only samples I had seen were colored directly on the stamp vs stamping in black and watercoloring with inks, which is the method I enjoy most. Anyways, after playing with the set, I'm happy to report that it is a fun set to watercolor! I've made several sets of cards in different color schemes already...here is a couple using Rich Razzleberry paired up with So Saffron.

I stamped the main image in Black Stazon and used my aqua painter and Classic Inks to color it. Here's a closer look...

Here's another card using the other two stamps from the set, with basically the same color scheme. I just swapped out the Always Artichoke for Elegant Eggplant on this one.

I'm wishing now that I would have used the White Organza Ribbon on my first card as well, because it I like how it looks here over the Razzleberry Taffeta on my 1st card. I wish the Organza Ribbon came in more colors...I really like the mix of the sheer and silky solid down the center. The little banner I stamped the sentiment on comes from the Petal Cone Die. The main image is matted using the Scallop Rectangle Clearlit.


We haven't gone out in a while, so I think tonight we are going to dinner and to a movie. I want to see Rango...it looks really cute in the previews. It stars Johnny Depp, so I'm sure it will be good. (too bad it's just his voice! ;-) Hoping to get some stamping in too. Whatever your plans are...hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Just a Sliver

I finally got a chance to ink up this adorable image from the Level 1 Hostess Set, Birthday Bakery. It was fun to watercolor the row of cute cakes, plus I love the sayings that come with this set...so cute! You cannot really tell from my photo, but all of the cakes are "iced" with Crystal Effects.

Stamps: Birthday Bakery
Ink: Black Stazon, Chocolate Chip plus various other Classic Ink for watercoloring
Card stock: Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette & Whisper White
Accessories: Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon, Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon, Chocolate Chip Epoxy Brads, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing folder, Scallop Trim Border, Word Window & Modern Label Punches, Aqua Painter, Crystal Effects

Thanks for stopping by...ENJOY your day, and remember...this is no day for "just a sliver!" ;-)

Halloween Invitations From the Crypt

Like I told you in my last post, I've been busy getting ready for our upcoming annual Halloween party. I even managed to send out some cool handstamped invitations. I'm ashamed to say that the last couple of years I've relied on E-vite or Facebook to invite everyone...oh the horrors, right!? Here I am sitting here with all these fabulous Halloween stamps and then not sending out handmade invitations? It ended up being well worth my effort, because I've gotten so many nice comments from those who have received them and they are excited about the party.

Here is a close up of just one of the invitations.

I stamped the skull image from the set From the Crypt on Glossy card stock using Black Stazon and then sponged on Certainly Celery, Pumpkin Pie & Perfect Plum ink. The Perfect Plum layer is embossed using the Spider Web Embossing Folder found in the Holiday Mini Catalog. The little tag is from the retired set Eat Drink & Be Scary, but if you have My Digital Studio, it is included there. I embossed the tag with Black Embossing Powder. The spider web border along the bottom was created using a Martha Stewart punch.

For the inside I printed the info on my computer but then did a little stamping using Pumpkin Pie ink and images from both Graveyard Gala & From the Crypt.

I couldn't mail these bad boys out in a naked envelopes, right? So I used the Midnight Musings Jumbo Wheel to decorate the flaps, and added a couple spiders for good measure.

Thanks for dropping by today...ENJOY your day!

Just Believe Trio

For these cards I combined two of my favorite new stamp sets: Just Believe and Elements of Style.

I inked up the floral image using both my markers and sponge daubers. I like the blended look that you can achieve using the sponges daubers. I also used them on the hummingbird to add a little shading and the color on his throat. I really like the color combo of Marina Mist and Pear Pizzazz. I also added Rich Razzleberry for an accent color.

I spritzed all of the images with Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz, but it doesn't show up too good in the photos. Here's a close up look to see the sparkle.

By changing out the sentiments using the Teeny Tiny Wishes set and the color combo, you could make a card for just about any occasion. Here it is in Perfect Plum with Pear Pizzazz & Marina Mist.

Thanks for stopping by today! Enjoy your day!

Subtle Butterflies

I cannot believe a whole week has gone by since my last post! It's been another busy week! I'm happy to say that yesterday I made some time to do some stamping and had quite a productive afternoon. I saw a super cute card on SCS posted by Chris In Memphis where she stamped butterflies and then layered them with butterflies punched from vellum. I also noticed the Our Creative Corner challenge on my friend Wendy's blog that called for embossing. With those two ideas in mind  I came up with this card.

I stamped the butterfly image from the Level 1 Hostess set Punch Potpourri in three colors from the Subtles Collection - Pretty In Pink, So Saffron & Marina Mist. I ran White Vellum card stock through the Big Shot using the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder and punched them out using my Butterfly punch. I adhered them at the center of the butterfly with a small dot of Tombo Multi Adhesive and embellished with adhesive backed Basic Pearls.

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy your day!

Brayered Roses

A quick post to share a card I created using the Manhattan Flower Embossing Folder.

After embossing the roses using my Big Shot, I used my brayer inked first with Bashful Blue and rolled lightly over the embossed image. I went back with Marina Mist, Perfect Plum and Rich Razzleberry adding layers of ink until I was happy with the color. The embossed roses were then cut out and adhered over a background I created using the pretty swirl image from the Elements of Style stamped in Bashful Blue. Although you cannot tell from this photo, in real life this card is very shimmery because I spritzed it with Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz before adhering it to the Rich Razzleberry card base.

Also used on this card: Oval All Stamp set with Scalloped Oval, & Large Oval Punches & White Organza Ribbon. A while back I shared basically the same card here, only I changed the colors for a totally new look.

If you want to see a great tutorial on how to do the brayered roses, you should visit Patty Bennett's Blog . That is where I first saw this wonderful idea.

Thanks for the nice comments regarding the hacking of my email account. I'm glad you are still stopping by to visit me. Have a great weekend!

Wedding Medallion

Today my card reflects a little of what I am seeing out my window...lots of sparkling white! It's been snowing non stop since around midnight last night. This is a wedding card I made for my cousin who recently got married.

The beautiful Medallion image was embossed in Winter White EP on Shimmery White cardstock. Then using a sponge dauber I added a little Sahara Sand ink. The center of the Medallion was stamped and embossed a second time and punched out using the 1-3/4" Circle Punch and popped up with dimensionals. The bottom third of the panel was dry embossed using my Big Shot and the Perfect Details Texturz Plate. I added some Whisper White Organza Ribbon and adhered it to a Very Vanilla base. The sentiment is from the Teeny Tiny Wishes set.

Thanks for stopping by.

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!

Lovely Oak in the Autumn Meadow

Well, if this tree was at my house it would have a dusting of snow on it! We got our first bit of snow here last night...makes me excited for a white Christmas! (that's about the only time I like snow...makes me wonder why I live in Michigan?!) Anyways...here's a quick card I made for a friend using one of my favorite stamps sets...I've had this one since I first became a demo five years ago. Each time SU! puts out it's list of retiring sets I hope it won't be included.
Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Teenie Tiny Wishes
Ink: Basic Brown & various others to watercolor
Card stock: Not Quite Navy, Close to Cocoa, Very Vanilla and Autumn Meadows DP
Accessories: Texturz plate, Word Window & Modern Label punches

Have a wonderful weekend!

Autumn Thank You

Here's an Autumn thank you card made with the Bright Blessings jumbo wheel. I took the photo quickly before I popped it in the mail and the card is kind of at a weird angle...but you get the idea.
This was a quick and easy card to make. The hardest part was inking the wheel. All I did was roll it over my More Mustard ink pad and then just added additional color where I wanted it using my markers. The More Mustard background was dry embossed using one of the Texturz plates and my Big Shot, then I just sponged the edges with Chocolate Chip ink. A little paper piercing along the edge add some detail and a scrap of Autumn Meadows DP and some Old Olive Grosgrain ribbon added the finishing touch.

Thank you for stopping by...sorry I haven't been posting much lately or visiting any of your blogs, I've just been super busy! After this weekend things should slow down a bit for me, and hope to visit you soon.

Christmas in July

This week at Stamp Something the challenge is Christmas in July, sponsored by FireCracker Designs. I was sent an adorable penguin image to work with. Since the 4th of July holiday is this weekend, I decided to go with a red, white & blue color scheme. I dry embossed my background using a snowflake texture plate by Fiskars and my Big Shot. I mixed a little Dazzling Diamonds with some Crystal Effects and coated the snowballs and added a dot in the center of each snowflake on the red layer for some real sparkle.

The Merry Christmas tag was done using the new SU! set Teeny Tiny Wishes layered using the Word Window & Large Oval punches along with one of the label die cuts from the Lots of Tags Sizzlets. It's tied onto the ribbon using silver cording.

Hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend...and don't forget to go Stamp Something Christmas!

Something Old Something New...

That is the challenge today on the Stamp Something Challenge Blog. For me, the something new is being a part of the design team for starters! This will be my first card as part of the team. We were to use digi images from the set Here Comes the Bride from My Grafico to create our cards...that is also new to me. I've never worked with digi images before.I started by printing the images I wanted onto Shimmery White card stock. Sticking with the challenge of something old...I used one of my favorite old retired colors - Soft Sky...I thought that was fitting with this theme as "something blue" goes right along with this, right? However, I didn't use anything borrowed tho. LOL The "Mr. & Mrs." phrase came from the Fancy Flexible Phrases set. (retired)

The embossed background is also Shimmery White card stock embossed with my Big Shot and the Flourish Texturz Plate. I wish you could see how sparkly this is in real life...I used a dot of Stickles on each scallop and inside each swirl on the cake. I really would have loved to use rhinestones on the cake but I didn't have any small enough, so I had to settle just using them on the cake stand. The ribbon is White Organza set off with a flower and rhinestone brad from the Pretties kit.

I hope you will play along with this challenge! Thanks for stopping by...now don't forget to check out all the beautiful creations made by the rest of the Stamp Something Team!