Colorful Seasons Father's Day

I'm late to the party this year...not only in sharing my Father's Day card with you, but getting new products from the newly released SU! Annual Catalog. I didn't do a pre-order this year like I always do because I knew I didn't have the time to actually use it last month, so figured I would wait until I could order anything I wanted. My birthday is at the beginning of June, so I always have a built in excuse for placing a large order! ;-)

This card uses a few new items along with the Colorful Seasons stamp set. The leaves are stamped using one of my favorite new colors...Granny Apple Green with Old Olive. The lighter small leaves are also Granny Apple Green just stamped off once.

This year, some of my favorite new products are the embossing folders. Check closely to see the beautiful texture added to this card using the new Subtle Embossing Folder. It gives the effect of linen cardstock...and I just love this one! Don't overlook this one in the catalog just because the texture is hard to see...trust me, you NEED this one!

The little label is from the Stitched Label Framelits...which is my pick for favorite new dies. It is stamped using Timeless Textures and Thoughtful Banners stamp sets.  I layered it on top of Linen Thread and Copper Trim.

This masculine card could be used for any occasion, not just Father's Day. I hope that yesterday you all had a GREAT day celebrating the fathers in your life!

Colorful Seasons Double Z Fold

Here's a fun Double Z Fold Card using some of my new favorite stamp sets and dies.

Those adorable birds in the Feathery Friends host stamp set make me smile...they are so darn cute! I knew when I first saw them that I wanted to use them with the branch in the Colorful Seasons stamp set. I watercolored the birds using my Aqua Painter and cut them out. The wings are cut out and popped up as well for extra dimension. The new Mini Stampin' Dimensionals are perfect for adhering tiny die cuts such as the wings.

I used several of the new In Colors for this creation...Lemon Lime Twist, Berry Burst & Fresh Fig along with Peekaboo Peach, Pool Party & Old Olive. The flowers on the tree branches are from the Colorful Seasons stamp set. They are stamped using the Rock n Roll Technique along with a sponge dauber to soften/blend the edges where the two colors meet. The branches are die cut using the coordinating Seasonal Layers Thinlits. This bundle really is a must have in my opinion!

The picket fence was created by stamping the Hardwood stamp inked in White Craft Ink onto Crumb Cake cardstock and then cutting apart along the planks. I trimmed the top of each picket and then sponged the edges. The flowers and stems were stamped using the Jar of Love stamp set and die cut with the Everyday Jars Framelits.

I started with a base of Pool Party cardstock measuring 4- 1/4 x 11" scored at 2- 3/4" and again at 5- 1/2" The Whisper White background layer was cut at 10- 3/4 x 4 and sponged with Pool Party ink and masks cut from post-it notes using the cloud dies included in the Up & Away Thinlets.  After sponging my cloudy background I cut 3 panels to fit just inside the scored folds of my card. The photo above shows the card opened flat.

The card folds up, as shown above to fit inside a standard envelope. This card was time consuming, but fun to make. It went to my dear Aunt on her birthday today. She is also a stamper, so I know she will love this card...otherwise I doubt I could part with it! LOL

Hope your day is a happy one!

Blooming Flower Patch

Bright, fun colors and the super cute Flower Patch stamp set come together to create this happy card.

The Flower Patch stamp set and it's coordinating Flower Fair Framelits are one the retiring list, so if you don't already have them, I'd highly recommend getting them. The photopolymer stamps in this set are super easy to layer to create all sorts of fun flowers.

I stamped these flowers using Flirty Flamingo, Watermelon Wonder, Peekaboo Peach, Pool Party and Bermuda Bay. The leaves are Cucumber Crush. Both Watermelon Wonder and Cucumber Crush are retiring In Colors.

Special Reason Thank You

Have you seen Stampin' Up!s Retiring List yet?  There are so many awesome things leaving *sniff, sniff* to make room for awesome new things. Sadly, one of my newest favorites is retiring...the Special Reason stamp set along with the Stylish Stems Framelits. If you don't already have these items, they are just a couple of the many products that are not only retiring, but retiring with a deep discount. I'd really recommend this set along with the coordinating framelits...especially if you are a scrapbooker.

This card also features DSP and ribbon in my favorite retiring In Color...Mint Macaron. Love, love LOVE the Blooms and Bliss DSP, wish is also retiring along with all the current DSP. So if you have a favorite pack of Designers Series Paper, better scoop it up now while its still available!

Shop Now before they are gone!

Special Reason Pair

Back in the early days SU! carried very little DSP. If you wanted background paper to compliment the main stamped image on your project you had to create it yourself.  So when stamping with my new Special Reason set, I decided to go "old school" and have some fun creating my own DSP.

I love that this set has smaller versions of the flower & leaf, so it really lends itself well to creating a smaller background like I did fr these cards. As you can see, I used two color combos. The first one uses Bermuda Bay & Island Indigo for the flowers and Mint Macaron with Wild Wasabi for the leaves.

The second card features Melon Mambo & Rich Razzleberry flowers. On each of the handstamped background papers I lightly inked over the design using the line image from Gorgeous Grunge inked in Sahara Sand, along with a few ink spotches thrown in for good measure.

For the solid color strip on the left of each card I used the great new Hexagons Dynamic Embossing Folder. I just love the deeply embossed pattern it leaves...don't you? If you don't have this one yet, I highly recommend it! 

Thanks for visiting..have a great weekend!

Special Reason Spring Flowers

Hello there! I've been away on vacation and now that I'm back home and back in the swing of things I finally had some time to stamp. Since the calendar says it's Spring (I wish Mother Nature got that memo!) I thought some Spring flowers were in order!

Since it had been a while since I had stamped, I needed a little inspiration. Before I started stamping I looked on Pinterest for a fun card using the Special Reason stamp set and the coordinating Stylish Stems Framelits. I came across this beautiful card created by Kris and loved the layout she used. I chose my colors...and got rolling...

Rock'n Rolling! I inked each image in the lightest color and rocked & rolled the edges in a darker color to give a shaded look. To blend the colors even more, I used a Sponge Dauber. The center of each flower was colored using the darker color. The colors I used are: 

• Peekaboo Peach & Calypso Coral
• Melon Mambo & Rich Razzleberry
• Bermuda Bay & Island Indigo
• Wild Wasabi & Cucumber Crisp

I love that the Stylish Stems Framelits have both intricate and sold shapes to mix and match. I placed a piece if Cupcakes & Carousels DSP behind the intricate cut flower.

Here's a look at this pair of cheery cards...

Thanks to Kris for the inspiration for these cards! With Pinterest and so many talented stampers out there who take the time to share on their blogs, it's easy to find inspiring ideas for any stamp set. You know what is also easy? Taking a minute to credit your source of inspiration. ;-) So if you find a project online that inspires you enough to re-create it and then share it on your own website, please take a minute to acknowlege the person who inspired you. Leaving them a nice message or linking back to their original creation (or both) is always a nice courtesy which can totally make someones day.

Avant Garden With Some Delicate Details

This card used two of the great sets you can earn for FREE during Sale-A-Bration! Avant Garden has both solid 2-step floral images shown here as well as detailed line art to watercolor. Another plus with this set is the sentiment stamps in a pretty font...I used the birthday wishes for my card.

The Delicate Details is the other awesome SAB set used here. This stamp set has five borders that really add pretty detail to any card or scrapbook page. I embossed it in white right on top of the Cupcakes & Carousels DSP. This DSP comes in a 6x6 stack. I just love the colors and patterns!

For an extra detail I added a little dragonfly which was die-cut using the Detailed Dragonfly Framelits. I cannot get enough of these dragonflies! I just cut one loose from the bunch of five and sponged some extra color on the wings and added some shimmer with Wink of Stella.

Colors of ink used are: So Saffron, Peekaboo Peach, Pear Pizzazz, Emerald Envy & Pool Party.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Flourishing Autumn Thank You

Here's an Autumn take on a card using the Flourishing Phrases stamp set that I had shared here on my blog previously.

The gorgeous Copper Foil Paper die cut with the beautiful Flourish Thinlits Dies works well with the elegant feel of this stamp set.

I used the rock 'n roll technique to ink my flower and leaves. The flower was inked first in Cajun Craze and then I rolled the edges in Elegant Eggplant. A Sponge Dauber was also used to add Elegant Eggplant ink to the inside of the flower as well. The leaves were first inked in Always Artichoke and then in Cajun Craze.

I had a little boo-boo smearing a bit of ink on my finished floral stamped piece, so I went over the top of the stamped panel with a stamp from Gorgeous Grunge inked in Crumb Cake...and you thought I planned it that way! Sometimes little mistakes turn into opportunities to add more detail or embellishments! In this case I love the the finished card more with the added texture than having it plain. My stampers who made this card at my last All Occasions Class all prefered it this way as well, and added the texture to their cards vs leaving them plain.

Don't forget...today is the first day of the Online Extravaganza Sale!!!

Today starts the sale with discounts on some products for 24 hours only! (the rest will be available for an entire week...or until sold out) Visit my Stampin' Store 24/7.

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.

Work of Art Thank You Cards

I think that the Work of Art stamp set is so versatile that I'm going to be using it a LOT for a variety of different cards. Here are the first few that I've created with this great new set.

Love that swoosh stamp! I inked it in Pool Party, Coastal Cabana & Wild Wasabi to create the background. Then I added some Bermuda Bay splatters with the Gorgeous Grunge set. The flower from the Flower Shop set was inked using the Rock 'n Roll Technique...inked first in Pool Party and then roll the edges in Bermuda Bay. Here's another version using a Calypso Coral flower.

My favorite ribbon of all time has got to be the Seam Binding Ribbon...I am so very happy to see it offered in a variety of new colors in this catalog! For these two cards I've used Calypso Coral & Wild Wasabi. I'm also loving the look of this new Zig Zag Embossing Folder. Here's a look at both cards...

I had fun playing with new stuff and making these fun & easy cards! Thanks for stopping by to see them. :-)

Flippin' Fridays - Flower Shop Flip Cards

OK...I can honestly say I've officially flipped over the new Thinlits Dies that make these super cute flip cards. It seems like these are the only cards I've been making lately! I just got the Circle one in my last order that came earlier this week, but I've been too sick to even play with my stuff. :-( Today I am feeling much better though, so I plan to have some fun stamping. First, I thought I had better update my blog since it's been a while and thought it would be fun to showcase a new flip card each Friday...so for my first "Flippin' Friday" post I have several cards to share...all using the same design, but with different DSP and accents.

I love the color combo of Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Gumball Green & Daffodil Delight picked up from the Epic Day DSP.

The Subtles Candy Dots are the perfect accent to dot the "i" in "hi" and for the center of the flower. Here's a couple more variations of this card using the Itty Bitty Banners stamp set and coordinating Bitty Banners Framelits.

I told you I have been having fun with these! Here are a couple more cards using the same color combo but with the Quatrefancy Specialty DSP.

Helpful hint: When cutting out detailed peices such as the "hi" die cut shown above, use waxed paper in between the card stock and your thinlit die. It makes all the difference in the world when trying to remove it from the die after it's been cut.

Since Pool Party is such a light color, I used the Rock 'n Roll Technique on the stamped & punched flower. First, I inked it in Pool Party, then I rock 'n rolled it in Island Indigo so it would stand out more.

Hope you enjoy these flippin' fun cards! Have a GREAT weekend!

Morning Meadow Color Blocked Collage

I inked up a couple different sizes of my Clear Mount Blocks to create the background for this card using the Hostess Set Morning Meadow. I guess I was in the mood to ink up my tools as I did the same with the Beautifully Baroque Embossing Folder before running it though my Big Shot.

I used all 4 of the image stamps from this set to create the collage look and when I was done I used the En Francias background stamp as well. I'll add a greeting (or not?) when I'm ready to send the card. Here's what I used:

Stamps: Morning Meadow & En Francias
Card stock: Soft Sky, Very Vanilla
Ink: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Soft Sky & Primrose Petals
Accessories: Beautifully Baroque Embossing Folder, Basic Pearls, Pansy Punch, Primrose Petals Stitched Satin Ribbon & Sponge Daubers

Thank you for visiting me today!

Flower Shop Quatrefancy

The Quatrefancy Specialty Paper is really nice...love the patterns and bright colors. I used it here along with the coordinating set, Mosaic Madness and the Flower Shop set.

I wanted to use Rich Razzleberry in my design and to make it coordinate even nicer with the paper I stamped one of the small mosaic images onto the DSP in Razzleberry ink.

Stamps: Mosaic Madness, Flower Shop & Sweet Essentials
Card stock: Daffodil Delight, Basic Black, Tangerine Tango, Rich Razzleberry & Quatrefancy Specialty Paper
Ink: Tangerine Tango, Rich Razzleberry & Whisper White Craft
Accessories: Pansy Punch, Modern Mosaic Embossing Folder & Brights Candy Dots

Thanks for visiting today!

Just Because Butterflies

Here's a quick and easy card created with the Papillon Potpourri and Vintage Verses stamp sets.

I used the Rock 'n Roll Technique to ink my stamps - first in Calypso Coral then R'nR in Raspberry Ripple. For the blue butterfly - first in Baja Breeze then in Midnight Muse. Those are also the colors I chose for card stock as well.

Bloomin' Marvelous Take Out Box

I love it when I find other uses for my Big Shot Dies to make them more versatile, don't you? Here's an adorable little box that can hold chocolates or other little goodies...made it using the SU! Petal Cone Die.

I had seen this idea quite a while back but since it was so long ago, I'm not sure where I first saw the idea. All I know is I had notes written down on a post it note so I'd remember where to cut & score.  So to better explain, here's a photo tutorial to show you how to cut and score the Petal Cone die cut to make this cute take out box.

First, you are going to want to die cut 2 Petal Cone shapes, just like you would to make the cone shaped box. Fold one die cut shape in half and lay on your paper trim as shown below, making sure to line up the first score line (just below the rounded top) on the 3" line of your paper trimmer. Cut off the pointed end of the box.

Next, move the die cut so that the same scored line is at the 2" line of your paper trimmer as shown below. Score your die cut here.

Repeat the first two steps with the other die cut piece. Now you will need to cut away part of the flap that joins the two pieces together, as shown below.

You will also need to cut up along the score line from bottom to the next score line in the center. This will create the flaps that you will fold to create the bottom of your box. Before you fold into shape, stamp your box as desired. Here's what mine looked like...

I used the Bloomin' Marvelous stamp set (available during SAB) and the Rock 'n Roll Technique to ink my flowers...ink first with Pool Party, then rocked 'n rolled in Island Indigo, and the centers colored with Calypso Coral Marker. The leaves were inked in Lucky Limeade and then I stamped them 3 times per re-inking to create various shades of green.

I then assembled my box using Tombo Multipurpose Adhesive...I find this stuff is quick and easy, yet strong enough to hold together a box. After assembling I decorated it with some punched out butterflies, Very Vanilla Seam Binding Ribbon and a cute tag made using Pretty Petites and the coordinating Petite Curly Label Punch...these items are also available as a FREE selection during Sale-A-Bration.

Here's another version of this box that I made for the hostess at my last Stampin' Up! Workshop. I decorated this one using the Madison Avenue stamp set. It held some Dove chocolate eggs along with samples from the Sycamore Street Ribbon & Button Pack.

My hostess loved it! These little boxes would also make pretty favors for a party. I will be making more of these to hold candy for my guests to take home from our Easter Brunch.

There is still a few more weeks left of Sale-A-Bration! Contact me to host a party of your own...OR you can place your order any time from my website...just click on the "shop now" button, and for every $50 you purchase in SU! product you can select one of the exclusive SAB products I've used above...OR one of the many other fabulous choices!