Stamp Class and Quiet time.

Good morning,

Held the Bali Breeze stamp class Saturday. I think everyone had a good time. I got to visit with someone I haven't seen in a while - Hi Judy and Cheryl! And meet a new stamper - Hello Peggy! We all learned something new with the five point flower punch from Peggy, which led to more and more ideas! Amazing what one punch can do, and then add a couple more punches and the ideas were flowing! Thank you Peggy, Judy and Elizabeth for adding and sharing your ideas with punches! I have had a request for a punch class.....the brainstream is flowing!

I wanted to let you know that it may be a little quiet on my blog this week. I have a stamp project I am working on with a deadline. I have been asked to make bridal shower invites and I have to concentrate on them. I will post a sample of it soon.

Thanks for checking in with me. I will post again this week, just not sure if it will be Wednesday or Thursday.

I would also like to change some things on the blog as well, but I know that will take some time and is a future project.

Have a good week.

Simple Sunday

Thanks to Stampin' up! this was a very

quick card to make. Perfect for Simple Sunday.

This is the Fresh Cuts Note Card that is a Sneak Peak special from Stampin' Up! through tomorrow June 30th. After that, these note cards and coordinating stamp set will be available in the Fall & Winter Idea Book and Catalog - available August 11th!

Stamp Set: Fresh Cuts

Classic Inks & cardstock: Soft Sky and Blue Bayou - these colors are retiring on August 10th!

Punch: Five point flower

Other: Pearl from The Pretties Kit - SU!

I stamped the large stamp in Soft Sky on Soft Sky cardstock. I then punched out the five point flower in blue Bayou. I mounted the punched flower behind the die cut white flower (it is attached to the note card) and then mounted the stamped image that I stamped on Soft Sky behind that. When I open the card, I still have the white piece to write on.

I then stamped the small Flower in Blue Bayou and cut that out. I mounted that on top of the white die cut flower. I attached the pearl (it is flat on one side) with a SU mini glue dot.

The Flower Vine was stamped in Soft Sky and the For You was stamped in Blue Bayou.

Done in a jiffy and ready to use!

I am planning a class with the Fresh Cut stamp set and note cards this August/September.

Thanks for looking!

Saturday Stash

For Saturday Stash, I used the K & Co. purse stickers. What I liked about these stickers is that they are three dimensional. I used some retired SU! Designer Series Paper. The only ink I used was SU Basic Black.

You know what size this is.....3x3. I used it as a thank you card for a friend who loves her purses! Hi Shelly!

It can't be seen well, but I made the envelope out of SU! retired Designer Series Paper. I had a lot of this retired DSP lying around, but since I began the Saturday Stash it is dwindling down! And I am a happy stamper because of that.

Thanks for looking!

Happy Friday!

Hello ~

Sorry to disappoint you, but today I do not have a card post to share. I am getting ready for my Bali Breeze stamp class that I am holding tomorrow. Enjoy your day and evening!

Check back tomorrow for Saturday Stash!

Wednesday update

Hello,

Just a reminder that the Stampin' Up! retired list is available.

Also, the Stampin' Up! accessories retirement list will be announced on July 21st.

No card post today. I am getting ready for my class this Saturday - Bali Breeze.

Also, I need to clean up my stamp room. Amazing how quickly the stamp table fills up with supplies. The brainstream is flowing and my hands and table cannot keep up! My ideal would be for me to create and the stamp fairies clean up after me.

TaTa for now! Would that be: TTFN?

Dee Dee

Fabulous

Extremely short post today. I am heading off to work and wanted to share this.

Here is a blast from the past, so to speak. This card was made at one of my Mini Camps last spring. I used it as an anniversary card.

Stamp: Doodle this
Colors: Tempting turquoise, Yo Yo Yellow and Green Galore.

Thanks for looking!

Embrace Life - 3x3

Now you know I had to do it! Left over scraps were screaming 3x3 size! Actually there is a little story that goes with this one. Yesterday's card - Embrace Life - I made two of the blossom branches. I was trying out colors on them, so I abandoned the one with the two different colors I had tried. When I was cleaning up I decided I could use my 1 1/4" punch and just punch out a part of the blossom. On another blog, Mish Mash, Michelle calls these squares "inchies". She has done some really cute things with them. Instead of using the whole image, punch part of it out. Kind of like the spotlight technique. Anyway, I used the same colors and supplies as yesterday's card post. Forgive me for not rewriting it all out. And for some reason, blogger will not allow me to cut and paste so I have to refer you to yesterday's post for the colors. It is blank inside so I can pull it out and use it for whatever occasion.

I hope you have tried making the 3x3 size with your scraps. Stampin' Up! sells the envelopes for the 3x3 size. Let me know if you need any!

Thanks for looking!

Embrace LIfe

This is a graduation card I made for my niece Megan! Yep, it is a graduation card! I was trying to CASE another card using her school colors with the Classic Stars Jumbo wheel, but the stampin' mojo was not happening for me. The brainstream was weak and I was experiencing too much frustration. So I scrapped it! Yep - into the trash can. I did not want that bad mojo on my stamp desk.

This is what I used on this card:
Stamps: Embrace Life, Quotes to live by - for the inside (it is retired).
Inks: Staz-on Black, Groovy Guava, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive
SU! Blender pen
C/S: SU! Groovy Guava, Pumpkin Pie, Designer Series Paper: Bali Breeze, Shimmery White
Accessories: SU! Groovy Guava double stitched ribbon, Nestability rectangle


I used the blender pen to apply the color to the blossoms and tiny leaves.

I made a little pocket on the inside to hold the graduation check.

Thanks for looking!

Simple Sunday - Fresh Cuts

Hello,

I CASE'd this card from Andrea Walford, a talented SU! Demonstrator. I liked the simplicity of it and yet it looks lovely. Andrea used Bashful Blue and Kraft, I used the pink.

I stamped Fresh Cuts in White Kraft ink and embossed using white embossing powder. I then cut down the square to the stamped image. The pink is 1/4" larger than the embossed image. I used SU! ticket punch on all four corners both on the embossed image and on the Pink.

I had 5/8" pink grosgrain ribbon on hand so I tied that at the base.

For the Flowers I used SU! Pretties kit that comes with different size flowers in white. To make the small flower pink, I "smooshed" it onto the Pretty in Pink Classic ink pad. I let that dry.

I did not have a white brad, so I made one. I started out with a silver brad. I tapped it onto the Craft White ink pad and then dipped it into the White embossing powder. I heated it until the powder melted. While it was still warm I dipped the brad into the white EP again and heated a second time. It gave it a nice even coat then. I have tweezers that I used to do this whole process. (If you are going to do this, find something to hold the brad during this process so you do not burn yourself.) I did let the brad cool and then used it to attach the flowers to the card. I noticed I did put a "dent" into the embossed powder on the brad. To fix this, I heated up the Heat Gun and reheated the brad until the EP melted again. Be careful not to "burn" the EP or the flower by holding the Heat Gun in one position for too long.

I sponged White Craft ink around the card and stamped the Thank You in Classic Black.

Stamps: Freshcuts - coming out in the 2008 - 2009 Winter/Fall Idea Book & Catalog. Also available in the month of June!

Inks: SU! White Craft, Classic Black

C/S: Kraft, Pink

Accessories: SU! Pretties Kit- flowers, SU! ticket punch, 5/8" pink grosgrain ribbon, silver brad, white embossing powder, sponge.

Thanks for looking!

Saturday Stash - Riibbon

Hello out there in Stampland! Too corny sounding? Okay, I will try and tone it down.

For this week's Saturday Stash I pulled out some delicious ribbon I was hoarding. Yes, ribbon can be delicious. Look at the color and pattern - yum.

Stampin' Up! is promoting an E-scape day this month where they are encouraging everyone to get off the computer and anything else electronic for one day, so you can connect with others - such as making a card for someone. SU!'s sample used my favorite 3x3 size! Perfect size to use up scraps. I have been using these alot lately for thank you's.


I started out with the Bali Breeze DSP (Designer Series Paper) from SU! Love the colors! You can see on the flip side of this pattern paper it is Tempting Turquoise.
I cut the patterned paper at 5 1/2" and scored at 3". I then took my 1 3/8" punch and punched "half a circle" into the patterned paper.
I then punched a 1 3/8" circle out the Tempting Turquoise and Rose Red (one for each card).
I used the Circle of Friendship (get it quick because it is retiring) and stamped it in Tempting Turquoise and Rose Red (one for each card) Punch the circle out with SU! 1" circle punch.
Punch the inner circle with SU! 1/2" circle punch. You can see that I swapped out the 1/2" color circle on each card. The inner circle ink matches the circle base.

In this picture I wanted to show you I used a SU! stampin' dimensional to pop up that 1/2" inner circle.

Then came the search for the ribbon. I cannot tell you where I purchased this ribbon - but it was local. I was thrilled that it matched up so well.
The "pink" ribbon does match the card and the Rose Red color pretty well. I am still learning Photo Shop (older version) and I have not figured that out yet. If anyone can give me a tip on color adjustment - leave me a comment. I welcome it.

Stamps: Circle of Friendship
Classic inks: Tempting Turquoise, Rose Red
C/S colors: Bali Breeze DSP, Rose Red, Tempting Turquoise, White
SU! Accessories: 1 3/8" punch, 1" punch, 1/2" punch, Stampin' Dimensional
Other: Delicious ribbon!

Thanks for looking!

Wednesday Update

Such news I have received from Stampin' Up! that I am excited to be sharing with you.

First though, I want to thank all of you who took advantage of my limited special with the SU! retirement list. Watch for my next special for the SU! retirement list.

Stampin' Up! announced next year's Sale-A-Bration time. Last year it was just the month of February. One month, and I think it took all of us by surprise. Before that Sale-A-Bration was for two full months, January through February. This year, SU! has announced Sale-A-Bration will be from February through March 2009. Again, two full months! We don't have to scramble this year, and we can already begin to plan for it.

SU! announced yesterday their new product line. I was way off on my guess! SU! is unveiling Decor Elements. It is an extension of the Definitely Decorative line that SU! already offers. Decor Elements is a line of wall art made of vinyl used to decorate your home. The Decor Elements will be offered in images, phrases, and letters. Decorating your home will be easy.
The vinyl art is not new in the home decorating world. I have seen it pictured in home magazines stating it is a cost effective way to decorate and add an element to a room without the permanency - needing to paint over the image to start fresh.

I am excited about this aspect and I am looking forward to being able to see the new brochure SU! is going to share with the Demonstrators this week. As I learn more, I will keep you posted.

Have a good day!

It's Here! Stampin' Up! retirement list and my SU! retirement special

It is the time of year that we all wait for...the unveiling of the Stampin' Up! retirement list!



You can go to http://www.stampinup.com/ or the direct link



is: http://www.stampinup.com/us/documents/Retired_Lists_0608_US_A.pdf



There is always surprises on this list. Some stamps that we cannot believe are retiring. I think Stampin' Up! is going to "clean closet" each year and not hold onto too many stamps year after year. Do you remember "Simple Notes" I think it made it 10 years or more.



Stampin' Up! is celebrating their 20th year. It seemed like we just celebrated their 15th year. Time goes fast and we have seen Stampin' Up! improve on products and ideas they have offered. On June 17th Shelli is going to announce a new product line. Any guesses? I have my guesses and it will be interesting to see if I am close.



Here is my special for the retirement list:



Order 3 retiring sets and get the 4th one at 1/2 OFF! (4th set at equal or lesser value).

Disclaimer: shipping and tax is calculated to full amount. - unless participating in MY SU! retirement special. See below.



Here is my special. I need to place an order this Wednesday (18th), so for those of you who are organized you will like this offer:

From today - Sunday June 15th to Tuesday (17th) evening - 8:00 p.m. I am offering the following:

FREE shipping when you order 3 retiring sets AND get the 4th one at 1/2 off! There is no limit meaning if you want to order 8 stamp sets, I still pay for the full amount of shipping.
Disclaimer: Tax is calculated on the full amount, not discounted price. This order does not count towards the Customer Appreciation Card I offer.


You can place your order by e-mail or phone.

Enjoy!

Saturday Stash

Hello,

For this Saturday Stash it took me a little longer to make. My son woke up and wanted to eat and get some lovin'. On top of that, I decided to make a tutorial out of the flower punch. I am working on that this weekend - a first. I really want to try making a video, but I haven't gotten there yet.

Okay, but on subject. I had this scrapbook paper, and of course I just had to have it...but can't remember why. Maybe it was for card making. Sounds good to me.

SU!: Flower punch, 1/2" circle punch.

Circle of Friendship stamp set

Rose Red, Certain Celery Classic Ink.

White, Rose Red, Summer Sun, Certainly Celery cardstock.

I wanted to add ribbon, and I tried, but it did not look right because of the bird on the right hand side.

As far as the scrapbook paper...I cannot tell you what manufacturer makes it - I have had it cut up for a while now.

It's coming

Good morning,

Last night was family night. Usually on a Friday night I am tired from the week. It was quite a day yesterday at work that really sapped my energy. On Friday's we just spend time relaxing with no expectations, except for me. I like to surf and I could not do that last night :(
My husband bought a new computer, which was needed, and it interrupted the wireless connection. I frantically called Elizabeth and Jim for help. Jim is the computer guru that we call because he is a genius with computers! Let me share the huge difference between Jim's technique and mine on how to fix a computer. Jim actually understands the computer and the programs. He can switch screens and understand it all. It is like he is a "computer whisperer". I on the other hand try to reason with it - intimidate it to work by yelling at it and then if that doesn't work, I threaten to physically harm it by throwing it against the wall. And by that time, I may have hit it a couple of times. It's all legal! I cannot be reported to the computer police.....
I, and the computer, like Jim's technique much better. BIG THANKS to Jim and Elizabeth for their help. Elizabeth puts up with my frantic computer calls and can talk me down from harming it.

I wanted to let everyone know that I do have a post coming, but I have not had a chance to finish everything. So check back later to see Saturday Stash!

Embrace Life - Shimmery White Cardstock

Happy Friday everyone!

I have been fortunate to post every other day this week! I was really excited to be able to do that, and I am going to try and do that again this week. Thank you for hanging in with me and checking to see if anything has been posted. Also, you can sign up to receive e-mail updates when my blog has been updated. You will see that box in the left hand margin.

Okay. You may have seen this card around. It is the same template I used to make my brother and sister-in-law's anniversary card. Look familar now? I used the Ginger Blossoms DSP by Stampin' UP!
The cardstock colors are: Groovy Guava, Ruby Red and Groovy Guava double stitched ribbon.

Now look at the second picture. I have been playing around in photoshop and came across a contrast button. When I took it to the extreme
the shimmery white cardstock that I stamped the flower image on really showed the shimmer! Yes, I stamped the image on shimmery white cardstock. It doesn't really show up in the first picture, but it does here. I used Basic Black ink pad for the image. I then used my Stampin' Up! blender pen to pick up the ink from the ink pad and applied the color that way. The Shimmery White cardstock was nice to work with. I was able to "push" the color around easily with the blender pen.
Hey, just something else to think about when "using your stash!"

Have a good Friday!

Color and Sketch Challenge

This past week I participated in the SCS card sketch challenge. The link is a little further down. Although I altered it a little, I still have the elements there. I also participated in the color challenge.

The colors are: Sage Shadow, Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla. I don't usually use Sage Shadow and shy away from it, but I really liked the color combo together. I had left over materials, so I made up a 3x3 card - which I can use alone, or attach it to an A2 card.

I used a current Stampin' Up! set: One of a kind.

What I did was stamped the main image in Chocolate Chip. What you cannot see well is I added glitter to the points of the flower and in the "valley" of the flower. I sponged Chocolate Chip ink around all the edges, used my Stampin' Up! Cutter tool/distressing kit and roughed up the edges of the Very Vanilla square. For the center, I used the single flower stamp, stamped it in Sage Shadow, punched it out with the 1/2inch SU punch, and added SU Crystal Effects to it. (I know you cannot see it, but it gives a raised, glossy look. I then used the Choc. Chip marker and inked up "for you" that is included in the set - I did not want the flower image that is part of this stamp. Then used SU! small and large Word Window punch and punched them out. For the background - Sage Shadow card - I inked up the large flower in Sage Shadow and randomly stamped them. The sheer white polka dot ribbon is not SU! but thought it added a nice touch.

Here is the Sketch challenge: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=96334&d=1211947379


I have been meaning to talk about these two glues made by Tombow -
who also makes the double sided tape I use at my workshops and classes.
The Aqua (which is the blue one) seems to have a higher water base to it. I say that because I used it to glue cardstock together as well as lighter weight paper such as scrapbook weight and it resulted in a rippled effect. I was not happy with the outcome. I did find it was good for adding embellishments though - because you don't have to worry about a smooth finish like you would adhering two pieces of paper together.
I was a little leery about trying the Multi glue (green one), but I found it had a lower water base so it did not ripple the different weights of paper I adhered together. I have not tried adhering embellishments with it -because of having the Aqua - so I cannot comment on it.
So to sum it up:
Green - good for adhering papers together - I have not encountered a ripple effect - yet I also don't glob it on.
Blue - good for embellishments.

Remember what I say, "A dab will do ya!"

Simple Sunday

What a wonderful day it is outside - at least

where I am. It is sunny and warm with a light breeze. I was thrilled to be able to throw open the windows and let the yuck get out and the "ahh" in. My son is playing outside. He goes between his sandbox and the dirt pile. I am happy that he is having fun! This morning though he was not that cooperative. He did not want to enter any of the buildings I was going to.

Starting with church, then a warehouse store, then Borders - that was a short visit for me, and then Jo's. I will be posting what I purchased at Jo's - nope, no paper, no embellishments! Just wait and see!!!

Today, I wanted to make a simple card - for Simple Sunday. With it being beautiful and all, I should get some Vitamin D. Plus, my parents are coming over. My dad is going to measure for a pull out drawer under my stamp table. I have been wanting this for months as my goal is to put my cutter there and make more efficient use of my space!!! Yahoo.

Stamp set: Heartfelt Thanks, Watercolor wheel.

Colors: Pale plum, Perfect plum, Certainly Celery.

Other: Versamark Pad, White embossing powder.

Accessories: Ticket punch, black brads, white organdy ribbon.