...THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR...

These are 2 cards I made for a swap last week. I think Christmas cards are my favorite cards to make! It puts me in the Christmas spirit early!

For the card on the left:

STAMPs:Wondrous Gift, Linen Background

INKs: Versamark, Old Olive, Always Artichoke, Real Red

PAPERs: Real Red, Very Vanilla, Dashing Designer Series Paper

EMBELLISHMENTS: Clear EP, Old Olive 5/8 Grosgrain, Sponge Daubers, Horizontal SLot Punch, Star Punch

For the card on the right:
STAMPs: Snow Burst, Aida Background
INKs: Always Artichoke, Sage Shadow, Soft Sky, Certainly Celery (craft)
PAPERs: Always Artichoke, Certainly Celery, Sage Shadow, Whisper White, Wintergreen DSP

EMBELLISHMENTS: Iridescent Ice EP, Green Rhinestone Brad, Ticket Corner Punch, Word Window Punch

TRICK or a TREAT PULL-TAB CONTAINERS

Wow~ this month has really flown by! I've been doing a ton of stamping, but not so much posting...

Here is a sample for one of my upcoming classes. We'll be making these cute pull-tab cans filled with either a "trick" or a "treat". They make an awesome present for those special little "ghouls" in your life!

A TrIcK or a TrEaT? PULL TAB CONTAINERS!
October 14, 2007 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
OR
October 15, 2007 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

You'll learn how to recycle those pull tab soup/veggie/fruit cans & turn them into cool Halloween treat (or trick) containers! We'll make 3 containers~ one trick & two treats! All supplies & treats will be provided! Call me at 406.2545 or email me to reserve your spot! Class is limited to 6 and the cost is $10.

EMBOSSING WATERCOLOR WONDER CRAYONS...

Wow! I only thought I loved the SU! Watercolor Crayons! I recently discovered that an image stamped with them can be embossed while it's still damp. It makes the image look super slick!

The steps:

• Color the stamp with the crayons (you can blend more than 1 color!)
• Spritz the stamp with water (I use a fine misting spray bottle)
• Stamp the image
• Immediately dust with embossing powder & hit it with the heat gun!

Viola!

PRIVATE STAMP CLASS SAMPLES

These are samples of a card class I did this past weekend. The ladies made 3 of each, most stampers were experienced and one was new. They all did a great job!

I tried something new with this class that I think turned out well. Each of the three cards (per holiday) utilized a different base card color, and the other elements of the card's colors rotated as well. (For example, with the christmas card we used real read, old olive, and river rock, with three different striped background designer papers, and 3 different colors of circles matting the greeting!) That way the three cards of each holiday looked different, plus I didn't deplete my stash of any one color! YAY!

My next Holiday Sampler Classes in September will be making 3 different sets of cards. The spots are filling up fast~ so if you'd like a spot, email me soon!

MORE MULBERRY BATIK...

What can I say? I love Mulberry Batik!

I made this card after several attempts to use one of the new SU! hostess sets, Garden Silhouettes. It's such a beautiful set, but I felt like I wasn't doing it justice until I decided to use it with the mulberry batik. I like the way it looks so delicate... the way cherry blossoms always do.

I also tried my hand at faux stitching, which I used the petal pink marker for. Using this technique is a snap when you have Stampin' Up!'s paper piercing template!


STAMPs: Garden Silhouettes, Warm Words
INKs: Groovy Guava, Purely Pomegranate, Versamark, Petal Pink
PAPERs: Groovy Guava, Purely Pomegranate, Whisper White
EMBELLISHMENTS: Clear EP, Antique Brads

SU!'s WATERCOLOR WONDER CRAYONS...

This is a detail of an image stamped with Watercolor Wonder Crayons.

I cannot tell you how "a-m-a-z-i-n-g" the Watercolor Wonder Crayons by Stampin' Up! are... they are fun, and easy & they make beautifully delicate images!

I recently got a set of the Earth Elements (now I wish I had bought all of the sets), and after using them all weekend, they hardly look touched! What a great value! I've had a hard time trying not to use them on EVERYTHING!

I bet you're thinking you've seen this color combo before... okay, I admit it! I L-O-V-E these colors together!

STAMPs: Baroque Motifs
INKs: Always Artichoke, Close to Cocoa
WATERCOLOR CRAYONs: Ruby Red, Cameo Coral
PAPERs: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Cameo Coral
EMBELLISHMENTS: Glue dots, chocolate grosgrain

GROOVY GUAVA...

This stamp set "Blossoms Abound" by Stampin' Up! is my current favorite for showing off " 2-Step Stampin' " .

For this card I also used the French Flair background stamp, inked with really rust on the groovy guava paper. The stem & leaves are inked with almost artichoke & certainly celery, and the flowers are really rust & groovy guava on vellum paper, which is only attached to the base at the top, under the celery ribbon.

I embossed the sentiment.

6x6 SCRAPBOOKING...

This is a 6"x6" layout I did for a swap recently. I used SU! chipboard (a first!) as well as a new to me ink pad by Jacquard, called Castaway. Here's an official description:

When the stamped image is heated with an iron, the color of the paper is magically altered. Instead of adding color to the surface of the paper, the color of the paper itself is transformed! The result is a marbled or dappled antique look which is similar to batik fabric.

It's pretty cool & no two images are alike. It makes an image look somewhat batiked & bleached... I stamped the swirls on the top right with it, let it dry minutes & then ironed it.

Sometimes I feel really inimidated by scrapbooking... partially because I never feel like my pictures are good enough~ which is crazy, since I majored in graphic design & photography.
I guess what I mean is I never like pics of myself... that would be more accurate!

But I guess the most important thing about scrapbooking is:

• you do it for yourself
• there is no wrong way (at least that can't be fixed)
• it's more important to do it, than NOT do it!

I like 6x6... it's quick, as simple or elaborate as you make it, and you can conserve on supplies!

FATHER KNOWS BEST...

Another Father's Day & another handmade card!

When dad gets a card from me, he always looks closely at the envelope... if he sees a rounded flap (exclusive to Stampin' Up!) he always says..."Ooh~ this is a good one!"

So this year was no exception, he thought the color scheme was awesome, and especially like the 'Flannel Plaid' background used.

That's one reason dad is great... he really appreciates the time I take making cards for him. And he keeps every single one!

STAMPs: Linen, Artifacts, Frames & Finials, Flannel Plaid
INKs: Really Rust,Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Not Quite Navy, Versamark
PAPERs: Really Rust, Night of Navy, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
EMBELLISHMENTS: Navy organza, aged copper brad, clear emboss powder

CONGRATS, GRADUATES!

Hard to believe, but my 'baby' cousin graduated from high school this year...

This card uses a retired stampin up set, Sweet and Simple Salutations, as well as a retiring set, Crosshatch background.

Hard to tell but the colors are Not Quite Navy for the cardstock base & layer & image ink, Night of Navy for the Crosshatch, and brushed silver cardstock for the other layer. The sentiment is silver embossing, and there is iridescent ice emboss on the image. Topping it of are navy brads.

NEW STAMPS...YAY!

...funny how I am filled with so much joy I could kiss a complete stranger dressed in brown, as long as he is bringing me a box with a Stampin' Up! logo on it!

I got this set last night & could not wait to use it!

The In Colors are all going away in 3 1/2 weeks, how sad!
Vintage Violet, Buckaroo Blue, True Thyme, etc... I'm thinking of buying at least 2 more packs of each of the "retiring" cardstock.

I "colored" the right side of the flower with a versamarker & added iridescent ice embossing powder. I like how the marker darkened part of the flower... what an easy way to add depth to something you've stamped!

...GOING TO THE CHAPEL...

Well, after 4 3/4 years of dating (yes, I believe in long engagements!), I'm walking (no, running) down the aisle this Friday....

Here are the invitations I sent out~ S-I-M-P-L-E.

I found silver envelopes & flat cards at Target (we all know how much I love Target) as well as the Fiskars Lace punch. Silver sheer ribbon & silver rings from Michaels accent the top.

I printed the text on sheer vellum using my computer & printer, then punched the top & bottom of the trimmed page with the lace punch.

You can't see it, but I stamped the silver flat with SU!'s French Flair background stamp & embossed it with silver. I then folded the vellum over, punched the top with SU!'s horizontal slot punch, to put the ribbon through, slid on the rings & tied it in a bow.

To finish it off, I stamped the flap of the envelope with a stamp from SU!'s Carte Postale & embossed with silver.

It's a small gathering, so I only had to make 10!

WHAT'S ALL THIS ABOUT...?

...SECRET SISTERS?

My last few posts have mentioned things I've made for my secret sister.... so here's some explanation...

In January of this year I joined the online community Splitcoaststampers, thanks to the urging of my upline, Kelley!

Splitcoaststampers (from now on 'SCS') has an extensive gallery, displaying tons of ideas for almost every SU! stamp set! How cool is that?

And as a Stampin' Up! demo was also able to join the demo only forum, and participate in swaps with other demos as well as sign up for the SCS 7th Round of the Dabblin' Demo Secret Sisters! I had a blast getting 'happy mail' from my big secret sister, Sarah, and getting to know her, was a wonderful experience!

At the end of the round you send your little secret sister a "reveal" package, although Jen knew it was me all along (long story!) As part of her reveal, I bought a little 6x6 chipboard memory album at Target & covered it with au chocolate paper by SU! I also put together a 6x6 page of me & my little family all wearing funny hats!

Here is a pick of the whole package:

BLEACHING...

On the 'marigold' (yellow) color of this card I used a very simple technique, "bleaching". It produces a cool effect & depending on what color card stock you stamp the bleach on, you'll get a different color of bleached image. On 'marigold morning', the image bleaches out to 'apricot appeal'.

I took a paper towel & cut it to fit a plate. I then poured bleach onto the towel, but not too much! Then all you have to do is "ink" your stamp with the bleach & stamp away!!!

I stamped a whole sheet of card stock & then cut it up to make atc's. I had some left over, so I popped it onto this matchbook cover card for my secret sister!

Peek~A~Boo Card!

I made this little card for my secret sister recently! I thought it was a really "fun" card, so this is what we'll be making in my next class!

I cut a piece of cardstock lengthwise in half, to give me a piece 4 1/4 x 11. Then I scored it at 3 5/8 & 7 1/4... I folded it at the score lines. It left a little overhang, which I trimmed off.

I punched the front flap with the big tag punch & the middle flap with the word window punch. Then I just filled in the rest!

...the virtues of ATCs...

ATC = Artist Trading Cards

Recently my Big Secret Sis emailed:

"i just have to know- why ATCs? i guess i am not sure what the "value" of them is..."

My answer:

"ATCs.... are awesome! like yesterday, i needed a baby card, but i didn't have time to make one, but i had gotten an extra atc for bundle of joy recently, so I slapped it onto the front of one of the su! mini cards (that come with envelopes) and stamped a sentiment inside & viola! done! the other thing i like about them is you can get 10 of them from one sheet of cardstock, as opposed to 4 cardfronts...so they are also economical. they can be stored in sport card pages, 9 to a page, so storage is good for them, too! there are thousands of other reasons, but i'll stop there!"

Okay I admit it~ I've become an ATC swap junkie... I "L-O-V-E" those little cards!!! Here are two I did for a swap a couple weeks ago (I was late getting them mailed- out of the blue Chance quit eating & had to visit the vet...$240....another story) anyways, they were both for technique swaps... my first attempt at Joseph's Coat (the purple one) and Mulberry Batik (the yellow one).

I say my first attempt for the Joseph's Coat... I made several others before this... but I always seemed to rub off some of the black ink, leaving light spots. After trying with a few different things (paper towel, q-tips, used dryer sheets) to wipe the ink off the embossed images, I finally got it somewhat right! I still wasn't totally thrilled with this technique, though!

As for the Mulberry Batik~ I cheat! I don't iron the embossing out... the first few times I tried it a couple months ago it didn't work so well! I don't always practice patience! I love the effect of this technique a LOT!

Color Blocking...

I tried this technique a couple months ago, after finding it on Splitcoaststampers.com in the demo challenges forum... titled "TLC49 - Be a Blockhead! :)". It's called color blocking... & it reminds me of a Piet Mondrian painting: There are directions on the challenge page, but I used a template I created in Word. I drew a big rectangle & sized it for a card front, & then began filling it up with smaller rectangles & squares until I liked it. I printed off a few copies, & then marked it up to show what colors I would use where... and then lay the print on top of the card stock & cut through it to get my shapes. I then stamped them before pasting them down.

I created this one using circle punches, but the same technique... unfortunately I didn't have a template for this one! It would have been a lot easier!

DoOdLe tHiS!

Here is a card I did for a swap using the "Doodle This" set from the SU spring mini... the swap was for a card using colors from one color family plus this stamp set. I chose earth elements... I cannot get enough of the earth elements color family!

Matchbook Cover Cards

About a week ago I got a card in the mail that looked like a matchbook cover, and inside was a packet of Koolaid Lemonade! I was mesmerized... of course I'd seen these before, but this card was just SO VERY cute...

Anyway~ I just had to make some, so here is my take on this simple, but great card using a packet of seeds.

This would work with anything in a 'packet'... seeds, Koolaid, lotion samples, those funky air fresheners you hang in your car, Pop Rocks candy... I could go on! If you can think of anything else, let me know!

Finally catching up....

...to the technology!

This blog will be dedicated to my stamping endeavors, and I hope to update it quite often. I exclusively demonstrate products by Stampin' Up!© ~ check out my demo site! I have lots of hobbies, but stamping has fast become my favorite!

I offer classes (for groups & one-on-one) as well as monthly specials, and can ship any product directly to you!