Apothecary Art

When the Occasions Mini Catalog came out, I tried to be frugal.  I really DIDN'T need every stamp set in the book, did I?  I was really good with my first order.  I just ordered a couple of sets and some of the fun accessories.  But as we head into the final month of the Occasions Mini catalog, it's amazing to me how many additional sets have found their way to my stamp room.  Apothecary Art was one of those sets.  I received it free for participating in a focus group, so at least I can honestly say I didn't pay for it. :)

We made this card at my clubs last month.  Frequent visitors to my blog will recognize it as a rework of this card made with Bordering on Romance.

Colors: Basic Gray, Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White, Blushing Bride, and Riding Hood Red.  Stamps: Apothecary Art and Bordering on Romance.  Big Shot: Labels Collection Framelits, Adorning Accents Edgelits and Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  Accessories: Twitterpated Designer Series Paper, Blushing Bride Pleated Satin Ribbon, Blender Pens, Crystal Effects.

My club members had seen the Bordering on Romance card and asked to make it.  But I really wanted to show them how well the Label Collection Framelits coordinated with this beautiful stamp set.  And I wanted them to get the chance to use blender pens too.  That's how we achieved that soft water-color look on the flowers.  As a finishing touch, we added Crystal Effects over the flowers to make them stand out a little more.  We also added that border of pleated ribbon right to the fancy edge cut with the edgelit.

Remember that the Occasions Mini Catalog ends April 30.:)  I'm fairly certain the Blushing Bride Pleated Satin Ribbon will not be carrying over since that color is retiring.  I've already been through one bolt of it and I'm on my second.  I love that stuff.   We won't know what other products will carry over to the big catalog for sure so if there is something you want to purchase, you have about a month to do it.  Don't put it off too long.

One more chance to Sale-A-Brate!

So I might have mislead you on Monday by saying that I only had one more Sale-A-Bration project to share with you, because yesterday, I came up with one more.  (And I can't rule out that Friday there might be one more too because that's just the way I roll). 

Colors: Peach Parfait, Very Vanilla.  Punches: Blossom, 1/2" Circle and circle from Itty Bitty Punch Pack, Decorative Label.  Accessories: Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper, Large Pearl Basic Jewels, Simply Scored Diagonal Plate.

This is a little 3"x3" card that features the beautiful Blossom punch from the Occasions Mini Catalog.  I've seen several cards that use the negative of this punch on a card so I wanted to give that a try here.  Since there was no room for the greeting on the front, I put one on the inside:

I made the matching envelope using the directions that came with the Simply Score Diagonal Plate.  Since it was too busy to write a name on it, I added a Decorative Label punch to the front of it too.

Don't forget to place your Sale-A-Bration orders by this Saturday, March 31 at midnight.  All of the exclusive Sale-A-Bration items will disappear forever then and the only way to get them is for FREE with every $50 you spend.  Order online anytime, or contact me by Thursday night.

Last Chance for Sale-A-Bration!

Seems like Sale-A-Bration just began, and now I'm sad to say, this is the very last week to take advantage of Stampin' Up!'s biggest promotion of the year.  Place an order before this Saturday, March 31 and you will receive a free Sale-A-Bration item with each $50 you spend.  You can order online through Saturday, or contact me by Thursday evening.  (I will be off enjoying the beauties of Southeastern Utah this weekend and unavailable to place orders).

I have one more Sale-A-Bation inspired project to share with you today:

Colors: Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Very Vanilla.  Stamped: Elementary Elegance.  Big Shot: Designer Frames Textured Imperssions Embossing Folder. Punch: Extra-Large Oval. Accessories: Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Brads and Embellishment Pack, Vintage Lace, First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper.

I love these textured frames embossing folders.  They are just one of the catalog items you can choose to get for free if none of the Sale-A-Bration exclusive items appeal to you. And the Extra Large Oval Punch fits perfectly inside.

We made this card for club last week (and we will make it for club this week too).  And again, we used the diagonal score plate to make a matching envelope.

Lining the envelope turned out to be a bit trickier for me than I expected.  I ended up making a template that would make it so much easier.  To make your own template, you need a 5-1/2 x 5-1/2" piece of card stock.  Mark the center point (2-3/4") on three sides.

Then cut between the points to get a shape that looks like this:

Now you can trace your template onto any Designer Series Paper to give you a beautifully lined envelope.

Simply Scored Diagonal Plate

I finally had a chance to stamp this week.  Hooray!!! I know it's only March 23, but it feels like the end of this catalog is coming quickly.  In designing my club projects I knew I wanted to use  a Stampin' Wheel and I wanted to used up some of the In Color paper that will be retiring on May 31. I seem to have an abundance of Blushing Bride Card Stock so this is what I came up with:

Colors: Blushing Bride, Basic Gray, Very Vanilla.  Stamps: Very Vintage Jumbo Stampin' Wheel, and Vintage Vogue .  Accessories: Basic Gray Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Very Vanilla 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Neutral Buttons, Pearl Jewels.

And one of the things I really wanted to play with was the new Simply Scored Diagonal Plate.  I knew my club gals would love to learn an easy way to make their own envelopes to match their card.  Here they are together:

We just used the same wheel to decorate the inside of the envelope.  They turned out so cute!

One of the things I love about the diagonal plate: it comes with instructions on how to make four different sizes of envelopes to match common card sizes.  And using those measurements, you could come up with your own for other sizes as well.  If you haven't had the chance to use or see this fun new product, here is a video produced by Stampin' Up! that shows it in action:

I finally purchased a Canon DSLR camera last week.  I'm hoping it improves the pictures that I put on my blog.  Tell me what you think.

Summer Smooches: Take Three!

I have one more Summer Smooches preview ready to show you. It really is a cute set.  And the paper is full of bright colors that I don't use very often (Tangerine Tango, Tempting Turquoise and Daffodil delight in addition to Rich Razzleberry, Real Red and Lucky Limeade which I do use more.)

Colors: Tangerine Tango, Island Indigo, Daffodil Delight, Lucky Limeade.  Stamps: Bright Blossoms.  Punch: Circle Punch from Itty Bitty Shape Punch Pack. Accessories: Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper and Designer Fabric Brads. 

Those fun fabric covered brads will only be available during the month of April.  They will not carry over to the new catalog like most of the rest of the product line.  So you'll want to get your hands on them next month for sure.

My goal for today is to hit the stamp room hard so send any spare mojo you have my way.  I have club tomorrow and next week no projects ready for them.  And a swap due next week as well.  Wish me luck!

P.S. This was Stampin' Addict Sketch Challenge 126.  It's never to late to play along. Come join the fun!

March Madness - My Digital Studio Style

Even though we're still having crazy weather, (70 on Thursday, snow on the ground this morning) I love March because it's full of my other passion: BASKETBALL!  I'm embarrassed to admit just how bad my NCAA tournament brackets are.  Let's just say I had my old hometown favorites, the St. Mary Gaels, going all the way and leave it at that.  But one of the things I love about March Madness is that any team can win on any given day - regardless of ranking.  I love an underdog and I love an upset.

Basketball is the perfect sport for it's combination of teamwork, skill, athleticism and mental acuity.  I love watching five guys on a court come together as one to get that orange ball through that hoop. My all time favorite NBA team is the Utah Jazz and they celebrate the spirit of the game I love in this commercial:

(This might be a good time to mention that my guys beat their arch-nemesis, the LA Lakers, in LA last night.  Loved watching Kobe & Co get beat by a bunch of young guys playing their guts out.) 

My boys like a lot of different sports, but it's probably no surprise to anyone who knows me that the one I encourage them to play the most is basketball.  For the last two years, they've played Jr. Jazz.  And I love watching my own budding point guard and power forward:

Created with My Digital Studio.  Colors: Night of Navy, Cajun Craze, Whisper White, Basic Gray.  Digital Stamps: Athletic Department and Vintage Overlays.

 Must be time for me to sing the praises of My Digital Studio again.  It's been a few weeks.  These were really easy pages to put together.  The only "technique" I used was changing the opacity of the digital stamps to give it more of a tone on tone look.  Don't forget that you can get a free 30-day trial of My Digital Studio Express and try it out for yourself.  Just visit my online store at paula.stampinup.net and let me know if you have any questions.

Another Summer Smooches Sneak Peek

I haven't had a lot of time to stamp lately.  I'd blame it on March Madness (because basketball is my other passion) only it just started today.  But here is another card I made with the Summer Smooches Collection that will be available starting April 1.

Colors: Tangerine Tango, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight and Rich Razzleberry.  Stamps: Bright Blossoms and Borderlines. Big Shot: Polka Dot Embossing Folder.  Punches: 2-1/2", 1-1/4", 1", 3/4" and circle from the Punch Trio.  Accessories: Mini Brads, Markers.

This was also Sketch Challenge 127 over at Stampin' Addicts.  We'd love for you to stop on by and play with us too.

Bright Blossoms is part of the Summer Smooches Collection.  However, Borderlines has been in the catalog this whole year.  A couple of weeks ago, I was combing the catalog looking for something else and noticed it for the first time ever. It was love at first sight.  How I had missed it for all these months is beyond me, but now it's my mission in life to point it out to every stamper I know.  It's on page 148 and it is three different long stamps (big enough to run the length of a card) and it looks like this:

You are going to want it once I get time to stamp and show you all the amazing things you can do with it. So contact me today and let's get it ordered for you.

Coming soon: Summer Smooches!

In January, Stampin' Up! announced changes to its catalog strategy.  Among other changes, there will be no Summer Mini Catalog this year.  But don't worry -- Stampin' Up! is not leaving us without the chance to get our hands on new stuff in April.  Starting April 1, customers will have the chance to purchase various items from the Summer Smooches Product Suite which will be featured in the new 2012-2013 Catalog when it debuts on June 1.

This line up contains a stamp set, Designer Series Paper and Fabric and much more. But I think my favorite item in the line up is the Big Shot Petite Purse Die that cuts these:

Colors: Rich Razzleberry, Lucky Limeade, Tangerine Tango, Island Indigo, Taken with Turquoise, Daffodil Delight. Big Shot: Petite Purse Bigz L Die.  Accessories: Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper, Brights Collection Buttons, Summer Smooches Fabric Designer Brads, Rhinestone Brads.

They are so easy to cut out and assemble that you could easily make them for just about any reason.  Fill them with chocolates for the perfect little gift on the go.  I was thinking about an activity we did in church a few years back called, "You've got Purse-onality" where we had a whole evening of games and dinner with a purse theme.  I was really wishing we had this die to use on the favors for that night.

I will be showing more sneak peeks of this product line soon so be sure to check back. 

Bloom!!

Here in Utah, March means one thing: unpredictable weather.  On Monday it was 60 and beautiful.  On Tuesday and Wednesday, we had snow.  Today it's suppose to be 60 and sunny again.  I do love those 60 degree days though.  It means Spring is almost here.

Several weeks ago, I showed an altered canvas project I made for the Sale-A-Bration Blog Hop.  I told you then I had made a second, smaller canvas that I submitted for a Stampin' Success contest.  Well, my Stampin' Success arrived in the mail today and my project didn't win.  I figured a few weeks ago if I hadn't heard already that was probably the case.  But now I'm sure I'm safe to share the project with you here:

Colors: Blush Blossom, Baja Breeze, Whisper White.  Big Shot: Fun Flowers, Fancy Flowers and Alphabet Simple Letters, . Accessories: Twitterpated Designer Series Paper, Fabric and Buttons. Other: Chipboard scraps, 6x6 canvas, Mod Podge, Fabric-Covered Button Kit.

This is not exactly how it looked when I submitted it.  It actually removed half the buttons from the letters because it was a little too busy.  I thought I'd taken another photo after I did that, but if I did, it got erased when I cleaned my photo card off recently.  The theme for the contest was Welcome, Spring which makes me think of how everything just seems to bloom in the Spring. That was the inspiration for this project.

Enjoy those warm spring days in March, even if a little of winter makes an appearance between them.  You know I will be! 

Gift Bags from Designer Series Paper

This is the last look at projects from my Birthday Bash Stampin' Buffet coming up this weekend.  It's not too late to RSVP if you haven't already. The idea and the directions for these cute gift bags came from Pinterest. (Where else, right?)  But it's one of those pins that doesn't link to a blog so I'm still not sure who to give credit too.

They are quick and easy to make and perfect when you are giving something to someone who appreciates cute paper and those extra special touches:

Colors: Pool Party, Lucky Limeade, Very Vanilla, Calypso Coral.  Stamps: Happiest Birthday Wishes.  Punch: Wide Oval. Accessories: Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper, Simply Scored, 1/4" Very Vanilla Grosgrain Ribbon, Hemp Twine.

To make the bag, simply score a piece of 12x12 Designer Series Paper at 3" and 9" and then turn and score at 4-1/2" and 7-1/2".  Cut the tabs into the middle and fold along the score lines so that it looks like this:

Adhere sides together and add a ribbon handle and tag and you are ready to go! 

Don't forget that time is running out to get your hands on that fabulous Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper.  (I admit I'm starting to hoard it a little bit.)  It is just one of several products that are exclusive to the Sale-A-Bration Promotion.  You can get one free for every $50 you spend before it all ends on March 31.  Click the "shop now" button or contact me today.

Cupcake Gift Box

I have two more birthday projects to share with you so I hope you are still enjoying them.  Today, it's a cute little gift box that I had the darnedest time getting a good picture of.  No matter what I did, the cupcake looks crooked.

Colors: Pretty in Pink, Tempting Turquoise, Soft Suede, Whisper White.  Stamps: Create a  Cupcake.  Big Shot: Fancy Favors XL Bigz, Labels Collection Framelits.  Punches: Cupcake Builder.  Accessories: Subtles Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack, Red Glitter Paper, Paper Crimper, Crop-a-dile, Soft Suede Taffeta Ribbon.

To make this box, you need two of the Fancy Favor Die Cuts: one from regular card stock and none from Designer Series Paper.  For the bottom: Assemble the card stock one together as usual.  For the top: cut the flaps off the Designer Series Paper one that would normally fold under to make the bottom.  Adhere the sides together and then pinch the top.  Punch two holes in the top and feed the ribbon through them to hold it closed.  Then put the two boxes together.  Voila!  Here's another look:

I just love the fancy edge the die gives the box top.  If you would like to make this at my next class, check out the page for my Birthday Bash Stampin' Buffet!  I hope to see you there.

Gift Card Holders

I knew I wanted to offer a gift card holder at my Birthday Bash Stampin' Buffet.  After all, they make very easy gifts for the hard-to-shop for people in your life.  I looked at several online and decided that I just wanted something simple and fun.  That' when the "a-ha" moment happened.

Colors: Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White, Real Red, Daffodil Delight.  Stamps: Happiest Birthday Wishes.  Big Shot: Framelits Label Collection.  Punches: Oval and Scallop Oval. Accessories: Big Top Birthday Designer Series Paper, Brights Collection Brads.

When the Top Note Big Shot die first came out, someone turned it into a pocket so I thought, why not do it with the Framelits Label Collection.  After all, the beauty of the Framelits is having several size options and one of them fit a gift card perfectly.  And aren't they so much cuter than the ones that the cards come in at the store?  You could decorate these up much more than I've done here.  I wanted to keep them quick and simple and this paper does add a lot of pizzazz to them already.  You'll be able to finish this project in no time at all at my class.  So what are you waiting for.  Sign up today.