Last Day to Sale-A-Brate

Here it is, the last day of Sale-A-Bration 2013.  Did you get all the freebies you wanted?  If not, it isn't too late.  Just get your order to me by 8:00 p.m. MDT today or shop on line anytime before midnight MDT.

I have one more Sale-A-Bration project to show you and it also features the Bloomin' Marvelous set from the brochure.  This is the card we made at one of my Stamp Clubs last month:

Colors: Wisteria Wonder, Lucky Limeade, Elegant Eggplant and Whisper White.  Stamps: Bloomin' Marvelous.  Big Shot: Square Lattice and Textured Frames Textured Embossing Folders. Punches: XL Oval and Bitty Butterfly.  Accessories: Wisteria Wonder Ruffled Ribbon, Rhinestone Jewels.

 

To make this card, we used the "Stampin' Off" technique.  This is a very simple way to add monochromatic images to your project without having to clean your stamp in between.  All you have to do is ink your image up in the darkest color of your card (Elegant Eggplant in this case) and then stamp with it three times before you ink it up again.  Each time you stamp, the image gets lighter and lighter but in the same hue.  It just so happens that by time you stamp Elegant Eggplant off three times, it looks a lot like Wisteria Wonder.

The only trick to this is if you are going to be stamping off the edge of your paper, it will not remove the ink uniformly from your stamp. So if you keep stamping with that image, it will not produce a good quality image the second and third time.  To solve this problem, when I stamped off the edge of the paper, I reinked my stamp and then stamped off on a scratch piece of paper first before I stamped it on the card.

And it is important to remember to stamp first and then run it through the textured embossing folder.  It does not work to do it the other way around. 

This was not the first card I made.  The first time I did this card, I used different colors.  I still like the effect, but I thought my customers would prefer the purples instead.  But here is the original:

Color: Tangerine Tango, So Saffron, Lucky Limeade and Whisper White. Stamps: Bloomin' Marvelous.  Big Shot: Square Lattice and Textured Frames Textured Embossing Folders. Punches: XL Oval and Bitty Butterfly.  Accessories: So Saffron Taffeta Ribbon.

I also didn't get the rhinestones added to the butterfly on this version, but it still produces a beautiful affect.

If you haven't already received this fun stamp set free with a qualifying purchase, don't wait any longer.  Contact me ASAP and let's get it ordered for you.

Sale-A-Bration: The End is Near!

Sale-A-Bration ends this Friday, March 22.  So if you haven't already taken advantage of this great time to shop Stampin' Up!, now is the time.

I still haven't shown any projects with this Bloomin' Marvelous stamp set that is only available during Sale-A-Bration:

Colors: Not Quite Navy, Pool Party, So Saffron, Whisper White.  Stamps: Bloomin' Marvelous and Occasions Alphabet.  Big Shot: Apothecary Accents Framelits, Honeycomb Texture Impressions Embossing Folder.  Punches: Bitty Butterfly, Elegant Butterfly, Large Oval.  Accesories: Core'dinations Card Stock, Tea Lace Paper Doilies, Rhinestone Jewles, Essentials Paper Piercing Pack.

This card was loosely based on a card I saw on Stampin' Connections by Diane Vander Galien.  I changed up the colors and the butterfly images and added a different greeting.  This Bloomin' Marvelous comes with some really cute sayings but I needed this to be for my birthday class so I used a different one.  I love the Occasions Alphabet stamp set because it has 26 different fun greetings in it.

I do have an order going in this Friday if you are interested in taking advantage of Sale-A-Bration and combined shipping.  Just let me know.  You can also jump on over to my online store and shop to your hearts content there.  Just do it before Friday so you get your free items.  Don't miss out!

Twisted Gift Card Holders

Back during the Stampin' Addict's Spring Catalog Blog Hop, Kathleen Brill-Myrice showed some really cute Twisted Cards.  I knew immediately that I wanted to turn them into Gift Card Holders for my Birthday Bash Stampin' Buffet:

Colors: Tangerine Tango, Rose Red, Island Indigo, and Whisper White.  Stamps: Pretty Petites (SAB). Punches: 2-3/8" Scallop Circle, 1-3/4" Circle, Owl Builder and Petite Curly Label (SAB).  Accessories: Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper (SAB), Floral District and Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper.

You can find the directions on how to make these cards on Kathleen's Blog. They really aren't very hard, just a little time consuming to get the printed paper cut just right.  On the inside of these cards is more printed paper and a little pocket, perfect for slipping a gift card into.

These are available to make this weekend at this weekend's Birthday Bash Stampin' Buffet.  Today is the last day to RSVP for this class.  This is also a good time to point out that Sale-A-Bration ends in just nine short days.  Don't miss out on your chance to get the Pretty Petite Stamp Set and matching Petite Curly Label punch and/or the Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper FREE!  Contact me today to find out how.

Celebrate Sale-A-Bration

Today I have another card featuring a Sale-A-Bration exclusive Stamp Set.  This time it's Feeling Sentimental:

Colors: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, and Naturals Ivory .  Stamps: Feeling Sentimental, That's the Ticket, and You're Amazing. Big Shot: Square Lattice Textured Embossing Folder.  Punches: Ticket Duo Builder. Accessories: First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper, Vintage Trinkets, Natural 7/16" Trim Ribbon.

This card was largely CASEd from a card by Nanci Siegrist at Craft Haven Retreats that I found on Pinterest.  I added the Crumb Cake card base since my customers prefer lighter colors for card bases and I added texture to it as well.  (Are you starting to see a reoccurring theme with my cards?  They almost always have some kind of texture on them).  I love how this stamp goes so perfectly with the tickets. I will really miss the Feeling Sentimental Stamp Set when Sale-A-Bration is over.  So don't miss out on the chance to own it for yourself.

This was the first time I used the new Naturals 7/16" Trim Ribbon from the Spring Catalog.  It has a wonderful texture to it and goes perfectly with Crumb Cake and the Naturals Ivory Card Stock.  So fun even when you use it in tiny amounts like on this card.

This is another project we will make at my Birthday class next month.  By the end of next week, I will have all the details posted here on my blog and on my Facebook page so keep your eyes peeled for it.

Sale-A-Brate Birthdays!

Can you believe Sale-A-Bration is almost one month old?  That means we only get one more month to enjoy free products when you place a qualifying order, and bonus products when you host a Stampin' Up! party or join my team.  Did you forget what all the hubbub is about?  Check out this post that tells you all about it: SALE-A-BRATION TIME!

Today's card features three of the products you can get free during Sale-A-Bration:

Colors: Whisper White, Tangerine Tango, Island Indigo, and Summer Starfruit.  Stamps: Patterned Occasions (SAB Exclusive).  Big Shot: Designer Frames Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  Punch: XL Oval. Accessories: Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper (SAB Exclusive), Sycamore Street Buttons (SAB Exclusive), Many Marvelous Markers.

This card felt like a stretch for me.  These aren't colors and patterns I would normally put together, but with all the combining of Razzleberry and Tangerine Tango in the Designer Series Paper this year, I am starting to get used to that combo with other bright colors.  Also, I have noticed a trend this year to more "white space" on cards.  IMHO, this card works because the card base is white. The paper, buttons and stamps are exclusive to Sale-A-Bration. So once it ends on March 22, they will no longer be available. 

My next class coming up March 15 and 16 is my annual Birthday Bash Buffet.  Who doesn't need dozens or birthday cards every year?  This is my class devoted only to birthday cards and I only do it once a year so you won't want to miss out.  This will be one of the cards that I will be offering during the that class.  More details coming in the next week or so. 

Vintage Verse Follow Up

Time to share the details of my other two Blog Hop projects.  If you missed the blog hop, it is not to late.  The blogs should all be deep linked by now so you can follow along at any time.  Just start on my STAMPIN' ADDICTS SALE-A-BRATION BLOG HOP POST.

I promised to share the details and dimensions of the little gift box I made for the hop:

Colors: Crumb Cake and Early Espresso.  Stamps: Vintage Verse and Madison Avenue.  Big Shot: Labels Collection Framlits.  Accessories: Early Espresso Embossing Powder and Antique Brad.

To make the box, I measured the width of the Labels Collection Framelit I wanted to use as at the top  (in this case, 2-3/4 inches) and used that as the width for my box.  The piece of card stock I used was 5-1/2" x 9 " (I know, not very smart use of a sheet of card stock.  You could shrink the sides of the box by 1/4" and get two out of each sheet of paper).  I scored the cardstock the long way at 2-3/4", 4-1/4", 7" and 8-1/2".  To make the box easier to pinch shut, I added score lines about 2/3 of way down at 3-1/2" and 7-3/4". Next, turn the card stock the short way and score at 1-1/2 inches.  Cut the 1/2" x 1-1/2" notch away at the far side of the piece and then trim from the bottom to the 1-1/2" score lines so you can fold up your box. Stamp to decorate as you choose, add adhesive to all tabs and assemble your box.

For the top, I scored the die cut piece (from the Labels Collection Famelit) in half and then placed it over the top of the box.  Then I punched a hole all the way through the box  and label and used one of our fabulous Antique Brad to fasten the box closed. (So you can see the back of the brad on the back of the box.

Sometimes I feel like my directions are about as clear as mud.  If you are like me, then you just need the dimensions anyway and I gave you those so hopefully you can figure it out from there.

Colors: Summer Starfruit, Soft Suede and Whisper White.  Stamps: Vintage Verse.  Punches: Scallop Border Punch.  Accessories: Clear Embossing Powder, Summer Starfruit Stitched Satin Ribbon, Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper.

This is the card I made for the Stampin' Addicts Sale-A-Bration Swap last month.  It is a simple layout but I added a few touches to make it special.  First, I embossed the greeting.  With the new stamp pads, you can heat emboss with them if you work fast. It is hard to tell from this picture, but it brings some texture and shine to the card. I also added the Scallop border.  This may not seem special anymore.  It was just a few years ago when I used this punch on every card I made.  But with the Big Shot and everything else we have, sometimes we forget about these little basics that can add just the right touch to the card.

Sale-A-Bration is now underway so now is your chance to get the Vintage Verse Stamp Set or Sycamore Street Paper for FREE!  Click "SHOP NOW" to get place your $50 order and get your choice of either of these, or 17 other items free! Might as well order $100 so you can get 2 free instead, right?

Sale-A-Bration Time!

So technically Sale-A-Bration doesn't start until tomorrow.  In my head, I had it starting today but with the holiday, it doesn't really start until tomorrow. But if you happened to take advantage of the  Stampin' Addict Sale-A-Bration Blog Hop this weekend, then you've already had a sneak peak of the items that will be available for you to earn FREE!  If you haven't had time to go through the Blog Hop, don't worry, all the blogs are deep linked together so you can still enjoy the preview.

So how do you take advantage of this fabulous promotion? There are three ways:

SHOP: Each time you order $50 in catalog merchandise, you can select one item from the Sale-A-Bration brochure for FREE!  Order $500 in merchandise, select 10, etc, etc.

HOST: Invite your friends over for a fun Girls Night Out.  We'll make some fun projects and your guests can shop in the comfort of your home.  Every hostess receives a package of Silver Glimmer paper in honor of Stampin' Up's 25th Anniversary (for $150 party) and if you guest sales total $400, you will receive a bundle of Sale-A-Bration exclusive products (Designer Series Paper, Buttons, Ribbons and Stamp Set).  This is in addition to Stampin' Up!'s already generous hostess program.

JOIN: Now through March 22, your Stampin' Up! Starter Kit includes an extra 25% in bonus free.  Instead of picking $125 in merchandise for $99, you get to pick up to $156.50.  That makes an already great deal even better.  Plus you get the benefits of being a demonstrator: 20% Instant Income (or savings on your own purchases), sneak peaks of products and promotions, a magazine and website dedicated to Stampin' Up! and much, much more.

So much to Sale-A-Brate!  Please let me know if you need any more information about any of these opportunities.

I promised more details on two of my blog hop projects today, and I aim to keep my promises:

Colors: Island Indigo, Tangerine Tango, Rich Razzleberry, Pool Party, Summer Starfruit, and Whisper White.  Stamps: Vintage Verse, Madison Avenue.  Big Shot: Honeycomb Textured Embossing Folder. Punches: 1" and 1-1/4" circle punches.  Accessories: Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper and Button/Ribbon Bundle.

Judging by the comments and pins, this was the favorite project from my blog hop post.  And when I showed it to my customers, they had only one question: how do you cut those little hexagons to get them to line up so perfectly?  The trick is to run the Designer Series Paper through the Honeycomb Textured Embossing Folder.  Then you just cut them out along the embossed lines and then voila!  They match up perfectly.  I used a 1" square punch to punch our the pieces first, but you could just as easily do several at once with a larger piece of paper.  Once I had those one there, I had the idea to stamp a few random images in some of the hexagons so I used the smallest image from the Madison Avenue Stamp Set.  Then the buttons just seemed like a natural fit as well.

Colors: Pool Party, Summer Star Fruit, Island Indigo and Whisper White. Stamps: Vintage Verse.  Big Shot: Two Tags Bigz Die.  Punches: Scallop Trim Border Punch.  Accessories: Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper and Ribbon/Button Bundle, Whisper White Baker's Twine.

This little tag practically built itself.  It would be simple and easy to make many of these at once if you needed them.  I knew I wanted to showcase some more of this gorgeous paper. Originally, I was going to feature just the paper in the blog hop but there was a last minute family emergency for one of the hoppers that left Vintage Verse not covered.  So that is why three of my projects prominently feature the paper.

On Wednesday, I will share the details of the other card and the box (including dimensions if you want to make your own.)  In the mean time, dust off your wish list and get ready to Sale-A-Brate!

Stampin' Addicts Sale-A-Bration Blog Hop: Vintage Verse

Welcome to stop #6 on the Stampin' Addicts Sale-A-Bration Blog Hop!  If you are hoping in order than you arrived here from Betty's Kitty Stamp Blog and saw the clever things she made with Happy Hello Simply Sent Kit.  If this is your first stop on the hop, all the blogs are linked together in a circle so you won't miss a thing. If you get lost along the way or just want to chat it up, visit Stampin' Addicts.  This year's Sale-A-Bration offerings are just fabulous.  There truly is something for everyone and you will get to see all of it during this blog hop.

Lucky me, I get to show you one of the exclusive Sale-A-Bration stamp sets: Vintage Verse.  I love the variety of fonts used in this set and the fun shapes of the greetings.  There are four stamps in the set and I am going to show them all to you today.  Three of the projects also feature paper from the Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper and some the matching ribbon and button bundle.  Both of these are also exclusive Sale-A-Bration items.  I will be sharing more details about these projects on Monday and Wednesday next week so be sure to check back.

First, "Just because." I thought this was the perfect greeting for a tag.  Who doesn't like to receive a little something special just because.  The tag also features just a bit of that Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper and matching accessory bundle that I referred to before.

Next, I have my take on the hexagon card that has been all over the place since the Spring Catalog debuted.  Here, I filled it with more of the Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper and paired it with the buttons and ribbon.  I can think of a few people in my life I could give a card to that says "There is only one you."  (And some of them I am glad there is only one of them. ;))  I do love the fun font and flourishes on this stamp.

Third, I made this thank you card for a recent swap and have been saving it to share with you on the hop.  This "Thanks" stamp is probably my favorite from Vintage Verses.  Here I paired it with another print from the Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper (are you sick of it yet?  Really it is fabulous!  You will want some to go with this and all the other Sale-A-Bration stamp sets).

Finally, a little gift box.  I wanted to keep it simple and since I have a lot of boys in my life, keep it masculine.  I did use a stamp from another Sale-A-Bration exclusive set, Madison Avenue, on the base of the box, but I wanted to let this beautiful greeting set stand as the focal point of the project.

Convinced you need the Vintage Verses and the Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper yet?  Then I have done my job.  Come back on Monday and Wednesday to hear a little more about each of the projects.  Now you can hop on over to Kim's Stitchin' and Stampin' on Paper Blog to see her fabulous creations with Pretty Petites.  Happy hopping!

Feeling Sentimental

Today I have another Sale-A-Bration Sneak Peak for you:

Colors: Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, and Very Vanilla.  Stamps: Feeling Sentimental.  Big Shot: Wood Grain Textured Embossing Folder.  Accessories: Neutral Brads, Paper Piercing Template, Distressing Tool.

I love this Feeling Sentimental set.  It comes with three vintage images (a bicycle (pictured here), a Phone Booth and a Ferris Wheel) and the "Celebrate" greeting.  I love that it is line art, but doesn't need to be colored and I love the feeling it evokes.  It is a great set for masculine cards.  But the best part of all, you can't buy this set, you can only get it FREE during Sale-A-Bration.

For this card, I wanted to keep it pretty simple.  I know masculine cards don't have to be simple, but every time I tried adding anything else too it, it looked to girly.  I did use one of the Paper-Piercing guides to add some interest to the side (but it is hard to tell from this picture).

Don't forget to come back on Friday to get a look at all the fabulous Sale-A-Bration products that will be featured in the Stampin' Addicts Blog Hop.  You won't be sorry.

Sale-A-Bration Countdown!

Only one more week until the start of Sale-A-Bration!  If you are not familiar with this fabulous promotion, it is the biggest promotion Stampin' Up! runs each year. I will post all the details next Monday when it officially starts.  But I wanted to share with you a sneak peak of some of the items you can get FREE during Sale-A-Bration.

Colors: Rich Razzleberry, Pool Party, Tangerine Tango, and Island Indigo.  Stamps: Pretty Petites (SAB Exclusive).  Punches: Petite Curly Label (SAB), 1/2" Circle. Big Shot: Vine Street Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (SAB Exclusive). Accessories: Sycamore Street Ribbon and Button Bundle (SAB Exclusive).

First, I have to say, these aren't colors I would normally use together.  But these are the colors included in this year's Sale-A-Bration Designer Series Paper and in the button and ribbon package.  I signed up to make a creation featuring the Sycamore Street Ribbon and Button Bundle for the Stampin' Addicts Swap so I decided just to go with the colors.  You can see from the supply list that this card features several items that will only be available during Sale-A-Bration.  But one exception is that cute Petite Curly Label punch.  It is available to earn free during Sale-A-Bration, but it will be available after the promotion ends too. 

This Friday, the Stampin' Addicts will be featuring nearly all the Sale-A-Bration items in a Blog Hop.  You won't want to miss out so be sure to check back!