Work of Art Pinsperation

Several weeks ago, Stampin' Up! pinned a simple, yet darling card by Dawn Bourgette using the stamp set Work of Art on Pinterest. I knew it would be perfect for my All-You-Can-Stamp Buffet so I put my own twist on it:

Colors: Crisp Cantaloupe, Whisper White, Pistachio Pudding, Coastal Cabana, Strawberry Slush and Basic Black.  Stamps: Work of Art and Another Thank You.  Punch: Project Life Corner Rounder.  Accessories: 2013-2015 In Color Designer Sequins

This was a quick card that my customers just loved.  I also offered the "Hello There" stamp that Dawn used on her card and a birthday greeting as well. 

I am running out of projects from my last class to show you so it's time to get back to the stamp room and create something new!  (Like my convention swaps which I haven't even started yet.)

More Blendabilties

I have been playing around with the Stampin' Blendabilities a little more over the past week or so and the more I play with them the more I love them.  Last week, we said goodbye to one of the people who have been helping us with our kids.  I used my Blendabilities to make this fun card in a box:

Colors: Basic Black, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay.  Stamps: Monstermaniacs (retired), Just Sayin'.  Big Shot: Word Bubble Dies. Accessories: Stampin' Blendabilities, Polka Dot Parade Designer Series Paper (r), Brights Designer Series Paper Stack, Window Sheets.

It wasn't until I went to post this cute creation this morning that I realized that Monstermaniacs is no longer available to purchase.  I will miss sharing this set with my customers.  It is adorable and I think the Blendabilities just make it even better!  Here's another look:

I think I might make a couple more of these card in a boxes for my sons' teachers for their end of the year card.  (If I have time.  My oldest gets out of school this Friday!) So fun.  If you missed the other Card in a Boxes I've made, click on the keyword to see them.  The first one has a link to the measurements I use to make these fit in a regular envelope.

We had an update on the availability of Blendabilities yesterday.  It looks like Stampin' Up! is aiming to have them available for customers to order at the end of June or first part of July.  Watch for more information then. 

Friday is the Stampin' Addict New In Color Blog Hop.  Come back to see what I've created using the new purple color called Blackberry Bliss.  It is yummy!

Vivid Vases

I finally broke down and bought the Vivid Vases stamp set from the Occasions Catalog.  I have come across so many cute cards using this set, I decided I did indeed HAVE to have it.  Last week I finally got around to using it:

Colors: Crumb Cake, Pool Party, Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Primrose Petals, Raspberry Ripple, Crisp Cantaloupe, Wisteria Wonder, So Saffron and Crushed Curry.  Stamps: Vivid Vases.  Big Shot: Deco Labels Collections Framelits.  Accessories: Many Marvelous Markers,Crystal Effects, Neutrals Candy Dots, Essentials Paper Piercing Pack.

There are a couple of details that are hard to tell from the photo. After coloring the vases with the Pool Party marker, I put a layer of crystal effects over the top to make them look like glass.  And it's a little hard to tell, but for the paper piercing I did a zig-zag pattern by piercing every other hole in three rows.

This is just one of the projects you can make at my Spring Fling Stampin' Buffet next weekend. This card could work for Mother's Day, Thank You, Friendship or really any time you want to tell someone she is wonderful!

And don't miss out on FREE SHIPPING next week only, just in time for the retirement list release beginning Monday.  No minimum purchase required but expedited shipping is not included.  Check back on Monday for even more details!

The Stamp Crew Review: Oh, Hello

It's the first Monday of the month.  That means it's time for The Stamp Review Crew to have another blog hop!  This time we are featuring the stamp set Oh, Hello.  And like always, this group is full of fabulous ideas for this very popular stamps set. Today, I have a couple of cards to show you featuring this stamp set.

Colors: Midnight Muse, Coral Calypso and Whisper White.  Stamps: Oh, Hello.  Big Shot: Banner Framelits, Honeycomb Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  Accessories: Tea Lace Paper Doilies, Silver Glimmer Paper, Coral Calypso Baker's Twine, and In Color Dahlias.

I love Midnight Muse and haven't used it nearly enough lately.  I need to use it more before it retires at the end of May.  Here I also sponged ink on the cardstock after I ran it through the embossing folder to give it a little more dimension.  And since Midnight Muse is such a dark color, I decorated it the inside too:

Stamps: Oh, Hello and Sweet Essentials.

Here is the second card:

Colors: Primrose Petal, Basic Gray, Summer Starfruit, and Whisper White.  Stamps: Oh, Hello.  Big Shot: Banner Framelits, Chevron and Houndstooth Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  Punch: Corner Rounder.  Accessories: Primrose Petals Stitched Satin Ribbon.

This one is a little more simple than the first one.  You can tell how much I love the Banner Framelits from both of these cards.  I am using them a lot right now.  The colors for this one came straight from the Color Coach which I do not use nearly enough.  Summer Starfruit and Primrose Petal are also scheduled to be retired at the end of May.  I'm always torn between being sad that the colors are going away and being excited to see what comes next. 

But I know what comes next today, it is the rest of the blog hop!  Use the buttons below to navigate through the hop or see the list of all hop participants below the buttons.  Thanks for stopping by.  Feel free to leave a little blog love (comments) or subscribe to my blog either here or on Facebook.  We'll see you again soon!

1. Paula Wright paulastamps.blogspot.com
2. Dawn Tidd   tiddbitsfromdawn.typepad.com
3. Yapha Mason   yaphamason.com
4. Deb Currier  artfeltimpressions.blogspot.com
5. Nancy Smith  iguanastamp.wordpress.com
6. Holly Krautkremer  rubberredneck.typepad.com
7. Rita Wright  ritascreations.blogspot.com
8. Kerry Willard Bray peoniesandpaperchains.com
9. Shana Gaff   stressfreestamping.blogspot.com
10. Lisa Young   addinkandstamp.blogspot.com
11. Cindy Beach stampspaperandink.typepad.com
12. Jill Coleman  jillstamps.com
13. Mike Funke    stampin-style.typepad.com
14. Heidi Baks  runningwscissorsstamper.blogspot.com
15. Betty Traciak kittystamp.blogspot.com
16. Tanya Boser   tinkerin-in-ink.blogspot.com
17. Mary Rindal  maryrindal.com
18. Wendy Weixler   wickedlywonderfulcreations.blogspot.com

The Paper Players Challenge #187

Remember when I said I needed to squeeze in an extra post this week because of the challenges I've been trying out?  Here is another one. This time it was The Paper Players Challenge to make a clean and simple Spring card.  Very fitting for the first day of Spring!

And here is the card I made:

Colors: Whisper White, Crisp Cantaloupe, Basic Black, Soft Sky, Coral Calypso, So Saffron, Pistachio Pudding, Pear Pizzazz and Sahara Sand.  Stamps: So Very Grateful.  Big Shot: Bitty Banner Framelits.  Accessories: Simply Scored, Many Marvelous Markers, Gold Sequin Trim, and Crystal Effects.

This one the second stamp set on my list from the Occasions Catalog.  I love these flowers (even though my customers don't like to color much). The one thing you cannot tell from this picture is that after I colored all the flowers and then outlined them in Sahara Sand, I covered them in Crystal Effects.  That is one of my favorite techniques.  It gives them dimension and shine.

And not only did I decorate the front of this card, I also did the inside:

No Crystal Effects on the inside but I did outline everything in Sahara Sand to give it a little depth.

Here's another look at the whole card:

I'll still be back tomorrow with a closer look at a project from my Birthday Bash Class so be sure to check back in then.

Convention Display: You're the Best

Here's another card front I made for the display boards at convention this year:

Colors: Early Espresso, Baked Brown Sugar, Crumb Cake.  Stamps: Gorgeous Grunge and Hello Lovely.  Big Shot: Alphabet Press Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  Punch: Decorative Label.  Accessories: Naturals Designer Buttons, Natural 7/16" Trim, Early Espresso Core'dinations Card Stock.

Here I paired the Thank You, You're the Best from Hello Lovely with the diagonal stripe stamp from Gorgeous Grunge for a masculine look.  And I love this Alphabet Press Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.

And any Textured Impressions Embossing Folder is even better when you pair it with the Core'dinations Card Stock. Did you notice that this fun card stock is now available in all the color families including the In Colors?  Click on the Shop Now button and get some of it for yourself!

Chalkboard Thank You

As promised, I have one more Chalkboard card to share. (For now anyway.  I love this technique so I am sure it will make a reappearance again sooner or later.)  I made this card specifically for someone who has been helping our family for the past few months and have already given it away.  If you know me, you know how shocking that it is that I actually made a card for a specific person and actually gave it away.

Colors: Island Indigo, Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler, Calypso Coral and Daffodil Delight. Stamps: You're Amazing and Itty Bitty Banners.  Big Shot: Bitty Banner Framelits Collection. Punches: Petite Pennant Builder, 1/2" circle punch.  Accessories: World Spectacular Designer Series Paper, Soda Pop Tops, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine, White Embossing Powder, Crystal Effects, White Gel Pen.

I knew this image would be perfect for this technique and since I hadn't used it before, it was begging to be inked up.  The only other technique difference is on this card, I used a white gel pen for the doodles instead of a white colored pencil.

I also broke out the Soda Pop Tops for the first time on this card.  To make it flatter, I ran it through my Big Shot machine.  Brilliant, huh? I didn't come up with that on my own, but read it on someone's blog who likely read it on another blog.  I just punched out a piece of Designer Series Paper and put it in the flattened pop top and then filled it with Crystal Effects.

For the Pennants, I punched the Designer Series Paper with the Petite Pennant Punch and then trimmed them down so they would fit better on the card.  I just stacked them up and cut with scissors so they would all be the same size.

If you missed how to do this fun technique, I shared some tips and tricks in this post: CHALKBOARD TECHNIQUE.  If you haven't tried it yet, you really should.

Window Framelit Fun Fold

First off, no MDS Monday this week, because on Friday I am participating in a Stampin' Addict's Blog Hop featuring My Digital Studio projects.  So come back on Friday to see a boatload of My Digital Studio ideas and stuff.  So today, you get a regular creative post.

At convention in July, Shelli Gardner showed a really fun card on the mainstage that featured the Window Framelits in a trifold card.  You can see her original card on her blog: So Shelli.  When I saw that card, I knew I would have to CASE it.  After all, my customers love to buy what I show, and I know they would have to have these Window Framelits if I showed them a card like that.

So for my September Stamp Clubs we made this card:

Colors: Basic Gray, Midnight Muse, Marina Mist, Summer Starfruit, Whisper White. Stamps: Friendship Preserves.  Big Shot: Window Framelit Collection, Polka Dot Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  Accessories: Stampin' Write Markers, Summer Starfruit Stitched Satin Ribbon, Festive Paper-Piercing Pack, Polka Dot Parade Designer Series Paper, Simply Scored.

This window shape is fabulous for so many projects.  For this one, I used the two largest sizes and then scored them just a little bit off where the circle meets the square notches.  I adhered the flaps to the back and then added a few more framelits to the the top. 

I used the Festive Paper-Piercing Pack to get those paper piercings perfect like that.  In October, you can get that pack free when you purchase a Christmas Gift pack.  Contact me today for all the details.  And ff you come back on Wednesday, I will show you a second card I made with this same layout, but this time for Christmas.

Happy Fall!

The 10th of October already?  That means tomorrow we are six weeks from Thanksgiving and we are in the thick of my favorite season of the year: Autumn.  We have finally turned off the air aonditioning and turned on the heat.  Last weekend, I made the first pot of soup of the season.  And while the leaves in the mountains above us have been changing for a month, the leaves on the trees here in the valley are now starting to change too. 

Today's card pays tribute to the changing leaves of the season:

Colors: More Mustard, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Cajun Craze and Whisper White.  Stamps: Gently Falling and Perfectly Penned.  Accessories: Soft Suede 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon.

This card features the "Triple Stamping" technique that I have been seeing all over Pinterest and the blogosphere the past couple of months.  I first saw it done by Yapha Mason, but I know she was CASing someone else too.

Basically, you start with pieces of neutral card stock 2″ x 3 1/4″,  3″ x 4 1/4″  &  4″ x 5 1/4.”  Stack them on top of each other with the smaller layers in the center of the larger ones.  You can use a little bit of repositional adhesive to hold them in place.  Start stamping your images on the stack of card stock.  For a card like this, I would start with the largest stamp first and then work your way to the smaller stamps.  Where the edges of the card stock meet up, there will be a small gap in the images.  This is completely expected and you can fix that by adding a piece of cardstock 1/4" bigger than each layer behind them. 

This is also a good time to point out that Stampin' Up! is experimenting with selling individual stamps from three different stamp sets: Perfectly Penned (featured on this card) and Word Play from the Main Catalog, and Seasonal Saying from the Holiday Catalog.   Each stamp ranges in price from $4.95 to $6.95 and comes in a cello bag.  If Stampin' Up! finds there is a demand for these single stamp images, they may expand this offerings in the Spring.  So if you like this idea, vote with your dollars and buy a few to show Stampin' Up! you want this to be a permanent option.