Stampin' Addicts Sketch Challenge 120

Still running behind showing off my sketch challenge cards.  This was the sketch challenge last Thursday on Stampin' Addicts.  This time, I designed the card first and then made the sketch.

Colors: Riding Hood Red, Island Indigo, Pool Party and Whisper White. Stamps: Ain't Love Grand.  Punches: Decorative Label Cupcake Builder. Accessories: Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details, brads, Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon.

Did you read the list and say "Cupcake builder punch? WTH?"  It's hard to tell from this picture, but I used the frosting portion of the punch to make clouds in the sky but holding it down on the piece of Whisper White and daubing Pool Party Ink around the shape.  It really is the perfect cloud shape. This is also a project at my Valentines/Sale-A-Bration Stampin' Buffet this weekend.  Tomorrow is the last day to RSVP so contact me today!

Speaking of Sale-A-Bration it starts tomorrow!  Come back tomorrow and I'll show you another project featuring Sale-A-Bration Products and give you all the details about this great promotion.  Also, this weekend is the Stampin' Addicts Sale-A-Bration Blog Hop.  I've been putting a lot of work into my projects for it and I can't wait to share them with you starting on Friday.

Stampin' Addicts Sketch Challenge 119

So I'm a week behind on sharing sketch challenges.  This is actually LAST week's challenge on Stampin' Addicts but I've had so many fun things to share that I haven't posted it here.  But there is no time limit to the sketch challenge.  You can play at any time and in any order.  So head on over and check it out!

Sometimes when I'm putting the sketch challenge together, I start with a card and then draw the sketch.  This time, I just sat down with My Digital Studio and started playing with punches until I found something I liked.  Then I headed to my stamp room to make a card based on what I drew.  It's more of a challenge for me that way anyway.  Here is the first card I came up with:

Colors: Wild Wasabi, Peach Parfait, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Baja Breeze.  Stamps: Kidoodle. Big Shot: Circles #2.  Punch: 2-1/2" circle.  Accessories: Just Add Cake Designer Series Paper, Markers, Brads, Mat Pack,  Paper Piercer, White Gel Pen.

I think that little octopus is adorable!  And I love how the circles in the sketch mimicked the circles on the Just Add Cake paper.  To make the faux stitching on the ends, I just used the template on the mat pack and my paper piercer to poke the holes and then went over it with a white gel pen.  I know it's a bit early, but this will likely be one of my projects for my Birthday Bash Stampin' Buffet in March.

After I made the first one, I thought about putting a flower in the circle spot and this is what I came up with:

Color: Daffodil Delight, Basic Black and Whisper White.  Stamps: Curly Cute.  Big Shot: Daisy Die #2.  Accessories: Brights and Neutrals Patterns Designer Series Packs, Brights Buttons, marker.

I saw a card with this color combination on Pinterest last week. (are you starting to see a pattern with me and Pinterest?) And simple white daisies are my favorite flower so it just came together.  Doodling is not something I do a lot, but I decided to give it a shot.  This card is being offered at my Valentines/Sale-A-Bration Stampin' Buffet next weekend.  I know it is neither Valentines or SAB, but it seemed like such a bright cheery card for the doldrums of January.  There is still time to RSVP for the class so let me know if you would like to come.

Valentines Decor

Today I'm sharing the home decor project for my Valentines/Sale-A-Bration Stampin' Buffet.  It was also inspired by something I saw on Pinterest.  And again, I have the hardest time getting full pictures of these things so I apologize up front:

Colors: Pool Party, Wisteria Wonder, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White.  Big Shot: Framelits Hearts Collection.  Accessories: Sweet Shop Designer Series Paper, Simply Scored, Assorted Ribbons.

Here are some close up photos that are a little bit better:

To make these, I used the Framelits Heart collection and cut three hearts in five different sizes.  Next I scored them down the middle and folded them.  Then, I put adhesive tape down the middle of one of them and added a piece of ribbon.  Then I put adhesive on the other two of the same size and stuck them together. I continued this for each of the other sizes, adding them to the same piece of ribbon. Last, I added smaller hearts to each of the tied ribbons around the main ribbon to embellish it. 

At first I was worried that this paper wouldn't look "Valentines" enough.  But I think it looks like candy hearts.  Perfect for Valentines.  This project is $8 and will take a little bit of time to make (mostly time cutting out the hearts).  Can't come to the class but want to make one of these?  I will put a kit together for you for $12 and ship it for free in the US.  Contact me today!

Hooo Loves You?

Ready for some more owls?  Aren't they just adorable?  I'm old enough to remember the last time owls were kind of trendy, but I think they are so much cuter this time around.  One of the punches I don't play with enough is our Owl Builder Punch.  A week or so ago, my stampin' friend Yapha Mason featured an adorable card on her blog featuring the owls for Valentines so I knew I needed to CASE it.  Here is my take on it:

Colors: Coral Calypso, Lucky Limeade, Soft Suede and Whisper White.  Stamps: I {Heart} Hearts.  Big Shot: Little Leaves Sizzlet.  Punches: Owl Builder, Small Heart.  Accessories: Brads, Lucky Limeade Ruffled Ribbon, 2011-2013 In Color Patterns Designer Series Paper, Everyday Enchantment Ribbon and Brad Bundle.

This card would be perfect for Valentines or even for a wedding or anniversary.  It is just one of the cards that you can make if you come to my Valentines/Sale-A-Bration Stampin' Buffet.  All the projects are now posted and you can click here or on the tab above to see them.  The class will be Friday night, January 27 and Saturday, January 28 during the day. I hope to see you there!

Owl Always Love You

I admit it.  I've been bitten by the Pinterest bug.  If you aren't familiar with it, you should be.  It's a place to store all the fun ideas you see on blogs and other websites.  Mostly I use it to store and share Stampin' ideas but I found myself pinning hair styles today.  Eek!

Last week, one of the people I follow had pinned an adorable owl made from a Big Shot Pillow Box by Lynne Put.  I know I had seen these before but one of the things I love about Pinterest is having a way to store and remind myself of these things I see various places so that I will actually MAKE them and share them with my customers.  Here is my take on it:

Colors: Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White, Basic Black.  Stamps: Sweet Cake.  Punches: Scallop Oval, 1-1/4", 3/4" and 1/2" Circle, Modern Label, Small Heart, Heart to Heart.  Accessories: White Gel Pen.

It's she so cute?  This is just one of the projects I'll be offering at my Valentines Class and Sale-A-Bration Kick Off Buffet on January 27 and 28.  I'll be posting all the details and projects in the next couple of days so be on the look out.  I'd love to see you there!

And if you happen to also love Pinterest and would like to see the fun Stampin' Ideas (and other random things) I share, I've tried to make it easy.  On the left side of the screen, you should see a "Follow Me on Pinterest."  And of course, it just makes my whole day when someone "pins" something I've created to the site too.  So I'm trying out a new tag at the end of my posts to make that process easier too. Feel free to try it out and see if it works. :)

Sneak Peek at Sale-A-Bration

Sale-A-Bration is a wonderful time for anyone who loves FREE stuff.  If you aren't familiar with the promotions, for every $50 you spend from the Stampin' Up! Catalog, you get to choose a free item from the Sale-A-Bration brochure!  Watch here for more details on this exciting promotion that starts January 24.

But today, I wanted to share with you a quick sneak peek at some of the products you can get free.

Colors: Lucky Limeade, Pool Party, Very Vanilla.  Stamps: Fresh Vintage and Loving Thoughts. Punches: Scallop, 1-3/8" and 1-1/4" circles.   Accessories: Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper and Ribbon & Brad Pack.

Paper and brads and ribbon!!  Oh my!  I have to say, that I just love this Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper.  It is just gorgeous!  I will be featuring more projects made with this paper in the Stampin' Addicts Sale-A-Bration Blog Hop coming up in about 10 days.  And the brads and ribbon that match it come in a bundle together. And the Fresh Vintage stamp set is just so beautiful too.

I made this card for a swap I was in last month to showcase the ribbon and brads and paper, but it also doubled as the Stampin' Addict Sketch Challenge last week too.  Come and play along with us!

There is an easy way to earn the stamp set, the paper and the embellishment kit as well as a fun shopping tote absolutely free -- host your own qualifying workshop during Sale-A-Bration.  So for a $400 workshop, you would get all of the above free, plus $65 in hostess dollars to spend on catalog merchandise and choose any one item 50% off item.  Contact me today and let's get you on my calendar.

Sweet Cake

The new Occasions Mini Catalog has us asking the question, do we really need another cupcake stamp?  I'm afraid to count how many I already have in my stash.  But of course the answer is YES!!!  Especially one as cute as this:

And this is what I made with it for a recent swap:

Colors: Pool Party, Soft Suede, Whisper White, Lucky Limeade and Calypso Coral.  Stamps: So Sweet.  Big Shot: Framelits Label Collection and Polka Dot Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  Punch: Modern Label.  Accessories: Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon, Mini Brads, Dazzling Details, VersaMarker, Cherry-Scented Embossing Powder, heat tool dimensionals.

To make the main image on the card, I stamped it first in Soft Suede and then cut it out.  Then, after cleaning the stamp really well, I colored on the stamp with the Pool Party, Coral Calypso and Lucky Limeade makers and stamped it again.  Before cutting this part out though, I went back over the cherry with a VersaMarker and put Stampin' Up's new Cherry-Scented Embossing Powder over it and heat set it.  (That stuff smells so yummy!!)  Then I cut out that image and lined it up over the Soft Suede one and popped it up using dimensionals.  I also used markers for the greeting and then punched it out and doubled up the dimensionals to make it go over the cupcake bottom.

I added Dazzling Details to this card after the swap because SU hadn't announced that it would be carrying over before the swap was due.  Thank goodness it did, because I love this stuff and so happy it is still available to us.  It's just one of several items from the Holiday Mini that are still available to order.  Check out the complete list and add something you might have missed to your order today:

Old School Valentine

I had a lot of comments on my Old School Valentine from the blog hop.  It's always so satisfying to find out people like a creation.  Especially one that I wasn't so sure about.  I feel like Sally Field, "You like it!  You really, really like it!"

I had the idea for this because the largest die in the Framelits Heart Collections is scalloped and so cute, but it's larger than a standard card front.  But I was thinking back to to when I was in elementary school and we would exchange Valentines and how sometimes they would just be a simple heart with "to" and "from" on it. So that was the starting point of this project.

Colors: Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, Blushing Bride.  Stamps: Take it to Heart and Loving Thoughts.  Big Shot: Framelits Heart Collection, Adorning Accents Textured Embossing Folder. Accessories: Cherry Cobbler Embossing Power, VersaMark, Blushing Bride 3//8" pleated satin ribbon, Antique Brads, Rhinestone Jewels.

One of the great things about Framelits is that you can stamp first and then line the die up to cut the image out -- just like punching.  One the smaller heart, I stamped it in VersaMark and then used Cherry Cobbler embossing powder and heat set it before I ran it through the Big Shot with the coordinating Framelit. Here's a view of the project from the side so you can see the texture and details.

And I know I've said it pretty much every post lately, but I love this ribbon.  It is fabulous because it is already gathered.  Makes it very easy to create a great border around an object.  I just put adhesive around the back edge of the heart and then applied the ribbon to it.  Here is a view from the back before I added the final scalloped heart to it:

I hope you've enjoyed this closer look at the blog hop projects.  Next week, I'll have brand new projects to share with you from the Occasions Mini and maybe even a sneak peek at Sale-A-Bration.

Edgelits Card Box

Today is the day!  The Occasions Mini Catalog is live and you can start placing your orders.  I wasn't able to share with you picture of the Edgelits and Framelits before because Stampin' Up! has rules about such things.  But first a closer look at my card box project from the blog hop:

Colors: Basic Gray, Baja Breeze, Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz and Whisper White.  Stamps: Loving Thoughts.  Big Shot: Adorning Accents Edgelits, Labels Collections Framelits, Fun Flowers Die.  Accessories: Twitterpated Designer Series Paper and Designer Buttons, 3/8" Blush Blossom Pleated Satin Ribbon

The box was made from a tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers.  For the base, use a 7 3/4" x 9" piece of cardstock and score at 1-1/2" on all sides. Cut your corners and fold into a box.    For the top, use a 6 7/8" x 8 1/8" piece of cardstock and score at 1" on all sides.  Cut your in at your corners and fold to make a lid.  To get the fancy border, I used the Edgelits.  You will have to fold you lid before you cut so that it will fit through your Big Shot.

Colors: Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Basic Gray.  Stamps: Loving Thoughts.  Big Shot: Adorning Accents Edgelits and Textured Impressions Embossing Folders.  Accessories: Twitterpated Designer Series Paper, Baja Breeze Seam Binding, Rhinestone Jewels.

I wanted to keep the cards simple but still add some wow and I think the textures and the shapes do that.  The card box will hold several of these.  I made four all the same.

And now for a look at how you use these Edgelits:

As you can see from the picture, you will need your Tab 2 for your multipurpose platform and two clear plates. See how easy it is to line the Edgelit up where you want it on your project? (I love these things!)  You can use some temporary adhesive to hold it in place so that it doesn't slip when you run it through your machine. 

The Edgelits and the Framelits come in nice heavy storage envelopes.  But I saw an idea on Pinterest to store them in a DVD case, like the ones our clear-mount stamps come in.  I altered mine to use a magnetic strip instead of a magnetic sheet like was posted and I added little magnets to the spine to store one of the Edgelits.  You can see the other one is tucked underneath the Heart Framelits:

I know you will love these new dies as much as I do.  And customers can start ordering them today. Just head on over to my online store and see all the new products Stampin' Up! is offering in the Occasions Mini.  I know you won't be disappointed.

Bordering on Romance

Wasn't the Stampin' Addict Mini Occasions Blog Hop just fantastic?  So many great ideas from so many talented stampers.  If you missed it, don't worry.  Everyone's posts should be deep linked so that you can still follow it through and see everything. You can start here.  I promised today to tell you a little more detail about the first card I showed on the hop.

Colors: Pear Pizzazz, Basic Gray, Whisper White, Blushing Bride, and Riding Hood Red. Stamps: Bordering on Romance and Loving Thoughts.  Big Shot: Adorning Accents Edgelits Dies and Textured Impressions Embossing Folders. Punches: 1-1/4" and 1-3/8" circles.  Accessories: VersaMark Ink, Clear Embossing Powder, Blushing Bride 3/8" Pleated Satin Ribbon, Rhinestone Jewels.

First off, a little back ground on this card.  I made it for a swap that I signed up for using Bordering on Romance.  I really struggled to use this set.  It's beautiful and I've see a lot of fabulous things done with it, but I was lacking in mojo that day and just couldn't make anything work.  So I started doing more and more things with the card, like inking the Pear Pizzazz piece of card stock and putting embossing powder over the image after I colored it.  The final touch was wrapping the satin ribbon around the circle.  That's when I could finally be done with it. 

I do LOVE this pleated satin ribbon.  It's so gorgeous and so easy to work with.  If you couldn't tell from my blog hop projects, I love using it to add a ruffle to things like I did here.  It comes in four colors: Pear Pizzazz, Riding Hood Red, Blushing Bride and Baja Breeze.  LOVE IT!!!

And I do love that stamp with the dotted line that mimics the shape of the Edgelit and embossing folder.  And as I said on the blog hop, Loving Thoughts has been my "go to" greeting stamp set since it arrive here about a month ago.

As promised here is another card using all the same things, but a different image from Bordering on Romance for the main image:

I hope your 2012 is off to a fantastic start and that you had a wonderful Christmas season too. I took a little break here again just because I got a little overwhelmed those last few days before school got out and then we had company for a few days and I've just been enjoying my family.  Now I'm back to it!  Come back on Wednesday to see a closer look at the card box from the hop.