New In Colors (and a New Club)!

Whew! Summer break is finally here, and I couldn't be happier! The last couple of weeks of school kept me on my toes, but I can't believe how quickly I've already slipped into summer mode. I'm sleeping better and later, and it has been wonderful. Now if I could just get my kiddos to get along a little better, all would be perfect in my little world.

I have a card (if you can call it that) to give you a sneak peek of the new in colors. I feel the need to preface this by saying that I realize this card is not very heavy on design. Thank goodness a super adorable card wasn't my true intent. I really just wanted to make a quick card using all five of the 2012-2014 in colors to give you a sense of how they look together. I think it at least achieved that. I hope you agree! ;-)

Going from left to right, we have Raspberry Ripple (a deep, dark, almost-red pink), Midnight Muse (a rich blue that falls in between Not Quite Navy and Night of Navy), Gumball Green (a really nice, true green), Summer Starfruit (a yellow with lots of green mixed in), and Primrose Petals (a dusty pink).

I really like the bold, bright colors this year. They compliment so many of our existing core colors. I am really enjoying using them and I think that you will as well!

If you are interested in purchasing all of the in color ink pads, papers, and accessories slowly over time and at a discounted rate, you may be interested in joining my In Color Club. Here are the details-

The club will run for five months (June-October). There are no meetings for this club.

There must be five members. (If there is enough interest, I can do more than one group, but each group must have five members.)  

Each member will be assigned a starting color in the order that they agree to be a member of the club.

The colors will rotate in alphabetical order (Gumball Green, Midnight Muse, Primrose Petals, Raspberry Ripple, Summer Starfruit) each month.

By October, each member will have all of the products listed below in each of the five new in colors.

Each month, each member will receive the following in their color for that month:

1 classic stamping pad
1 ink refill
1 marker (you will also receive a case during the month that you receive your Gumball Green marker)
12 sheets of 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock
4 sheets of 12 x 12 cardstock
4 sheets of Designer Series Paper (from the In Color DSP stack)
8 Dahlia flower embellishments
1 full roll of 3/8" stitched satin ribbon

The cost of this club is just $35 monthly. This price is based on the product and tax only with no charge for shipping, so it is a great deal! Payment will be due by check on the first day of each month. (June payment will not be due until June 9th.) If you are not local, you can still participate in the club. For $40 per month, I will ship your items to you through USPS Priority Mail.

Please email me (reedmarla622@gmail.com) by Tuesday, June 5th if you would like to participate in this club.

**Also, don't forget to RSVP for the New Catalog Release Party and BOGO sale on Saturday, June 9th (11:00-1:00) by JUNE 1st!**

Leave me a comment below and let me know what you think of the new in colors. Is there already one that stands out that you know will be your favorite? What do you think? I'd love to know!

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend! Remember those who sacrificed for our freedoms!

~Marla Pin It

Pinterest to the Rescue (Again)!

Hello again, stamping friends! If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that I am quite the procrastinator! I don't intend to wait until the last minute, but I just tend to prioritize my tasks based on urgency and therefore a lot of things get done at the last minute (or sometimes the last second). Anyway, this week is Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week and I had grand plans of sending in a little gift each day for my son's teacher. Well, here it is Friday (the last day of the school week) and I just finished the gifts this morning. Everything is going in today. Maybe next year I'll have my act together and accomplish my goal of a small gift each day, but I have to accept the fact that it didn't happen this year and just move on, right?

If you are a regular reader, you also know that I love Pinterest. I will admit that I haven't been on it as much lately, but I do go when I need some quick inspiration. I got all of the teacher appreciation gift ideas from Pinterest this year. I found great ways to say thanks without spending a lot of money. As a former teacher, I know that it's not about how much money you spent. It's just about doing a little something to show your appreciation for all that they do!

I made up this gift for my daughter's preschool teachers. I purchased some strawberries at our local farm market and placed them in some reusable plastic containers that I got at WalMart. I added a handmade label to the top and that was it. Please excuse the background as I took this picture in my car just before delivering the finished gifts.

Here is a close-up of the tag:

I made the strawberry using the Large Heart punch, which I ran through my Big Shot in the Perfect Polka Dots folder. The top was made using the Five Petal punch. There is also a sneak peek of two of the new in colors on this label! The dark pink/red color is Raspberry Ripple and the green is Gumball Green. I really like the new in colors and think that all five of them compliment each other very well.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Perfectly Penned
Ink: Raspberry Ripple, Gumball Green (marker)
Paper: Raspberry Ripple, Gumball Green, Whisper White
Accessories: Big Shot, Top Note die, Perfect Polka Dots EF, Large Heart punch, Five Petal punch
My inspiration: this picture from Dixie Delights

My son is in first grade this year and I sent the post it note holders from this post to his current teacher as well as his Kindergarten teacher. However, I also wanted to send in a little treat for his specialist teachers (art, music, library, PE, and computer lab) as well as his bus driver (because it is staff appreciation too). I found these adorable little owl treat bags on Pinterest and knew that they would be perfect!

Aren't they just the cutest? I made tags for the back. The teacher treats said, "Thanks for making me wiser!" and the bus driver treat said, "Thanks for "owl" you do!"

Supplies Used:
Stamps: none
Ink: Basic Black (marker)
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Sahara Sand, Whisper White, Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Big Shot, Top Note die, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1" circle punch, 1/2" circle punch, Five Petal punch, 3x5 cellophane bags
My inspiration: this project made by Nancy Williams

Well, there you have it. I realize that this post may come too late to inspire you for this year, but maybe you could pin it for next year. ;-)

Enjoy your Friday and have a wonderful weekend! Happy Mother's Day to all of the amazing mothers out there!

~Marla Pin It

May Stylin' Stampin' Squad!

Wow! I can't believe another month has passed already! Time has been flying by! As we rapidly approach the end of the school year, I have been one busy mama! Field trips, meetings, PTA events- the list goes on and on! Add to that all of the excitement and buzz in the Stampin' Up world and my head is spinning!

I kept my projects for this month fairly simple due to the very fast pace of my life right now. I hope you will enjoy them even if they are not quite as impressive as I would have liked.

My first project is a Mother's Day card that we made at my most recent card making class. I wanted to try to use as many retiring products as possible and this one uses several!

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:
Stamps: Best Friends Forever (retiring), Vintage Vogue (retiring), Delightful Dozen
Paper: Regal Rose CS, Blushing Bride CS, Whisper White CS
Ink: Blushing Bride, Regal Rose
Accessories: Big Shot, Fun Flowers die, Eyelet Border punch (retiring), large pearls, paper snips, bone folder
Technique: faux suede technique
My inspiration: this card made by Renee Van Stralen

While I'm not much of a pink person when it comes to card making, I was very pleased with the way this card turned out. The vines and leaves from the Best Friends Forever set make awesome backgrounds and the two flowers from Vintage Vogue make the perfect center for the flower. My favorite part of the card is the flower itself. Here is a close up so you can see the detail a little better.

Do you see the texture on the flower petals? I did that using a fun and easy technique called faux suede. Here is the video tutorial from Dawn Griffith's blog if you would like to try this technique yourself. The best part is that you get two flowers out of one die cut, which is great when you are making multiples of the same card!

My 3D project this month is a post it note holder that I made for my son's teacher. Next week is Teacher Appreciation week and I always try to send in a little gift to express my appreciation. As a former teacher, I know that it is not always an easy or fun job, but a very important one.

Supplies Used:
Stamp: Thank You Kindly (retiring)
Paper: Daffodil Delight CS, Summer Smooches DSP (will be available again beginning June 1st)
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Tangerine Tango (for sponging)
Accessories: Big Shot, Fun Flowers die, Lucky Limeade ruffled ribbon, Summer Smooches fabric brad (no longer available), glue dots, dimensionals, acrylic 4" x 6" photo frame (non SU), post it notes (non SU), RSVP pen (non SU)

This is a very quick gift to make and is great for anyone who has a desk job. I simply slid a piece of DSP into the frame, tied a ribbon around the top, added a flower and attached a stack of post it notes using glue dots. I also made a matching pen by rolling up a 3 1/4" x 3/4" piece of DSP to put inside the pen. I hope that  my son's teacher will like this small token of our appreciation.

Please continue on through the hop and leave some encouraging comments along the way! We love to read your comments!There are many wonderful projects to enjoy this month! Remember that if you get lost, you can always come back here and there is a full list of the entire hop at the bottom of this post. Enjoy!

~Marla

Blog Hop Participants:

1. Shellie G. of Creative Electica
2. Annie L. of Love Me Cards
3. Pam S. of Stampin' in the Sun!
4. Nancy B. of Lady Stamps a Lot
5. Rose C. of Stamp with Rose
6. Tonya B. of Stampin' with Tonya
7. Dawn S. of Dawn's Creative Chalet
8. Patricia T. of Sunnyone Stampin'
9. Heather W. of Heather's Stampin' Blog
10. Pamela W. of Stinky Tofu
11. Marla R. of Marla's Stampin' Spot (You are here!)
12. Darcy J. of DJ's Stampin' Place
13. Nicole B. of Creations by Mommy
14. Kim R. of Stamping with Kim

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Let's Hear It for the Girls!

Hello again! I had my annual feminine card class yesterday and wanted to share the cards we made with you. I was really happy with the cards and my guests seemed to like them a lot too. I hope you will as well! We made five different designs yesterday, but I am only sharing four of them today. The fifth one I am saving to share during the May edition of the Stylin' Stampin' Squad Blog Hop, which is coming up on Thursday, May 3rd. Be sure to check back then to see the fifth card!

The first card is a birthday pinwheel card. I have been seeing these cards pretty often, but I thought they looked complicated and was afraid to give one a try, but then I saw this video made by Dawn Olchefske, and I realized that they aren't difficult at all. This is a copy of her card. It uses the Sweet Shop DSP that is available in the Occasions mini until April 30th. It is awesome paper for making birthday cards. If you want this paper, don't wait! It is only available for a few more days.

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:
Stamps: Create a Cupcake
Paper: Soft Suede CS, Pool Party CS, Calypso Coral CS, Whisper White CS, Sweet Shop DSP
Ink: Calypso Coral
Accessories: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots EF, Adorning Accents EF, Modern Label punch, Word Window punch, Mat Pack, Paper Piercer, Everyday Enchantment brads (SAB-retired)
Technique: Faux Pinwheel
My inspiration: this card made by Dawn Olchefske

The next card uses the Bright Blossoms stamp set and the coordinating Summer Smooches DSP. These products will be in the new 2012-2013 Stampin' Up Catalog, but they are available during the month of April as a preview. For more information, click on the Summer Smooches button in the left sidebar. I love the bright colors featured in this suite of products! I designed this card myself using this old sketch on the Freshly Made Sketches challenge blog.

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:
Stamps: Bright Blossoms, Friendly Phrases
Paper: Rich Razzleberry CS, Tempting Turquoise CS, Real Red CS, Daffodil Delight CS, Whisper White CS, Summer Smooches DSP
Ink: Lucky Limeade, Tangerine Tango
Accessories: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots EF, 1 1/4" Circle punch, 1" Circle punch, Bright Buttons, Basic pearls

This card uses the Precious Butterflies stamp set, which will be retiring on May 31st. This is another card that was inspired by a sketch at Freshly Made Sketches. I love this challenge blog, and while I don't play along every week, I often look at past sketches for inspiration.

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:
Stamps: Precious Butterflies (hostess)
Paper: Daffodil Delight CS, Perfect Plum CS, Marina Mist CS, Very Vanilla CS
Ink: Marina Mist, Perfect Plum, Lucky Limeade
Accessories: Big Shot, Finial Press EF, Daffodil Delight seam binding (Summer Smooches promotion), 1 3/8" Circle punch, 1 1/4" Circle punch

This final card was inspired by a card that I found on Splitcoast that was made by Tessa Wise. I wanted to feature some of our retiring sets and this one uses two. The vines in the background were made with the Vintage Vogue set and the main image is made using the Awash with Flowers set. Both of these sets will be retiring on May 31st. If you would like to order either of them, please be sure to do so before that date! The color combination (Elegant Eggplant, Melon Mambo, Old Olive) that I used on this card came from the Color Coach. As I am attempting to make my more of my own cards (or at least adding my own touches to CASEd cards like this one), the color coach has been an awesome tool. I really love using it!

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:
Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Awash with Flowers, Petite Pairs
Paper: Soft Suede CS, Very Vanilla CS, Paisley Petals DSP
Ink: Soft Suede, Elegant Eggplant, Melon Mambo, Old Olive
Accessories: Big Shot, Top Note die, sponge
Technique: sponging
My inspiration: this card made by Tessa Wise

I hope you liked the cards! Please check back soon. I plan to feature more of our retiring sets in the next few weeks. To see the retiring stamp set list, please click on the button in the left sidebar. The retiring accessories list will post this Tuesday, April 25th. Those items are while supplies last, so if you see something that you want, please don't hesitate to order it before it's gone!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Marla Pin It

Going, Going, Gone!

Stampin' Up released the list of stamp sets that be retiring with the current catalog on May 31st. Click on the box below to see the full list. The list is quite long this year and some of my favorites are retiring, but I know that there will be many awesome new things to come and can't wait to see them!

The sets listed will be available only until May 31st, so if there is something you want, please be sure to order it by then!

Here is a look back at some previous blog posts of projects using stamp sets that will be retiring. If you would like more information on the cards shown, click on the name of the stamp set above each picture and it will take you to the original blog post. Enjoy!

Vintage Vogue

Awash with Flowers

Totally Tool

For All You Do

Fifth Avenue Floral

Friends Never Fade

Welcome Christmas

Serene Snowflakes

 

Dasher

Inspired by Nature

Pendant Park

I hope you enjoyed this look back at some of the wonderful stamp sets that are retiring this year! If you would like to place an order, you can do so by clicking on the button in the right sidebar. Please leave me a comment if you have any questions.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Marla 

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April Blog Hop!

Welcome back for another edition of the Stylin' Stampin' Squad's monthly blog hop! This month the themes are wedding, flowers, and spring. I have a different project for each theme. I hope you like them!

My first project is a wedding card. I used the emboss resist technique and the Hello Doily stamp to make this very sparkly (although the picture doesn't show the sparkles very well), elegant card. I love the way it turned out and am really excited to say that I designed this one completely on my own. I just sat down and started to play and this was the result. I love it when it works out like that! If you have never tried the emboss resist technique, head on over to Splitcoast and take a look at the awesome tutorial (complete with a video) they have posted.

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:
Stamps: Hello Doily, Petite Pairs
Paper: Very Vanilla, Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy
Ink: VersaMark, Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy
Accessories: Big Shot, Finial Press EF, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Eyelet Border punch, Scallop Oval punch, Large Oval punch, Very Vanilla seam binding, Baja Breeze seam binding, basic pearls, sponge
Technique: emboss resist

My 3D project this month is an Easter/Spring decorative picture. It was inspired by this card made by Glenda Mollet that I found on Pinterest. I love the daffodils made from the Fun Flowers die. They were so easy to make! I added some pearls to the centers and scored the petals of the flowers and layered everything with dimensionals. The sky and grass in the background is sponged using Old Olive and Baja Breeze Ink. Easy peasy! I planned to add a "Happy Easter" sentiment, but decided that if I didn't, it could be a spring decoration rather than just Easter.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: none
Paper: Very Vanilla, Garden Green, Daffodil Delight
Ink: Old Olive, Baja Breeze
Accessories: Big Shot, Fun Flowers die, Simply Scored, basic pearls, dimensionals, sponge, 5x7 frame (non-SU)
Technique: sponging


My final project is a birthday card that I made for my little sister. Today is her 26th birthday! Happy Birthday, Marcy! (I hope she doesn't see this posting before she gets her card at her birthday dinner tonight!) I used this month's blog hop challenge as my inspiration for this card. The challenge is to use the Vintage Vogue stamp set and the colors Wisteria Wonder, Lucky Limeade, and Elegant Eggplant. A challenge to use purple and green? Yep, I had to play along! I also decided to try another fun fold card. I have seen lots of center step cards and think they are beautiful, but I had never tried one myself. I was surprised at how easy it was to make. They are great because they are lovely cards that also make amazing display pieces. If you have never tried a center step card, check out the tutorial (complete with video) over on Splitcoast.

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:
Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Petite Pairs
Paper: Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White
Ink: Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Lucky Limeade
Accessories: Paper Trimmer, Scallop Trim Border punch, paper snips, Lucky Limeade ruffled ribbon, large pearls, basic pearls, dimensionals


Well, I hope you enjoyed the projects that I made this month. Thank you so much for stopping by. Please continue through the blog hop (Darcy is next!) and take a minute to leave a few comments. We love to read your feedback. The complete list of bloggers is at the bottom of this post just in case you get lost along the way. Happy Hoppin'!

Blog Hop Participants:

1. Shellie G. of Creative Electica
2. Annie L. of Love Me Cards
3. Pam S. of Stampin' in the Sun!
4. Nancy B. of Lady Stamps a Lot
5. Anji C. of Altered Scraps Blog
6. Rose C. of Stamp with Rose
7. Tonya B. of Stampin' with Tonya
8. Dawn S. of Dawn's Creative Chalet
9. Patricia T. of Sunnyone Stampin'
10. Heather W. of Heather's Stampin' Blog
11. Pamela W. of Stinky Tofu
12. Linda O. of Stamp at Linda's
13. Marla R. of Marla's Stampin' Spot
14. Darcy J. of DJ's Stampin' Place
15. Nicole B. of Creations by Mommy
16. Pam S. of Sunny Girl Scraps
17. Kim R. of Stamping with Kim

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Quick Easter Card!

Can you believe that Easter is next Sunday? Wow! The winter just flew by (probably because we never really had winter weather)! Spring is upon us and I am so excited because that means that my most favorite season (Summer) will be here soon!

I have a sweet, quick, and simple Easter card to share today. We made this a a workshop last week and everyone really liked it. I will admit that I don't often send out Easter cards, but when I saw this post on Lee Ann Greff's blog, I had to CASE (copy) her lily Easter card. I may even send a few cards out this year!

Stampin' Up Supplies Used:
Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral, Delightful Dozen
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Whisper White
Ink: Jet Black Staz On, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Big Shot, Framelits Labels Collection, Simply Scored, Diagonal Plate, White Gel Pen, Basic Pearls, sponge

I love this image from Fifth Avenue Floral. I love lillies! In fact, Tiger Lillies are my very favorite flower. I love driving along a country road (or any road really) on an early summer day and seeing the vibrant orange of the tiger lillies growing everywhere. They also bloom close to my birthday every year, so that only adds to my love of them. I will have to plan to redo this card in orange!

Anyway, back to the card... although it is a fairly simple design, this card uses a lot of Stampin' Up's awesome new products. It made for a perfect workshop card. Do you see the faint score lines in the background? I made them with the brand new Diagonal Plate for the Simply Scored tool. It is a really cool addition to the Simply Scored and it makes quick and easy work of a fun background. You can also use it to make your own envelopes! Contact me for more information on ordering the Diagonal Plate (or any other products).

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy the last few hours of your weekend! Be sure to stop back by this Thursday, April 5th for the April edition of the Stylin' Stampin' Squad Blog Hop! Pin It