Graduation Time

It's that time of year - graduations!! I'm trying to keep up with the graduation announcements that we receive. I always like to send a beautiful homemade card to commemorate their wonderful accomplishment. I don't have a graduation stamp set per se, but I came up with this idea which is simple and quick (and I can now watermark the photos on my phone - yay!). I have used some retired items for these, but the basic idea can be used with anything...

Both of these are using Night of Navy ink, but it looks black in the photos.

That's a start - I'll just keep using up some DSP, both new and old, and pop these cards in the mail lickety-split! How many graduation cards do you think YOU'LL have to make this year?!

Happy stamping!
Michele

Designer Series Paper Sale!

During the month of July, when you buy 3 packs of Designer Series Paper, you get 1 more pack at my favorite price - FREE!

This is a perfect chance to stock up on your new favorites! You can see the eligible packs on page 186-187 of our new catalog, or shop online here (Specialty DSP and DSP Stacks are not included in this sale).

Happy shopping!

Michele

Great Friend

Happy Halloween everyone! How many of you have over 2 feet of snow on the ground? Well, we sure do. :) It snowed all day Wednesday and Thursday - enough that all of the schools were closed and the city basically shut down. But... much to the dismay of my boys, OUR school was in session!! Ah, the beauty of homeschooling! :)

Okay, I just have to tell you once again how much I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my new stamping desk!! It has sparked in me a renewed passion to get down there and STAMP! I have taken photos of it and will be posting them soon so you can all see it, but for now, just enjoy the fruits of my labor...

This is a beautiful set called Great Friend. I like it primarily because of the wonderful sentiment... "You're a friend who makes good times great," but I also love butterflies, so this set is right up my alley! I also want to reiterate how fabulous it is that we have the new In Colors in MARKERS! The sentiment was colored using markers, including the new Rich Razzleberry! Thank you, Stampin' Up!!

For a product spotlight, I must mention again how wonderful this beautiful Whisper White Organza Ribbon is. Each spool has 15 yards of this graceful delicacy - enough to embellish at least 36 cards! It is truly my favorite ribbon right now, and if you haven't tried it out for yourself, add it to your list for your next order! You won't be sorry! (Item 114319, $5.95)

Have a safe & happy Halloween!

Card Recipe:
Stamp Set: Great Friend
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Versamark, Old Olive
Cardstock: Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Cottage Wall DSP
Accessories: Organza Ribbon
Tools: Curly Label Punch

Happy Birthday, Dawn-E!

A dear friend of mine - my maid of honor, in fact - is having a birthday next week. I affectionately call her Dawn-E because E is her middle initial. I don't think she watches this blog, so I think I'm safe in showing you the card I made for her:

I used the new Rich Razzleberry In Color for this one - I like it! It's so... um... RICH! I paired it up with the new Chic Boutique stamp set with the sentiment that says, "It seems only fitting... to wish you a happy day!" What a cute set this is. Oh, and look! Since the Fire Rhinestones are on sale, I decided to pop some on here!

Oh, it felt so good to stamp again! I've been neglecting it far too long.

Card Recipe:
Stamp Set: Chic Boutique
Ink: Black StazOn, Chocolate Chip
Cardstock: Rich Razzleberry, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP
Accessories: Chocolate Chip wide Grosgrain ribbon, Fire Rhinestones, Crystal Effects

Pillow Box Treats

I've only got a few minutes to post... I'm still trying to get caught up showing you some things I made for Valentine's Day! Here is another idea I saw on how to make the Pillow Box a little differently.

Right after you use the Big Shot to cut out the box, you use the Heart to Heart punch on it to create the heart "windows". Here's a better look:

Then you can stamp a cute little tag and tie it all up. Again, I only used some SNAIL on one of the long edges and none on the ends. The ribbon holds the ends closed.

A simple little treat to make up real quick when you need to give someone a little happiness (aka: chocolate)!

Pillow Box Recipe:
Stamp Set: Love You Much
Ink: Riding Hood Red
Cardstock: Whisper White, various DSP (use whatever you have!)
Accessories: Riding Hood Red Taffeta ribbon, Silver Elastic thread
Tools: Word Window punch, Heart to Heart punch, Pillow Box Die, Big Shot

Classroom Valentines

Once again, my boys and I made their school valentines... you can view this post to see what we made last year. This year, I pulled out the handy-dandy Big Shot and let the boys crank away! ...seems that thing is finding it's way into all my cards lately! I forgot to take pictures of the boys in action... darnit (I love to prove to you that boys DO like to stamp!), but they did, indeed, help me make these. Here is the final result:

We kept things simple and didn't do a whole lot of embellishing (kids are just gonna rip 'em open anyway, right?!). The tops of the bags are held closed with the Big Note Die and staples - easy peasy! Inside, we added a candy treat and a small note made with the Scallop Envelope Die.

I just love this little envelope - it's perfect for tucking inside a gift bag, or sliding under the ribbon of a wrapped package, or for hiding love notes under your husband's pillow...

...or for making little Valentines for all your kids' classmates!

Obviously, I used some retired Prints patterns - but the little 6" x 6" blocks of paper we get as a Hostess Level I reward are PERFECT for projects like this!

I still have two more Valentine posts to share with you but first I gotta patch up some chipped paint and pack a few more boxes... oh, and maybe do a couple loads of laundry, feed some hungry kids, scrub some toilets... you get the idea.

Valentine Recipe:
Stamp Set: Holidays & Wishes
Ink: Real Red
Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, So Saffron, Lovely Lilac, Whisper White, Prints DSP
Accessories: Whisper White grosgrain ribbon, Small Flat Cellophane Bags, staples
Tools: Heart to Heart punch, Big Shot, Scallop Envelope Bigz Die, Top Note Bigz Die

Blastin' Off in Bubble Wrap

Yes, I'm back. Didn't expect me, did ya? I wish I could say that last post about me cutting back on my blog was a bunch of hooey, and that I'll actually greet you here at 10:23pm sharp every night... but my husband is a lot more fun to have a late night love affair with than this computer. Sorry y'all! But... he's out of town tonight. So I threw aside the boxes and bubble wrap (no fun jumping out of boxes wrapped in bubble wrap when Michael's not here)... and decided to make a card instead.

A good neighbor friend of mine came down the other night so she could play with my Watercolor Wonder Crayons and decide which color family to get (of course I told her she simply had to have them all). During our play-time, I colored a couple of these rockets from Pun Fun. I'm not sure why I decided to color this little guy Turquoise and Eggplant, but I did... maybe it was so I could show her TWO different color families - yes, that's me... saleswoman extraordinaire. In any case, this is what I wound up with:

My favorite part about this one is the cool texture in the background... Talk about a love affair? That Big Shot and I have somethin' pretty special going on. Don't tell Michael.

Here's a better shot of the background:

And, just in case you wanted to see the fruit of my labored sales pitch, here's a close up of the rocket, in all it's multi-color-family glory.

She only bought one color family this time... maybe I oughta stick to the bubble wrap gig.

Card Recipe:
Stamp Set: Pun Fun
Ink: Black StazOn
Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Naturals White, textured Elegant Eggplant, Watercolor Paper, Rainbow Sherbet DSP
Accessories: Tempting Turquoise grosgrain ribbon, Bold Bright eyelets
Tools: Big Shot, Stampin' Backgrounds Texturz Plates, Scalloped Edge punch, Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aquapainter, Cutter Kit, Dimensionals

Rockabilly Specialty DSP

Hi folks, here's a quick post to show you how cool the new Rockabilly Specialty DSP is... I've been working all day getting Paper Shares cut and packaged up and I just couldn't wait for you to get them.

You can see that on one side of the paper, they have a shine to them - as if they've been embossed with clear powder. Isn't it the coolest?! And, in the crazy event that you don't like THAT side of the paper, you could always turn it over for these designs:

Regardless of which side you use, it's still a darling pack... I was leary of it because I'm not really into this skull craze, but there's so much more to love about this paper!

My Paper Share has officially ended and my final order went in yesterday, but I do have the following still available on a first come, first serve basis:

Group 1 - [SOLD]
Group 3 - only 1 left available
Group 5 - [SOLD]

Let's see who'll be the first to snag these up!

My Embellishment Share is still going on, and there's still time for you to get ALL THIS:
But hurry! It'll end on February 6th! Contact me if you're interested, and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Dazzle 'Em with Cupcakes!

I have gotten the most wonderful e-mails and comments from this post... apparently my scrapbooking style resonates with at least a few of you! And for that, I'm thrilled! One particular reader, Karen, wrote me and basically begged me to do more scrapbook layouts... but I told her I had 5 birthdays and 1 anniversary in the next couple of weeks that I had to work on first. Well, that COULD'VE taken a couple of weeks to accomplish, but thanks to one of my favorite stamp sets (Crazy for Cupcakes) and an enthusiastic reader (Karen), I knocked out 5 of the 6 cards in just a couple hours! There's nothing better than to find a style that works... and then duplicate it over and over to meet other needs. Here are 5 birthday cards I made the other day while my 2-year old napped.

This first one is for my 17 year old niece. I remember once when she went through some of my cards that she really liked this one... so I decided to duplicate the colors for her... Tempting Turquoise and Real Red.

One of my very favorite things to do is add Dazzling Diamonds to my cards, and these cupcakes are the PERFECT thing to dazzle! (Edited to add instructions): To do this, I first dab the Embossing Buddy over my image which keeps the sparkle where I want it... then I simply use a 2-Way glue pen on the areas I want to dazzle, sprinkle the Dazzling Diamonds over it, and tap off the excess! As you can see below, the sparkly frosting is what turns this card from "wow" to "WOW!!!". Don't ya just wanna eat 'em up?! Although it's hard to tell in the photos, all of the cards in this post have this same sparkle.

This next card is the exact same format, only different colors - Pretty in Pink and Green Galore. It's for my 10 year old niece in Mississippi. These two cards use the Rainbow Sherbet DSP.

This next one is for Mason's new teacher (remember his other teacher resigned)... I haven't met her yet, but her birthday is this week. Nothing like a homemade card to say "Welcome!"... it uses Regal Rose, Apricot Appeal, and Sweet Always DSP. And the ribbon is the So Saffron twill, but it matches the Apricot just fine!

The next one is for Morgan's teacher, who also has a birthday this week. I decided to try some chocolate cupcakes this time! Mmmmmm! Yummy! This is also the Sweet Always DSP, paired up with Regal Rose and Chocolate Chip.

And this last one is for my 19 year old niece in Indiana. I think this one is my personal favorite of the 5... but then, I'm a sucker for Kiwi Kiss! This uses Bella Rose DSP, with Real Red, Chocolate Chip, and of course, Kiwi Kiss. I also used the new Heart to Heart punch.

So there you have it... 5 cards knocked out lickety split!! I just have my parents' anniversary card to make... but I already snuck in another scrapbook page, of which I'll show you very soon! Thanks again for all of your sweet compliments, and for making my head swell. :)

Love You Much Valentines

I promised to show you my little Valentine cards today... these were all made using the products in the Love You Much promotion bundle. You can click on the flyer at left for more information - it's a great deal! Instead of using full size cards, these are the 3-1/2" x 5" Whisper White Note Cards (item #107311, page 167, $5.95 for 20 cards/envelopes). I felt they made great little Valentines for friends and neighbors. Heck, one pack has just about enough to make some darling Valentines for your kids' classmates! Here are some possibilities:

Aren't they cute? There are so many possibilities with this bundle... I'd like to make a few more! But for now, here are the closer photos along with some notes and the recipes.



On this first one, I inked up the birdie stamp in Chocolate Chip, then wiped off the heart with a Q-tip and colored it with a Ruby Red Stampin' Write marker. The birdies are softly colored with Stampin' Pastels.

Valentine Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Love You Much, Family Phrases
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip
Cardstock: Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Ruby Red, Candy Lane DSP
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Narrow Grosgrain
Tools: Stampin' Pastels, Dimensionals


I colored in the flowers on the heart with Stampin' Write Markers. The ribbon is threaded through a slit that I made in the fold using the Horizontal Slot punch.

Valentine Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Love You Much
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip
Cardstock: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette, Candy Lane DSP
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Wide Grosgrain
Tools: Heart to Heart punch, Word Window punch, Horizontal Slot punch, Dimensionals


Just like on the first card, I inked up this stamp with Chocolate Chip, removed the ink on the flower with a Q-tip, and colored it with a Ruby Red Stampin' Write Marker. Then I colored in the words with an Old Olive Stampin' Write Marker.

Valentine Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Love You Much
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Ruby Red
Cardstock: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Candy Lane DSP
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Narrow Grosgrain
Tools: Heart to Heart punch, Rhinestone Ice Circle brads, Dimensionals


Here are a couple more photos of this last card - the hearts on the front are actually punched all the way through, and then I lined up some Ruby Red hearts to put on the inside.


Valentine Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Love You Much, Short & Sweet
Ink: Ruby Red
Cardstock: Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Ruby Red
Accessories: Riding Hood Red Striped Grosgrain ribbon, Silver Elastic cord
Tools: Heart to Heart punch, Word Window punch, Dimensionals

If you haven't purchased your Love You Much bundle, there's still time!! Contact me today to place your order!

Final Draft

First of all, I am so humbled by all of the wonderful comments you have been leaving in response to my last post! What awesome stories! If you haven't taken a moment to read through those comments, I strongly encourage you to do so... there's a lot of love out there. I have been busy working on my handmade gift for my oldest son, Mason, and I can't wait to show you... but for now, let me show you the final result of my Christmas card:

I didn't really change anything on the outside from the original, but I decided to use brads instead of the linen thread to save on time. I also found that by using the direct-to-paper technique around the edge of the postcard, it made it look more authentic. I ordered a custom 3-line personalized stamp with our names on it, and I love how it takes the place of what would be an address on the postcard... plus it saves my wrist from all that writing! I am, however, going to include a small hand-written message on each one, just so it can be a bit more personal.

Then, on the other side is our family photo which hopefully mimics how a real postcard looks!

I am still working on these, and I do intend to get back to regular posting as soon as I can breathe. In the meantime, thank you all so much for your loyalty and understanding! Hugs!

Christmas Card Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Winter Post, En Francais background
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Naturals Ivory, Ski Slope DSP
Accessories: Vintage Brads
Tools: Designer Label punch, Stamping Sponge

My Dilemma

I'm still here... I know it's been way too long since you've seen anything from me! The bad news is that I haven't made anything new except what I'm about to show you. The good news is that I (knock on wood) haven't gotten sick! All 4 of my men have had sickness in one form or another, but I have been spared. I think I like this Airborne stuff! ...either that, or the good Lord is letting all of my boys get well before I get stuck with it!

In any case, I have a dilemma that I need help with. I have shown you the Christmas card that I was going to make this year... here's a refresher photo:

Remember that the postcard slides out and I'd put our photo on the back of it. You can see a second photo at this post. Anyway, y'all loved it but thought I was out of my gourd when I said I needed to make 150 of them (I probably am). So I created this, much simpler, card instead:

Well, here's the dilemma... my husband really likes that first one. He says that all the guys we send it to will think it's really cool. So that makes me want to do that one after all! Heck, to be able to impress GUYS with a homemade card?? How tempting is that?!

There's a second dilemma as well... with that second card, my original intention was for it to be a postcard-type (totally inspired by the custom card I created for a friend) and not open. But that doesn't really leave room for me to put all of our names. Sure, I could do it on the back, but the brads show back there. I could make the brads pierce only through the white background, but then I'd have to use SNAIL to hold the whole thing closed. I could let it open, but it doesn't look very good because of the brads in there, either.

As you can tell, I'm torn. And I think my head is so overloaded that I can't make this simple decision. But I'm almost finished with the wedding ensemble (YIPPEE!), so I need to figure out what I'm going to do and get busy! Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!

Christmas Card??

Good Monday morning, everyone! I know it's been a while since I've given you a new post... but the busy holiday season is upon us! In addition to the wedding invitation job I took, I've also been hired to make the Christmas cards for a friend of mine. Needless to say, I've been busy and that doesn't even include my OWN Christmas cards!!

I'm still trying to decide what I'm going to do for my own cards. I originally planned to do the one I'm going to show you here, but I think with all that I have going on, it may be too labor intensive. It is a pocket card using the beautiful new Winter Post set that is in the current Mini Catalog.

The part that slides out is the "postcard" and I would stamp a Christmas sentiment on there - or just handwrite my own message. My intention is then to attach our family photograph to the other side of it (all postcards have a nice photo on the front!).

This card was adapted from an earlier card I made, which I really liked.

Let me know what you think... and be honest - because if you all love it too much, then I'll have to find the time to make 150 of them!! So REALLY, it's okay if you don't like it just a little!! :)

Christmas Card Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Winter Post, En Francais background
Ink: Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Naturals Ivory, Ski Slope DSP
Accessories: Linen Thread
Tools: Designer Label punch, 1/16" Circle punch, Stamping Sponge