When Life Gives You Lemons...

What could be more optimistic than this little trooper of a stamp set?  I love it!  I wasn't sure that I even wanted it when I first browsed the catalog, but then I saw it used on someone else's facebook video and I was hooked.   And, I love lemons.  They are delicious, so tart and juicy and they smell divine. This stamp set also caters to the lime enthusiasts because it only requires a change of ink and paper.  And honestly, the segmented image could easily be an orange or tangerine.  I think we have all our citrus' covered!

This card also showcases a new product in the 2017-2018 annual catalog.  Texture Paste!  It's so easy to work with too.  I tinted mine with a little Daffodil Delight ink, spread it around on my silicone mat with the handy dandy spatulas and then spread it on using the Pattern Party Decorative Masks.  It dries very quickly too.

Did you notice the lovely dry embossing on the background paper?  Oh my goodness!!  Those 3D Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folders are so amazing!  They recommend spritzing a little water on the paper first, but I skipped that step and was still very pleased with my results.

 This card made me feel so happy when I created it.  The colors were so cheerful and the message so optimistic, that I made a whole bunch of them to share in a team swap.  I hope everyone else loves them too!

Pretty Flourishes

I have been on a roll lately, wanting to be creative and to share it with others.  So many of my favorite stamp sets recently retired and I was sad to see them go.  However, this little gem remained to be with us for another year.  Birthday Blossoms is a super watercolor friendly set that you can make up pretty quickly by wiping some ink randomly over the detailed line art design.  I used the Flourish Thinlits to add some pretty background texture, and cut out a scalloped circle to frame the sentiment from the Rose Wonder Stamp set.  (Also carrying over this year).  The Designer Series Papers this year are so, so beautiful.  This one is from Petal Garden, and the papers in the 2nd example are from the Whole Lot of Lovely designer papers.

So, what do you think?  I really love how these cards came out and can't wait to find a special purpose to give them to someone.  That's a goal I have this year...to share cards with friends and family to let them know that I care about them.  Why should I keep hoarding all these lovelies to myself?

A little tip when trying to adhere those detailed flourish die cuts to the card.  You can use the new Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets.  They are awesome!  You simply lay your paper on one sticky side, cut out the image and pull the other adhesive backing off and you can get a full coverage adhesive without the frustration of glues and tapes.  I am stocking up on more of that stuff!

All the Pretty Things

My blog has had its ups and downs and there have been definite periods where I have not shared anything new.  It's not that I haven't had creative moments during the past year, but the fact is, I have been side-tracked with some life events that changed my focus for awhile, but in the process I regained my health and that's an important thing!

I am still with Stampin'Up! and have so much I have wanted to share in the past months, but neglected to do so.  I am going to try and make up for some lost time and share some things over the next few days.  Who knows?  If there is enough interest, I may even offer a giveaway!   That's fun, right?

The annual catalog came out at the beginning of this month, and there are so many new and fun products to showcase.  Of course, I had to go overboard and buy a bunch of new stamp sets, die sets, inks, papers and products.  Oh, how I love looking, planning and plotting out new ideas and ways to use all the pretty things.

If you are interested in seeing all the pretty things you can follow this link to do just that!  I would be happy to be give you access to them as well!  Or, drop me a message and I will mail you out a catalog.  I really want to share these wonderful products with everyone that is interested.  Additionally, I am very much interested in hosting a stamp club.  If you have a few friends that would be willing to purchase a minimum monthly order over the next year, you can all take turns being the hostess and getting all the fun free stuff that comes along with that...plus, you can also be eligible to get your hands on some of our for hostess only stamp sets.  Here is one that I made this beautiful card with.  Oh, how I love these tulips!

I will add links to the products used to create this card below.  Keep checking back in the next few days as I show even more pretty things that can be made with the fantastic products at Stamping' Up!