DSP Bows

During the month of August, if you buy 3 packs of Stampin' Up Designer Series Papers you will receive one pack free. So I decided that I would show you a little something you can do with one sheet of DSP (other than make a card or scrapbook pages). This is my paper bow and coordinating envelope! I should have used brighter paper, but I really needed a masculine gift so I used paper from the retired Soireee DSP pack. Since I am giving a monetary gift, I cut a coordinating piece of DSP that I wrapped around and adhered to an envelope. Topped that off with my paper bow and I have a cute little present to give! (This is something that we will be making in the August 6th card class.) Have a wonderful day and find yourself a little stampin' time.

A Masculine Thank You

The photo looks like a black and white photo~~doesn't it? The use of Basic Gray cardstock and both Basic Gray and Black designer paper from the neutrals stack is part of the explanation. I must say that the card

is much more defined in person. Interesting how some objects photograph. At any rate, the stamped image is another technique that we will do in class on August 6th. This card is not the typical A2 size card, but rather 6 1/2 inches by 3 1/4 inches. I do like this style of card for a change of pace, but the envelopes are more expensive to purchase and you can only get one to a 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of cardstock. Of course with the remainder of the cardstock, you could make a cute little 3x3 card. Have a great day and Happy Friday!

It has been a while since I posted a scrapbook layout. That being said, I am really behind on my scrapbooking! But after playing with paper this morning, I am motivated to do some scrapping. This two-page layout was very simple. I used Flirtatious Specialty paper, Melon Mambo and Pretty In Pink cardstock and the Scallop Trim Border punch. The page on the left needs a little something more, so when I decide what photo to place on this page, a little ribbon wrapped around the photo and a journaling box or title cut with my Cricut might complete the page nicely. If you enlarge the photos, you will notice that I did add a little bling to each page!

Stamping Off

I was laughing to myself as I looked thru the holiday mini to be released on September 1st. How can we possibly be thinking about Christmas and Thanksgiving with all of the heat and summer weather we are having right now? But I will say there are a few must haves for me, beginning with the new Simply Scored scoring tool and the 1x8 cellophane bags that Stampin' Up will be offering. And then there is the cute little stocking punch that will be available. I will be placing order for a few new items, but in the meantime I am using some of my favorite things, beginning with the Elegant Bouquet embossing folder. The August 6th card class will be a techniques class and we will be doing some stamping off which I did on this card. I used a stamp from the Word Play set, ink and marker to create the sentiment. Have a great day!

Pool Party & Very Vanilla

I was in my scraproom planning my next card class when I got sidetracked (nothing new!). I loved the white-on-white card I made a while back and I intended to make a blue-on-blue card with Pool Party being the predominant blue. I wasn't liking how the Pool Party looked with other blues so I opted to use Very Vanilla with the Pool Party. I probably should have used a Very Vanilla ribbon or one of the crocheted trims, but I just had to use the Pool Party Ruffled ribbon. I think the card is very pretty and I have left enough space in the lower right-hand corner to add a sentiment stamped on a punched shape such as the Word Window or Modern Label. Hope you are having a good weekend and that you and your house stayed dry!

Sydney was thrilled with the overhead projector! The errands Jenny was going to run after lunch went right down the drain once Sydney opened her present. Syd spent the remainder of the day playing school. And yes, this is a picture of her playroom--not a classroom--lol! What can I say? We have a little "educator" geek on our hands. Not only has her Mommy influenced her, but the teachers she has had so far in her school years have also greatly influenced her. Go teachers! And speaking of teaching, I am off to the scraproom to get things ready for this afternoon's card class! Have a great weekend.

Happy Birthday, Sydney!

It is a special day for our granddaughter, Sydney. She is celebrating her 7th birthday! Yesterday was her kids' party which was so fun. She had 11 little girls and boys over for an owl-themed craft party. (Jenny made the cupcakes.) She received some great presents but the one that she was most excited about was a black, white and pink stapler! And then there was a "grown-up" purse instead of a "little girl's" purse that was on her list. Of course, she received the Stampin' Up owl punch from me together with some SU markers and cardstock. It was quite the afternoon and my husband and I came home to the peace and quiet of our home--lol! Today we will be having lunch with Sydney and her Mommy at Panera's~~Syd's choice as "she has not been there for a while"! We will let her have her big birthday present from us this afternoon. This is something she has been asking for since school started last year. We thought she would outgrow the desire for one of these, but she hasn't. We are giving her an overhead projector!!!!!! Yes, all she ever asks me for is an overhead projector. She is getting the markers that go with it, the transparencies and the pocket organizer, too. Sydney is our little teacher, following in her Mommy's footsteps. We truly were blessed seven years ago when Sydney made her entrance into our lives. We are so proud of her and of the wonderful job Jenny is doing raising her. And we can't leave out her Daddy, Mark, who also does a great job. Off to the birthday lunch! Have a wonderful day and find yourself a little stampin' time.

Wish Big!

This card uses a variety of my favorite Stampin' Up products, starting with the Melon Mambo cardstock. Then there is the background layer which was made using the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder~~ the embossing folder I use the very most. The ribbon~~now the ribbon on this card is retired, but I love it and want to use it up before purchasing the new 1/2" Scallop Dots ribbon in Melon Mambo. How about the frame for the sentiment? I made that using the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch. And finally, the sentiment is one of the sentiments available in the Word Play stamp set. I added pink rhinestones~~not an SU product, but the color was perfect. Since this card was made using some of my favorite things, I will be sending it to one of my favorite people! Have a great day and keep cool!

Step Card

So I wanted to try a center step card and here is a photo. It measures 5 1/2 inches square so you need a square envelope (which SU sells) and square envelopes do require extra postage. If I write a message to the recipient of this card, I will do so on the back of the card. The colors I used are Melon Mambo and Wild Wasabi which I think is a very cheerful color combination. Have a nice day and keep cool!

Cricut & Birthdays

Sunday was our monthly Cricut get together~~and it was even more fun than usual! ( Thanks Laura for the Jello Shots!) We celebrated birthdays. But not just any birthdays, those BIG birthdays: 60, 55, 50--lol! Carol was in charge of the snack this month and she even handed out goodie bags with little tiaras for each of us. I am sure my neighbors thought we were crazy as everyone walked to their cars afterwards and I was still wearing my tiara. Every month one person is in charge of the snack and one is in charge of the project. But this month our project was a group effort to make birthday cards for Operation Write Home. We ended the afternoon with about 70 cards--all birthday-themed and all very nice. I will get those to the post office this week and in the upcoming weeks and months we will be touching lives of people we do not know as they receive birthday cards from their loved ones serving in the US military. We are all very proud of our military personnel and their families and friends who give so much--thank you.

Hot Week Ahead!

The weather forecast is calling for very hot weather here this week. As I was going thru the freezer planning some of the meals for the week, I knew dinners were going to be anything that can be cooked on the grill outside. We do not have a kettle grill and have not had one for many years, but I was reminded of a card I had seen a while back. I recreated the card as an invitation as I think this would be a very cute invitation if you are planning on having a barbecue in the future. Or if you attended a barbecue you could replace "you're invited" with "thank you". Keep cool and have a great Sunday!

Looking thru A Window?

My card for today looked really good until I took a picture of it and noticed a little smudge--thus the butterfly! Once again, embellishments can do a lot for a card! I used Crumb Cake ink and the stamping off method for the image and then cut the image into four equal sections. I mounted the four sections onto Soft Suede cardstock and punched the bottom for a decorative edge. The image from the Just Believe stamp set worked perfectly as the focal point for "looking out a window". As I look thru my office window, one of the main things I see is a bird feeder. If I had the Aviary stamp set, I could stamp a bird cage and instead of looking out a window, you could be looking in! So many ideas, not enough time--or money--lol! Have a great day.

Pinwheels

The other day I posted a card using half circles to create pinwheels. Today I am posting pinwheels made with candy sticks and designer paper. I saw that another SU demo made these and I thought they were so cute that I had to try creating a couple myself. Instead of using half circles for these pinwheels, I used squares. These are adorable and would be cute party favors. Or tie a ribbon around the candy stick, add a pretty tag with a person's name and use as place seating cards. I purchased these candy sticks at Michael's, but I am sure that you can find different color candy sticks elsewhere--I just have to find out where--lol!! Have a great day!

Can't Get Much Easier

Sometimes we over-think when it comes to being creative with our cards. I know that I try to make my cards pretty and layered and one-of-a-kind and sometimes I spend a fair amount of time designing. Well, this is a card that took no time at all and is still pretty. I used the Manhattan Flower embossing folder and the greeting is from the My Friend stamp set on page 139 of the cattie. Island Indigo ink and ribbon shows up so very nicely against the white background. (And let me mention here that I am so loving the new ribbons!) This is also a good card to send to Operation Write Home as I can make quite a few and change the colors. Off to make a birthday card for a special friend of mine. Have a nice day!

Imagine

This particular card showcases a number of new items: Precious Butterflies hostess set; the Blossom Bouquet Triple layer punch; and Island Indigo cardstock and ink. In addition to the new, I have also used the sentiment from the Word Play stamp set; the clear Itty Bitty buttons and Itty Bitty Shape Punch; and Tangerine Tango ink and cardstock. When you have a little spare time, check out the Word Play stamp set on page 156 of the cattie. It is an expensive set, but consists of wonderful sentiments that can be used over and over again. I wonder if I will use it as much as I use Sincere Salutations? Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Fifth Avenue Floral

I wonder why it took me so long to add Fifth Avenue Floral to my stamp collection? I used the lily stamp for this card and the colors Pool Party & Melon Mambo. The reinker watercolor technique is fun as you never know just how the watercolored image is going to turn out. I do think that I probably should have used a lighter shade of pink with just a little touch of Melon Mambo--next time. These flowers I embossed using Melon Mambo embossing powder rather than white. And how cute is that little polka dot brad? Have a great day!

Cake Cones

My son wakes up today and says, "Did you see what Nikki sent home?" I instantly knew that meant one of Nikki's baked creations so I immediately opened the fridge door. Nikki is actually one of my son's friends. Matt had told her about our Cricut group so she joined us one Sunday--bringing home-baked cookies with her. I enjoyed meeting her and she seemed to have a nice afternoon. Nikki is much younger than the rest of us so I was not sure she would come to the next Sunday Cricut group. But she did--this time bringing cake balls. And the cake balls were scrumptious. Since that first Cricut meeting, Nikki and I have become friends--sharing ideas and learning from each other. Pictured are the ice cream cone cake balls Nikki sent home last night. Sooo cute and very good, too! Thanks Nikki!

Where To Get Inspiration

I don't usually post twice in one day, but I did need to share these photos with you. The other day I opened a new pack of paper towels which are now on my kitchen counter. Every time I am at the sink, I see them and tell myself that I should make a card like the paper towels--lol! So this morning I went to my scrap room and played with the new In Colors, using these paper towels as my inspiration. And this is one of the cards I made. I used paper from the new In Colors paper stack and Calypso Coral and Pool Party cardstock. If you look closely, the center of the biggest pinwheel is one of the new polka dot brads. The sentiment is from the Happiest Birthday Wishes hostess stamp set and is stamped with Island Indigo ink. I also sponged the edges using Wisteria Wonder and clipped the corners with the ticket corner punch. I just think this card is too cute and it is all because of a roll of paper towels!!!

Beautiful Ribbon!

Just a quick post this morning showcasing two of the new ribbons from Stampin' Up. I once again used the two-step technique for the Pool Party card. This is another flower in the Greenhosue Garden set. But the ribbon is what I am loving! It is the 3/8" ruffled ribbon which is available in the In colors. The Poppy Parade card I posted in a previous post, but I felt it needed a little something more. And look how finished the card looks now with the Basic Black Scallop Dots Ribbon? I see a lot of new ribbon in my future! Have a wonderful day.

Two-step Stamping

This morning I made these cards using the two-step technique. I used Daffodil Delight and Espresso on one and Wisteria Wonder and Chocolate Chip on the other. The stamp set is Greenhouse Garden on page 119 of the new Idea Book & Catalog. This particular technique works well for me when I use the stamp-a-ma-jig. My recent order is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow. When I have a chance, I will make a similar card using a different flower from Greenhouse Garden and one of the new ribbons--probably Pool Party and Basic black. I sure hope the ruffled ribbon in the new In colors is as pretty as I think it will be. So

check back on Saturday to see another two-step card with some new ribbon.

Watercolor

While waiting for some new items, I decided to work on water coloring. I don't watercolor very often, but it truly is a fun technique which produces varying results. This card was stamped with black Stazon ink and then colored in using Poppy Parade, Real Red and Lucky Limeade ink pads and an Aqua Painter. The July class scheduled for July 23rd will be a watercolor techniques class. The color combination on this card will be used, but I am not totally sure as to whether or not this specific card will be one we work on. I do know that we will be using the aqua painter brush, watercolor crayons and maybe even watercolor pencils. Be sure to let me know if you will be attending so that I have adequate supplies. Have a great day!

Baja Breeze Thank You

Today's card uses one of my favorite color combinations--Baja Breeze and Very Vanilla. I liked this combination when Baja Breeze was an In color a couple of years ago and I still like it. I wonder if one of the new In Colors will become a favorite when paired with Very Vanilla.? I am not sure, but I am thinking that Pool Party and Vanilla together with the new 3/8" ruffled ribbon could easily become a favorite. I am placing an order first thing tomorrow morning which includes a few spools of new ribbon and the New In Colors Pattern Paper stack so I will find out! I am also ordering a new die for my Big Shot and a stamp set or two. If there is anything you want me to add to the order, please let me know by tonight. I want to have the order in place so that all I need to do tomorrow morning is hit the "send" button. Have a great day and find yourself a little stamping time.

Happy Birthday!

In honor of our Nation's birthday, the inspiration for this card was taken from the card on page 66 of the new IB&C. I used different colors, little stars instead of buttons and the Happy Birthday sentiment is from the hostess set, Happiest Birthday Wishes. But once again, how easy to design a card when you copy from the catalog! Have a safe and Happy Fourth of July!

Eyes to The Skies!

It is July 4th weekend and our friend, Tom, was back in town for Lisle, Illinois' annual balloon fest, Eyes To The Skies. On Friday the weather prediction was calling for temps of 97 degreees with a heat index of 105! Lucky for us, it was only in the 80's, so we wouldn't be that hot and sweaty putting up the balloon. As it turned out, not only was it not that hot, the winds were such that only a few balloons were inflated--Tom's was not. So we were able to sit back and enjoy watching the few balloons that did inflate. On Saturday night, it was the "glow". Periodically during the early evening hours, all the balloons would burn. My camera doesn't do it justice, but what a site to see--20 balloons in the dark all with their burners going! I am not found of heights, so I have no desire to go up in a hot air balloon. Well last night, Tom, tethered the balloon and we did go up about 25 feet or so. Now I can say that I have been up in a hot air balloon! Have a great day and enjoy celebrating your freedom.

New Catalog

Just a reminder that the 2011/2012 Idea Book and Catalog is now active. Due to the catalog transition, online ordering thru my Stampin' Up website is unavailable until 12:00 pm today (Mountain time) or 1:00 pm Central time. I will be placing an order later today, so if you have any questions or want to add items to my order for you--give me a holler! In the meantime, have a great start to the holiday weekend and safe travels to all. Happy 4th of July!