Cards Made Easy!

There is so much to do when you get back from vacation, but the Stampin' Up box that was delivered while I was gone was calling much louder than the laundry and grocery list--LOL!!! An item in the Occasions Mini that I was curious about is the Designer Cuts Cards and Envelopes set in the Occasions Mini. The "before" is to the right and the "after" is to the left. I used Pretty In Pink cardstock to line the inside of the card and also to embellish the front. The ribbon would have been enough to complete the card, but I wanted to add the little "love" tag. I now have a Valentine, bridal shower or an anniversary/wedding card--depending on what I need. This item includes 8 Very Vanilla cards and 8 Blushing Bride envelopes. There are two card designs and you get 4 of each design. The cost is $9.95 plus tax and shipping or about $1.50 per card. Can't beat the price and the ease of creating a pretty card, so I will definitely be ordering more of these! Ok, now I really have to start unpacking! Have a great day.

Warm Chicago!

We have just spent two glorious weeks waking up to this view outside of our condo's kitchen window in Ft. Myers Beach, Florida. The two weeks we were on vacation couldn't have been better. The temps were in the 70's and 80's for the entire two weeks with sunshine all but one day. Needless to say, we were dreading our return to the cold, snowy Chicago area Imagine our surprise when we returned yesterday to temps near 60! We may not be waking up to the sounds of the Gulf of Mexico and the seagulls, but we woke up to sunshine, birds singing and we are home sweet home! It is great to go away, but always feel good to get back home. My plan is to get the unpacking done and spend a little time in my scrap room later today. Have a great day and enjoy the sunshine!

A Little Stampin' Up News

Stampin' Up released some items of interest that I want to pass along to you:

The ending date of our current Idea Book and Catalog will be changed from June 30 to May 31. With the release of the new catalog, SU will be doing away with their Decor Elements line and Simply Adorned jewelry line. As I receive further information, I will pass that info to you. If you are a Simply Scored fan, SU is releasing a diagonal plate that lays on top of the scoring board not only for making decorative diagonal lines on our creations but for making common size envelopes. The recipients of your cards will be impressed when not only do they receive your card, but a matching envelope, too! And, if you ever wanted to try a little digital scrapping or card making, SU will be offering a free trial of their My Digital Studio express design software during the entire month of February. Look for the info about MDS in a separate post later today or tomorrow. Happy stampin'!

AOL Mail

Yesterday afternoon I sent a few emails--so I thought! When talking to my granddaughter, she told me she hasn't received any emails. Sure enough, some of my emails went out yesterday, some did not. I spoke with AOL and was informed that they are having a problem with email being sent via mobil devices including my Droid phone and iPad2. This does not apply to computers (mobil devices only). Many of yesterday's "not sent" emails were to let my SU customers know that their orders were placed. So if you sent me an order and did not receive an email confirming that order was placed, I apologize. When AOL gets the problem fixed, I am hoping the emails will automatically be resent. Have a great day!

Fresh Vintage & Simply Scored

Another card using products from the Sale-a-bration catalog, the stamped images on this card are from the Fresh Vintage stamp set on page 6. The color combination of Pool Party and Poppy Parade

comes straight from the Everyday Enchantment DSP on page 7. The finishing touches include the use of the Scallop Trim corner punch and my very often used Simply Scored tool. It is surprising how much a few score lines can add to the look and feel of a card. I am often asked what products are most important in my scrapping and card making. In addition to quality ink and cardstock and a paper cutter, the next most important is my Simply Scored scoring tool. Not only do I enjoy using the scoring tool to add dimension and texture to my cards, the crispness of the fold on my cards is due to scoring the cardstock first. Have a great day and don't forget that SAB begins tomorrow!

SALE-A-BRATION

Just wanted to remind everyone that Sale-a-bration begins on January 24th. Between then and March 31st, for every $50 you spend on SU products you can choose a free product from the SAB catalog. The stamped stars on this card were stamped using one of the images in the Sprinkled Expressions stamp set available during SAB. This is the perfect time to stock up on your supplies and/or purchase items on your wish list! I will be placing an order first thing on Januay 24th. If there is anything you want me to add to my order, please send me an email so I can include those items. Have a great weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time.

Baby Scrapbook

A baby boy will be arriving in February and I am finishing up an 8x8 scrapbook for the Grandma-to-be. In an earlier post you saw the card I made, which was created to coordinate with the baby's bedding. I continued that theme, adding a few animal diecuts. Again, my Cricut just allows for such creativity that it still amazes me. I will say that I have come a long way since my first scrapbook page using my Cricut, but with a few cartridges and a little basic Cricut knowledge anyone can put a Cricut to good use. That being said, I am going to be offering a basic Cricut class in early March. So if you or someone you know is considering purchasing a Cricut, please watch my calendar of events for the time and date. In the meantime, have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Sending You Love

The idea for this card is straight from page 4 of the Sale-a-bration catalog! Although the stamp set, Easy Events, is not one of the free

sets available during SAB, I liked this card and this particular stamp set a whole bunch! Which card do you prefer? Crumb Cake and Cherry Cobbler or Cherry Cobbler and white? We will be making this card at the February 4th class, so you can decide then which version you want to make. I inked up the stamp using my markers and as you can see, the sentiment on each card was inked a little differently. Do you know what took the most time while making this card? Stamping the multiple little hearts! But it is so worth it as the little hearts look so cute. Happy stampin'!

Magnetized Coaster Calendar

We made these calendars at our card class last week. Mine is now on the frig in my kitchen, not only so I have a calendar close by but because I love this particular retired paper. We used a stamp from the Flight of the Butterfly set as it was the perfect sentiment for a calendar. A little ribbon and a few butterflies from the beautiful wings embosslit finished it off. Here's hoping your weekend is as happy as happy gets!

Valentine Bags

Are you looking for cute and easy ways to give little Valentine sweets to your co-workers or your children's' classmates? I saw this idea in a craft magazine and want to share it here. The brown bag is something that SU used to sell, but can be accomplished with any little brown bag. The little white bag measures approximately 3.5" x 2.5" and is usually available at any of the big box craft stores in pack of 25. Using a decorative edge scissor or paper trimmer, cut the top of the bag. Sponge the edges, stamp a little Valentine sentiment in the lower right corner and fill with your candy or a love note. Then fold over the top, tie with a coordinating ribbon and finish it off with an embossed heart. So cute and easy to create! Have a great day!

Occasions Mini

The Mini Occasions catalog has a number of new products that I personally like very much. I am showcasing two products from the catalog with this card: Twitterpated Designer Series Paper and the Adorning Accents Edgelets dies. When ordering the Edgelits, you get two dies--this is one edge and the other included is a scalloped edge. I used the Edgelit to cut the DSP and Island Indigo cardstock in order to get a layered look. Here is a link to a video showing you how to use the Edgelits: http://www.youtube.com/embed/KmaLYgpeEVk. In a future order, I will get the Adorning Accents Textured Impressions Embossing Folders that coordinate with the Edgelits, but for now I am happy to have the Edgelits. The DSP is very pretty and includes not only pretty feminine-like patterns, but also includes designs that can be used for some really nice masculine cards. Stampin' Up always leaves me wanting more stuff--LOL!! Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Framelit Valentine

Truly clean and simple--thanks to the Heart framelits that are now available in the Occasions Mini Catalog. I placed the framelit where I wanted the heart cutout on the card front, ran it thru the Big Shot and lined the inside of the card with Real Read cardstock. The sentiment on the card front is from the Delightful Dozen set in the IB&C while the "Love" is from the Outlined Occasions set in the Sale-a-bration catalog. The black and white ribbon is retired, but combined with the little piece of tulle, it was the perfect embellishment for this card. If you need many Valentines, this card can be easily reproduced and your Valentines will love receiving them!

A Splitcoast Stamper Favorite!

My 2012 started on a high note regarding my creativity. I am quite excited as Sherrylynn on Splitcoast Stamper named this card~~my card~~as one of her favorites for 2011. When I made this card back in June or July, I did think it was beautiful, but to have it chosen as a favorite when there are so many beautiful works of art at SCS is really special. So when I told my friend, Regina, she said that I just had to put that on my blog! So, I am patting myself on the back here and bragging a bit! Sherrylynn, again, thank you so much!

Baby Shower Card

Thanks to my Cricut, I am able to do so many cute things. Target has baby bedding with giraffes, birds, turtles, etc. in blues, greens, tans and browns. I needed a baby shower card and the mommy-to-be has this bedding on her Baby Registry. I knew I would be depending on my Cricut and my SU cardstock to create something special with the bedding as my inspiration. Sure enough, the Create A Critter cartridge has the perfect little bird and giraffe and even the tree branch similar to those on the bedding. As a matter of fact, it coordinates so well, the card could be framed and used as decor in the baby's room. Now if that was the case, I should have put the baby's name in the lower left corner instead of the Welcome Baby sentiment. Never mind, it is going in the mail now!!!! Have a great day and keep warm!

Easy Scrapbook Pages

While sorting through my Christmas/holiday stamping and scrapping supplies, I found a few pieces of Holly Berry Bouquet DSP that I did not use. So I decided to get started on my Christmas scrapbooking. Using the leftover pieces of DSP, cardstock, a trimmmer, adhesive and circle punch I created this two page layout. Now that I am looking at it, I am thinking I should have used Chocolate Chip cardstock for the smaller squares on each page, but once photos are added it really won't make that much of a difference. I am just happy to say that I am making headway on my Christmas scrapbooking. Now sorting through my Christmas/holiday supplies is a different story! Have a great day and keep warm!