Carryover List

Stampin' Up just released the list of items from the Occasions Mini that will carry over. Here is the link for the list: http://www.stampinup.com/us/documents/CarryOver_Occassions_0412_US.pdf

The good news is that the Framelits are carrying over; bad news is I don't see the Sweet Shop DSP on the list! Not sure that the items on the list will be in the new cattie, but they are still available after today--at least for a while anyway! If there are any changes or additions to the list, I will let you know.

Last Day for Occasions Mini

A reminder that today is the last day to order from the Occasions Mini. Very much like the shadow box card we will be making at the May 5th card class, this is a regular card using the Sweet Shop DSP and a framelit from the Labels Framelits Collection, both of which are in the Mini. That being said, I am hoping that the Framelits will be a carryover to the new catalog, but I do not know if that is the case. If by any chance SU lets us know that by the end of the day, I will surely put that info on my blog. Have a great day!

Poppy Parade?

When the In Colors were introduced back in 2010, I looked at Poppy Parade and thought to myself, "Why another red?" Come to think of it, I also thought, "why another green, another orange--hahah!"(I still wonder that actually!) Okay, back to the reason for this post: After my initial thought, Poppy Parade became one of my favorite colors (thanks to the Sunny Garden Designer Series Paper) and I knew why SU needed another red. When I went to my scraproom today, my plan was to make a card using Poppy Parade and Daffodil Delight. I stamped the image with Versamark, embossed it with Pear Pizzazz embossing powder and then colored the image using my SU markers. It is a dreary and rainy afternoon today, but this card and the color combination is so cheerful and happy that I am going to make another just like it, using a different sentiment. The image is from the hostess set in the Occasions Mini, Up In The Air while the sentiment is from the A Word For You set in the Idea Book and Catalog (This set will carryover to the new cattie--yeah!). The satin ribbon retired last year, but that doesn' t mean I don't ues it any longer. If I like a retired item, I keep it and use. If I lliked an item enough to purchase it but seldom use it, you will find it on the "sale table" outside my scraproom come June 1st. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time.

A Favorite Is Staying!

There are very many items retiring, but I was happy to see that one of my favorite SU items will be sticking around. That item is the Beautiful Wings Embosslit die. Not only does the die cut various butterfly sizes, it also embosses the butterflies at the same time. The little butterflies from this item have saved a lot of cards for me by covering up little "oops" made while stamping a card. Adhering the largest butterfly above a stamped sentiment on a card front was (and is) sometimes all that I needed to create a pretty card. I seldom need all five butterflies that are cut when using this die, so I have a little container in which I save the unused ones. As a matter of fact, the card in this post was made using different colors of butterflies--all from my "extras" container. So as I sort through my SU stuff setting aside those items that are being retired (some of which I am sad to see go), I look forward to seeing what nice little surprises Stampin' Up has for us in the new catalog. Have a wonderful day and find yourself a little stampin' time.

PDF List of Retiring Acessories

Below is a link to the list of retiring accessories. It is a long list--12 pages!

http://204.228.150.61/docs/lastchance/en-US/Availability_en-US.pdf

Accessories Retiring List

Oh My Gosh!!! Follow this link and take a look at the Retiring Accessories List: www.stampinup.com/ECWeb/ItemList.aspx?categoryID=799 (When you get to the page, click on "Show: ALL" to the right just under the picture. There are many items retiring.) These items will be available while supplies last. A major change will be the SU ink pads. It was announced this morning that the present ink pads will be replaced with a firm foam in order to provide better stamp coverage which in turn gives a better stamped image. Here are a few of the changes after reading the info only once: 1. Craft stampin' pads will only be available in black and white; 2. Only select Individual Stampin' Write markers will be available in the new catalogue; 3. 12x12 Textured Cardstock will no longer be offered; 4. 12x12 Smooth Cardstock will be available in only select individual colour packs 5. The Big Shot Matchbox Die is going (My favorite BS die!). Remember, these items are available while supplies last. Once they are gone, they are gone. I will be back later with more details, but wanted you to get a look at the list. You can place an online order if there is something you want/need from the retiring list. If you have any questions, give me a call.

Sending You Sunshine

A quick and easy card, the idea came from a card I received the other day. The card I received had a yellow rhinestone with yellow rays and the sentiment "Thanks for the Sunshine" on the card front. I have a sun stamp, a sentiment about sunshine (not SU) and yellow rhinestones so I was able to make this card in a matter of minutes. And I could have stamped directly on a white card base and added the checked ribbon which would have required even less time. When you are in need of a quick card pull out a sentiment stamp and a simple image stamp, decide on a color and there you have it--a card that will let someone know you care! Have a wonderful day!

A Little Coloring and Shading

Here is another card using the gingham check technique for the background. This time I used two colors--Baja Breeze and Certainly Celery--rather than one. The bear, from the retired Teddy & Train set, was stamped with a Baja Breeze craft ink spot, embossed with clear embossing powder and then colored in with my Stampin' Up markers. I find it much easier to color and stay in the lines when the image is embossed. When coloring with markers, using small circular strokes without lifting the marker off the paper (or lifting as seldom as possible) helps everything blend nicer. If you avoid lifting the marker, you don't get those start and finish strokes. (Next time you have your markers out, stamp an image and then color it, first just how you would color and then coloring in a small circular motion without lifting the marker. You will see what I am talking about.) You notice that the little guy is lighter in some spots and darker around the edges? I wanted the little tummy and cheeks to look as though they were protruding in the light while the joints and fur are darker and shadowed. So once I was done coloring with the Baja Breeze ink, I then used a blender pen to lift some of the color off the face and tummy. I need a lot of practice with coloring and shading, but I think the bear looks pretty darn good. Actually, I think the whole card is very cute. All I need is someone to have a baby so I can send them this card--lol!! Happy Monday!

Class Inquiry

Earlier in the week I received emails asking about my card classes--where, cost, what is included, what do they need to bring, etc. So in this post I will try to answer questions for anyone new to my blog. I usually hold one card class per month. I have a scraproom in my basement which is where the classes are held. (On occasion, I do hold private card classes if requested.) We usually make 3 cards and a favor/3D item. (The purse pictured in this post is the item we will be making on May 5th. It coordinates with the gingham checked card from an earlier post that we will also be making at that class.) The typical cost for a card class is $12.00 OR if you place a $30.00 Stampin' Up catalog order (before tax and shipping) the class is free. That fee includes all supplies (i.e., cardstock, embellishments, paper, etc.), the envelopes and the "recipe" for each card that is made in class. The exception is adhesive. I do ask that you bring your own adhesive. If you are attending a class for the first time and not sure about adhesives, don't worry about it as I do have adhesive here. No experience is necessary! I will tell you to bring your sense of humor as we do have fun. Classes usually last 2 hours, sometimes a little longer. Classes are for adults only, unless otherwise noted in the class descriptions on my blog or on my Stampin' Up website. If you plan on attending a class I do need to know so that I have supplies ready for each attendee. You are welcome to bring a friend, but again, a "reservation" is needed for that person. As I wrote above, I do private classes, too. Do you want to do something fun with a few of your friends but not sure what to do? A card class or a scrapbook class can be a nice way to interact with your friends. I run this type of get-together just as I do a card class except that the fee is $14 as adhesive is included at private classes. I hope this will help answer questions about classes. If you have further questions, please drop an email or give me a call. Have a great day!

Concord Crush Shadow Box Card

This card is fun to make as it is different from the typical card. Both pieces of cardstock are cut at the same size, 4 1/4" x 5 1/2". I centered a label Framelit on the Concord Crush cardstock and cut it with my Big Shot. The Square Lattice embossing folder added a nice texture to the Concord cardstock, but not something that is necessary. You can use a piece of DSP for the front panel of the card if you prefer. Before attaching the two pieces of cardstock together, I centered and stamped "wish big" and the candles on the Very Vanilla cardstock and added the cupcake and Happy Birthday banner. You can embellish this type of card in so many different ways: flowers, Cricut die cuts, buttons, etc. As none of the photos I took of this card gave a true feel for what the Shadow Box card looks like, the photo on the right is a picture taken from above. There is a space of about one inch between the pieces of cardstock. "Where/how do I sign my name?" you ask. On the back of the card there is plenty of room to write a little note, stamp another sentiment and/or even add a little piece of DSP adhered on three sides so you can include a gift card. This is another of the cards we will make at the next card class scheduled for May 5th. Just send me an email or give me a call to let me know you will be attending. Have a wonderful weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time.

Rectangles & Squares

A great way to use scraps of DSP, this card was made using rectangles and squares of paper from the Summer Smooches collection. The colors of Tempting Turquoise and Rich Razzleberry make this a cheerful and fun card. The pattern of the DSP gives a contemporary feel while the font of the sentiment adds a touch of elegance. Sincere Salutations is on the Retired List, but it is one of the sets I will keep. Even though I will be sorry to see Sincere Salutations go, at the same time I look forward to seeing what wonderful new sets Stampin' Up will be introducing in the new catalog. A little trivia: Did you know that Stampin' Up manufactures its own stamps right here in The United States? They do and their manufacturing facility is located in Kanab, Utah. On that tidbit of information, I will end today's post. Have a wonderful day!

Starburst Card

A first attempt at making a starburst card turned into a lot of wasted paper--lol! I have seen many of these cards and they are so pretty! I had trouble cutting the "rays" of DSP so that they matched up. Some strips were too short and/or the pattern was upside down once the rays were all put together. To make a long story short, this is the card that turned out the best. And as soon as I posted the picture of it here, I saw one thing I forgot to do--sponge the edges! Oh well, I will attempt to make this card again and when I get the hang of it, we will make one in a future card class. Sometimes the easiest things can cause the most difficulty. Have a wonderful day and find yourself a little stampin' time.

Pink & Yellow with a Little Orange

Today's card was made using reinkers on a baby wipe. I had decided that I was going to create a card for May's class using the baby wipe technique, but I needed to try it myself first. After gathering the supplies needed, I pulled out a baby wipe and the container of baby wipes had dried out! Would the technique still work if I spritzed the wipe with water? It did! Or at least I think it did. The colors I chose came together nicely and the flowers look very pretty. This technique works well with a solid image stamp, so I chose Greenhouse Garden with which to work. Not only does this set include a good solid image, it is a two-step stamp and I enjoy using two-step stamps and my Stamp-a-ma-jig. The colors used were Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight and Pink Pirouette. The card still needs a sentiment, but that will come later. In the meantime, mark your calendars for the May 5th class and reserve a spot. Not only will you go home with some great cards, you will have fun, too! Speaking of fun, hope your day is fun-filled and enjoyable!

Flower Favors

When I was playing with the Cricut Flower Shoppe cartridge last week, I also made these two little flower favors. Again, thanks to Party City, my flower favors have cute green stems. The pink flower stem was made using Green Sixlets and the purple flower stem is a green candy stick. The candy stick was already in a cellophane bag, so once the flower was assembled I adhered it to the bag using a brad. The pink flower was adhered using a brad punch through the layers of flowers and the cellophane one inch bags from Stampin' Up. I have been asked "How do you fill the cellophane one inch bags without touching the candy?" Answer: I make a funnel out of paper and slowly--very slowly--pour the candy into the funnel. Basically, one little Sixlet or M&M fits though the hole in the funnel, but once you get the hang of it, the candy flows nicely. Since the cello tube is only an inch wide, you do need to be sure that the candy you use is not too big; i.e., Brachs classic jelly beans do not fit. Wouldn't these be cute at a garden club luncheon? Or a volunteer appreciation luncheon? Have a great day!

Stampin' Up released the list of stamps set to retire May 31, 2012. (And it is quite a list!) Click on the following link or copy and past this link to see the list: http://204.228.150.61/docs/lastchance/en-US/RetiredStamps_0412_en-US.pdf You can also go to my Stampin' Up website and click on the "Shop Now" button and then "Retiring Products" to see and shop for the stamps sets which are retiring come May 31st. And while you are there, check out the Clearance Rack as new items have been added. (As usual, Clearance Rack items can ONLY be placed thru an Online order.) Have a nice day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Elegant Petite Purses

I found some time to play with the Petite Purse die and today's little purses are elegant and perfect for a variety of occasions, including bridal showers or Mother's Day. After diecutting each piece of cardstock, I texturized the black purse with one of SU's texture plates and embossed the white purse with one of SU'sembossing folders. The full diecut shape fit on the texture plate which made it possible to have the diamond texture pattern on the entire purse. But the full white piece of cardstock did not fit into an embossing folder. I left the flap of the purse non-embossed and it looks just fine. I added a little rhinestone to each purse, adhered the handles using mini glue dots and the purses are ready to fill with hugs, kisses~~any number of little chocolates. This purse will not fit a gift card, but folded dollars would be a nice little surprise for the person you are gifting. The purse is the gift box, so you could add a pretty bow to the handle. Or how about a sentiment stamped on the inside of the unembossed flap on the white purse? Now it's a card and a gift box. Make the purse more special by adding rhinestones to the full length of the handle. Or how about pearls against the black cardstock? So many ways to add your personal touch to this quick and easy favor. This Petite Purse die (Item No. 125606) is part of the Summer Smooches special available thru April 30th. If you have any questions, give me a call or send an email. And don't forget that you can shop online at www.stampintimesomewhere.stampinup.net Have a great Saturday!

Card Inspiration

The other day we received the card to the right. I liked the patterns and design so much that I used the card as a design sketch for my card to the left. The inspiration card was one printed layer, whereas for me to accomplish the look I needed to layer each piece. I used a retired background stamp on the Bashful Blue cardstock and then a stamp from the Tiny Tags set to create the border on the white. I should have just used another background stamp as that would have been much easier. The single stamp worked fine, but I did use my stamp-a-ma-jig to be sure the placement of the stamp lined up quite evenly. The bird bath image is again from the retired Touch of Kindness set, but I am making this card for someone special and she loves birds and the birds in this image are just adorable. I colored with my Stampin' Up markers and the little beads of water are actually little stickers. Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy!

Dum-Dum & Cricut Flower Arrangement

The other day my friend, Kathy, told me that Party City had a great candy selection. I happened to come upon a Party City so I ran in to check it out. I have not been in a Party City in many years. Well let me tell you, I couldn't believe all the candy that store sold. I especially liked the variety of candies you can purchase individually. I had just purchased the Cricut Flower Shoppe cartridge and wanted some mini Dum-Dum lollipops and low and behold, Party City had the mini Dum-Dum lollipops. Plus, I was able to choose yellow wrapped Dum-Dums for the flower centers. I bought a few with which to play~~and play I did! Look at the cute Dum-dum arrangement I made using the Flower Shoppe cartridge, a little ribbon and a dollar pail from Target. All of the flowers were cut at 2 1/4"; leaves at 1 3/4". I did have to make the holes a little bigger on one of the flowers for the lollipop sticks to fit thru, but other than that, once I determined what size would work best with both the lollipops and the pail, putting it together went smoothly. I tied a piece of ribbon under the base of each flower to keep the flower right up against the lollipop and stuck the stick into a styrofoam ball in the pail. It looks very cute, but if I was going to give this to someone, I definitely would be a little more detail-minded! Hope you have a wonderful day.

Cheerful Scrapbook Layout

As I continue my quest to catch up on my scrapbooking, today's post shows another two-page layout I created. The Domestic Goddess Designer Series Paper packet has many patterns that relate to cooking, baking and household chores. Since I only do these things because I have to do them, there are few photographed memories of me hanging laundry outside to dry or vaccuming--hahah!! But the paper has some pretty patterns that say "Spring, Summer, cheerful" and I have used two of those patterns here. I did not have two full sheets of either of the domestic Goddess patterns used for this two-page layout, so I used one of the Calypso Coral DSP pages from the DSP Stack for a background paper. To add some dimension to the pages I used my Simply Scored tool (love it!). Once I add photos to the pages, I will diecut a title using my Cricut and at the same time add a few more flowers. I hope you have a cheerful day!

Congratulations on Your New Dog Card

In my stash of scrapbook paper, I had the perfect dog-themed paper to use when creating a card for Matt and his cute little Molly. Stampin' Up's D is for Dog stamp set included a dog image and a great sentiment I would use. I was ready to create and had what I needed. This particular paper coordinated with several Stampin' Up colors, but I chose Baja Breeze and Riding Hood Red. The card front was finished and as I was thinking about what to write on the inside, I remembered the sentiment from the A Word For You stamp set that I just knew would be perfect: "Congratulations on finding each other"! I was thinking outside the box a bit, but what a great sentiment to congratulate a guy who found his dog at an animal shelter. With the addition of stamped doggie bones on the inside, the card was ready to be mailed. Molly must have a very happy heart now that Matt found her as her little tail is waggin' a lot these days!

Easter Day

We had a wonderful Easter which was hosted by our daughter's in-laws, Walt & Dorothy. As always, we had a great time with our family. Since Dorothy never fails to amaze me with her creativity and attention to detail, I want to share a couple of photos. The table is is set to perfection with her collection of ceramic bunnies, beautiful table runner and even her delicious salad is topped with a little "bunny pear"! And how cute are the Rice Krispy eggs? Let me tell you, that as beautiful and festive as everything looked, the food was even better! Thank you, Walt & Dorothy, for a wonderful Easter celebration.

Happy Easter!

Have a wonderful Easter celebration!

Using My Digital Studio Software

Today's post is already on my blog--it's my new blog header! While I should be creating scrapbook pages or doing a few things for Easter, instead I am playing with Stampin' Up's digital software. Every once in the while I would like to change my blog template, but I can never get it to look pretty and professional. So then I just keep the template I have had for quite some time. Last night I ran across a tutorial for using the MDS software to make a header for Blogger and decided it was worth a try. After numerous attempts at creating the perfect header, I decided to keep the blog header you see~~at least for a little while. As much fun as the process was and the fact that this was a good learning experience, I must say that it sure took me many hours to accomplish a new look. Unfortunately, I cannot find a MDS tutorial for changing the entire background template of my blog so that it matches the header or at least how to add a few little butterflies fluttering around! Oh well, one step at a time! Have a great day.

Our New Grandpuppy!

Such a face! Our son has always been a dog lover and his loving heart for dogs grew with our own dogs, volunteering at a pet rescue center as a 13 year old and his job in high school--kennel attendant at the local animal clinic. Yesterday he invited us to come to the Animal House Shelter in Huntley, Illinois with our Chocolate Lab, Cody, so we could see how the two dogs would get along. (We are each others' designated dog sitters!) This is Molly and she is a very sweet dog--lab, shepherd and boxer mix with a little pitbull added in, too. Matthew was prepared for his new companion and even had a new pink leash and collar for her. Our granddaughter, Sydney, is extremely excited because not only is our little activist into banning puppy mills and encouraging adoptions at shelters, but she has another dog in the family. If you are in the Huntley, Illinois area and are thinking about a new companion, this is the shelter Molly was rescued from: http://www.animalhouseshelter.com/. If you are not in the Huntley area, do a quick search for pet rescue centers in your area. And please remember that whether you are wanting a companion or not, all animal rescue centers have a need for donations to keep their rescued critters fed and taken care of properly. It was an exciting afternoon. Good luck, Matthew! Molly is a lucky little dog to have you as her best friend!

Scrapping With Summer Smooches

I have known for a while that Blogger is changing its format and I have been avoiding the change. But change can be good, so I am writing this post using the new format. I will see how it turns out--lol! I continue to work on catching up with my scrapping and what better paper to use than the sneak peek Summer Smooches paper. The colors in this collection are very bright and summery. They are colors that I would use individually, but not sure that I would combine so many colors on one project. So after staring at the patterns and the colors in this DSP pack, I decided that I would pick out two of the colors and work the layout from there. Daffodil Delight and Real Red work well together, but after cutting the paper and putting it on the base cardstock, I did add a little strip of Tempting Turquoise. Once I add photos to the scrap pages, I am sure that I will add a Tempting Turquoise embellishment or two to bring it all together. Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Bright Blossoms & Gingham Checks

No, the gingham check background is not Designer Series Paper! It is Whisper White cardstock that was embossed and inked using the Stripes Embosssing folder and a brayer. I have inked embossing folders using my brayer in the past and the finished product looked okay, but I was never that impressed ;-). I tried the Letterpress plates and I was not at all impressed. However, using ink, a brayer and the Stripes Embossing Folder to achieve the gingham checked look is a different story. I have always liked gingham check fabric and being a scrapbooker, I purchase my share of gingham check scrapbook paper in various colors, too. Dawn, a talented Stampin' Up demo, shared a video demonstrating this technique and I knew I had to try it. I grabbed my Tangerine Tango ink and marker and the new Bright Blossoms stamp set and quickly made this card. I do not think that inking an embossing folder was ever demonstrated in any class, but I assure you that there will be a card or two made using this technique in a future class. Hope you have a great day!

Summer Smooches Sneak Peek!

During the month of April, Stampin'Up is offering customers the opportunity to purchase sneak peek products from the new catalog prior to the catalog release date of June 1st. I have posted a few projects made using products from the Summer Smooch collection and will be posting others in future posts. You can see/shop for the products included in this promotion by clicking on the following link: http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/stampintimesomewhere/promotions and click on Summer Smooches picture for details. Have a great day!

Up In The Air Get Well

My friend, Regina, is feeling a bit under the weather these days so I made this card especially for her. The branch with the birdhouse is one of the images from the hostess set "Up In the Air" in the current Occasions Mini catalog. I inked the image using SU Markers and then colored in all of the negative space once it was stamped. The little bird is not part of the stamp. He is from the bird bath image in the retired Touch of Kindness set. I think that the image needs a little bird and this one is so cute. He looks like he is part of the image rather than an add-on. The Baja Breeze pleated ribbon (also in the Occasions Mini) finishes the card nicely. Get better, Regina!

Teabag Favor & My Digital Studio

As you know, I am always looking for new and cute ideas that I can use for myself, classes and workshops. Today I was on the SU demonstrators' website when I came across this very cute double teabag holder that Marian Garcia posted. Marian had cased this from another demonstrator, Brenda. While Marian and Brenda used ribbon and stamped the images on circles, I thought "Lipton Teabag"~~you know, the teabag with the paper tab stapled to a white string. So down to my scraproom I go, following the measurements for cutting, scoring and folding the Designers Series Paper, but I have no teacup stamps nor do I have any tea sentiments. I improvised and stamped "T4U", but that just didn't do it for me. Now I needed the Tiny Teacup stamp which I did not own. And this is where the SU digital software came in handy. I went online to my SU store, purchased the digital version of the Tiny Teacup and downloaded it to My Digital Studio (already on my computer). I made two favors using different DSP papers, so I needed two tags. I put the teacup on white cardstock and added a sentiment from another stamp set already part of MDS. I chose colors to match the DSP of each favor, printed them and then punched each using the small tag punch. I layered that on a coordinating cardstock tag punched using the large tag punch. And here is where I am so proud of myself: not only did I use the MDS successfully, but I stapled white baker's twine to the tags and I have knockoff "Lipton" teabag tags~~lol!!! I will admit that up until now, MDS was something I just didn't want to bother with, but this was so easy, you just might see other little projects I create with the help of My Digital Studio software. :)