My First Sneak Peak!

Today's card is the first project I made using product from the new annual catalog scheduled to go live on May 31st.  All of the new In Colors are on this card, beginning with the card base which is Crisp Cantaloupe.  Then you have Strawberry Slush which is embellished with Coastal Cabana and Baked Brown Sugar butterflies. The image is layered on what I originally thought was going to be my least favorite new In Color, Pistachio Pudding.  Not the case and it is probably my favorite new In Color.  I colored in the flower image using the new ink pads and a blender pen as I do not yet have the markers.  The new hostess set, Simply Sketched, includes three images and three sentiments, one of each used on this card.  I can see many opportunities to use this set and I will be sharing them with you.  Have a great day!

Happy Day To You

I am starting this week off on a happy note with today's cards.  The stamp set I used on these cards, Friendly Phrases, is on the retired list~~and it is one I use very often.  I am sad to see it go, but you will see it on future cards as it is a set I will not be selling.  On the other hand, the butterfly punches are staying--yeah! The card on the left uses Pear Pizzazz cardstock and the DSP is Blushing Bride, both former In Colors that are being incorporated into our color families.  The white card on the right is pretty and crisp.  A few scraps of Pool Party DSP, the butterfly punches and a greeting stamped in Pool Party ink are all this card needed.  Well, until I smudged the sentiment--lol!  So the little red butterfly offers a little burst of color while hiding the smudge.  Have a happy day and a happy week!

Fresh Fruit Creativity

It was a sad week for us as Mark's (our son-in-law) grandma died suddenly.  Pearl was a beautiful woman who led a wonderful life.  We were fortunate to have Pearl as part of our family and our holidays and celebrations were extra special because of her.  Sydney was very sad and after the wake John and I were able to have her for an overnight.  My dear friend, Regina (sick herself  and still worrying about others) came over with an Edible Arrangement Fruit Bouquet for Sydney.  When we returned home after the wake on Thursday night, I gave Sydney this fruit bouquet.  Her eyes lit up and as we stood around the counter eating grapes, strawberries, cantaloupe and more, she was smiling and happy.   She cried herself to sleep that night and was up before both me and John on Friday.  Our loving, sweet granddaughter used fruit from her bouquet to create the tropical scene breakfast which was waiting for me when I woke up.  Who would have ever thought that a beautiful, delicious fruit bouquet could be recycled and regifted to create a beautiful and delicious tropical breakfast?  Thank you both~~Regina and Sydney! You are two very special and loving people. 

One More For Father's Day!

Let me start by writing that one of the stamp sets that we will be using on the cards for the men in our lives at the May classes, Need For Speed, is retiring!!  On the other hand, I did get to look at the new catalog and there are a couple of good masculine stamp sets in our future.  The nice thing about today's card is that it can be used for occasions other than Father's Day.  At class you will have a variety of greetings to choose from for this card.   Last night I was down in my scrap room seeing which retired sets I will be getting rid of and I have quite a few.  Come my New Catalog Open House, tentatively scheduled for June 1st, my sale table will have lots of new "retired" items on it.   Have a great day!

Retiring Products

Hundreds of stamps and accessories from the 2012-2013 catalogs are retiring, and this is  your chance to get them before they're gone. Many products are only available while supplies last.

Click here for the list of retiring stamps: 
http://su-media.s3.amazonaws.com/media/lastChance/2013%20NA%20Retired%20List/Retired_List_stamps_en-US.pdf

For a list of retiring accessories (only available while supplies last) click here:
 http://su-media.s3.amazonaws.com/media/lastChance/2013%20NA%20Retired%20List/Availability_en-US.pdf

The following link should take you directly to my website.
http://www.stampinup.com/ECWeb/CategoryPage.aspx?categoryid=2031833
Then click on "Something for Everyone" to begin shopping.

(Here's hoping I entered all the links correctly!)  Have a great day! 

Need Speed

One of the stamp sets in the catalog, Need for Speed, is  a great set for creating masculine cards.  Today's card started out as a Father's Day card, but as I was coloring in the road, I decided it would also make a good graduation card. The sentiment is from the One In A Million set, also in the annual catalog. The Basic Gray cardstock was embossed using the Chevron embossing folder.  At the May card classes, we will be making this card and you will have the choice of it being a Father's Day card or a graduation card.  On another note, the annual "retired list" will be released tomorrow.  I am curious to see how many stamp sets and/or embellishments will be on that list.  At the same time, I will also get a look at the new annual catalog and look forward to seeing what is new and "needed"!  Have a great day.

Happy Earth Day!

With today being Earth Day, I wanted to post a project that can easily be made using leftover strips of cardstock.   You will need a strip of cardstock that measures 5-1/4" x 1-1/2" scored at 1-1/2",
2-1/2", 4" and 4-1/4".  (The first white purse is 1 3/4" wide.)   Using a decorative edge punch, punch the 1" section which will be the front flap of the purse.  The cardstock strip for the first white purse was entirely embossed, the black not embossed and the last white purse was embossed leaving the front flap smooth.  Punch two small holes in the top for the ribbon handle and adhere a Hershey Nugget to what will be the bottom of the purse using a couple of mini glue dots.  Fold along the score lines, add a mini glue dot to the under side of the purse flap to keep the purse closed, and add a little rhinestone or pearl to the purse flap.  Use a Sharpie marker to color the rhinestones to match the ribbon you use.  These are perfect for wedding showers, Mother's Day, tea parties and more.  And, I used leftover cardstock rather than pitching it!   Have a great day and enjoy the Earth we live on! 

Boutique Boxes

Thankfully we kept a dry basement.  Others in the surrounding communities have not been so fortunate.  The water was unreal yesterday.  And this morning I just saw~~SNOWFLAKES!!!
The theme for May's card classes is Father's Day and while I do have card ideas, I wasn't sure what to create for the 3D project.  I had read on our SU demo site the positive reviews from other demos regarding the Boutique Boxes Designer Printed Kit in the Spring Mini, so decided to give the kit a try.  The kit includes eight boxes together with enough buttons, twine and stickers/diecuts  to embellish the boxes for $7.95.  (There is also a bundle option which includes a cute little stamp set.)  Today's photo is of two boutique boxes I put together and embellished.  The box on the right was embellished using only things in the kit and is perfect for Father's Day.  It fits a gift card nicely and even comes with a little matching printed note card, too. The box on the left was embellished with the scalloped belly band and doily included in the kit with flower trim and a few butterflies that are not in the kit.  Many possibilities and I will agree with the positive reviews I read prior to purchasing this kit.  Have a great day and weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Twirly-Whirly Birthday

I hope that none of you are being affected by the torrential rainfalls we are having here. I use my iPhone as my alarm clock, so it is next to my bed at night.  Well, at 4:00 this morning, I hear this loud, blaring alarm coming from the phone.  My first thought is there is a tornado nearby!  I jump up, the dog is going crazy and I am thinking tornado.  It was a flood  warning alert for the surrounding areas. Unfortuantely, many areas are flooded, roads are closed and there is more rain on the way. So far we are good~~thank God.  Due to the rainy weather over the past couple of days, I spent a lot of time down in my scrap room.  I now have a few things ready to be posted over the next few days.  In keeping with happy cards, today's card is just that.  I received a slider card at Easter (thank you, Kathy) and at that time thought how cute a slider card would be if using the Wishes Your Way stamp set and a pinwheel.  After thinking about it, I decided to just make one and here it is.  The greeting is from the Wishes Your Way stamp set and the little pinwheel stamp is included in the Make A Cake set.  Once again I colored in one of our rhinestones using a pink Sharpie marker to embellish the stamped pinwheel.  Well it is raining again so I wonder what I will create today?  Have a great day and stay dry!

Stampin' Up has released its newest kit, Dolled Up Birthday.  The kit includes everything needed to
create 6 cards, with the exception of adhesive and an acrylic block .  I have only seen photos of the kit along with the following description:

• Dolled-Up Birthday Photopolymer Stamp (1)
• 8-1/2" x 5-1/2" Crumb Cake Cardstock (6 pieces)
• 2" x 4-1/4" Very Vanilla Cardstock (6 pieces)
• Very Vanilla Medium Envelopes (6)
• Tea Lace Paper Doilies (6)
• Dress Up die-cuts (6)
• Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Spot (1)
• Vanilla 5/8" Flower Trim (6 pieces)
• Sponge Dauber (1)

Get everything you need to make six cards for only $15.95 plus shipping, handling & tax (item 133913)!*  I realize the stamp is a birthday stamp, but this kit would also be perfect for Mother's Day, invitations to a bridal shower or tea or thank you notes.  I did not order the Dress Form framelits, but I just might need this!  Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time! 

Happiness

I think my cards this week are all going to be bright and cheerful~~to make up for the dreary, rainy weather we have been having and will be having for the next few days.  (It is sunny this morning!) The color combination is  one of my favorites, Melon Mambo and Bermuda Bay.  I have used retired ribbon, although you can purchase similar Melon Mambo Scalloped Dots ribbon in the current catalog.  The greeting is from Fabulous Phrases and the vase with flowers is from Bright Blossoms both of which are in the current catalog. Have a happy day!

You Are My Sunshine

I have purchased a few single stamps and I like the option, as do many others.  As a matter of fact, due to the popularity of the single stamp promotion, the promotion has been extended thru July 31st.   The stamp used on today's card is one of the single stamps  presently available in Assortment 4.  After embossing the stamped image using black embossing powder, I colored it in using my Daffodil Delight marker and finished it off by adding a little "shine" ( a rhinestone that was colored using one of my yellow Copic markers).  The black and white polka dot paper is retired DSP layered on a Daffodil Delight card base.  The Daffodil trim (created using the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch) is a nice way to cover the area where the DSP and black cardstock meet.  Hope you have a sunshine-filled day!

Tea Time Again

As you can see, I did play around with the Tea Time DSP again.  After cutting an oval from one of

the floral patterns, I then cut an oval the same size using a piece of Early Espresso cardstock.  A mistake right off the bat!  Since I wanted the Espresso cardstock raised over the floral oval, I should have cut that floral oval using the next bigger oval framelit so you couldn't see the edge.  Better yet, I should have just left it a rectangle smaller than the size of the Espresso cardstock.  Before adhering the Espresso cardstock to the print DSP, I wrapped a piece of Crochet Trim around the edge of the oval (and now that I am looking at the photo, I need to trim down the crochet trim) and added pearls to the opposite edge of the oval.  At the last minute I decided to mat the Espresso picture frame on Vanilla cardstock before adhering to the Primrose Petal card base.  The colors, texture, pearls and crochet trim come together to create a vintage card.  I just need to decide if I want to add a greeting on the card front or leave it as is.  Perfect for Mother's Day, this card would also be a nice wedding  or anniversary card. Have a wonderful weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Tea Time Baby Card

Today's card is a pretty little card just perfect for a new baby.  The pattern papers are two of the designs included in the Tea For Two DSP found in the Spring Mini.    I wasn't quite sure about the color combinations that were used, as they are colors I would not combine.  But look how pretty Calypso Coral looks with Bashful Blue. I will be posting another card or two using this paper pack in the next couple of days.   The "BABY" on the card front is from the One In A Million set in the annual catalog and has a nice inside sentiment, "a little word filled with a lot of HAPPINESS" that is stamped on the inside.  I will miss Bashful Blue!!!  Oh well, something better will take its place--I hope!  Have a great day!

About Photopolymer Stamps & A New Set, too

SU released the above video showing how easy it is to use their Photopolymer Stamps.  I thought some readers might be interested in seeing the video.  They also released a new photopolymer set, Bombs Away Birthday.  It includes 7 stamps at a cost of $13.95.  Since the set is clear Photopolymer,  acrylic blocks are needed with our Blocks C and H being the recommended sizes.
 
 I look forward to seeing some creative cards and projects made using this set. 





 

 

Secret Garden Sympathy

We used the Secret Garden stamp set over the weekend and I am finding that this is one of those sets that is getting a lot of use. Since the stamp set was out,  I decided to use it for a couple quick yet pretty cards.  I stamped the flowers and leaves on white cardstock using Black Stazon, added a greeting to each, used the Scallop Corner punch and adhered to card bases.  The horizontal card was stamped using the smaller image, leaving a little too much white space.  So, I used my Butterfly embosslit to create a few pretty little black butterflies to scatter on that card.   I have to add a white liner on the inside and the sympathy cards will be done.  I am thinking of making sets of these cards in assorted colors and with various sentiments to give as gifts, something I will work on later today.  Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time! 

Paint On Cards

Today's card uses paper from the Epic This and That DSP pack, which I think is very nice paper.  It is

an assortment of designs/patterns that we have not seen before from Stampin' Up in a beautiful color assortment.  I wanted to use this particular piece of paper for a masculine card but there was a  Pool Party "5¢" printed on the paper that I wanted to hide as it really had no relevance to anything.  I punched the Crumb Cake cardstock piece using the Ticket Punch and then layered it on Pool Party, clipping the corners using the 3/4 circle punch.  I repeated that with the Early Espresso cardstock.  The layered ticket shape did not cover the entire "5¢" so how could I blend it more into the paper?  Sponging Pool Party ink didn't bring out the color enough.   I had a great idea~~make a little "paint" using white craft ink and Pool Party refill.  The paper does have a grunge look to it and when I painted along the edges of the card, it blended in okay.  The "5¢" still shows but not as obvious.    I will be making "paint" in other colors and when I come up with something good, I will post it.  Have a great day!

Oval Framelits & Flowers

What a great weekend!  When I joined Stampin' Up, I joined for the discount and because I appreciated the quality of their cardstock, stamps and ink.  Five years later, in addition to still appreciating the quality of SU's products, I have been blessed with some wonderful friendships.  We get together for the card classes, but the fellowship and laughter make the classes so much more.  Once again Annie came bearing baked goods from Weber's Bakery--delicious!!  Thank you, Annie.  (John says thank you, too!)  Today's card was stamped using a non-SU stamp from Flourishes. After embossing the image with black embossing powder, I colored it in using my SU markers, tying up the flowers with Calypso Coral baker's twine.  I used an Oval Framelit (in the Spring Mini) to cut half of an oval on the front of the card base and then embossed the entire card using the Fancy Fans folder.  You will need to emboss one side and then the other, as the embossing folder is not large enough to emboss the entire card base.  I cut two Tempting Turquoise ovals (same size as used to cut the card base oval), adhering one to the card front and one on the inside of the card, lining it up under the front oval.  The flower image was cut using the next smaller oval framelit and layered on the Turquoise oval on the card front.  Sounds a little confusing and like a lot of work for one card, but it is easier than it sounds.   Have a great day!

Don't forget the free shipping this weekend!  Big or small orders, makes no difference.  Might be a great time to purchase the This and That bundle or that single spool of ribbon you have been eyeing but didn't want to spend $6.95 to ship.  Shop online at www.stampintimesomewhere.stampinup.net it will be delivered to your door.  Off to place my order for some Bashful Blue and Regal Rose cardstock~~along with a few other things.  Have a great weekend!

Bermuda Bay

After getting the news about the "color refresh" from Stampin' Up, I went down to my scrap room to see if I had any of the old in-colors that will be part of our color families.  I did have Bermuda Bay cardstock and ink and I wanted to see how it looked next to Pool Party.  Well, I think it looks pretty darn good! After embossing the Pool Party and Bermuda Bay cardstock, I layered those on a Melon Mambo card base.  The butterfly was created using two butterfly punches.  And by now you are all probably used to seeing my layered decorative label thanks to MDS2+ and my Cricut machine.  The happy day sentiment from Friendly Phrases is perfect for this happy color combination!  Hope you all have  a happy weekend and I look forward to seeing some of you this weekend.

Color Refresh & FREE Shipping!

 From SU:  We are excited to announce that the upcoming 2013-2014 annual catalog will include 10 new colors (most of which are returning In Colors from previous years)! We are welcoming back some of your favorites, moving some colors around, and introducing one brand-new color, so take a look! I will miss Bashful Blue, but am happy to see that Pool Party is staying--yeah!

Beginning today, all retiring/discontinued color products (i.e. ink, paper, ribbon, accessories, etc.) will be available only while supplies last.  I tend to say that items related to the discontinued colors will sell out fast. 

SU also announced free shipping (excluding expedited orders) beginning April 6th at 1:00 AM CST and ending April 8th at 12:50 PM CST.  (Not sure how long discontinued supplies will last, so if there are items from the discontinued list that you want to get your hands on, not sure those items will still be available during the free shipping offer.)  The free shipping special is for EVERYTHING you order from me or from my online store:  www.stampintimesomewhere.stampinup.net

Pretty Little Birdhouse

The little milk carton birdhouses are just adorable.  And the colors of this one make it especially cute~~at least I think so.  As a matter of fact, I think they is so cute that we will be making these little favors at the classes over the weekend.  You can't really tell in the photo, but before adhering the roof, I filled the birdhouse with a little brown raffia and some white candy eggs.   Wouldn't these be cute favors at a Mother's Day Tea or luncheon?  You could even put two little birds on the front and it would make a cute bridal shower favor.   Before adhering the roof, you could write a name on it and use the birdhouse as a place card.  Another option is to add a ribbon and it could be a little ornament/decoration to hang from a kitchen cabinet doorknob.  The sparkly little eye is one of SU's rhinestones that I colored using a turquoise Sharpie marker.  Have a great day~~and take a little time to see what real birds are visiting your backyard!

Mom Card

The theme of this weekend's card classes is Mother's Day.  Today's card is one that will be made using either Perfect Plum or Certainly Celery DSP on a Pink card base.   The card can be embellished more if desired, but I like the card just as it is.   If I was making only a few of these, I would use the Dotted Scallop Ribbon punch for the decorative top edge.  But since more than a few cards will be made, I decided to see if I could cut the trim using MDS2 and my Cricut.  It did work but the problem was that the "dotted" part of the ribbon was too detailed for the Cricut and each little hole would need to be pierced--way too much work!  So, I deleted the dots and cut strips of pink DSP with the scalloped edges. The butterflies were stamped using an image from the Papillion Potpourri stamp set and punched using the coordinating punch.  On a different note, I woke up this morning to the news that the Archivers store in Algonquin is closing!  I don't frequent Archivers on a weekly basis, but I sure will miss the store.  Have a great day and enjoy the sunshine!

Framed Gift Card

It was a busy weekend here, but it was a good one!  We enjoyed a lovely Easter with our family.  Actually, our daughter's in-laws have had us over for Easter ever since I can remember.  John and I host Thanksgiving and Walt and Dorothy host Easter.  We are very blessed that our families spend the holidays together.  On Saturday I had a nice afternoon at the baby shower I mentioned in an earlier post.  You saw the card and today I am posting the gift. The Mommy and Daddy-to-be live in the Baltimore, Maryland area.  Since transporting the gifts would be a little tricky and/or expensive to send, I opted to give a gift card.  It's all in the presentation so rather than just putting the gift card in a card, I made an envelope using the scallop envelope die.  After tying  a ribbon around it, I matted it on a coordinating piece of DSP and slipped in the Target gift card.  The frame will not take up that much room and in a couple of months will be holding a 4x6 photo of the new arrival!