Happy Halloween!!

Black cardstock, hexagon punch, paper trimmer, googly eyes and ribbon all came together to create this cute Halloween card.   And since I purchased Martha Stewart's spider punches last year (on clearance) I decided I should at least use the corner punch on one card!  Watch out for the little ghosts and goblins running around your neighborhood today.  Not sure how many we will have visiting our house due to the rain, but it is always so fun to see the delight in the eyes of the little ones.  Have a fun-filled Halloween!

US Map

I purchased the photopolymer sets Map It Out and Greetings From a while back, but I have been spending my time working on holiday projects and playing with my Envelope Punch Board.  Last night I wanted to make a card for my mom and remembered I had these two sets.  I stamped the map in Stazon on a Whisper White card front, stamped a mask of the map, cut it out  and temporarily adhered it to the map on the card front.  After sponging lightly with Coastal Cabana and Pear Pizazz, I removed the mask, stamped the labels for my mom's state and mine and drew a dotted line with little hearts connecting the two.  The Greetings From set includes little images representing different states/areas of the country.  The cactus image is perfect for Arizona and for the Chicago area, I stamped the Ferris wheel~~a Navy Pier icon.  Even the "Sending Love" sentiment and little heart are included in the sets.  This is the perfect stamp set to take on vacation together with a This and That Journal.  Stamp the map on a page, color in the state you are traveling thru and then jot down what you did or saw in that state.  Well, I should travel on down to my scraproom and clean it up!  Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Endless Wishes Cards

Mr. Brown (the UPS man) dropped off an order at my house last night and the order included the Endless Wishes stamp set.  Needless to say I had to try it out and here are two quick and simple cards I created using it.  The Pool Party card is copied directly from the announcement we received when the set was released.  The Melon Mambo card was created especially for my friend, Michelle.  She loves Melon Mambo and bling and wondered about SU's silver ribbon.   Our little rhinestones add just the right amount of sparkle.  We will definitely be making the Pool Party card at the November workshops.  As a matter of fact, now that I have made the card and have the set in hand, I do think that my Christmas card this year just might similar to one of these.  Even the snowflakes in this set are pretty!  Have a great day!

Worshops Projects

This weekend I spent some time working on items we will be making at the Tags/Cards workshops coming up in November.  So today's photos show many of the items to be made at the workshop.  There are so many possibilities and deciding which ones would appeal to everyone, I think I have come up with a good variety.  I am waiting for the Endless Wishes stamp set to arrive so that I can post the cards we will make, but until then, at least you get a general idea of what to expect. Have a great day!

Thinking of Christmas

I am beginning to see Christmas cards that others are creating and I decided to make a couple of versions of the Christmas card I have in mind. On both cards, I stamped the swirl image (from Creative Elements) using Versamark on the left side of  card stock  and embossed that with white embossing powder.  On the Soft Sky card I sponged over the embossed image with Soft Sky Ink using a damp cloth to remove the ink left on the embossed image. I centered the sentiment (from More Merry Messages which was carried over from last year) and stamped it with Pool Party ink.  I added a few embossed snowflakes, pearls and our pretty seam binding.  After stamping and embossing the image and sentiment (also from More Merry Messages) on the Cherry Cobbler card, I added a white taffeta ribbon.  I do think that the Cherry Cobbler seam binding would look very pretty, too.  If I decide to go with the Cherry card, I will use my Embossing Buddy before stamping!  Both cards are pretty, but I am sure I will change them up a bit before I decide what I am really going to send this year.  Have a great day and a great weekend, too!

Give Thanks

When I was shopping the other day, I picked up a couple pumpkins for the front porch.   Those pumpkins reminded me that I had been meaning to make a card using the pumpkin image in the Best of Autumn stamp set.  After stamping the image in Early Espresso, I colored it in with my markers, stamped the sentiment (from the same set) and wrapped it with raffia and a button.  The Tangerine background is one of the patterns in the Sweater Weather DSP collection.  I ran it through the Big Shot using the Woodgrain embossing folder.  Well, when I opened the embossing folder, the DSP was in two pieces.  Luckily, the impression was deep enough so as to pull some of the white core of the DSP to the front, so the ripped part isn't really that noticeable.  It actually looks like I used a piece of Coordinations cardstock!  Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

You're In My Thoughts

Since one of the sets on sale this week is the A Dozen Thoughts stamp set, I decided to use it for today's card. The variety of sentiments and fonts make this one of my go-to sets.  As you can see, the sentiments are a bit more trendy than the usual "happy birthday" or "congratulations" and with a 25% savings, now is a good time to purchase it.  Back to the card.  I used a variety of items for this card:  Pretty Print embossing folder (Holiday Mini), En Francais background stamp, a retired embossing folder, Label Framelits, the Beautiful Wings embosslit and little pearls.  The card is very pretty and is fitting for a number of occasions.  Have a great day!

Two More Items of Interest

Stampin' Up  is hard to keep up with sometimes--lol!  In addition to the 25% off sale I posted about earlier, SU is offering weekly specials on Tuesdays.  This week's special includes, among other items, the Dress up Framelits die set.  Just use the "Click Here For My Online Store" link on the right-hand side of my blog to see all items in the weekly deals and all new offers and products. 

	Dress Up Framelits Die Item # 130101 Regular Price: $24.95 US/$30.95 CAN Discounted Price: $18.71 US/$23.21 CAN

In addition to both of those announcements today, SU is also selling another new product:  precut and scored card bases.  I am ordering a pack to see if it is our regular cardstock or if it is different in some way. Again, if you have any questions, just call or shoot me an email.  Each Card Base package contains:

• 20 pre-scored, pre-cut cards in one color 
• Each card measures 5-1/2" x 8-1/2"-scored at 4-1/4". Finished card size is 4-1/4" x 5-1/2". (Card Bases are packaged flat.)

Description	Item Number	Price
Whisper White Cut & Ready Card Bases	135804	$4.95
Very Vanilla Cut & Ready Card Bases	135805	$4.95
Crumb Cake Cut & Ready Card Bases	135806	$4.95
Smoky Slate Cut & Ready Card Bases	135807	$4.95
Cherry Cobbler Cut & Ready Card Bases	135808	$4.95
Old Olive Cut & Ready Card Bases	135809	$4.95
Pool Party Cut & Ready Card Bases	135810	$4.95

25% Off 25 Stamp Sets!

  Beginning today, Stampin' Up is celebrating its 25 years in business by offering 25 select stamps at 25% off!  This is a great time to grab a set you  might have been eyeing.  Click on the link below

http://www.stampinup.com/ECWeb/ItemList.aspx?categoryid=1644

to see the stamp sets included in this special offer.  If you have questions call or send an email.  Have a great day!

New~~Endless Wishes

Stampin' Up recently announced the release of a new photopolymer stamp set, Endless Wishes which includes the 19 images/greetings shown here. This is my favorite SU photopolymer stamp so far and is on this week's order.  As a matter of fact, the card shown here is one that we will be making at the Holiday Tags/Cards classes on November 10th and November 17th.  The cost of the set is $13.95 plus tax and shipping.  And speaking of the upcoming classes, I will need to know by Wednesday, October 23rd, if you will be attending either or both classes and the color of wreath you would like to make.  As of this morning, the November 10th classes are filled.  November 17th spaces are still available.  Have a great day!

Hexagons

Today's cards are quick to create using Stampin' Up's hexagon punch.  The images on both cards are patterned hexagons from the Six-sided Sampler set and inked using colors coordinating with the card base.  On both cards the sentiments were stamped in Versamark and embossed using Tangerine Tango embossing powder.  "Trick or Treat" is from the Best of Halloween set and "Give Thanks" from the  Best of Autumn.  Since the card bases are so dark, I have added white cardstock inside with a stamped image.  The Tangerine embossed sentiments really pop against the dark background.   (How pretty this would be embossed with Melon Mambo on black!)  The little leaf on the Early Espresso card is a brad I had in my non-SU brad collection.  Have a great day and a great weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Spritzed Sunburst

Today's cards were created after seeing a card in our demonstrator's Stampin' Success magazine.  (This is definitely a card class technique for a future class.)  After making a template and cutting it out, the template was  temporarily adhered to the card front.  I spritzed that with one of SU's mini misters that contained rubbing alcohol and Coastal Cabana re-inker.  The balloons from Sketched Birthday and the sentiment from Simply Sketched were layered on Coastal Cabana cardstock and adhered over the center point of the sunburst.  I took the technique a step further for the ATV card.  Since it is hunting season around here, I wanted to  create a camouflage type sunburst.  After spritzing with Always Artichoke and rubbbing alcohol, I then splattered Early Espresso ink over the sunburst.  The ATV from the retired Need For Speed set was the perfect image for this card.  I even splattered the envelope.  Not a pretty card, it is perfect for a lot of men who are into their ATVs and/or hunting; i.e., my husband and his friends.  Have a great day! . 

A Little Inspiration

My friend, Lisa, gave me this pretty little plant.  It is on my kitchen table, brightens my kitchen and the day and provided inspiration for today's card.   One of the images from the Gently Falling stamp set was used for the background.  I did stamp off once before stamping on the white cardstock.  That makes the colors of Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight and Tangerine much softer.  I used a combination of stamps for the sentiment layer.  So just as the plant is wrapped in Fall paper and the bow and flowers are bright colors, so is the card.  Thank you, Lisa!   Hope everyone has a bright day!

Curled Paper Tree

Unless I come up with something spectacular, this will be the last curled paper project I will be posting for a while.  But this tree is just so pretty, I had to share it. I went to Hobby Lobby yesterday to find a little tree topper that would be just right, but nothing caught my eye.  So until I get to the other big box stores, the ribbon at the top is just fine.  Again, I used the pages from the Winter Frost DSP stack.  Now I need to figure out if this will travel via the US Post Office and not get smashed in route.  I just might send it to myself and see how it holds up in transit.   Such a perfect gift for some of my far away family and friends.  Have a great day!

File folder Card

I moved away from the Fall colors and to Melon Mambo and Black for today's card. 
You might remember an earlier post showing the apple cider holder I created using the Envelope Punch board.    This card is very similar, but I will be adding a gift card to the white insert.    The tag on the front of the card is from the Chalk Talk stamp set and coordinating framelits and the sentiment on the card insert is from the Sweet Essentials set.  You do not know how many times I laugh at myself for announcing that the Envelope Punch board is something I have no need for!!!  Have a great day!

Black & White

Happy Friday!  I went down to my scrap room with the idea of making a black and white card.  And I did just that without being side-tracked!  I stamped the flourish image from the Creative Elements stamp set on a white card base.  I then stamped the flower from the same set on black cardstock using Versamark, heat set the image using white embossing powder and then cut it out.  It was adhered using stampin' dimensionals.  Since I had no specific reason for this card, the "just because" is the perfect sentiment from the A Dozen Thoughts stamp set.  This is another one of those cards that is easily reproduced and which would make a nice gift set for someone.  A different color combination with a different sentiment and a butterfly in place of the flower~~I will have to get to work on that idea!  Have a great Columbus Day weekend.

Curled Paper Balls

After creating the pretty Christmas wreaths, I decided to create something Fall-related~~not a wreath.  So, I made these cute little hanging curled paper balls.  Lucky for me, my friend Kathy gifted me with pretty double-sided Halloween cardstock she purchased at Archivers  and which I used to make the Halloween ball together with SU's black cardstock.  The Halloween cardstock was fairly pliable, but the black cardstock took a little more work..  All in all, it looks very cute hanging in my kitchen!  I then cut and curled Stampin' Up's Sweater Weather Designer Series Paper for a pretty ball that can be displayed through Thanksgiving.  These curled paper projects are fun to do and no two will be exactly the same.  Have a great day!

Combining Patterns

The backgrounds on today's cards were made using a combination of two prints.  One is from the Creative Elements stamp set and the other is the Very Vintage wheel.  Both cards have a touch of elegance but what is surprising is that even the linen thread looks elegant!  I have not yet decided which sentiment to add to the Crumb Cake and Chocolate Chip card, but this card might get a bit of linen thread, too.  And don't forget to roll the envelope! Have a great day!

A Smaller Wreath

 I went to  see my friend, Cherie,  yesterday and showed her the Season of Style wreath that I created over the weekend.  Cherie wondered how smaller wreaths would look.  Needless to say I had to find out.  So I picked up a 6" Styrofoam wreath at Hobby Lobby and set to work.  I used the Winter Frost DSP stack.  Now that I did one wreath, this one went much faster.  Of course, this one was half the size of the Season of Style wreath, too.  Speaking of the Season of Style wreath, I changed the ribbon from gold to a Cherry Cobbler toned ribbon and I think it looks even prettier now.  Now I really have to go downstairs and clean my scraproom.  It is a disaster!  Have a great day!

Would You Believe A Christmas Project?

 So here I am, still not over summer and I am posting a Christmas wreath I made yesterday.  I still need to add a little more ribbon here and there and to fill in areas that need a little something.  But, isn't this so pretty?  My first attempt at a scrapbook paper wreath turned out pretty darn good!  I used the Season of Style Designer Series paper in the Holiday Mini.  It took a little longer than I thought, but it was not that difficult.  Trimming the paper down to size and curling it is what took the time.  Next time I make one of these, I will cut all the paper before I start curling it and attaching it to the foam wreath form.   This could be a very fun workshop.  What do you think?

Pop & Place Holiday Gift Tags

This newly released item is quietly whispering "workshop" in my ear!  I have not seen the product but other demonstrators are singing its praises.  There are a few purchase options available depending on your needs:

• Gift Tags Book (70 tags in five designs, 2 pages of each design): $9.95
• Christmas Tagables Photopolymer Stamp set:  $13.95
• Bundle both of the above for $19.95 (for a savings of $3.95)
• Starter Bundle includes the above two items plus: a Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Spot and a  clear Block C for $24.95

There are a number of reasons I will be ordering the Starter Bundle for $24.95:  I can always use an extra clear block; the Stampin' Spots come in handy; and the stamp set is clear and can be used year after year!  

I will be using this stamp set in a Christmas Tags & Cards workshop I am planning for November 9th and November 10th.  Mark your calendars now before it gets filled up with all types of holiday activities.  Have a good week!

Trick or Treat Favors

Aren't these cute?  I saw these favors in a couple of places on the Internet and gave them a try.  The smaller one holds two Hershey Treasure candies while the bigger one holds a fun size Nestle 100 Grand candy bar or two of the fun size Hershey Bars or a few miniature Hershey Bars.  The "trick or treat" is from the Best of Autumn stamp set and fits perfectly in the Modern Label punch.  After gluing the ends together,  I punched holes in the ends and embellished the favors with ribbon and tulle.  I am thinking that these little packages would be cute all "dressed up" for Christmas~~Christmas paper, red, green and silver ribbon.  I will work on that over the weekend.  And speaking of the weekend, have  a great one!

Matthew's Birthday Card

We celebrated Matt's birthday yesterday~~where did those 35 years go?  I like to personalize cards and as I was thinking about what stamp set I would use for his card, I thought about the fact that he loves the water.  As a matter of fact, his house includes water front property and his front room has a big picture window overlooking the Fox River.  So out came my Memory Box Madison Window die and a long-retired Stampin' Up set.  I stamped the image using Black Stazon and then colored it in using blender pens.  After a couple practice images (I wanted to use the right colors), I framed the image using the Basic Gray window die cut and adhered it to the Woodgrain embossed Smokey Slate cardstock.  I was very proud of the finished product and Matt really liked it.  I made use of one of the practice images together with my oval framelits and a retired background stamp to create another birthday card for future use. Again, happy birthday, Matthew.  Hope you all have a great day!

Very Vintage Wheel

Today's cards were made using a tool I don't think I have ever used on something I posted here.  Or if I did, it was only once, maybe twice.  But I have been liking the Very Vintage wheel on page 104 of the annual catalog, so I broke down and ordered it.  Yesterday the order arrived and I played with the wheel.  Keeping it straight is a problem I have using the wheel.  So after a few pieces of stamped cardstock were filed, I decided to use post-it notes as a ruler edge. The thank you card is a combination of Baked Brown Sugar and Crisp Cantalope.  I used my Simply Scored tool to emboss two lines above and below the sentiment.  The sympathy card is very elegant thanks to the wheel and the Crumb Cake ribbon.   For those who have not used a wheel when stamping, you will all have to try your hand at it to see what you think.  Today is my son's birthday and I look forward to celebrating with him a little later.  I will post a photo of his card tomorrow, after he has had a chance to see it!  Happy 35th birthday, Matthew! 

Stampin' Up released the new Best of 25 stamp set and this month it is the Best of Christmas.  These are the images included in the stamp set.  The cost is $14.95 and is available now.  Remember that the Best of stamp sets are only available in clear mount.  Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!