Another Designer Cut Card

Seriously, for as long as I've been a SU Demonstrator, I have never bought a package of pre-made cards of any kind, but when I saw this set in the Occasions Mini, my imagination started running with all the things I could do with these! On this card, I began by using my new heart shaped Framelits dies to cut out the gorgeous laser cut heart from the center of the card (there are 4 in this package!) and layered it onto a Real Red heart cut from the same die. Then I layered both onto a larger heart cut from the same die set out of Real Red Glimmer Paper - again this stuff is awesome - no messy glitter in your hair, on your clothes, all over the floor - well you get the picture! Next I pleated some Silver Waffle Paper, another fun thing to work with, around the back of my heart and stuck it onto the extra piece of Very Vanilla Card Stock that I had left over from the card I just pulled apart (I am a Queen of Scrap!)

Speaking of the scraps from this card, I also used the remainder of my card to run through the Big Shot again with the Hearts folder from the Adorning Accents Textured Embossing Folders, and the banner from my Petal Cone Die, which was stamped with a greeting from the new PS I Love You Stamp Set! Lastly I used a few scraps of First Edition Specialty Paper. This stuff is great on any project, and a little goes a long way, I bought a package of it almost a year ago and I think I still have half of it left after using it almost weekly on various projects!

Here's a close-up of that adorable laser cut heart for you:



Thanks for stopping by today. Have a great week!

Designer Cuts

One of my favorite picks from the 2012 Occasions Mini is the Designer Cuts Cards and Envelopes Set. I really liked the simplicity of the card pictured in the catalog, so I had to make one for myself!

I started by layering a sheet of Real Red behind the heart cut out. Then I stamped the greeting from PS I Love You, threaded a piece of Calypso Coral Baker's Twine through a Twitterpated Button and stuck it onto the heart with a Mini Glue Dot. I finished by giving the whole card a generous spritz of Blushing Bride Smooch. I am really appreciating how the products and colors from these collections really blend and coordinate with each other.

Stop by again this week to see how many different looks you can get with this package of cards!

Thoughts and Kindness

Sympathy cards are never an easy thing to send, but I know the people receiving them appreciate the thought. The Beau Chateau Side Notes are useful for any card you might need, including sympathy, birthdays, thank yous and much more. I like the layers they add to a card or project, and they coordinate with so many stamp sets.

For this card I began by running some Baja Breeze through my Big Shot with the Vintage Wall Paper Embossing Folder, then stamped a combination of images from Thoughts and Prayers and Kindness Matters Stamp Sets on the Post Card from the Side Notes Collection in Baja Breeze and Soft Suede Classic Inks.

The butterflies were cut with the Beautiful Wings Embosslit Die from Very Vanilla Card Stock and Smooched with Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz that I customized with a few drops of Mambo Melon and Pink Pirouette Classic Ink Refills. Did you know that you could color your Smooch with that stuff? That's right - I also have some in Lucky Limeade and Baja Breeze!

I then embellished the post card with some Basic Pearls, Quilted Satin Ribbon (retired) and an antique brad. I adhered all the layers together and ended up with this sweet card. I only wish I hadn't needed a sympathy card that day.

Thanks for stopping by today!

New Dies!

Well I did it! I finally escaped to my cave and broke out some new dies to make this card. Isn't the edge of this card fabulous? The new Edgelit Dies and coordinating Embossing Folders really give cards and boxes a great edge.


I paired up a Crumb Cake card base with some Everyday Enchantment DSP and the coordinating Ribbon and Brads Pack. Both are exclusive Sale-A-Bration items from this year's SaleABration Catalog and will be available beginning January 24th. The doily was cut from a sheet of flirtation DSP, and eeven the sweet flower in the center was cut out of the Everyday Enchangment paper, proving once again that you can make great cards without breaking out the ink...of course I would never make a habit out of that!

Thank You Medallion

This is a goodie I made using stamp sets from the 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog. The main image was stamped using the Blossom from Friends Never Fade. I used my Stampin' Write Markers in Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso and Lucky Limeade to get the multi colored image from one stamp. I find this works best when I condition my bold stamps by lightly sanding the image with a sanding block. This only needs to be done once and then your stamp is good to go. For whatever reason it helps the ink to stick better. Any white or lighter spots can then be blended with the marker, a blending pen or a small watercolor brush.

Next I embossed the image with a designer frame from the Textured Impressions Embossing Folder Set. This folder is transparent, so it makes it super easy to center your pre-stamped image on the inside, then I cut it out and layered it over some DSP from the 2011 Holiday Mini (now retired)that I cut into a banner.

I stamped "Thanks" in the lower right hand corner of my Lucky Limeade CS with one of the phrases from the Kindness Matters Stamp Set, also in the IBC - and soon to be offered as one of the FREE Stamp Sets in the upcoming Sale-A-Bration Catalog! I finished the card front off with a line of Basic Pearls under the phrase and layered it onto a 4 1/4" x 8 1/2" piece of Naturals Ivory scored and folded in half.

A fun trick you can do with your envelopes is to seal your A-5 Envelope closed and trim off the end in order to turn it into a 4 7/8 x 4 7/8 square. Then using a 4 7/8 x 3 1/4 scrap of coordinating DSP scored 1/2" from the end, you can create a coordinating flap for your card, making the perfect sized envelope to fit a 4 1/4" square card. Just round off the corners and you're done. Easy-Peasy!



For more cards using this sketch check out this Stamping 411 Challenge!

Special Notes

I made this A2 Cardbox to hold a set of notecards. After making this box, I created two layers using Pool Party and Very Vanilla with my Delicate Doilies Stamp Set. Then I used my distressing kit to give them an aged and vintage look. The butterflies were cut out using chipboard and Newsprint DSP, then embellished with Glass Glitter in Champagne and Baja Breeze. The punched flowers were created with the Scalloped Circle Punch, and the Five Petal Punch. The 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon was colored with my sponge dauber and Island Indigo Ink Pad, then the whole project was assembled and spritzed with Silver Smooch.

I wanted to keep the notecards plain - they are more of a card front than a note card, but I am considering working on them some more, adding stamps and a few layers in order to jazz them up a little!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Happy Birthday!

Tonight we are celebrating one more birthday in our family. Rick will be....well lets just say he's getting old enough that birthdays are starting to hit hard! Last night I had a brilliant idea - nothing like waiting til the last minute, huh? - to invite his sisters and their families over for a surprise celebration. hopefully they will arrive here just before he gets home - teehee - I think even Emma kept this one a surprise!

Anyway this is the card I made for him. It didn't turn out quite like I expected but I had no time to go back and fix it up, you know with needing to clean up the house after a week of mad stamping, and cooking a dinner for 15 on a day's notice. All I can say is thank goodness for oblivious husbands who walk by dining room tables in the dark, not noticing the three bowls of dip. And thank goodness too for cold New England nights and old houses with unheated pantrys! hehe

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

One More Sneak Peek!

This card uses a Sweet Sunday Sketch from waaay back in November. Sometimes I enjoy taking other people's designs and making them my own and this was one such card. I used the Sweet Shop DSP from the upcoming Occasions Mini - available starting January 4th and the coordinating Jelly Bean Brads also from the Occasions Mini! I love this paper, the white polka dots are dry embossed and the other pages have some of my current favorite colors. I am even liking Pool Party once again!

Thanks for stopping by today. Stay warm I hear its about to get really cold outside!

A Trillion Gazillion Thank-You's!

Is that a real number? According to Emma it sure is and this year I need that many Thank You cards when I return to school on Tuesday! I couldn't think of a better way to use my scraps and left overs from this year's Holiday Mini-Catalog. I am always sad to see some of the items in these mini's retire. I will miss the Holly Berry Designer Series Paper and the Stocking Punch the most. This was a fabulous grouping of items.

However I am also looking ahead to a great Occasion's Mini Catalog - ready to go "live" on Wednesday! As you might have noticed from my previous posts this week, I have been trying out some of those new items and stamps. I love the new dies, and the Sweet Shop Product Suite is hands down my new favorite - I might even order the coordinating sticker sheets!

Anyway - that's my post for today. Best Wishes to everyone for a Healthy and Happy New Year!

Printer's Tray Club

Join me this year in a series of classes to decorate your favorite Printer's Tray or Shadow Box. This first class will take place on Saturday February 4th @ 1:00 and will feature a Valentine's Theme. I am planning for Easter, Patriotic, Fall and Holiday classes to follow. This design leaves plenty of room for you to customize with your favorite photos or mementos. All materials are included in the class fee. Contact me for more information.

January Stamp A Stack

Here are the samples for January's Card Club. The first is called Be My Valentine. It uses the PS I Love You stamp set from the 2012 Occasions Mini Catalog and will be available on January 4th. I used a combination of Pink Pirouette, Calypso Coral and Chocolate Chip. Who would have thought that Calypso Coral would coordinate so nicely with a Pink and Chocolate combination?

The second card is called Be Mine and features the Hearts Collection of Stampin' Up!s new Framelit Dies. I used the little girl from Greeting Card Kids, a much under used favorite from the current Idea Book and Catalog. It features the new Blushing Bride Smooch Spritz, Silver Waffle Paper, and Vintage Glass Glitter. I thought she was cute with the Soft Suede card base, but this might not be everyone's cup of tea so participants may choose between the Soft Suede or a Pink Pirouette Base.

The last card I called Love. This card uses the Framelits Hearts also, along with some punches and many of the images from the PS I Love You stamps set, as well as the Candy Conversations A la Carte Stamp from the upcoming Mini, and the Outlined Occasions Stamp Set from this year's Sale-A-Bration Catalog - available January 24th - March 31st.

My 2012 Monthly Card Club will resume on Thursday January 12th and will run the 2nd Thursday of each month. This year's club will feature 3 cards each month and attendees will Stamp A Stack of 3 of each version for a total of 9 cards. Class starts at 6:30pm and will be taking place in the Play Room at Life's Memories and More. Call or email me to reserve your space!

Come back soon for an upcoming Valentine Project and more information about this year's Sale-A-Bration!

Happy Hanukkah and Peace on Earth

I needed a Hanukkah card this week, but sadly there are no Hanukkah Stamps in my stash of stamps, so I used the Peace on Earth greeting from my Peaceful Season stamp set (retired) and the flourish from this year's Pines and Boughs to create a blue and silver shimmery card. Gotta love that Glimmer Paper - Hope they like it!

Happy Birthday Zoey!

I managed squeeze in a little time to stamp this morning getting ready for Zoey's 4th Birthday, and made two banners, one for her birthday cake and a holiday banner that her parents could keep after. The cake banner was stamped using the candy piece from my Jolly Bingo Bits stamps set in Wild Wasabi and Real Red Classic Ink and the snowflakes were cut from the Norther Flurries Sizzlet Strip Die. I used a combination of white baker's twine and silver tinsel trim (retired SU)with white organdy ribbon from my stash.

For the holiday banner I used Holly Berry Boquet DSP, Stocking Accents Die and the Stocking Builder Punch. The snowflakes were cut from silver glimmer paper, and I added some crystal snowflakes (from my stash) and Mini-Jingle Bells. I finished the whole thing off with Champagne Glitter - wish you could see it on the snowflakes, it looks great IRL!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Holiday Clearance Rack

This is something worth checking out - lots of great items - ribbon, card stock, punches, dies, and 3-D items, a personal favorite of mine! I have my list made...Holiday Keepsake Boxes, Design A House, Gusseted Envelopes, Punches! Can't wait for that box to come in, it's going to be like Christmas!

You can shop by visiting the clearance rack at the online store. Don't forget to add me as your Demonstrator to get the preferred pricing.

Candy Cane Lane Gift Set

Here is a fun gift set I made using Stampin' Up!s Candy Cane Lane Simply Scrappin' Kit. These kits make it super easy and quick to make scrapbook pages, but they are great for other projects as well. The tag box is not my original idea, but came from Lisa Young's Splitcoast Stamper's Gallery.

Have a great day!

Snow Much Bling!

Hi Bloggy Friends!I've been missing for awhile, but I haven't stopped stamping. Things have been busy around here, but I'm back! Today I wanted to share these cute snowman cards I made recently as Thank You's. It was inspired by a card that Joni Maki made. You can view her blog here: Stampin' Joni Presents I love the Glimmer Paper tags - a little of that stuff really does go a long way - and the Baja Breeze Glass Glitter. Can you believe I have had this in my stash for almost a year, and it's the first time I broke it out?

I will try to make it back in the next few days to post some more holiday goodies that I have been working on. Don't forget to stop by during Christmas Vacation, when I will be posting some samples made from the upcoming Occasions Mini Catalog and Sale-A-Bration!

Enjoy your holiday season!