Stampin' Up Regional Conference

Tomorrow is Stampin' Up's spring regional conference!  I am very excited to go and am hoping to gain a sneak peek of new 2013-2014 products, or at least the new colors.  I just NOW finished my swaps for tomorrow... it's been a busy few weeks! I kept my swap card fairly simple since I was making so many of them. Here it is!

Stamp Set: Forever Young
Ink and Cardstock: Night of Navy
Addtional Cardstock: Old Olive, Naturals White
Accessories: ribbon, antique brads, Designer Frames embossing folder, Lacy Brocade embossing folder

Change of Address

A colleague recently moved into a new house, so I decided to make a quick card to welcome her into her new place!  This stamp set is an oldie (I can't even remember how old!) but it is one of my favorites so I've held onto it for awhile.  It is one of my "go to" sets for making a change of address card.

I got the idea for the style of this card from a card Stampin' Up! pinned on pinterest.  It is an easy, clean layout.  I used the 2 and a half inch circle punch to punch out the circle from the Melon Mambo card stock (I cut the cardstock a quarter inch smaller).  I used an aqua painter to water color the dress and added a few rhinestones for a bit of bling.  Very simple and straight-forward, yet still effective!

A Bit of Shabby Chic

I really love shabby chic style but I struggle to design cards that match!  My cards tend to come out with more of a vintage flare (which I also enjoy!).   This card has 11 layers and the colors are perfect for a Shabby Chic romantic valentine/wedding card.  This is another card that was designed by my Upline, Mary Walker. I love the details. 

The card begins with a basic Very Vanilla cardstock base.  The vellum is dry embossed using the Delicate Designs Embossing Folder.  The strip of Pink Pirouette paper is trimmed with the Scallop Trim Border punch.  The next layer is Very Vanilla, this time embossed with the Vintage Wallpaper folder.  The skinny Crumb Cake piece was also created using a punch. Once all of those paper pieces are punched or embossed, it time to add the embellishments.  Sheer Whisper White ribbon is wound around the embossed Vanilla piece and then a flat build-a-brad (from the new spring catalog) is glued on.  I folded a flower to place behind the brad and added a bow using Linen Thread.  Another flower is added to the brad and topped with a pearl.  Finally, a small pink heart was punched out and glued with the edge just sliding under the brad.  Whew!  a lot of steps, but not a very difficult card to build. Here are the details, up close:

Want to order Stampin' Up! Products to re-create this look or a similar look?  Click HERE then select "Shop Now" to order products of your own!

Another Funny Valentine

I know Valentine's Day is long over, but I wanted to post yet one more valentine since I am just getting back into the swing of blogging.  I did not design this valentine.  It was designed by my Upline, Mary Walker.  This valentine was incredibly easy to create!

This card features Real Red cardstock and ink.  The hearts are created by cutting strips of Red Glimmer Paper and the Heart Punch.  The pieces are staggered on the white card stock to create this cute image. I used scraps of the glimmer paper to create the smaller heart (using the tiny heart punch). 

Want to order Stampin' Up! products of your own? Click Here and then select "shop now" to order online. 

9 Month Hiatus

Well, well, well!  It's been a very long time since I've taken time to update this blog... over 9 months in fact!  I never meant to be gone quite so long.  I decided to come back to it to focus more on some of the recent cards I've made.

Let's focus on this year's valentine!  I am in love with Stampin' Up!'s Spring catalog.  I've ordered a few things so far and have a very long wishlist of items I am hoping to purchase before the catalog period ends in June!

As soon as I saw the Oh, Whale! stamp set I thought it was darling and I knew I needed it.  I also bought the Happy Whale Clearlits die to punch out the whale.

Paper: Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White
Ink: Melon Mambo, Marine Mist, Pacific Point
Stamp Sets: Oh, Whale!
Accessories: Pearls, Oval Framelits, Happy Whale Clearlits dies, Chevron Embossing folder, Modern Label punch

I got the idea for the design from something I saw online.  Using the Oval framelits, I layered ovals and also created an oval frame so this gate-fold card would open in a creative way!  I attached the top of the frame to the top half of the card and the bottom of the oval to the bottom portion of the card. Look below to see how it opens.

What to order Stampin' Up! products of your own?  Click Here and then select the "Shop Now" button to view Stampin' Up!'s current catalogs and order products.

The Guilty and the Innocent are Always Side By Side

I love when I have out-of-the-ordinary days at work.  It adds a bit of spice to life and keeps things from getting dull.  Today was one of those days.  I was able to leave for a few hours smack in the middle of the work day to go shopping.  I needed to pick up some things for a Staff Retreat we have coming up next week and also some new storage materials.  I was able to hit up 3 different stores in 2 hours all on someone else's (work's!) credit card.  It was a nice change of pace and I came in $5 under budget, which, let's face it, rarely happens!

I feel like this outfit is my go-to summer uniform.  I find I wear it frequently in the hot months!  I can dress it up or down, it is casual with flip flops or ready for a night out with heels, it is entirely machine washable and the bright color (although this is technically a "winter" shirt) seems summery. I'm sure you'll see this pairing frequently over the next few months!

Necklace, shirt, skirt: Anthropologie
Flip Flops: J Crew

Fear the Beard

Recently, my boss announced his retirement.  It is a bittersweet time- while I am so happy for him to begin this next adventure, I am nervous about who will replace him!  He is rather famous for (and proud of!) his long beard.  Last week at our leadership team retreat, we had a celebration with beardy cupcakes and gave him a tee-shirt that my friend Amanda found online that "measures" the length of a beard!  Here are a few pictures, plus the outfit of the day from that retreat.

Dress and belt: Anthropologie
Shoes: Aldo
Cardigan: The Limited