Thank You!

Yesterday I mentioned having a few snow days.  Not only was I able to complete all 75 of my Christmas cards, but I was able to knock out my thank you notes, too!  This year I am keeping it simple.  I am using the Scentsational Seasons (from last year's holiday mini catalog) candy cane stamp with the coordinating framelits die.  I used the stylish stripes textured impressions embossing folder.  I used silver ribbon from this year's holiday mini.  For the cardstock and ink, I used real red (and whisper white).  Clean and simple!  Here's the work-in-progress as well as the end result.

Holiday Sneak peek!

Well, I haven't posted for awhile (surprise, surprise!) but I've been home from work for the past two days due to snow.  I've had plenty of time to cook, clean and stamp!  Here is a sneak peek of my Christmas card.  I won't post the final product until they are sent out.

Here are a few snapshots...

Stay tuned for the final product!

Pinwheel Perfection

Today is my niece's birthday (she is turning 3!  My how time flies!) and her birthday party is tomorrow.  I made this card way back in June especially for her. It just looks like fun to me.  I made a few of them, so a few other September birthday babies may also receive this same card.  None of these products are still available except the colors.  I used the new 2013-2015 in-colors to show case in this card.  I LOVE the Crisp Cantaloupe color and I think the Strawberry Slush really ties it all together.  The stamp set and pinwheel die were both available in the 2013 Occasions mini catalog but neither made it into the annual catalog.  Let me know what you think!

Convention 2013

Stampin' Up!'s Convention is nearly here!  I am so excited to attend my very first convention.  This year should hold many surprises as it is SU!'s 25th anniversary.  I am anticipating learning new techniques and seeing some sneak peeks of upcoming treats in store for the year.  I still need to pack, so this post will be short and sweet but I wanted to post my swap card.  Instead of writing the recipe on the back of the card, I just posted my blog address and people can check out the details below.

I knew summer was going to be busy so I did not make general swaps like I did for Baltimore Regionals.  I did, however, join a vintage swap.  The swap only requires 12 cards but each one has to have a vintage feel.  I love vintage style cards, AND I struggled a bit coming up with this design!  So many new catalog items are similar to older items I already own (I guess this happens when you've been a stamper for so long) and I didn't want to spend too much on a stamp set I wouldn't use frequently.

Here's what I came up with:

The card was simple to make, but still has the "wow" factor of 3-dimensions. I was glad to have the chance to play around with the new colors!  The base of the card is the new Smoky Slate (it is a bit washed out in the photo).  Next, I ran a 3 inch piece of the new In Color, Pistachio Pudding, through the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder with the Big Shot.  I layered that with a piece of the Ruffle Stretch Trim Ribbon (I LOVE this ribbon!!).  I stamped the Million and One greeting in Blushing Bride on Very Vanilla cardstock and cut it using the window frame framelit.  I used the paper piercing tool and then the Festive Paper Piercing Pack on the pierce mat to poke the holes all the way around the shape, giving it texture.  The flowers were created using 5 punches from the new Pansy punch onto Blushing Bride cardstock. I sprayed the petals with water and crinkled them to give them more of a vintage look and feel.  I topped the card off by adding a Very Vintage Designer button with a bow made from Early Espresso Baker's Twine.  

... And that's my card for Convention!  Hopefully it will be well received by this vintage-loving bunch!  When I return, I'll post some pictures from Convention here.  

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.

Olivia's Baptism

In March, my cousin Katie had a beautiful baby girl, Olivia Marie.  This weekend is her baptism weekend!  My cousin Emily is heading down to Abingdon, Virginia for the mass as she is the Godmother.  Unfortunately, I am unable to attend as I have a friend's wedding on Saturday.  I made a card to send with my gift for the sweet baby girl. It's been awhile since I posted a card, so it seemed like now is the time!

I used Stampin' Up!'s Designer Frames embossing folder for the oval-dot design. Then, I used rhinestones to make a cross.  This card is extremely simple and definitely baptism-appropriate!

A Study in Simplicity

Recently I've been adoring black and white cards. I was inspired by many newsprint cards I've been seeing recently and decided it was time to make some of my own.  Some of the cards are black and white another others ivory and black.  Here's what I came up with:

This card uses the Elementary Elegance Stamp Set that is only available for a limited time during Sale-a-bration

I used Upsy Daisy to stamp over the newsprint on this card

This card, using the Kindness Matters stamp set, was inspired by a similar one I made at a class this fall.

 Like what you see?  You can order Stampin' Up! products to design and create some of your own cards.  click HERE to shop now!

Happy Valentine's Day

I hope your Valentine's Day is very PINK and full of sweet treats!  I made valentines using the blushing bride smooch spritz.  The embossed words come from Hand-Penned Holidays which was available in the Holiday Mini Catalog.  Here is the valentine I sent out this year:  (primarily to family- friends, don't be insulted if you didn't get one)

I also bought the new doily die and intended to use it for my valentines.  I quickly discovered, it is a PAIN to use.  Each little paper piece has to be pierced out.  I only made one of this card:

The little hearts on the string are not glued down, they dangle loosely. Nearly all of the products for this card come from the Occasions Mini Catalog, available through April.  I'm sure I'll give the doily die another go, perhaps for a wedding card or something that does not need to be reproduced in mass.

Want to order Stampin' Up! products of your own?  Click HERE and then SHOP NOW!

Valentines

Over the weekend, I went to a stamp class hosted by my upline, Mary Walker.  Below are some of the valentines she designed or CASed that we made.  Stay tuned next week for the valentine I am mailing out!

This card features the Open Sea stamp set that is not in the catalog, but still available for purchase

This Z-fold card uses the Totally Tool stamp set

I love this card- it is definitely my favorite of the night.  It has a lot of texture from various big shot embossing folders as well as the scallop trim punch

Want to order Stampin' Up! products of your own?  Now is a great time, as it is Sale-a-bration and every order earns free products.  Click HERE to shop now!

Birthday Bonanza

This past week, I've had a lot of birthdays to celebrate! Beginning with my roommate last Thursday, there have been a slew of friends and family members celebrating another year.  This is the somewhat spring-colored card I designed for all of the January birthdays, using the create a cupcake stamp set and coordinating punch.

ink: Chocolate Chip, Wild Wasabi, Pretty In Pink
Cardstock: Marina Mist, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink
Accessories: Stripes embossing folder for the Big Shot, Window Punch, Cupcake Punch, Modern Label Punch,  Chocolate chip Scallop Dots ribbon
Stamp sets: Create a Cupcake and On a Pedestal

This card was fairly simple to make, yet it has a lot of texture due to the embossing and all the paper layers from the punches.

Interested in trying it out?  Click HERE to order Stampin' Up! products of your own!

Oh, Baby

Frequently, I've been experiencing an event cycle.  One year will be jam packed with weddings, then the next year or 2 is jam packed with baby showers and new births.  They cycle repeats itself every so often.   I am currently in my third cycle of the extreme wedding attending/baby boom.  This year, tons of friends, colleagues, and family members are expecting new bundles of joy... and I can hardly wait to meet them all!

This weekend, I am going to a baby shower in Pittsburgh for my cousin, Katie.  She and her husband, Chris are expecting their first baby girl in March.  Stay tuned for fashionable shower pictures next week!

Over the weekend, I decided I better crank out some baby cards as this is the first baby shower in a long line of showers to come this winter/spring. If you are a friend who is expecting and want to be surprised by your baby card, STOP READING!  You'll see a picture of it below as well.  Everyone else, read on.  Since I had to make quite a few cards, I decided on something quick, easy, and neutral.  I used the Fox and Friends stamp set.  I love this set and have only ever used it once before.  I used Certainly Celery cardstock and ribbon on most of the cards. Then I made two cards in Pretty in Pink for 2 friends I know for sure are having baby girls (including my cousin Katie).  I used Very Vanila cardstock and the 1 and 3/4 inch circle punch, too.

Like what you see and want to order Stampin' Up! products of your own?  Click HERE and then select shop now to order.

Stitched Stockings

On Christmas day, I posted here about my 2011 Christmas card. I also mentioned that Stampin' Up!'s stocking builder punch will no longer be available after this week!  I wanted to take a minute to show another holiday card created with the Stitched Stockings stamp set and the coordinating stocking builder punch!  This card was designed by my upline, Mary Walker.  It uses the stripes embossing folder as well as a rhinestone embellishment.  Simple, elegant and fun!

Like what you see?  Click here to order Stampin' Up products!  Happy Christmas week!

Christmas Morn

Merry Christmas!
This morning my sisters and I woke up early to open presents and get ready for Christmas brunch (we went to church last night).  More on our holiday celebration later this week, though.  I wanted to post this year's Christmas card!  Everyone should finally have it by now, so I shouldn't be ruining the "surprise" for anyone.

This year I decided to make a pop up card.  I saw cards similar to this online and was excited to reproduce it. Because the card has so much texture (2 items through the Big Shot and wreathes and stockings both had to be punched out and assembled) it took some time to put together.  However, with limited stamping in this card, I was able to get them completed fairly quickly.

Paper: Crumb cake, Wild Wasabi
Ink: Early Espresso, Old Olive (on wreath)
Ribbon: Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine
Embellishments: Jingle Bells (only available in the holiday mini until January 2!), neutrals brad
Tools: Scallop circle punch, 1 inch circle punch

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Daffodil Delight, Frostwood Lodge Designer Series Paper
Ink: Early Espresso, Peach Parfait (on flames)
Big Shot Dies: Vintage Wallpaper textured impressions die (on rug), Square Lattice textured impressions die (on fireplace)
Punch: Stocking Builder Punch, 2 inch circle punch, bird punch (for flames)
Stamp Set: Hand Penned Holidays

Want to purchase Stampin' Up! products of your own?  Click here and then select "shop now" to order!  The stocking builder punch used for this card is only available until January 2, so hurry and order now if you're interested!

Tidings Of Comfort and Joy

Here is last year's Christmas card.  This is one of my all-time favorites, as it has a vintage-y feel to it.  I used Cherry Cobbler cardstock and Old Olive Ink.  This card features the Welcome Christmas stamp set. I jazzed it up by adding some pearl accents and Chantilly lace.  Stay tuned this weekend for this year's Christmas card to be revealed.

Want to order Stampin' Up! products?  Click HERE and then select "shop now" to order online.

Evergreen

It's been awhile since I've had a chance to post any cards.  I have a lot of holiday cards to share, so I decided to start posting now!  This is one card I made in a stamp class in November hosted by my upline, Mary Walker.  I LOVE this guy... I might make this for my Christmas thank you notes if I have time.  This card uses the Lovely As a Tree set and features the thumping technique to get different colors in the branches.  I love the simplicity and elegance it displays.

Want to order Stampin' Up! supplies of your own?  Click HERE and then "shop now" to place an online order!

Eat, Drink, and Be Scary!

Happy Halloween!  I hope everyone had a fabulous Halloween weekend full of sweets and delights!  In August, I made my Halloween cards to send to my family (sorry friends, most of you were left out this year due to time, but hold on for the ultimate Christmas card!) but I didn't want to post it until now so people could see it IRL before viewing it online.
First, I will share last year's card:

Now, here is this year's treat:

Both cards use the Dark and Dreary stamp set as well as the Spider Web Textured Impressions Embossing Folder for the Big Shot.  For the second card, I used a brayer to apply white ink over the embossed web and I used the In-Color glitter brads to give this card a bit of sparkle.

Want to buy Stampin' Up supplies so you can make your own cards?  Click HERE to start shopping!  Happy Halloween!