Cards

A Golden Celebration

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Celebration Time.1214Someone we know is always having a birthday, right?  I am terrible at sending out birthday cards.  I know!  You’d think I wouldn’t have a problem with this since I make so many of them.  I just can’t get them in the mail!

However….this is one card I can’t wait to send to someone.  I LOVE this card.  It turned out so well.  It’s one of those cards that just makes you smile when you finish making it.  I did copy the general layout and design of the card but I increased the size of the layers and added the ribbon.

45f6869d643d7a200e338163b9b0db0fThis second picture is the card I used as my inspiration.  I do this a lot with my designs.  I start with someone else’s vision and add my own touches.  I loved the gold and the die cut cake on Jamie’s card but didn’t want to copy it exactly so I increased the size of the layers and added the ribbon.  So easy to do!

We both used Celebration Time stamp set and the Bundle of Love Specialty Designer Series Paper on our cards.  This package of designer paper is very different from most of Stampin’ Up!’s papers.  In a usual package of designer paper you get two pieces of six different designs.  The Bundle of Love papers are similar in that if you look at the gold foil design side you get four pieces of a design but when you turn them over two of the four are Blushing Bride and the other two are Soft Sky.  Check out the picture on page 189 of the Annual Catalog.  All three of the gold foil designs worked perfectly for these cards.

Aren’t these gorgeous cards?  You can check out the supplies below to see what you need to make my card.  Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

Adorable Bird Banter

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Well now, you’d think I forgot how to write a post.  Sheesh.  My apologies for my posts being few and far between.  I’m trying to reorganize myself for 2018 and it’s a difficult task.  Don’t worry though….I’ll get back into the swing of things here shortly.

On that note why don’t I share a cute card with you?  🙂

Bird Banter.0118When I first glanced through the new 2018 Occasions Catalog this was another one of those stamp sets that I paged right by.  Why would I need a stamp set with all those birds?  Ha!  Then I saw Brian King’s presentation at Stampin’ Up!’s On Stage event in November and just had to have it!  I hate when that happens….  🙂

Then Stampin’ Up! had a sample in their Stampin’ Success magazine for demonstrators using this stamp set and I was hooked.  I got the stamp set and CASEd the card from the magazine with just a few little changes.  Isn’t the little parrot stinkin’ adorable?

The birds in this stamp set are so easy to color with Stampin’ Up!’s new Stampin’ Blends Alcohol Markers.  I LOVE the Stampin’ Blends!  They’re great!  You’ve got to try them!  If you liked Stampin’ Up!’s Blendabilites Alcohol Markers then you’re going to LOVE the Stampin’ Blends even more.  Give them a try!  You can’t go wrong!  They’re very affordable too.

The designer paper I used on this card is from the Bubbles & Fizz collection in the Sale-a-bration Brochure.  That means that when you place an order of $50 or more you can choose this item for FREE!  Have you placed your Sale-a-bration order yet?

I think I’m going to go play with my Bird Banter stamp set and my Stampin’ Blends….Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

Hedgehugs: A Class Favorite

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Once again there was a stamp set that I completely overlooked when going through a new catalog.  I skimmed right over this stamp set because it was “cutesy”.  I don’t really do “cutesy”.

But then I was hearing all this chatter on social media about hedgehogs.  “What hedgehogs? I haven’t seen any hedgehogs in the new Occasions Cagtalog.”  So, I went through page by page and lo and behold….on page 38 of the 2018 Occasions Catalog you can find the adorable hedgehogs.

Hedgehugs.0118I was trying to come up with a final card for my classes this past week and I knew that the hedgehogs would make a perfect valentine so here it is.  🙂

The card is pretty simple to make.  I stamped the little flowers in red on the Real Red cardstock then I die cut the circle from it and added the ribbon.

The little hedgehog is stamped on a small piece of Whisper White cardstock with Early Espresso ink.  I then put Stampin’ Dimensionals around the circle on the back side of the Real Red cardstock and in the corners too.  Once I took the backing off the dimensionals I centered the circle around the hedgehog and pressed down so the pieces of cardstock would stick together.  I then adhered the Real Red cardstock to the large piece of Whisper White cardstock and then adhered this to the front of the card.  .

That’s it….except for the adorable saying on the inside of the card:  “Sending hedgehugs your way…”

You can purchase this adorable set and all of the supplies directly from my online store and send some hedgehugs of your very own!  Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

They’re Here!

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Occasions2018It’s Sale-a-bration Time!  Both the Sale-a-bration Brochure and the Occasions Catalog are now available to see online and to shop from!  Woo Hoo!  Click on the links here or on the pictures to the right to check out all of the fabulous products available now.  Make out that shopping list and choose those FREE Sale-a-bration items!

When shopping online please use Hostess Code SAB2018MJA67VPV when your order is less than $150.  (If it’s over $150 you can be your own hostess and earn rewards!)  You may just find a small thank you in your mailbox when you do.  🙂

There are so many great items it’s hard to choose a favorite (or two),  One thing you can’t go wrong choosing in the new Occasions Catalog is the designer paper.  Some of these designs are so gorgeous you can make a fabulous card just from the paper….no stamping needed!

Sweet Soiree Notecards.1217For a quick Christmas gift for a friend I grabbed the absolutely GORGEOUS Sweet Soiree Specialty Designer Series Paper and made 5 cards and put them in a decorated Acetate Card Box.  So simple….great gift!  (FYI…these Acetate Card Boxes are still available #144628 $6.50 for 10 boxes)

This specialty paper has silver foil accents on one side of each sheet.  I cut a piece of designer paper, mounted it on a piece of Silver Foil Sheet and added it to the card.  SIMPLE!

The Picture Perfect Designer Series Paper Pack has some great birthday designs.  I can’t wait to make some designer paper cards with it!

Don’t forget to add Designer Series Paper to your wish list/order!  Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

Quick & Easy Hostess Gift

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Year of Cheer Hostess GIftSimple.  Quick.  Easy.  These are the words we like to hear this time of year!  You’re heading to yet another holiday party and you forgot to pick up a hostess gift.  What are you going to do?  Well, you’re heading to your craft room of course!

This happened to me last weekend.  Yikes!  What can I make in a hurry so we won’t be too late to the party?  Well, it’s the gorgeous Year of Cheer Designer Series Paper to the rescue along with the Acetate Card Boxes!  Add some shiny Gold Foil Sheets and Thick Whisper White cardstock, some retired ribbon and a tag.  You’re done!

I made 5 cards exactly the same.  I cut a piece of designer paper 4 3/4″ x 3 1/2″ and layered it on a 5″ x 3 3/4″ piece of Gold Foil Sheet then adhered both to the front of a Thick Whisper White card.  That was it!  The designer paper is so gorgeous I didn’t need anything else for the cards.

I put the cards in my acetate box (love these!) and wrapped a piece of ribbon around it and tied a bow.  My gift was done!  I love it when a plan comes together!  🙂

The Year of Cheer Designer Series Paper is retiring so get it while you can!  Stampin’ Up! does carry ribbons currently that I could have used but since I didn’t take the time to decorate the box I wanted a wider ribbon.

Enjoy this last week of holiday parties and be safe!  Have a great day.  Take care and Happy Stamping!

Hug in a Mug

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Hug In A Mug.1214Have you check the list of items from the Holiday Catalog that are going away for good?  The adorable Hug in a Mug stamp set will be no more as soon as it sells out or on January 2nd, whichever comes first.

This fun stamp set has a total of 32 images in it!  You can make mugs and cups, tea, coffee or hot chocolate.  It is SO darn cute!  Do you want to know the best part?  It only costs $17!  Wow!  You can get a lot of mileage from this stamp set for $17!

This card would be nice for a get well card or just to let someone know you’re thinking about them.  Another nice sentiment from this set is “you warm my heart” which would be nice for a thank you card.  My favorite sentiment from the set is “hot chocolate is like a hug in a mug”.  Again, this sentiment can be used for different occasions.

I would definitely add this fun stamp set to your stash!  Just click here to take you to my store and make your purchase.  🙂

Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

Merry Cafe Easy Christmas Card

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Merry Cafe.1117The Merry Cafe stamp set is one of the items you might want to order before January 2nd.  This fun Stamp Set is retiring when Stampin’ Up!’ Holiday Catalog comes to an end.  In fact, if you would like to order it I would do it SOON!  Since this stamp set is retiring and is included in the Year End Sales Event it is only available while supplies last!

You can check out everything included in this stamp set here.  You have stamps for Christmas, Halloween, Fall and even a little “perk up” stamp perfect for a get well card!  Do you want to know one of the best things about this stamp set?  It COORDINATES with the Coffee Cup Framelits found in the 2017-2018 Annual Catalog!  Woo Hoo!  Coordination!  Get this stamp set while you can!

Be sure to check out the list of items that won’t be carried over from the Holiday Catalog that you won’t be able to get after January 2nd or when they’re sold out, whichever comes first.  Some (but not most) are even discounted!

Have a great day and Happy Stamping!

New Stamparatus Reservation Window

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11.16.17_GIF_STAMPARATUS

Another window has opened to reserve your Stampapartus!  Don’t worry….there are enough reservations for everyone this time around!   Stampin’ Up! will accept all reservations made from December 5 – 30.

To reserve your Stamparatus go to my online store, sign in to your account (or set up an account) and you will then see a link for the Stamparatus on the right-hand side.  Click the link and fill out the form.  You will need a credit card for your reservation although the card will not be charged until you actually purchase the Stamparatus.

When the Stamparatus is in stock you will receive an email from Stampin’ Up! letting you know that the item is now in your shopping cart.  You can now add more items to your order if you’d like and check out.

The Stamparatus will sell for $49 and from the looks of it, it will be worth every penny.  Check out the video below to see what it can do!

Online Extravaganza Begins TODAY

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10.21.17_SHAREABLE_ONLINE-X_ENGThe Online Extravaganza began at 12 am (MT).  Have you placed your order yet?  🙂

Check out all of the items included in the Extravanganza here.

The 24 hour sale of 20% off on select stamp sets ends tonight at 11:59 pm.  Don’t miss out!  I’m ready to place my order!  I’m purchasing four stamp sets that I’ve had my eye on for awhile.  I’ve been holding off because I didn’t think I really needed them.  Now they’re on sale and I’m going to buy them.

fbb3c3c2cc10d523b0ee8159ccfd5eadA Touch of Texture has grabbed my attention.  Whenever I see a card made with it I think I should get it but then talk myself out of it.  This stamp set was definitely first on my list to buy today.  There is so much you can use it for.  There are pretty floral images as well as multiple background images.  What I like about the floral images is that I can color them with my new Stampin’ Blends or markers or I can watercolor them.  So many options!

Do you have a stamp set that you’ve been waiting to purchase?  If it’s part of today’s sale now is the time to get it!

Have a great day and Happy Shopping!

The Tool You Won’t Be Able to Live Without!

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I was going to tell you all about the fun I had at Stampin’ Up!’s On Stage event this past weekend but instead I need to share with you this fabulous new tool!  Check this out:

11.16.17_GIF_STAMPARATUS

I’m telling you….this tool is AMAZING!  Even if you have another brand of stamp placement tool you are going to want this one!  I can hardly wait to get my hands on it!

Why do YOU need one? You’ll fall in love with stamping all over again when you learn everything you can do with it!

  • Make multiples with ease
  • Consistently stamp crisp, clean images
  • If you want a darker impression, apply more ink and restamp—no need to start over
  • Make fewer mistakes, saving time and money
  • Easily create 2-step, 3-step, and 4-step stamped images using reversible plates
  • Develop new and specialized stamping techniques with adjustable stamping plates and precision placement

Here are the product details!

  • Compatible with Stampin’ Up!’s red rubber and photopolymer stamp
  • Foam mat to use with photopolymer stamps
  • Rulers and gridlines for quick measuring
  • 2 open sides so you can stamp on larger paper
  • 2 reversible plates: a total of 4 surfaces to work with
  • 2 magnets to hold the paper in place
  • Magnet storage areas
  • Retail Price–$49.00 USD/$65.00 CAD

The only drawback to this fabulous new tool is that it won’t be available until after the new year.  However….Stampin’ Up! is trying something new with the release of this amazing product.  They are taking “reservations”.  They will have three different “windows” for these reservation with three different delivery times.

RESERVATION WINDOWS AVAILABLE TO SHIP
November 16–30, 2017 Approx. February 1, 2018
December 5–30, 2017 Approx. March 19, 2018
January 15–30, 2018 Approx. April 15, 2018

They are trying to cut back on the backorders.  You can find information on this new launch format here.  You will have to make your reservation through my online store.  This is what the page should look like.   The first reservation window will open at  2 pm (Mountain Time) on Thursday November 16th.  I’ve already got this on my calendar, do you?  🙂

I know you’re going to love the Stamparatus!  If you aren’t able to “get a reservation” this amazing new tool will be available in the 2018-2019 Annual Catalog on June 1, 2018.

Be sure to contact me with any questions you may have about the Stamparatus or this new reservation system.  Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

Pick a Pumpkin: I am Blessed

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Pick a Pumpkin.1017It’s November and Thanksgiving is coming up fast.  It’s a time to reflect on all of the things we are thankful for in our lives.

I love the saying on this card:  Thankful, Grateful, Blessed.  This is how I feel about my life.  I am truly blessed.  This saying is from an older (ok…maybe just from last year…) stamp set called Paisleys and Posies.  I’m not really a paisley person but I knew I had to have the stamp set just because of this saying (and because there was coordinating designer paper…ha!).

The stamped images and the die cut images are all from the new (yes, the current Holiday Catalog) Pick a Pumpkin Bundle. The stamp set is nice because the pumpkins can be used on a fall card like this or for Halloween with the little jack-o-latern faces.  My favorite die cut image is the pumpkin outline shown on this card with the little leaves and vines.  This is the perfect fall bundle.

So today I am especially feeling Thankful, Grateful and Blessed.  Tomorrow I get to head to Salt Lake City for Stampin’ Up!’s On Stage Convention.  Woo Hoo!  I get to hang out for the weekend with my stamping friends from here in Colorado but I’m also going to get to see my new friends from Thailand again.  I’m actually rooming with one of them.  Fun times.  Be sure to follow me on Facebook!

It’s time to finish packing and cleaning up the house before I leave town!  Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

Happy Birthday Mom!

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Happiest of Days.0917Happy Birthday to my Mom!  She turns a young 81 years old today!  I’ so proud of myself because I actually remembered to send a card!  Ha!

I love this card because it’s so unique.  The front is unique because the card base is only half on the front section and your focal point covers up what’s inside but you still can tell that there’s something coming behind it.

Happiest of Days.1.0917Then the whole card opens again!  It was really fun to make.  It’s a little above and beyond what I usually make for swap cards but since it was for the Incentive Trip to Thailand and all the really successful demonstrators were going to be there I wanted to make something that really said WOW!

I used the Happiest of Days stamp set which is one I fell in love with when the catalog first came out.  I also used the Happy Birthday Gorgeous stamp set for some of the sentiments.  It was a pretty fun card to make.

 

Happiest of Days.0917.bI was working on these swap cards earlier this summer during one of my classes and everyone loved it which is why I had to come up with my specialty card class.  The card isn’t too difficult to make but takes a bit to line everything up, stamp everything and color the different things.  It would have been a little too time consuming for a regular class.

If you’d like to find out exactly how I made this card you can find written instructions with photos and dimensions here.  I hope you have fun with it!  Let me know if you like this card….leave a comment!  🙂

Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

Fun Halloween Card

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Well, hello again!  Yes, things have been crazy around here but I’m hoping that I’m gaining ground.  You know how it goes.  Just when you think you can start playing catch-up something else comes up that has to get done right there and then.  Oh, well…that’s life.  Right?  🙂

Tena.Camp.1017Last week my group of Sassy Stampers & Friends held a stamp camp and it was a success.  We had 29 attendees and I’m pretty sure they all had a wonderful time.  They loved the cards we designed for them.  Today I’m sharing Tena’s card as it’s an adorable Halloween card.

Who doesn’t love a shaker card?!  Tena used the fun Creep It Real stamp set which you can find in the very back of the Holiday Catalog.  It has some fun images in it including a big open vampire mouth with the words “Brush Your Fangs” on the inside of the mouth.  Too cute!

The “Have a Haunted Halloween” is actually from another Halloween set in the Holiday Catalog called “Graveyard Gate”.  This set has coordinating framelits that make a fun wrought iron gate.

Halloween kind of snuck up on me somehow.  I haven’t even got my decorations out of the attic yet and I’m not sure I will.  Terrible, terrible.  I have some really cute things.  I think I’m going to get my Thanksgiving things out on November 1st so I don’t forget.  I guess it will help that I host Thanksgiving dinner so I’ll need to decorate for that.  🙂

Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

Halloween Treat Tube

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Cat Punch.1Halloween is coming up fast!  Are you ready?  This year I’m not going to buy my candy until the 30th or 31st.  I have absolutely no will power.  I did buy a few Halloween candies though so I could fill these adorable treat tubes!  Don’t you love them?

These treat tube holders are SO easy to make!  Just start with a piece of 3″ x 6″ cardstock.  Score the long side at 2 5/8″, Cat Punch.23″ and 3 5/8″.  Crease well along all scored lines.  Fold cardstock in half along the 3″ score mark.  Now, about an inch in from each edge snip from the fold up to the other score marks.  You should now have three sections.  Tuck the center section in and slip in your filled treat tube!  Decorate however you’d like.

I used the Spooky Cat stamp set to decorate my treat holder along with the COORDINATING Cat Punch.  The two pieces of cardstock that go on the inside and the front measure 2 1/8″ x 2 3/4″.  The piece of designer paper (from the Spooky Night package) measures 2″ x 2 5/8″.   What a simple and fun item to give away to your friends or your favorite trick-or-treaters!

Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

Painted Harvest Sunflowers

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Painted Harvest.0917Stampin’ Up!’s Painted Harvest stamp set is perfect for fall or actually, any time at all.  I love the sunflower!  I’m pretty sure this stamp set is one of the most popular in the Holiday Catalog.

This was an easy card that we made at my last Card Buffet.  You just need to stamp the sunflower multiple times on the small piece of cardstock and layer it on Early Espresso cardstock before layering it on your card.  I stamped the leaves separately, punched them out with the new Leaf Punch and then adhered them to the card front after tucking them under the sunflower piece.  You could also just stamp the leaves on the card front before adhering the sunflower piece.

The leaves and the flowers all are made with two step stamping which means you use two stamps to complete the image.  This gives the image dimension and depth.

Guess what?  There is a package of Designer Paper that COORDINATES with this stamp set called Painted Harvest.  It’s gorgeous and even better it’s included in this month’s Buy 3 Get 1 Free Designer Paper sale!  I hope that little tidbit made your day.  🙂

Don’t miss out on these fabulous fall items.  Order yours today!

Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!