An Adorable Best of Brides & Babies

017Hello!  We sure made some cute cards this week at class using some of the “Best of” stamp sets.  Today’s card was made using the Best of Brides & Babies stamp set.  This is not a Cindy Original.  I saw this card online and fell in love.  Isn’t it adorable!  I love everything about it!

The line of teddy bears is the stamp from the Best of Brides & Babies.  The scalloped heart is from the Hearts A Flutter stamp set and the sweet baby banner is from the Itty Bitty Banners stamp set.  TSC!  Too Stinkin’ Cute!

Both hearts are die cut with the Hearts A Flutter Framelits and the little banner is die cut with the Bitty Banners Framelits.  I just love how the Crisp Cantaloupe Ruffled Ribbon adds so much to the card.  It really brings it all together.  Did you notice the embossed scallop underneath the bears?  That’s embossed with the Needlepoint Border Embossing Folder.

You could make this card in any of the new In-colors and it would be ADORABLE!  I may have to give it a try….

Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

 

Good as Gold

IMG_3136Gold is in!  That’s what they told us at Leadership Conference in January.  It’s everywhere!  Especially on this card!

Stampin’ Up! has so many fun products with gold in them in their new Occasions Catalog.  Have you checked them out?  I’ve used 6, yes 6 gold products on this one little card!  two of them first appeared in the Holiday Catalog last fall but they are making another appearance in the Occasions Catalog.

What are the six gold products?  Well, here they are:  Gold Foil Sheets, Gold Baker’s Twine, Watercolor Wonder Washi Tape, Gold Fancy Foil Designer Vellum, Gold Sequin Trim and Gold Metallic Encore Ink!  Wow!  That’s a lot of gold!  🙂  Isn’t it fun though!  It makes such a sparkly, pretty card!

I did use a couple of other products on this card that aren’t gold.  They’re two of my favorites from the new Occasions Catalog.  The Scallop Tag Topper Punch and the Perfect Pennants stamp set.

What are your favorite products from the Occasions Catalog?

Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

Technique Tuesday: Embedded Embossing

013It’s time for another “Best of” card.  Don’t forget that March 31st is the very last day to order these fun, exclusive stamp sets.  You can check them all out here.

I used the Best of Love stamp set on today’s card.  This image always reminds me of my friend Beth.  This was one of her favorite stamps.

Isn’t this card cute with all of the olives on it?  The Small Oval Punch and the circle punch from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack are perfect for the little olives.  I adhered all of the little olives to the Whisper White card stock and then ran it through the Big Shot with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder to “embed” them….thus the technique Embedded Embossing!  🙂

I think I’ll have to save this card for next Valentine’s Day for my husband.  He does like olives in his dirty martinis!  Although….Father’s Day is just a few months away, right?

Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

 

Envelope Punch Board: Starburst Sayings Card

IMG_3139Hello!  Saturday was our team Stamp Camp and I have to say it was a success.  Everyone seemed to love the projects and things went smoothly.

Today’s card is one of my projects.  It’s a fun and easy card made with the Envelope Punch Board, Starburst Sayings stamp set and Starburst Framelits and Retro Fresh Designer Series Paper.

I started with a 6 7/8″ x 6 7/8″ piece IMG_3142of designer paper.  I punched and made the first score mark at 3 3/8″ on the Envelope Punch Board.  That was the most difficult part of the project….figuring out the sizes.  Once that was out the way it was smooth sailing!  I know you’re wondering why I used such odd measurements….well, I’m not quite sure.  If I remember correctly I “borrowed” the measurements form someone online.  Who knows?  It worked though!  🙂

The greeting I used on the inside piece of the card (it’s not attached to the designer paper) is from Really Good Greetings and the arrows are all from the Peachy Keen stamp set.

A really fun card and pretty easy to boot!  🙂

Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

More Best of Flowers

011Well, it’s going to be kind of a cruddy day….rain turning to snow….I thought I needed to post something springy today.  What’s more springy than flowers?

Once again I dug out my Best of Flowers stamp set.  I think this card turned out a pretty and elegant.  What do you think?  After stamping the flowers I colored them in with my ink pads and Blender Pen.  I used the Shimmery White card stock so I didn’t really want to use an Aquapainter…..it kept getting too wet on me.  🙁

I die cut the image with my Oval Framelits and mounted it on another piece that I die cut with the Labels Collection Framelit after I stamped the card stock with the En Francais background stamp.

If you’re wondering where I got my Strawberry Slush ribbon I used my favorite trick on it.  I spritzed the Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon with some Strawberry Slush ink refill and 70% rubbing alcohol.  LOVE that trick!  I’m stocking up on Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon!

Tomorrow is Stamp Camp.  I’m basically ready for it.  I think I’ll work on a few displays for it today.  Gotta keep those stampers motivated!  🙂

Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

March: The Birthday Month and Best of Birthdays

039Does everyone have a birthday in March?  Sheesh!  My baby boy turns 21 in a few weeks, my niece just had her birthday a few days ago, my brother-in-law has a birthday tomorrow, more nieces and nephews later in the month, my son’s girlfriend’s birthday is on the 17th and my DIL has a birthday on the 26th!  That’s just family!  My team had a meeting on Sunday for our Stamp Camp coming up on Saturday and 4 out of the 6 of us have birthdays this month!  Wow!

Thinking about that made me decided that I needed to post a birthday card today!  This one is pretty easy to make….in fact we’ll be making it at class next week.  My favorite part of the card is the designer paper.  The Naturals Composition Specialty Designer Paper is really cool.  The darker notes on the piece on my card are shiny and embossed.  All of the different patterns are like that.  You can do some fun things with this paper….maybe I’ll have to show you sometime!  🙂

I made the birthday label from the Best of Birthdays stamp set two tone by stamping it twice in different colors and then cutting out the birthday banner from one and adhering it to the other.   This little birthday stamp fits perfectly in the XL Oval Punch.  I added an oval background to it by die cutting an oval with my Oval Framelit and paper piercing around it with the Occasions Paper Piercing Pack.  Fun and easy!  Maybe you should give this card a try for all those birthdays in your life!

Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

A Subdued Best of Flowers

024It’s probably appropriate to have a subdued card for Ash Wednesday.  Gorgeous (in my humble opinion), but subdued.  No wild colors going on here.  Just a beautiful silhouette.

Isn’t this little bitty Upsy Daisy stamp from “Best of Flowers” adorable?  The original Upsy Daisy was great but this little one is SO cute!  I punched a tag with my favorite Scallop Tag Topper Punch and stamped the daisies silhouette in black.  Then I sponged on a little color with Pear Pizzazz and Soft Sky, just enough to highlight the flowers.

The sentiment is from “Fabulous Phrases”  I think this would make a good sympathy card too.  You could use the “with sympathy” from the “Teeny Tiny Wishes” stamp set.  I wish I could take better pictures of my cards.  You can hardly tell that I used the Decorative Dots Embossing Folder on the background.   Improving my photography is one of the many things I’d like to accomplish in my life.  What’s on your list?

Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

Technique Tuesday: Best of Birthdays

020Two birds with one stone.  Yep…you get another “Best of” card today as well as a technique today!  Aren’t you lucky?  🙂

Today is my niece Abbey’s birthday so I thought I should share a birthday card.  Isn’t this one fun?  “Best of Birthdays” is another great “Best of” stamp set.  Check out all of the images here.  I love this little cupcake and the cute saying with it.  Too fun!  When I first saw a card similar to this on-line I knew I had to copy it.

Isn’t this technique of stamping with the clear blocks a fun one?  I know I’ve shared it with you before but it’s worth sharing again.  The great part of this technique is that you can’t really screw it up!  You’ll never get the same look twice when stamping with your clear blocks.

I especially like the three different sizes of blocks and the three different colors used on this card.  How can you go wrong when you use my favorite Melon Mambo?!  🙂  And of course, the Melon Mambo button finishes off the card perfectly!

Happy Birthday Abbey!  Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

Best of Flowers: Hydrangea

009It’s March and Spring is (or should be) on it’s way so it’s time for some flowers!  Have you checked out the “Best of Flowers” stamp set?  You should!  This is the perfect set for Spring!

I first stamped the “En Francais” background  stamp on a piece Shimmery White card stock with Crumb Cake ink.  I did stamp off first so that it would be pretty light.  Then I stamped the Hydrangea randomly over the stamped background with Black StazOn ink.  I cut three squares from the background (ok…I used my retired square punches) making sure I had different parts of the flower on each square.  I mounted the flower squares on black and that was it.

It’s hard to see from the picture but before I mounted the black squares with Stampin’ Dimensionals, I scored a couple of lines on the Crumb Cake card stock with my Simply Scored and then centered the squares between the score marks.  It really added to the card.

The sentiment is from the “A Dozen Thoughts” stamp set.  This “just because” is one of my favorite because it’s such a cute font.  This was a pretty easy card and so pretty.  I do need to confess that I CASEd it though.  I don’t want to take credit for something I didn’t completely design!

Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

Best of Butterflies: Simple Sunday (?)

012Simple Sunday?  What’s up with that?  It’s suppose to be Simple SATURDAY!  Well, when you’re a little distracted and forget to post on Saturday you just move it to Sunday!  You still have the same alliteration….right?  😉

I decided that since February was over I needed to move on to another “Best of” stamp set.  Don’t worry…I do still have one more really cute card made with “Best of Love”.  However, today’s sample is made with “Best of Butterflies”. 

I’m not kidding when I say simple….I mean simple!  These cute little cards are made on Stampin’ Up!’s Notecards & Envelopes.  I made the card on the left first and decided it was a bit too simple for my taste.  It’s not bad but I liked it a whole lot more when I added another couple layers.  Just call me the Layer Queen!

Don’t you love the font on the “thank you”?  That stamp is from the “Lots of Thanks” stamp set.  They mean it when they say “lots”….there are nine different thank you stamps in the set.

Since the cards were so simple I decided that I really needed to dress up the envelope.  I used the Polka Dot Parade Designer Paper and die cut a liner with my Envelope Liner Framelits!  Too fun!

Simple cards for a Simple Saturday….ooops!  Simple Sunday!

Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

Scallop Tag Topper Best of Love

027It’s still February so I just had to share another card made with the “Best of Love” stamp set.   OK….I do have a couple more for you but this one is my favorite!  Have you ever had that great feeling when a card just comes together and you LOVE it?  This was one of those.

I was wishing I had designed it for my Valentines class but then got to thinking….why can’t we still make it for a class?  It doesn’t say Happy Valentines Day so it could be an anniversary card or just an “I love you” card.  So, needless to say, we’ll be making it at our next class.

It did turn out cute, didn’t it?  My favorite part is the background.  After I stamped the hearts from the “Hearts A Flutter” stamp set I ran the Whisper White card stock through the Big Shot with the Decorative Dots Embossing Folder.

TSC!  Too Stinkin’ Cute!

Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

Long Lost Create A Cupcake

031When was the last time you used your Create a Cupcake stamp set and the coordinating Cupcake Builder Punch?  Yep….hard to remember isn’t it?  I had originally dug mine out for a workshop I did in January.  My friend originally wanted to do a birthday card and what says birthday more than a cupcake?  🙂

Once I decided on the stamp set I grabbed my Birthday Bash Designer Paper.  Designer Paper makes card making SO easy!  It saves you the trouble of choosing a color scheme because you just go with the colors in the paper!  That’s how I came up with my combination of Raspberry Ripple and Basic Gray.  Such a pretty combination!

We made this card in classes this week and one of the gals commented on the label.  I used to use this combination of Modern Label Punch and Word Window Punch for the Teeny Tiny Wishes sentiment ALL the time and now we hardly ever use it at all.  I’m sad to say it’s true.  I’ve moved on I’m afraid… It’s nice to be able to rely on old friends though when the time is right!  🙂

Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

Stinkin’ Cute: See Ya Later Alligator Card

014I saw this card on Pinterest and fell in love.  Isn’t this little punch art alligator adorable?  Once I saw him I knew I had to make him.

Can you guess what punch he’s made with? It’s the Pennant Builder Punch!  Punch out both pennant on the punch from Gumball Green card stock.  Run the smaller straight-edged punch through the Big Shot with that fabulous Sale-a-bration product the Decorative Dots Embossing Folder.  Trim off the long sides of the scalloped edge pennant.  Layer them.  Now, punch another scallop-edged pennant from Whisper White.  Cut off enough of  the long scalloped sides so that you can adhere them to the back of your Gumball Green pennants.  These are the teeth!.  The circles that you place the googlie eyes on are the medium circles from the Owl Builder Punch.

Just like the Geometrical card I showed you last week you trim off about 1/2″ from the front of the card a place a strip of designer paper on the inside edge so it show through.  I used the fun Watercolor Wonder Designer Paper here.  Don’t forget the fun zig-zag edge on the front of the card made with the Tasteful Trim Die.  It really adds to the card along with the great new Arrows Embossing Folder.

So many fun new products!  So little time!  What’s a stamper to do?

Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

Did I say TSC?  Too Stinkin’ Cute!

Losing It and the Lost Framelits

024Wow….sometimes I think I’m losing it.  Last week I was having a hard time with Framelits.  Not using them….losing them!

Earlier last week I made this card using the “Best of Love” stamp set again.  I die cut the little heart using the heart from the “Hearts A Flutter” Framelits and then I proceeded to put the heart away….or so I thought.  I’ve been trying to be real good about putting my framelits away after I use them.  I put them back in their little package and then put the package in the box where I store my framelits.

Apparently the little heart didn’t make it in the package….in fact it didn’t make it into ANY package.  I looked and looked and looked and couldn’t find the little bugger.  I had resigned myself to the fact that I’d never see it again.  🙁

Then yesterday I lost yet ANOTHER framelit!  What’s going on with me and framelits?  A few weeks ago I shared a shaker card with you using the new “On Film” Framelits and I promised I’d write up a little tutorial for you (coming Tuesday) so I die cut a frame and took the pictures for the tutorial.  I could have sworn that I put that die right back where it belonged….no such luck.

Once again I looked and looked and looked.  The framelit had disappeared.  Now I was getting a little concerned because we’re making that card in classes this coming week and I kind of need it.   I wasn’t panicking….yet.  I decided to look in every single framelit package I had.

So…once I took all of the framelit packages out of the storage box I discovered my little heart framelit!  Woo Hoo!  I THOUGHT I had put it in the package but apparently it didn’t quite make it IN the package and was now sitting at the bottom of the storage box!  Sheesh!  Then once I started looking in all of the packages I found that I had put the frame framelit in the wrong package.  What’s a girl to do but think that she’s losing her mind? Yikes!

So now life is good.  I still think I might be losing my mind…but I have my framelits!  🙂

Enough chatter…..as I mentioned before, this card is another one mad with the “Best of Love” stamp set.  I told you on was on a roll with these stamp sets.  I know the card is kind of a valentine but it could be used as an anniversary or thinking of you card.  Besides, it’s still February so I figure I can still use valentine-type cards!  🙂  Don’t be surprised if you see a few more this week!

Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!

Simple Saturday: Best of Love

031Welcome back to Simple Saturday!  It’s time I start getting back on schedule, don’t you think?  A few days ago I mentioned that I was starting to play with all of my “Best of” stamp sets.  Well, here’s my first sample.

I used “Best of Love” (item #132987  $14.95) on this card.  The word “love” is from the stamp set.  You can check out the whole set here.

Once I stamped the word I simply punched out three hearts from Red Glimmer Paper and adhered them to the card.  I added a few layers and my card was done!  Simple!

Now, if you’re interested in purchasing any of the “Best of” stamp sets you need to remember that they’re only available until March 31st.  After that, they’re gone!

Have a great day!  Take care and Happy Stamping!