So Much...Fun!

The set "So Much" was given to all Stampin Up! regional attendees this year. I attended regionals in the fall. I have used this set a few times and I really like it, but sometimes the size of the images makes it hard to work with for cards. It is much better suited for scrapbook pages. One of the ladies on Splitcoaststampers is hostessing a swap using this set since it seems so underused. I signed up for two spots and this is the first sample.

I got the color combo from some designer paper Stampin Up! carried last spring. I also haven't used a button on a project in ages! What is wrong with me? They are such a cute addition and works perfectly in the center of this flower doesn't it?

Supplies Used: Close to Cocoa cs, ink, button, Certainly Celery cs, ink, Prints Designer Paper, Blush Blossom cs, So Much Stamp Set.

Tweet, tweet...

Isn't this bird the sweetest? At the Birch Run weekend someone made a swap with this adorable bird on it, and since I love birds I made sure to find out where this stamp came from. It is from a set made by Heidi Grace and I found out they carry it at JoAnn's. Imagine my excitement when I stopped at JoAnn's on my way home and found it was only $7.99 and was 40% off! I snatched it up quick!

Supplies Used: Kraft cs, Soft Sky cs, ink, Very Vanilla cs, Caramel Gingham Ribbon, Linen Thread, Circle Punches, Ticket Corner Punch, Versa Mark ink, Timber Brown Staz On, Aquapainter, Paper Piercer, Heidi Grace stamp set.

Another Winner

This is the other card that came in 3rd place at the Birch Run stampin festivities this past weekend. The challenge here was to use the microscope slide, the skinny piece of vanilla card stock and the skinny piece of Chocolate Chip card stock. We were able to use any stamp set we wanted to and had to keep in mind that the microscope slide was to be able be removed and used as a gift (such as a magnet or pin). I chose to use Blooming with Love. This set is a new set and I adore it! I love the images and they lend themselves perfectly to water coloring! This is also the first time I have done a card that is tall like this. I usually stay away from shapes other than the traditional card size because I am too cheap to spend extra postage on envelopes! But as I looked at the slide I knew I had to make my card a long card.

Supplies Used: Chocolate Chip cs, ink, Mellow Moss cs, ink, Vanilla cs, Taffeta ribbon, Linen Thread, Circle Punch, Mellow Moss ink, Close to Cocoa ink, Blooming with Love.

Scalloped Flower

Not only are these colors "absolutely fabulous" together, but this flower is so fun to make! I love finding out of the box uses for supplies and this flower done with the scallop punch is one of them! Not only that, it is so simple. On this card I punched a Black and Regal Rose scallop using the Stampin' Up! scallop circle punch. Then I snipped up along each scallop and bent some of the "petals" up. Stack the Rose one on top of the black and then using a scrap of black I punched one of flowers out of the new Bo-Ho Blossoms punch and secured it in the center with a rhinestone brad. Isn't it cute? The swirl and leaves that complete the flower are from the Sale-a-bration set Friendship Blooms. The sentiment is popped up on dimensionals and is from the set Absolutely Fabulous...inside it says "No, seriously you are!"

Supplies Used: Certainly Celery cs, ink, grosgrain ribbon, Basic Black cs, ink, Regal Rose cs, Apricot Appeal cs, Dimensionals, Bo-Ho Blossoms Punch, SU Circle Scallop Punch, Ice Rhinestone Brad, Absolutely Fabulous, Friendship Blooms.

Hello!

A friend of mine placed an order with Amuse right after the Elzybells "Friendship Collection" was released. I have had much restraint and have not placed any orders except with Stampin' Up! but she was sweetheart and let me stamp some images when I saw her last month. This adorable image is "Gossip Girl" and don't you think this paper is a great match? See the blue curlie-q's? I thought it looked like a telephone cord. How many of us even have phone's with cord's anymore?!?!? (Honestly we do have one in our bedroom! At least it isn't rotary!) This paper is made by Sassafrass Lass (Seredipity Blue Boutique Collection - Treasure) and I got it at All That Scraps: http://www.allthatscraps.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=10_376_377

I did this card for another DKOS swap (I told you about those a few months ago). You don't have to be a demo to do those swaps and you get FULL cards back to use so it is fun. Here is the link to this one if you are interested: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=309685

For this one we had to use an Elzybells stamp, printed paper and it had to be a 4 1/4" square card, use designer paper and an embellishment. I used Night of Navy and Real Red card stock. Throw in some scallops and the SU Circle Scallop Punch and a simple sentiment from the Fundamental Flexible Phrases set and it's done!

Bet You Didn't Know I Had a Sister!

Isn't this card the prettiest?!?! For the SCS stamping event this weekend we were hooked up with secret sisters to send cards to over the last couple months. It just so happened that my little sister found me out right away and we have had fun getting to know one another BEFORE the event! My little sister was Vicki (craftcrazy98) and at the event this weekend she presented me with this beautiful thank you card and a candle holder that she etched using a matching stamp from Friendship Blooms! I ADORE this pretty card and you know what? The only stamping done on this is the polka dotted background, all the rest are rub-ons! I love the colors of this and the layout! I imagine Vicki and I aren't done chatting and I am hoping that she sends me notes in the mail often because she does incredible work! Thanks Vicki!

Birch Run Stamping Weekend

Wheew! I'm home from my weekend of stamping (it wasn't a whole weekend just Friday through Saturday.) I had a great time and can't wait to share some projects with you! Let me start by telling you that this Splitcoaststampers event was held in Birch Run, Michigan and it was just a 25 min drive. Those are the kind of get aways that I like! Very little driving allowing for much more fun at the destination!

Friday night we were able to grab some seats and there was a little time to get to know the people around you and some free stamping time. But the bulk of the evening were the three challenges that three of the organizers prepared for us to work on. For this project we were provided with white as our card base, two images from the set called "Bitty Birthday", the patterned paper seen here (from the new mini catalog), and the ribbon seen here. We were required to use pieces of all the items provided to us but we could also add anything we wanted to. So I set out to make this birthday card using the cake from a hostess set called "Blooming With Happiness" from last year. I did some faux stitching on the patterned paper and used my Canvas background stamp with Soft Sky ink on the Soft Sky panels. I covered the white base with the Chocolate Chip card stock and colored the cake with aqua painters and re-inker. When the coloring was done I added some Stickles to the candle flames and flowers. Finally I added ribbon on the side of the matted image.

I was really proud of this card and was going to present it when I realized that none of the 30 other people who were working on theirs had used an image other than the ones provided! As I read the directions a bit closer I realized that we were required to use a portion of the images provided. I was devastated and had figured I had to rip off my cake and start over but then I got smart! On one of the images in this set has a gift bag on it and a little tag on the bag. To salvage my card I simply colored the tag and cut it out and carefully mounted it's tiny little self to the side of the cake dish! I ended up taking 3rd place with this card out of about 30 samples!

Even though I was totally stressed about my inability to follow directions, I really had fun making it!

I LOVE a Contest!

Did you know that C. C. Designs is getting ready to celebrate a one year anniversary! Run over to Christine's Blog http://ccdesigns.typepad.com/cc_designs/ and read the March 7 entry. I can tell you I have seen a sneak of a couple of the new things and you will love them! Here's an extra incentive.... Enter her contest and link your creation here to this post as well and I'll enter you into a contest of my own for some goodies! My contest ends when her's does...March 20.

FREE Stamps!

Who doesn't love FREE stamps! C.C. Designs will be celebrating it's 1 year anniversary on April 4th! You will not want to miss out on the great things that are in store! To start off, you can win all of April's stamp releases free! Go the the ATS Blog and join in the contest!! More to come soon!

Jami's Bike

Here is the second sample I did for Jami's swap. The top flap on this card flips up and then the bike flap folds down. Here are the instructions for this one:

Your card stock should measure 8 1/2 x 5.

Score your card stock at 3 3/4. When you fold along this score just fold the remaining portion down over your card to make the top flap. Super easy.

Don't you think the ribbon accent is cute?! I love the look of striped ribbon but hate the cost so I just used my 5/8" Chocolate Chip Grosgrain and my pink gingham and layered them on top of one another! The white greeting is heat embossed on the top flap to add to the card as well. That top flap reminds me of an awning when you use the slit punch to make a scalloped edge - again just a little detail to add! The only thing I wish this set had was a cute little flower stamp that could make backgrounds. However, I did find that my Simply Said set had a flower that worked perfectly!

Supplies Used: Chocolate Chip cs, ink, SW Marker, Regal Rose cs, SW Marker, Pretty in Pink cs, SW Marker, gingham ribbon, Versa Mark ink, slit punch, White Embossing Powder, Simply Said, Time for You.

Jami's Ocassions Mini Swap

I always love doing Jami's swaps. Not just because it gives me a chance to play with my stuff, but because the samples I receive back are so great! The quality is really good and it forces you to really do your best. The groups are small enough that you can use embellishments that you might otherwise hoard too! This is the first of my two samples in this swap. Don't you just LOVE these colors? The patterned paper is in the new mini catalog and is called Summer Picnic. I'll be ordering a pack or two of this throughout the order periods (March 1- May 31) I used the set Time for You for both of my cards. You have seen a few samples here on my blog using the bike but for this card I used the bench. I just think it is so sweet and again, reminds me of summer! Today it is 54 degrees here in Michigan - a heat wave! But, I won't get too comfortable because I understand it is supposed to dip to 16 tonight and we will start getting snow which will come and go all week! Hopefully this card brings you some sunshine!

Supplies Used: Certainly Celery cs, SW marker, Real Red cs, So Saffron SW marker, Bashful Blue cs, Creamy Caramel SW marker, Ruby Red brads, Versa Mark ink, Red Gingham Ribbon, Bo Ho Blossoms Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch, Polka Dot background stamp, Time For You.

Another Friendship Blooms

The first month during Sale-a-bration is over now. Just 2 weeks left to earn FREE stuff! For a demo it is the last 2 weeks to use these sets at workshops and share our designs with our customers. Here is another sample made with Friendship Blooms. This one uses the same color combination that I used on the last sample as well. The cute little white flower is a rub-on from the Love and Happiness rub-on's you can get during Sale-a-bration as well. Be sure to check back tomorrow because we've been given the go adhead to post our swaps from Jami's Mini Catalog swap.

Supplies Used: Chocolate Chip cs, ink, Old Olive cs, ink, Regal Rose cs, ink, slit punch, Old Olive brad, circle punches, Friendship Blooms, Love and Happiness rub on's.

Beate's Sketch Challenge

I can't believe I found a bit of time to work on a sketch challenge! This one is for Beate's sketch challenge for this weekend, check out her blog for some really beautiful things.... http://beate.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/ My mo-jo has been SERIOUSLY off the last couple weeks. I told my friend Marcy today that I feel like a stamping idiot. I don't know what is wrong. I do find however that I tend to run in spurts and taking part in a couple challenges always seems to pull me out of my rut. The card itself is really very simple to make and isn't very fancy because when I sat down at my table it was to prepare for yet another stamp club and I don't usually want to make these cards really time consuming. The set used on this card is a Sale-a-bration set, Friendship Blooms. There is nothing better than FREE stamps!

Supplies Used: Chocolate Chip cs, ink, 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, Old Olive cs, ink, Regal Rose cs, ink, Whisper White cs, White Gel Pen.

Happy Birthday Birdie!

I still am enjoying this set, A Little Birdie Told Me. I am preparing for some stamp club meetings I knew I wanted to teach them paper piecing and this bird is perfect for that! In addition to teaching some of my stamp clubs a new skill, they will get to use the jumbo eyelets, new striped ribbon and the Crop-o-dile. In this photo, it is hard to see the cute little circles the Crop-o-dile embossed along the side of the Pumpkin Pie panel. The color combo is one that was taken from the new catalog. Isn't it bright and cheerful?!? Sometimes we get so caught up in using lots of different papers, embellishments, layers, and if we let ourselves make a simple card we can be happily surprised how nice it turns out!

Supplies Used: Bashful Blue cs, Prints Designer Paper, Pumpkin Pie cs, SW Marker, Real Red cs, Striped Ribbon, SW Marker, Black Staz On, Pewter Jumbo Eyelets, Crop-o-dile, Versa Mark ink, Polka Dot background, A Little Birdie Told Me.

Emerging Color Technique

I have a stamp club meeting on Friday and needed to come up with a new technique to show. I chose "Emerging Color" and will more than likely do this technique for most of my stamp clubs. The process is really quite easy.

You stamp a smaller image in different colors randomly over a piece of white card stock. Then using a solid image stamp it with Versa Mark ink and heat emboss it with Clear Embossing Powder. After you have done that, you simply brayer a darker color over the entire sheet and wipe clean when you have covered it completely! Isn't that easy?!?!

I distressed the edges of the Soft Sky panel and the Guava mat as well. I wish I could say that the chocolate ribbon is still available from Stampin Up! but it isn't. They retired it with the catalog that came out in July. Of course we still have the 5/8" Chocolate, but I thought it was too wide for this application. I hope you have a great day!

Supplies Used: Chocolate Chip cs, ink, grosgrain ribbon, Soft Sky cs, ink, Groovy Guava cs, ink, Versa Mark ink, Clear Embossing Powder, brayer, White Gel Pen, Circle Punches, Paper Piercer, Canvas, Refuge and Strength.

Will I Ever Stamp For Fun Again?

HI all! I apologize for my lack of posting! I have been stamping, but only a little bit. I am doing another swap with Jami at SCS and we are not allowed to upload our photos until after she has started swapping them out....element of surprise! So, as soon as those get swapped out (more than likely by Monday) I can share the two designs I did for her swap. But in the meantime, I have been so busy with Stamp Club workshops this month that I have hardly stamped for fun! I'm sorry I don't have anything to share but am hoping to get some stamping time in today or tomorrow. I have another stamp club meeting on so I'll need to come up with 2 projects for that as well! I am also getting revved up for a Splitcoaststampers weekend in Birch Run next weekend! I can't wait! It is my present to myself for my birthday, which is coming up on the 5th! I'll be gone from Friday to Saturday evening and the weekend will be full of stamping fun! Organized challenges, demonstrations by a couple of the Dirty Dozen Girls, and lots of friends! I've also made it a goal to have something published this year and I need to start submitting if that is ever going to happen! I can't wait for SAB to be over! I hope you get a chance to stamp today!

Lovin this Bike or am I Desperate for Spring?

Here is another card made with that adorable little bike! I also used the new printed paper again (just a different design). I really love this color combo because it screams "summer!" I must be desperate for winter to end. I have never disliked winter as much as I do now that I have kids! Sure, I love it for the holiday season, but I hate having my kids cooped up in the house so much. They go out and play some, but what a chore getting them ready to go out! Thankfully the 8 and 5 year old can do it themselves, but the 3 year old still needs help. And, it seems mom is the one checking to be sure that all the clothes get in the bathtub and hung up to dry (oooh, how I wish we had a mud room).

I heat embossed the background on the Bashful Blue panel with the Polka Dot background stamp. I've done this on several cards recently, I just really like the extra touch it gives a project. I used my Stampin Write Markers to color the image in and then used my Crop-o-dile to set those Real Red eyelets. I hope you have a great day and get to stamp some!

Supplies Used: Bashful Blue cs, SW Marker, Real Red cs, SW Marker, So Saffron SW Marker, Going Grey SW Marker, Versa Mark ink, Clear Embossing Powder, Whisper White cs, Real Red eyelets, Summer Picnic DSP, Time for You stamp set.

Always On My Mind

Here is another made with the set Always....I have really enjoyed this color combo lately and this was an easy card to make as well. This is going to be my shoebox swap in Birch Run in a few weeks. A shoebox swap is when you design a card, cut up all the supplies and leave everything out that the person needs to use to create your card. Then you rotate through and make the cards. It is lots of fun as a demonstrator because we are always creating and cutting supplies for OTHER people, this time we get to have someone cut and create for us! I'm really excited! The only thing that will be different on the shoebox swap will be the ribbon. I'll be using the 5/8" Old Olive Grosgrain. I love that ribbon! I hope you are all having a great weekend!

Supplies Used: Old Olive cs, ink, Groovy Guava cs, ink, double stitched ribbon, Whisper White cs, So Saffron cs, ink, dimensionals, Always.

Swappin Time Again

Whenever a new catalog comes out I hostess a New Catalog Swap on Splitcoaststampers for demonstrators. I usually take a few spots so I can have an excuse to play with any new toys I get. This is one of the swaps I did for one of those groups. Ilike to make swaps that are cards a customer could look at and know she could duplicate it easily, but still has some element that makes it stand out a bit. I don't know if you can see that I used the Crop-o-dile to dry emboss little circles across the card where the sentiment is at. Just a little something to jazz it up a bit but so easy anyone could do it. Overall this is really very simple to make but yet I think it is really elegant looking.

This was made using the new set Always. I didn't order it right away, but it was one that caught my eye. As Valentines Day approached it was calling to me even more! I thought the heart that is in this set would make beautiful Valentines. Well, I finally broke down and ordered it and I ever glad I did! Sometimes you see a stamp set and think you must add it to your collection, then you get it and hardly make anything with it. I've done that LOTS of times! Then there are those sets you get and you can't stop using them-Always is that set for me right now. I LOVE this set. I have really enjoyed using it!

Supplies Used: Basic Black cs, grosgrain ribbon, Black Staz On ink, Soft Sky cs, ink, Whisper White cs, Ticket Corner Punch, Crop-o-dile, Always Stamp set.

Happy Valentines Dear Husband!

Here is the Valentine I made for my husband. Men are so hard to make cards for! To be honest, I don't own one single "masculine" set. This is a bit flowery, but I chose the red and black to try to make it a bit more manly. This was really simple! Isn't this heart the most beautiful heart ever?!? This is from the new Stampin' Up! set called "Always". I loved this set as soon as I saw it but put off purchasing it until I saw a few things using this set and then I could resist no longer! I heat embossed the heart with silver embossing powder (I did the same with the greeting that reads "you mean everything to me"). I heat embossed the berries with clear embossing powder on the black background. The pretty black ribbon is some that I purchased from Walmart. Anyway, I hope you enjoy some time with your sweetheart tonight!

Headed to My Secret Sister

Isn't this bike image the cutest!?!? This is a sneak peak of a set that will be in the Occasions Mini Catalog, the mini will be in effect from March 1-May 31. The printed paper on this card is also from that mini. I'm sending this card to my secret sister for the SCS Michigan Gathering that will be the first weekend in March! I can't wait! We will be meeting with about 49 other SCS ladies for a weekend of stamping, challenges, prizes and fun! Anyway, we have secret sisters and since my secret sister found out who I was, I don't have to hide my stuff and can share it with you all. I love bike riding so this image called to me as soon as I saw it. This image reminds me of biking on Mackinaw Island. Last year for our anniversary my dh and I took a weekend away to Mackinaw Island and biked all around the island and through the middle as well (a road I had never traveled on the island!). Anyway, we figure we biked about 15 miles that day! YES- 15 miles! But it was fun and beautiful. All supplies are by Stampin' Up! except the red flower eyelets which have been in my stash for probaly 7 years!

Supplies Used: Bashful Blue cs, Stampin Write Marker, Certainly Celery cs, SW Marker, Grosgrain Ribbon, Real Red cs, Grosgrain Ribbon, SW Marker, Flower Eyelets, So Saffron cs, SW Marker, Going Grey ink, SW Marker, Basic Black SW Marker, Black Staz On, Time for You set, Summer Picnic DSP.

Stamp Club Acetate Card

This is the card that one of my stamp club's did last week at our meeting. I hadn't used acetate when making a card base before but it really isn't any different from using cardstock as your base. I think the ladies enjoyed it! (I apologize for the glare from the lights on the front of this card!)

Supplies Used: Acetate sheet, Whisper White cardstock, Soft Sky cs, ink, River Rock ink, Always Artichoke cs, brad, SW Marker, grosgrain ribbon, Fall Flowers DSP, Circle Scallop punch, White Grosgrain Ribbon, Seeing Spots stamp set.

Valentine Bookmarks

A couple posts below I shared a card my 8 year old had made for her daddy who was sick. Now today I am sharing the Valentines my 5 year old and I created for her class party. Mom decided that bookmarks would be a fun Valentine to give out...I created a sample for her (on the far left standing up) and she did all the coloring and stamping of the hearts herself. I did the cutting and assembling. She wanted "cats for the girls and lions for the boys" so we used C.C. Designs stamp sets, Love Ya Lots and Love Ya Much. I couldn't make them too involved since she was going to be doing the stamping. She made 18 of these. I was pretty impressed she did them all! She was very particular too! Everytime she would get ready to do some more, she would lay out all the completed ones into a pattern and had to keep with the pattern...yellow face on one, black face on the next, and so on! You can tell she is a kindergartener learning about patterns!

Simple Tri-Fold Monkey

Here is another project made with CC Designs new Monkey Love stamps (available Saturday, February 9 at All That Scraps). This is the other image that is in the set (first image shown on the 2 cards before this post) and another sentiment. This is such a simple card with a different fold that we usually gravitate toward. This is a tri-fold card...wanna know how to make it? SO easy!

For this card I cut the Close to Cocoa cardstock to measure 4" x 11". I put it into my paper cutter horizontally and scored it at 3 1/2". Then I just folded the remaining portion over the front of the card. I then trimmed 1/2" off the front flap. That is it!

Don't you love his tummy???

Supplies Used: (All supplies, except stamp set by Stampin' Up!) Close to Cocoa cardstock, ink, Creamy Caramel ink, aquapainter, Berry Bliss Designer Series paper, Lt. Pink Grosgrain Ribbon, half jewel ($1 bin from somewhere), Monkey Love stamp set (CC Designs).

Kids LOVE C.C. Designs!

Here is a project that my 8 year old did less than an hour after the new Monkey Love Stamps arrived from All That Scraps. She is constantly telling me she doesn't do a good job stamping and of course I reminded her that she just needs to practice. So today when her sick dad and 2 sisters were sleeping we stole an hour or so to go downstairs and work on some projects. While I did the project below, she worked on this card for her daddy. I was quite impressed with her ability to try shading the monkey using Creamy Caramel for the monkey and adding some Close to Cocoa on his body. These stamps are perfect for the kids in your life, don't hoard your stamps, let your kids play (after proper instruction on how to show your rubber love!!)

Itzie Inkies Monkies!

Lookee at this cute little fella! Isn't he adorable? Shortly after beginning my position as an All That Scraps design team member the other dt members were chatting about how much we love Lucky and Lulu and the cute penguins, one of the gals said she would love to see some monkies in the CC Designs style and Christine (the owner of ATS and designer of CC Designs) said, "Guess what I'm workin on?" So, today I recieved a package that included this adorable guy! I was especially excited because my 3 year old LOVES monkies-especially Curious George. She had a Curious George birthday party last year (I used the Monkey Business stamp set that Stampin' Up! has for those invites) and she is still insisting on having a George party again. The leaves on the tree were made using the flower from the retired Stampin' Up! set, Sheltering Tree.

This adorable monkey, including one other and another sentiment will be available tomorrow, February 9 on the All That Scraps website http://allthatscraps.com/ . You have to check them out!

Supplies Used: Old Olive cs, ink, Always Artichoke ink, Soft Sky cs, Chocolate Chip SW Marker, Creamy Caramel SW Marker, ink, Close to Cocoa ink, SW Marker, Aquapainter, Tag Corner Punch, Paper Piercer and Template, White Signo Gel Pen, Old Olive 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, Fall Flowers Designer Series Paper, Horizontal Slot Punch, CC Designs Monkey Love stamp set.

Bo Ho Backgrounds

Here is another for Jami's girls! This one uses the new set Bo-Ho Backgrounds. I love that not only does this set have 2 blocks that are for backgrounds, it also includes a medallion image and a block that has 2 sentiments on it. Although you have to use the marker ommitting technique to get just the sentiment you want, I love it!

My favorite stamp in this set is the background of flowers. The flowers are beautifully drawn and stamp wonderfully. I love using them all over a large panel as I did here. To get the multi colored medallion I just stamped the medallion three different times, in three different colors. Then I used my circle punches and punched out different layers of the medallion and layered them on top of one another! So easy!

Supplies Used: Pretty in Pink cs, ink, Purely Pomegranate ink, cs, Very Vanilla cs, Close to Cocoa ink, Circle Punches, Gingham ribbon, silver brad, Scallop Circle Punch, Ticket Corner Punch, Bo-Ho Backgrounds.

Enjoy It!

Do you like this one?!?! This set was a freebie demo's received. I love the images in it and when I was all done with this one I was really pleased with it. I love the 5/8" grosgrain ribbon-it adds so much! This was another one I did for Jami's swap. I had to use this set and a combination of colors shown on page 10 in the Spring-Summer Collection. I had this sample at a stamp club meeting this week and one of the gals said she really liked it but that it had too much guava. She said she's not a fan of Groovy Guava. The great thing about the color combos Stampin' Up! is putting in these new catalogs is that there are so many colors listed (such as on page 10 they show these colors together:

Old Olive

So Saffron

Pumpkin Pie

Groovy Guava

Cameo Coral

Rose Red

There are so many colors suggested, you could substitute just about anything for the Guava and have it look great!

Supplies Used: So Saffron ink, cardstock, Groovy Guava ink, cardstock, Slit Punch, 1/8" Handheld Circle Punch, So Saffron Brad, 3/4" Circle Punch, Enjoy the Little Things.

Jami's Swap!

I haven't been doing nothing the last 2 weeks, I have been working on swaps for another of Jami's swaps over at Splitcoaststampers. I call these ladies "famous swapers". Why? They have blogs that rank way up there, many of them you have probaly seen. You know Taylor VanBruggen right? Yup...Miss Famous Stamper herself! I get to swap with her and lots of other incredibly talented ladies. Jami does request that we wait to post our creations until she has swapped them out. They have been swapped out so I can show you some of mine. This is the one I chose to show you today. This still remains a favorite set of mine even after many projects made with it! I paper pieced the bird by stamping him on the blue piece of Cutie Pie Paper and cutting out just his body. Then I popped it up with a dimensional. I can't seem to get away from paper piecing this little guy! The artwork just makes it so easy! Supplies Used: Bashful Blue card stock, ink, Black Staz On ink, Whisper White card stock, Pumpkin Pie SW Marker, Scallop Circle Punch, Cutie Pie Designer Series Paper, Rose Red brads, Bashful Blue Grosgrain Ribbon, A Little Birdie Told Me.

How Sweet is This?

You might recall that in November I mentioned that I had a customer who was so sweet and actually bought me an early Christmas gift. This sweet lady bought me the Giga Scallop Oval punch for Christmas because she said she is so thankful for me. I thought that was so sweet! Tonight I met with a stamp club tonight that I haven't seen since November. One of the members came in and said, "I have something for you!" Look what she made me!!! Isn't this THE CUTEST cardstock purse with note cards?!?!? She made 10 of these babies for me! I was so touched! She used this adorable paisley stamp on the Pretty in Pink paper. I don't know who makes the "C" stamp or the "Just a Note" but I know the rectangular frame around the letter is a retired stamp from SU! I still can't get over how sweet this is! As a paper crafter I find myself making stuff for other people all the time, and I wish I had some cute things for myself but it seems weird to make something for myself. Now someone has gone and made me something! Thanks Deneen! In addition to making me this sweet little ensemble, Deneen is constantly encouraging me and giving me great compliments about my work! A friend who makes me gifts and is encouraging to boot! I think I'll keep her around!

"Smile" It's Time for Sale-a-Bration

Here is a project that uses one of the Sale-a-bration sets for this year....the flower is from So Many Scallops...this set perfectly works with the scallop circle punch! The inside of the flower that reads "smile" is from Be Happy.

If you don't know what Sale-a-Bration is, I must ask....where have you been?!?!? Sale-a-Bration is the best time in the Stampin' Up! year! With every $50 order a customer places, they can choose from 5 limited stamps sets and one limited pack of rub-ons! Now who doesn't like FREE?!?

Supplies Used: Soft Sky cs, ink, Certainly Celery cs, brads, Grosgrain Ribbon, Rose Red cs, ink, circle punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Ticket Corner Punch, Fall Flowers Designer Series Paper, Absolutely Fabulous, So Many Scallops, Be Happy.

Blog Candy Winner

I used a random number generator to pick the winner for this Blog Candy...the winner was number 17: Anita said... Congratulations on the 5,000 hits. I started my blog 1/19/08 and have 1095!My favorite stamp right now is Globetrottabella - I wish I was her just traveling around the world!http://www.wowprincess.com/anita/ 4:06 PM Anita, send me an e-mail at caspen1973@yahoo.com with your snail mail address and I'll get your goodies out to you!

New Stamps Are Coming

I should be getting some new CC Designs stamps soon! A new set will be released on February 9. Wanna see a sneak peek? Run over to Christine's blog and take a look at her post on January 29th. http://www.ccdesigns.typepad.com/

Stamp Club Card Project

Here is a project a couple of my stamp clubs will be doing this month. The technique they will be learning is called Faux Silk. The panel that has the flowers stamped on it is the panel that shows the faux silk. I hope you can see it in this photo. It is such as easy technique!

1) Stamp an image on a piece of card stock (or you can stamp directly onto tissue paper).

2) Crumple up a piece of tissue paper and smooth out...crumple again.

3) Using a glue stick, coat the entire stamped panel and spread your tissue paper over the panel. Wrap the tissue around the back of your panel.

That is it! I really liked how this card turned out and can't wait to see how my stamp clubs receive it!

Supplies Used: Whisper White cs, Chocolate Chip cs, ink, Slot Punch, Chocolate Chip Wide Grosgrain Ribbon, One of a Kind, BoHo Backgrounds.

I Love Awards

My Great Grandma Upline (is that a goofy term?) is Linda Heller. I count myself very lucky to have her because I don't really have a direct upline anymore and I so appreciate someone who recognizes my accomplishments. I used to be much more active with my SU! sales but life has become busy and my priorities have changed. All the sales I had before kept me out of the house a lot and it wasn't helping my marriage at all. So, now I do the occasional Stamp Camp and I have 4 stamp clubs that meet every other month. That keeps me busy enough to make a bit of extra cash and be eligible for free goodies from SU! Anyway, Linda has about 100 people in her downline (that was the guesstimate she gave me last time I asked) and it seems like every quarter I still get these adorable 6x6 awards from her! I hang everyone on the wall of my stamp room! I'm proud of my work but even more, I love to look at what she puts together! So, this is the one I got yesterday. If you look closely it says "#1 in Group Sales for 2nd Quarter 2008". It's not the second quarter yet, this happened last year too. I bet Linda's word processing program automatically inserts the year. Anyway, no matter what it says, isn't it cute!? She made this one with the new Simply Scrappin Kit called Summer Days. Isn't this a great color combo? And can you see the paper piercing that follows the lines of the flowers? And...she used my new favorite accessory!! Wide Grosgrain ribbon. If you haven't tried it because you have thought "it's too big for a card" you HAVE to try it...you'll love it!

Beate's Weekend Sketch

Here is my second entry ever for Beate's Weekend Sketch. I have had this Stampin' Up! set, Fabulous Flowers for several months but have only used it on a couple projects. I just love what I see people doing with it, but I will admit I am not a very good distressed/shabby stamper. I admire it so much but it takes a lot for me to come up with my own project and have it come out like the stuff I admire! Beate's sketch can be found on her blog here: http://beate.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/. My project is 5 1/2" x 5 1/2". I wish I could get closer to the actual project on some of these so you could really see it up close. I stamped the linen background (is anyone else AMAZED they retired this?!?!) with Soft Sky on the Vanilla panel (I stamped it off once) and then stamped the flowers on top of it. It is always amazing to me to see how much Linen really looks like fabric, especially if you stamp something on top of it!

Supplies Used: Soft Sky cs, ink, Mellow Moss cs, ink, Gingham Ribbon, Rose Red cs, ink, Very Vanilla cs, Pewter Hodgepodge Hardware, Ticket Corner Punch, Sanded background stamp, Linen background stamp, Fabulous Flowers, One of a Kind (sentiment).

HUGE Sale at All That Scraps!

Hey all! Check it out!!!!! From what I understand, when these items are gone, they are gone and won't be restocked!!! The following are starting at 15% off Bazzill Really Big Brads Karen Foster Big Time Brads Black and White Making Memories Ribbon and Ribbon Brads Prima Brads Rob and Bob Snap Ease Junkitz Paints Making Memories Paint Sets 7 Gypsies Binding Rings Bazzill Really Big Paper Clips Bazzill Blossom Heidi Junkitz Halloween Book Plates Making Memories Sweets Making Memories Simply Fabulous Trims Making Memories Safety Pins Pebbles Word Charms Q & Co Buttons Q & Co. Bold Sequins Q & Co. Chic Charms Q & Co. Fab Flowers Q & Co. Sassy Sequins Q & Co. Anchorettes Cropper Hopper Embellishment Organizer Cropper Hopper Supply Case Daisy D's Beacon Hill Chasing Butterflies Basic Grey Dasher Flair Baby Of Mine Flair True Love Flair Christmas Junkitz School Days K & Co Brenda Walton Christmas SEI Smarty SEI Citrus Kick McGill Punches McGill Strongarm Q & Co Felt Ribbon Prima Petites Prima Silk Road Prima Got? Flowers Prima Belle Fleur KI Alphabet Soup Simply Chic Clear Stamps Gina K Wood and Plain Rubber Single Stamps Gel A Tins -select stamps Bazzill Bazzinks Notecards and Envelopes The following are 25% off Junkitz- Laguna Guy Laguna Girl Calendar The following are 50% off 6 pack owires Center City Designs Cherry Arte Moxxie Pixel Decor Daisy D's-Mistletoe Memories Girlfriends Gypsy Harvest

5,000 Hit Blog Candy!

I can't believe that there have been over 5,000 hits on my blog is less than 2 months! It is amazing to me each time I venture over here to post something new because I haven't been hearing from you guys all that much! I am assuming you are liking what you see to have you coming back time and again!

So here are the treats you can enter to win! Some red leather label holders, a clear acrylic block and a set of acrylic stamps from Studio G. These include some little sunflowers and a greeting!

So right now I am wanting to find out all about YOUR favorites! Post to this entry and tell me about your favorite stamp RIGHT NOW...you know we all do it, we get stuck with a stamp set or image and play with it quite a bit for awhile. What is yours? Leave me a link if you can so I can add something new to my ever growing wish list! You have till Wednesday evening to post and I'll announce the winner on Thursday.

Currently I am having fun playing with Stampin' Up!'s new Happy Heart Day - who knows what next week will bring!

little

One Of A Kind

Last night was my big night of stamping.....from 7-midnight! My friends Lorien and Lorie came over to stamp and I was so excited thinking that I would get a ton of stuff made to keep my blog updated for days........It didn't happen! Really, this is the only new design that I created all night! (I did do 8 of the 52 swaps I need for the Splitcoaststampers weekend in March) I hate when that happens. I had no mojo last night. I even did Sharpay's performing exercises just like she does in High School Musical.....come to think of it, this card was finally created right after "getting my head in the game" (can you tell I have an 8 year old who loves High School Musical!?).

Anyway, this card took forever to make! I did this one for the Sketch Challenge for this week. I was moving along and then it came to making the 3 panels behind the sentiment and I made them too big so I had to do them all over. UUUGGH! When I finally finished I was really pleased. The patterned paper is the new Berry Bliss paper and the stamp set is called One of a Kind. Lookee at that flower....it is done with the new flower punch as well. I also used my new Cropodile to set the eyelet. Today we are headed to Lansing to go to a museum over there so I won't be able to stamp till early this evening. Hopefully I'll get some stuff done tonight and share tomorrow!

Supplies: Close to Cocoa cs, ink, Pretty in Pink cs, ink, Taffeta Ribbon, eyelet, Whisper White cs, Berry Bliss DSP, BoHo Blossoms punch, One of a Kind.

More than 5,000 Hits!

Wow, I just happened to look at my counter on the bottom of the screen and see it is over 5,000! I have only had the counter for a month and a half so I am happy to see that so many people visit and are checking out all these fun projects! How about some blog candy?!?! Keep watching---I'll work on some blog candy this weekend and start an entry for a blog candy contest by Monday. I'm getting some stamping time tonight so hopefully I'll have a few things to show over the next few days!

Ohh, How I Love a Sketch

I have been taking part in the sketch challenges splitcoaststampers for several years. Without a sketch I feel that my layouts are usually pretty plain. But WITH a sketch I usually am pretty happy with what I turn out. Beate (http://beate.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/) has been doing weekend sketches on her blog for a bit but I haven't participated as of yet. I was just telling my husband that I feel creatively challenged right now, yet I still felt the desire to stamp. I hate it when I get the time to stamp and I spend it staring at stamps on my table and card stock but I end up walking away from it all because I can't come up with anything! So, this morning I took some time to stamp and decided to use Beate's sketch challenge from this past weekend. If you look at this card and the Ellie one below they started out the same....a base and a large panel that was faux stitched. I was going to use this base and panel for that card but changed my mind. It was just sitting on my desk so I decided to use it for this project instead. I had also been looking to make my first submission to a magazine which was asking for projects using turquoise in it. Well, as always, I waited to the last minute and this is supposed to be in CA by the 1st. I don't think it will make it, but I'll send it anyway.

This image is from the same set used below. The sentiment "Happy Heart Day" is actually connected to the mouse, at his feet. But I had the brilliant idea to cut them apart because I really don't like doing marker omitting with images I know I will use often. They just don't seem to get clean enough and then when you ink them up and huff on them you almost always seem a shadow of the area you don't want...anyway...my point? SO, I cut them apart, but it wasn't easy. I had to get my exacto in there. HINT: If you have to get your exacto in there, it might not be the best idea. It worked ok but now the sentiment is so skinny that it doesn't sit well on the block and it takes me lots of tries to get a good impression. Maybe others have had better luck.

Supplies Used: Certainly Celery ink, cs, Real Red ink, cs, SW Marker, Tempting Turquoise cs, ink, SW Marker, Whisper White cs, Close to Cocoa ink, SW Marker, Aquapainter, Crafter's Tool Kit, White Signo Gel Pen, Stampin Dimensionals, Barely Banana brads, 1/2" Circle Punch, Happy Heart Day set.

Friendly Ellie

Isn't this image adorable?!? Actually this entire stamp set is just adorable. It is a new set from Stampin' Up! called Happy Heart Day. I named this elephant Ellie because my youngest daughter, Brooke, adores elephants. Her "lovey" as some people call them, isn't a blanket (my oldest still has blankie which she MUST sleep with every night and she is 8!). Brooke's favorite friend that she must sleep with is Ellie. An adorable Beanie Baby elephant which she has had since she was a tiny thing. We actually have 2 Ellie's - exactly the same - so that we won't be in a bind if one is in the wash. Usually at any given time she has both Ellie's with her.

The image is stamped and then water colored. I used my Stampin Writer Markers to add some darker color to certain areas such as the edges of the hearts and parts of Ellie. I also used my Bashful Blue SW Marker to very thinly outline Ellie . It sort of gives the illusion of a sky...not as good as some of these water coloring genius' that are out there, but it works for me. The pretty ribbon on this card is the new striped ribbon from SU. I used it on the mailbox a couple entries ago and it looks so cute on this card don't you think?

Supplies Used: Real Red cs, ink, SW Marker, Striped Ribbon, Bashful Blue cs, ink, SW Marker, Whisper White cs, Certainly Celery cs, SW Marker, Going Grey ink, SW Marker, Aquapainter, So Saffron ink, SW Marker, Crafter's Tool Kit, White Signo Gel Pen, Black Staz On.

So Sorry

I have a friend who lost her mother suddenly last week. Just before Christmas her mother started having pains in her legs and the doctors said she had shingles but the pains were not stopping. They ended up admitting her to the hospital and through a bunch of tests discovered that she had breast cancer that had spread to areas like her spine, stomach, etc. It was all through her body. She never returned home and died in 3 weeks. Apparently she had not had a mammogram in years. Isn't it just terrible? My friend is 36 and will be making an appointment to get her first mammogram shortly. Do me a favor today - give yourself a self breast exam and if you are due for a mammogram, please schedule it!

Supplies Used: Chocolate Chip cs, ink, 5/8" Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon, Soft Sky cs, ink, Cropodile, Stardust Stickles, Fancy Flexible Phrases, Priceless Stamp Set.

Sweet Mailbox...A Punishment?

Have you seen these adorable little mailboxes at the Target Dollar Spot? They come in red, white and pink. I think it was last year that they made their debut. Paper crafters were buying them up to alter but I never was lucky enough to find them near me. I snagged some this year though. My only question was, "what would you do with them after you fill them with some yummy treats and eat them up?!?!" Well, as a mother of three girls of course I had to find a use for them. So here is the plan...each of my girls will get one (they will each look different so that means be watching for 2 more mailboxes over the next few days) and when they are fighting or mean to their sister, they will have to draw a picture for their sister or write a note to them and stick it in their mailbox. And of course I imagine they will do it when things are going well too.

This one is for Brooke, my 3 year old. The paper is Candied Apples by Sasafrass Lass. I LOVE this paper. So cheerful and pretty! The ribbon is the new Real Red Striped Grosgrain Ribbon from Stampin Up! The stamp is from the new set by Stampin Up! called Happy Heart. I just love him...so sweet! I used a Circle Rhinestone brad for the center of the flower that is on the heart. When I told her it was all done she said "ooh, I love him!"

AWWW, YOU Make My Day!

So Lorien posted to the entry below and I really got all swelled up inside. Can I tell you how much I just love her! To toot her horn a bit let me tell you that she is one of the most generous people I know....she is an amazing woman too because she has three kids and works full time. I know lots of you do that, but you need to understand that I have been a stay at home mom for going on 9 years and most of my friends are stay at home moms. They are just the people I come in contact with most. Then I met Lorien a few years ago, we are both SU demos and have the same uplines. Lucky for me she lives about 4 1/2 miles away and we've gotten to know one another over the last 4 or 5 years. About 2 years ago I had to go back to work for about 3 1/2 months and I KNOW how hard working full time and being mom can be. So, she is an inspiration to me - a sweet and generous soul. So anyway, Lorien nominated me as a gal in blogland who "makes her day". So, now it's my turn..I'm assuming I can't nominate her since she nominated me, but she most definitely makes my day! Here are my list of bloggers that Make My Day! 1) Taylor VanBruggen http://tayloredexpressions.blogspot.com/ 2) Laurie Schmidlin http://justgivemestamps.typepad.com/my_weblog/ 3) Lauren Meader http://laurenm.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/ 4) Abbey Welker http://projectsforyournest.blogspot.com/ 5) Michelle Giraud http://twisted-chick.blogspot.com/ 6) Julie Campbell http://stampedinhisimage.blogspot.com/ 7) Chat Wszelaki http://memystampsandi.blogspot.com/ 8) Cambria Turnbow http://cambriaturnbow.blogspot.com/ 9) Claudia Piegdon http://claudia-cardmaker.blogspot.com/ 10) Insert your blog here in case I missed you!

New Stamps!!

Here is my first project with one of my new sets that came...this one is BoHo Backgrounds. The floral background is my absolute favorite! Another thing I am quite impressed with is the large circle...it stamps so nicely. This card is pretty simple and doesn't really need much explaining...For the circle, I stamped the circle image on Whisper White using Pomegranate ink and then punched it out with the SU scallop. I stamped the same image again using Soft Sky ink and then Close to Cocoa ink. I used the 1 1/4" circle punch to punch out the Soft Sky image and then used the 1" circle punch to punch out the Cocoa image. I layered them on top of one another and put a silver brad in the middle. On the large white panel I stamped the floral background stamp from this set all over with Soft Sky ink and then I inked up the circle image with Close to Cocoa. Before stamping on my white sheet I stamped off on scratch paper so that my image wasn't too dark and overpowering. I am hoping to stamp some more over the next few days and share more projects. I have 3 of the target mini mailbox tins I am working on so keep watching for those!

I Love a Sweet Card

Several posts back I told you about a fellow ATS designer who has a friend who recently lost a baby. I had sent her a sympathy card and the other day Tricia sent me this adorable card made with another CC Designs set called Little Penguins. It is so cute and bright. I just love the coloring on this little guy. I do have this set but just haven't had anytime to pull it out. Thanks Tricia!

New Home for the Birds

I continue reaching for these new birds from CC Designs. Aren't they the cutest?!? Last week I colored them different colors and they were girlfriend birds, this time they are the same color and they are love birds. Inside it says "on your new home". The adorable little bird house is a stamp that was in a studio g set from the Michael's dollar bin. Isn't it cute? I just adore that house! I wish I knew who made the printed paper. Again, my mom bought a stack of paper

s and shared with me. I love the colors in this paper....saffron, banana, guava and some brocade blue. Don't forget the celery too! I colored all the images with Stampin Write Markers and a bit of ink and aquapainters. Did you notice? NO EMBELLISHMENTS!! That was my own personal challenge on this one. I think it is still sweet.

New Level 3 Hostess Set

Here is another sample done with Time Well Spent, a level 3 hostess set from the Spring/Summer Collection (Stampin' Up!). I love the design of this set. There are several different flowers to choose from but I think what I love most about it is the sayings that are in this one. Especially this one, "time spent with Friends is time well spent." I spent some time with friends tonight getting somethings done. This is another swap for the DKOS swap I am in. (I know, I seem to have signed up for a lot in that swap!) I don't know why I continue to do that! I have too many swaps as it is!

For this one I had to do a fold that was not a typical card fold. My card stock measured 5 x 8 1/2, I scored my card at 3 3/4" and then folded the little flap that was left over the top. I added a scalloped strip of card stock stamped randomly with the tiny flower from this set. The ribbon on the saying panel is attached with a slot that was punched with the Horizontal Slot Punch. I think this is just so bright and cheery!

Supplies Used: Certainly Celery cs, Wide Grosgrain Ribbon, SW Marker, Groovy Guava ink, Designer Prints Paper, Ruby Red ink, cs, Black Staz On, Horizontal Slot Punch, Stardust Stickles, Slit Punch, Aqua Painter, Time Well Spent set.

Sweet Little Elzybells

I haven't played with my Elzybells in awhile. Luckily another set of cards I signed up for in that DKOS swap (see a couple posts below) required me to use my Elzybells. This round required Elzybells, a pastel colored panel and an embellishment. I LOVE these colors together, they seemed appropriate for our Michigan weather this week. Usually when I drag out winter stamps and sit in my Michigan stamp room I reach for the color blue. A very "cold" and snowy color. But this week in Michigan we had a couple days reach 50 degrees! Seriously! My oldest daughter wore her denim jacket to school for 2 days! Anyway, the pink and green reminded me of spring! It is much colder today than the rest of the week but still pretty mild for January and there isn't a speck of snow on the ground!

Supplies Used: Purely Pomegranate ink, cs, double stitched ribbon, Black Staz On, Pretty in Pink cs, ink, Old Olive ink, cs, Stardust Stickles, Ticket Corner Punch, Marvy Oval Scallops (Mega and Giga), Elzybells Falling Snowflake, Elzybells Winter Girl.

Enjoy The Little Things

I have been struggling with this card for several days....I am trying to come up with some swaps for Jami's New Catalog Swap and I had to use Enjoy Every Moment and a combo using only some of these colors: Pumpkin Pie, Rose Red, Groovy Guava, Cameo Coral, Old Olive, So Saffron (color combo on page 10 of the Spring/Summer Collection). I think it has been a combination of the stamp set and the colors that has been throwing me off. I really wanted to use Rose Red somewhere, but it really doesn't seem to go very well. I finally scraped the Rose Red and Pumpkin Pie (which I was trying to include) and just decided to go with these colors. Although it took me a couple days, I really like this card! This is not the actual swap since Jami makes us keep them under wraps till they are swapped out (shhhhhh!) but I used some pieces and changed it around a bit. I hope you have a great day!

Thanks So Much

This is made with the set So Much from Stampin' Up! Demonstrators who attended Regional events this year received it for free. When I first saw this set in the Fall/Winter 2007 catalog I really like the stamps but it wasn't one that I ordered. I was really excited to learn that this was going to be another FREEBIE from Stampin' Up! I made this one for a swap I am in on Splitcoaststampers. If you are interested in getting involved in a swap that is for full cards you should check out the DKOS swaps. "Different Kind of Swap"'s are fun! You sign up for a stamp set you want to work with and someone will post "directions" you need to follow. You get 5 full cards back and they are really good quality. This is the only non-demo only swap I sign up for. For this card I had to use the set So Much and use the color Soft Sky somewhere on the card as well as two other colors. Some directions include things like - "use a punch", "use ribbon", "use a non traditional fold". It is great to see so many different things come back in your group. Here is a link to the latest sign up's if you are interested: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?p=8111013#post8111013

Supplies Used: Close to Cooca cs, ink, Soft Sky cs, ink, Purely Pomegranate cs, ink, double stitched ribbon, Brass Jumbo Eyelet, slit punch, handheld circle punch, Polka Dot bg, So Much.

Huggy Birds

This one was made for a friend who is going through a rough time right now, I thought I would send her a hug...you've seen these birds before a couple posts down. I think they are just the cutest. The birds come from CC Designs new set Love Ya Much and the word "hugs" comes from their set Little Penguins. The designer paper is by Basic Grey, it is from their Blush collection...this one is called Infuse. I made the scalloped border using the slit punch across a strip of Sage Shadow card stock and then did the same with a strip of Ruby Red and just put the Ruby Red strip behind the Sage one being sure the Red strip peeked out. I used my Aquapainter, Groovy Guava and Ruby Red ink to color the birds.

Stay tuned for some Stampin' Up! stuff as I am placing my first order from the new catalog...what am I getting you ask? Here is a list of a few things...

HI & Hello

BoHo Backgrounds

One of a Kind (and matching punch)

Happy Heart Day

Berry Bliss Designer Paper

Red Striped Grosgrain

Chocolate Chip Wide Grosgrain

Just For You Scrappin Kit (hostess)

For a Friend (hostess)

Have a Great Day!

A Set of Happy Thoughts

In November when Stampin' Up! was having it's Designer Series Paper sale I also received my first package of Build A Brads and was demonstrating them at all my Stamp Clubs...Here are three cards that I did using the Cutie Pie paper, Stampin' Up! punches and the Build A Brads. These are SUPER simple cards but can you imagine how cute they would be bundled up and given as a gift to someone. They are so colorful and cheerful!