SOLD OUT!

The following products are now sold out:

101563 Sage Shadow Cardstock (8 1/2 x 11)
102837 Only Orange Cardstock (8 1/2 x 11)
107079 Sage Shadow Cardstock (12 x 12)
107101 Close to Cocoa Cardstock (12 x 12)
119833 Old Olive Polka Dot 6x6 Designer Album

So, far all other items are still available, although a few are presently on backorder. But, remember, beginning June 1, retiring items will be sold only on availability. Once they are gone, they're gone! Don't delay, stock up and get your supplies! Contact me to order today!

A Little Bit of Friendship

As you probably know by now, I'm in love with Cottage Wall DSP....it's just so pretty and vibrant. Since it most likely will not be the new catalog, I'm using it as frequently as I can! This card is very similar to the third, and last card I demoed at my last workshop. This is one I showed the ladies....they did not make this....but, my hostess was given the duplicate.

So easy to make....and quick, too! As you can see, the cardbase is simply Whisper White, folded in half and then the edge was punched with the Scallop Trim Punch, which was available during Sale-a-Bration. (BUT, rumor has it that it WILL be available in the new catty....hope that is one rumor that is true!!) Then a smidgin of the Cottage Wall DSP was adhered to the base inside the card, showing through to the front.

For the focal point, the stamp from Vintage Vogue (also still available) was used, and cut out, mounted on a slightly larger piece of Old Olive and then onto the square of patterned paper. For added interest, just a bit of scalloped edge was added to the upper left corner, and a butterfly from the Beautiful Wings Embosslit was also added. Oh, and don't forget that fun Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon in Rich Razzelberry for the finishing touch!!

Thanks again for stopping by and making your visit a part of your day!

Stamps: Vintage Vogue

Inks: Rich Razzelberry

CS: Whisper White, Old Olive, Pale Plum (butterfly)

Misc: Cottage Wall DSP, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Big Shot, Scallop Trim Punch, Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon in Rich Razzelberry

Please note: All materials used to create this sample are from SU!

A Little "Black" Magic

This technique is just so lovely....and every card that I've seen using this technique have been so striking that I needed to try it as well! Actually, I learned this from Karen Barber last Fall....not sure if she is the originator of this or not, but she certainly has raised it to a beautiful art form!

The floral focal image on this card, is from Charming....and, yes, it's still available!! It was simply stamped in White Craft ink onto Night of Navy CS. Allow the ink to dry and color over with Watercolor Pencils. You'll notice that I used different pencils to create shading. Then simply "dot" in where appropriate with the White Gel Pen. Simple, yet amazing....yes?

For this card, I punched the image out using my Wide Oval Punch and layered onto a larger oval created with my Oval Die and the Big Shot. The background paper is from Patterns Pack III, a current Hostess Level 1 offering.

Thanks, as always, for stopping by....hope you enjoyed being here!

Stamps: Charming, Fundamental Phrases, Matchbox Messages

Inks: White Craft, Night of Navy

CS: Whisper White, Night of Navy

Misc: Big Shot, Matchbox Bigz XL Die, Oval Die, White Taffeta Ribbon, Night of Navy Marker, Watercolor Pencils, White Gel Pen

Please note: ALL materials used to create this sample are currently available from SU!

Bird of Paradise

When I saw this idea I knew I just needed to try it....so, yes, once again, I've CASEed a very talented stamper and her amazing idea. I've copied Illiana Crouse before (her ideas are so AWESOME!!), and this one is hers once again. You can see her original idea here. As you can see, it's very much the same, yet different.

Now, look carefully at the flower petals....what do you see? Do you see a bird? Maybe a wing? No, I'm not going crazy....the larger, lower petals were created by using the Extra Large 2-Step Bird Punch and the smaller petals are from the wings of that same punch. The lower, or larger petals were trimmed a bit, and each "petal" was sponged . Isn't this a cool idea?!! If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you KNOW one of my very favorite things, is "out of the box" ideas!!

The individual petals were created by punching out So Saffron CS, sponging with some Tangerine Tango (it's coming back!), and edging with a touch of Old Olive. Stunning, isn't it? Oh, and the leaf was created from the Large Oval Punch, trimmed a little, folded in half and run through the Crimper.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting! So, glad you took some time out of your busy day to let me share with you!

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes

Inks: Tangerine Tango, Old Olive

CS: So Saffron, Tangerine Tango, Old Olive

Misc: Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Wide Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon, Extra Large 2-Step Bird Punch, Crimper, Large Oval Punch

Please note: All materials used to create this sample are from SU!

Everything's Coming Up Roses!

Remember I mentioned that I got together with a group of my stamping gal pals? Well, we had little mini demos and learned various techniques....like the "Faux Coredinations" technique I featured in this card. It was a really fun....and informative....night!

Well, another of the techniques was one that I shared....I've been seeing paper flowers everywhere and I had been wanting to try my hand at making paper roses. Although I have far from mastered them, I managed to come up with this....see the rose in the bottom corner? It really isn't too difficult, but does take a bit of practice...and time!

The roses were created by using Flower Layers die and my Big Shot. The smaller flowers are from the same die; the lillies from the 5 petal flower punch. Back when I attended Winter Wonderlude, Stephanie Rogers showed us all how to create these roses. But, I needed a written tutorial to "get" them! Then I found this tutorial.....it's so well explained and photographed, that making the rose is almost easy!

To create this rose..and the smaller flower, I used my Big Shot and the Flower Layers die. (Hint: It's important to sponge the edge of each of the petals before assembling....makes a HUGE difference! The sponging adds depth and dimension.....in this case, I sponged the edges in the same color ink as the paper....Rich Razzelberry.) Also needed was my glue gun and a narrow wooden skewer. The lillies were created much the same as the rose, but uses the 5-Petal Flower Punch.....notice the sponged center and the hemp in the center.

I'm in love with this frame, but absolutely MUST credit Lisa Martz....she is the originator of the idea and did an outstandingly, creative job! Mine has been altered from her idea just a bit, but Lisa definitely must be given credit for this fabulous idea! Turned out that I had just the right frame in my stash (a $3 frame from Ikea), so I just HAD TO TRY THIS!!

Oh, I've added in a close up so you can really see each of the flowers. The lillies were created in much the same way as the rose, but with the 5 Petal Flower Punch. Check out the sponged center (So Saffron) and the hemp for the stamen!

Stamps: Oval All

Inks: Rich Razzelberry, So Saffron

CS: Whisper White, Rich Razzelberry, Old Olive

Misc: Beautiful Wings Embosslet, Big Shot, Little Leaves Sizzlet, Flower Layers Die, 5 Petal Flower Punch, Hemp, Flat Pearls (Pretties Kit), Cottage Wall DSP, Crystal Brad (Pretties Kit), White Taffeta Ribbon, Blender Pen, Large Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Mover & Shaker Scallop Oval Die, Glue Dots, Ikea Frame

Please Note: All materials used to create this are currently available from SU!, except for the frame.

Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting....hope you enjoyed your stay!

A Little Teal, Curry & Red....Oh, My!

Truthfully, I didn't expect to be able to participate in this week's Challenge....but I am!....I was really tired of tying all those bows on the wedding programs and needed a break! So, I headed down to my stamp room and this is what I came up with. Maybe not my best work, but it does fit the Challenge and it was a welcome break from all the monotony of making the same thing over and over again!!

For this sample, I stamped the flower directly on the Whisper White card base, using Taken with Teal....on my screen it looks more like Tempting Turquoise, but I promise I really didn't cheat!! For the centers, I stamped on a white scrap in Crushed Curry and punched out the centers, then layered over the stamped teal flowers. Then I added in a little sprinkle of Real Red.....using Itty Bitty Backgrounds.....I've had that set FOREVER!!! It's an old standby and one I probably couldn't do without!!

Although I tried to keep with all current items, I failed....the Happy Birthday stamp in the center is from last year's catalog and that was stamped onto a Kisses Love Note from the Occasions Mini, and since I still have a ton of those buttons from a few years back, they were used as well. But, I used that brand-new embossing folder, Square Lattice from the Summer Mini!

Stamps: Birthday Wish, Eastern Blooms, Itty Bitty Backgrounds

Inks: Taken with Teal, Real Red, Crushed Curry

CS: Whisper White, Real Red

Misc: Sponge, 1/2" Round Punch, Kisses Love Note*, Teal Buttons*, Linen Thread, Crushed Curry Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon (reversed), Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Big Shot

Please note: ALL items used to create this card are from SU!

*Retired

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and visit today! Hope you'll visit the other participants in this Blog Challenge....can't wait to see what they have done!!

I'm Very Thankful.....

for so many things in my life. But today I want to just say THANK YOU for visiting my blog and spending some time here with me! I needed to take time away from all wedding preparations and just say thanks. (Besides, it was getting really tedious tying all those bows!!)

I made a few of these not too long ago and sent one to each of my customers at my last workshop.....I always try to send a thank you to the hostess and to those that attend. I had seen this out there in cyber-land, so it's definitely a CASE, with my own twist!

As you can see, the image was stamped in Basic Black onto Whisper White and carefully colored in using markers and my Blender Pen....it's one of my very favorite tools and has been for so many years!! Typically, using anything with water on Whisper White will distort the cardstock, but I only lightly applied all the "ink," so it worked out fine!

The DSP at the bottom of the card is from the Hostess Level 1 Designer Pack; and the cardbase/background was impressed with my Big Shot and a Texturz plate....can you see those diamond shapes? Really quite easy....I just love the soft, but playful look of this card!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Stamps: Very Thankful

Inks: Basic Black

CS: Whisper White, Basic Black

Markers: Going Gray*, Real Red, Basic Black, Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Sahara Sand

Misc: Corner Rounder, Wide Basic Black Grosgrain Ribbon, DSP/Designer Pack, Big Shot, Texturz Plate--Background 1 Series

Please note: All materials used to create this card are currently available from SU!

*Retiring color.

Fond Memories.......

It's been a few days.....you know, wedding plans and I'm still assembling/making wedding things. We're getting down to the wire now....not long till the wedding! Right now I'm making 140 programs....well, OK, I have 70 done and 70 to go. I have till next week, right?!!

So, I haven't really had a lot of time lately for recreational stamping, but I made this card a couple of weeks ago for a small swap I was in. I have to be honest and let you know that this is a very simplified version of the one created by the uber talented Ilina Crouse...you can see her version here.

This set, Pedaling Past, from the Summer Mini Catalog just called to me. I'm not really sure why because it is so different than sets that I typically choose, but this one just got to me. Maybe it's because I had a bike somewhat like this when I was a young teen? I remember that all my friends were getting those sleek new bikes with the different speeds....we called them English Racers then, (Does anyone remember that?....Am I aging myself?!!) and I think there were only 2 or 3 speeds. Well, my Dad must have found this bike (or maybe someone gave it to him) and he reconditioned it and painted it himself in black and white stripes. He must have spent a lot of time on it making it special for me....and I hated it! I wanted what all my friends had, but we simply didn't have the money. Now as a parent, I realize what a great gift my Dad actually gave me.....and I so didn't appreciate it.

Well anyway, here's that old bike I had, minus the stripes and colored in different colors, but I really think it's the same style, although mine didn't have that carrying rack on the back. And these colors are kind of retro as well...as you can see, I carefully "colored in" parts of the bike using markers and my trusty old blender pen.....and I also used my favorite new embossing folder, also from the mini, the Square Lattice. This makes the paper feel so different....besides the obvious change in texture, it really takes on a whole new character, so supple and soft. Not sure how else to explain it.....you need to feel it to understand! BUT, it is just so cool!

Thank you for stopping by today....and allowing me to share with you. Hope you enjoyed your visit. I sure had fun making this sample and it brought back so many memories!

Stamps: Pedaling Past

Inks: Basic Black

CS: Old Olive, Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise

Misc: Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Old Olive & Tempting Turquoise Markers, Blender Pen, Wide Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon, Silver 5/16" Brad

Please note: ALL materials used to create this sample are currently available from SU!

Bridal Shower Invites

If you've been reading my blog entries lately, you know I've been consumed with wedding activity! My son is getting married in late May in Virginia to his college sweetheart. I've made the wedding invitations (90 of them!)....which I'll share soon, after the wedding is over....and I made the bridal shower invites. There were 2 showers....1 in Virginia last month and 1 here in NJ last week. I made them all the same, but of course the info was different.

The invitations were CASEd from something I had seen some time ago somewhere online (source unknown) and were relatively quick and easy. As you can see, the info on the invite itself was computer generated and then cut using the Top Note die in my Big Shot.

(Hint: Using white chalk, I "extended," or marked the points on top, bottom, and both sides of the die...this made it easy to line up, or center the piece to be cut out.)

The Top Note piece was then mounted onto a stamped background of Very Vanilla, which was stamped in various purples using Fifth Avenue Floral. So easy and has such impact! As you may have already guessed, the wedding colors are violet, moss, and ivory.

Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral

Inks: Lavender Lace, Rich Razzelberry, Almost Amethyst

CS: Very Vanilla, Lavender Lace, Mellow Moss

Misc: Top Note Die, Big Shot

Of course, every bride-to-be needs to send thank you notes, so I also made those as well. Again inspired by something saved on my computer.....I had seen something similar to these so long ago. Although I made some changes, they are awfully close to the original! My future DIL loved them....she likes simple things with an Asian flair! And, I recently discovered that her favorite color is GREEN!....guess that would explain why there is so much Mellow Moss being used!

Stamps: Embrace Life

Inks: Mellow Moss

CS: Whisper White, Mellow Moss

Misc: Linen Thread, Versamarker (for coloring in leaves)

And my last share for tonight is a photo of the favors. These are definitely CASED from the amazingly artistic and fabulously talented Melanie Schulenburg. (The link is to her blog....I couldn't seem to locate the butterfly test tubes that she shared some time back.)

These favors are simply plastic test tubes purchased from an online source (you can google for them), filled with store-bought bath salts, and then decorated. Although slightly different from Melanie's original idea, the butterflies were created using the Beautiful Butterflies Die, Beautiful Wings Sizzlet, and of course, my Big Shot! (Thank you so much, Melanie....they were a hit!!)

Stamps: N/A

Inks: N/A

CS: Mellow Moss, Perfect Plum, Pale Plum

Misc: Big Shot, Beautiful Butterflies Die, Beautiful Wings Sizzlet*, White Gel Pen, Polka Dot Embossing Folder, Horizontal Slot Punch, Ivory Taffeta Ribbon (to tie them onto the tube), Perfect Polka Dot Embossing Folder*

*These items were featured in the Occasions Mini but are currently still available for purchase.

PLEASE NOTE: All materials used to create these projects are currently available from SU!

Thanks, as always, for stopping by today. Hope you enjoyed your visit here! Now, I'm back to wedding preparations.....I need to make the programs for the ceremony next!!

Very Thankful

This is such a GREAT set....it's the Ronald McDonald set this year and one I earned from Sale-a-Bration for FREE! I've just mounted the stamps in this set and they are now seeing ink. My last Bloggers' Challenge was with this peacock...which, if you must know, was one of the stamps I did not like....but, I've been converted!! It's kind of elegant and already has the Thank You built in....and obviously, makes great cards!

A good friend and neighbor lent me a number of sterling silver serving platters and bowls for the bridal shower I hosted last weekend, so a Thank You card was certainly in order! Being short on time, I came up with this....the image was simply stamped in the center of a folded piece of Whisper White CS. The lower edge was punched off using the Eyelet Border Punch and then the DSP was added to the card base so it shows to the front. Then I added a tiny little strip of the same DSP just above the punched border on the front. Add in the ribbon and it was finished! Simple, easy, and took less than 10 minutes! (Please excuse my finger, which is holding the card shut for this photo!)

Thanks for stopping by today and visiting!

Stamps: Very Thankful

Inks: Rich Razzelberry

CS: Whisper White

Misc: Cottage Wall DSP, Eyelet Border Punch, Cropadile (for ribbon hole), Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon in Rich Razzelberry
Please note: ALL materials used to create this card are currently available from SU!

Bloggers' Challenge -- Emboss It....My Way!

This week's challenge was to emboss a card any way we wanted. Well, I just saw some of my stamping friends and one of the girls shared this great new technique. She wasn't sure if it's new....and one that she made up and hadn't yet been discovered.....or if this has been around. Either way, it's a fun one!

One of the fun papers that is out on the market is called Core-dinations. The cardstock is one color on the outside and another on the inside. SU paper on the other hand is the same color throughout. BUT, this new technique duplicates the LOOK of the different color underneath. So, now I can use SU cardstock to create the same look....AND it matches my inks and accessories!!

So....how to achieve this? See the background paper on this card? It's Tempting Turquoise.....but it was covered with Taken with Teal Craft Ink (one of the soon-to-retire ink colors). The ink was applied using the direct to paper technique, then allowed to dry completely. Once dry, the paper was put through the Big Shot with an Embossing Folder....in this case, I used a non-SU folder, Moroccan Screen. The final step was to use a sanding block to sand off the ink on all of the raised portions. Cool, right?!! Oh, and the main focal image was actually embossed in the traditional sense.....with embossing powder!

My apologies for being so late with this challenge....wasn't even sure I'd have time to participate. You see, yesterday I hosted a bridal shower for my future daughter-in-law....a few weeks ago I attended one for her in Virginia, but I hosted this one here in NJ. Lots of fun....I love to plan parties and I made almost everything served. It was a labor of love and I think we all had a great time. Can't believe that the wedding is only a few weeks away!! Anyway, that's why I'm late....but hope this was worth the wait. I hope you'll take some time and stop by to see the other bloggers' posts.....I'm sure it will be worth the visit!

Stamps: Very Thankful

Inks: Taken with Teal Craft Ink
CS: Whisper White, Taken with Teal, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive

Misc: Clear Embossing Powder, Wide Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon, Dimensionals, Big Shot, Cuttlebug Moroccan Screen Embossing Folder (Non-SU), Heat Gun

Please note: All materials used to create this card are from SU with the exception of the embossing folder as noted.