Happy Retirement

Tomorrow, June 1st, Stampin' Up! is releasing its list of retiring stamp sets to make room for new goodies in the new Idea Book & Catalog coming out July 1st. Also retiring is one of my relatives but the only stamp set I have related to retirement is retired itself! So I dusted off "Congrats" from Sale-a-Bration earlier this year. I wanted to create something kind of organic-looking so I opted for the bamboo image from "Embrace Life" and stuck with a monochromatic theme of Mellow Moss and Old Olive.

I originally started with a very subtle tone-on-tone look using Old Olive ink for the bamboo and sentiment, but then decided that white embossing would really make it pop! Hope you like it and, more importantly, I hope Claire likes it!

Stanps: Embrace Life, Congrats (retired)
Cardstock: Mellow Moss, Old Olive
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: white embossing powder, heat tool, Mellow Moss taffeta ribbon, stampin' dimensionals

Graduation card

I found a fabulous graduation card posted on Splitcoaststampers by Melany Watson and immediately knew that I had to CASE it! I'm attending a graduation party today for a neighbor and used our local high school colors for his card. I really like how it turned out!!

The bottom strip was run through my paper crimper and then punched to create a star border.

Stamps: Eight Great Greetings
Cardstock: Glorious Green, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Glorious Green
Accessories: paper crimper, small star punch, silver brads, stampin' dimensionals

Single Color Challenge

Here's a fun challenge for you: select one color and build a card using only that color. With this challenge, I wanted to show that it's possible to create something with very limited supplies - perfect for new stampers.


I started with a cardbase of Baja Breeze and added a strip of Urban Oasis designer series paper (DSP) with a Baja Breeze pattern. This particular piece of DSP has the floral images from the Fifth Avenue Florals in a tone-on-tone effect. To add more dimension, I stamped the large rose from that stamp set with Baja Breeze ink. Then I took a small strip of Baja Breeze cardstock and covered it with Baja Breeze ink using a brayer to create a deeper shade of the same color. I added a single line of piercing and a simple sentiment, also in Baja Breeze. Finally, I stamped another rose image with Baja Breeze at the bottom by stamping off once on scrap paper so the intensity of the color is a shade lighter.

I challenge you to see what you can create using only one color! If you post your project, please leave the URL in the comments - I'd love to see what you create! :-)

Stamps: Celebrations, Fifth Avenue Florals
Cardstock: Baja Breeze
Ink: Baja Breeze
Accessories: Urban Oasis designer series paper, brayer, tool kit

Stamp Camp

Summer's almost here and I'm collaborating with some local demonstrators to offer a Summer Stamp Camp! Campers will make 20 cards (2 of 10 different designs from birthday to thank you to thinking of you) with envelopes for $35. But if you register by June 1st, save $5 off your registration fee. AND if you place a $30 order at stamp camp, you'll get $10 off your order!

Date: Saturday, June 13
Time: 9:00-12:00 OR 1:00-4:00
Location: Barrington at West Chester
7222 Heritage Springs Drive
West Chester, OH 45069

Why should the kids have all the fun this summer? Join us for a fun day of stamping and friendship (and some snacks as well!) to start off your summer the right way! Email me today to reserve your spot (please specify morning or afternoon session).

June promotion

Stampin' Up! just announced a promotion that runs June 1-30. Host a workshop in June and you can earn extra hostess benefits!!

• If your workshop sales total between $250-$399.99*, you earn an additional $20 in merchandise credit!
• If your workshop sales total $400+*, you earn an additional $40 in merchandise credit!!

So call today to book your June workshop!!

*total is before shipping and tax

How could I forget??

I'm hanging my head in shame today....I let the 35th anniversary of me and my best friend Natalie pass me by. And not by a day or two. Oh no, my slip-up is much worse. Try an entire month!

We met back in 1974 when I moved to Carmel, Indiana. She lived only 2 doors down and I remember seeing her sitting on her bicycle in the cul-de-sac as we were unpacking. It was an instant friendship and has sustained despite being in different states for the last 13 years. I made this card to send to her:


The color combo comes from our favorite colors - blue and pink. I used rub ons for the sentiment, layered several punches, and added heat embossing to round it out. I sure hope she likes it!

Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral
Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Kraft, Pink Pirouette
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: Fashion District rub ons, white embossing powder, heat tool, Pink Pirouette striped grosgrain ribbon, wide oval punch, scallop oval punch, 1-3/4" circle punch, Summer Picnic designer series paper, stampin' dimensionals

Support the troops!

While blog surfing I stumbled upon a blog hop for cardsforheroes.org. What a wonderful organization! Their mission is to support our nation's armed forces by sending blank greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them. As a card maker, this obviously grabbed my attention right away. So this afternoon, I sat down and sorted through my huge stash of handmade cards to find appropriate ones to send along to the troops. Before I knew it, I had 80 cards to share!!

I can't wait to get these in the mail once the post offices open back up on Tuesday! If you have any extra cards or want to create new ones for Cards for Heroes, I encourage you to package them up and submit them. Not only will the service men and women appreciate your gesture, but their loved ones at home will be so happy to receive a hand-written note from their hero! It's a win-win, perfect for this Memorial Day holiday!

Faux pinwheel

Stumbled across another fabulous technique....this time on Lyssa Griffin Zwolanek's blog. Her rendition of a pinwheel is so cute and whimsical. I thought it was the perfect technique to showcase the bright and cheery colors and patterns on the Good Morning Sunshine designer series paper. Remember, you can earn it free this month - email me for details!


Now how stinkin' cute is that?! Enjoy!

Stamps: Hugs & Wishes
Cardstock: Pacific Point, Summer Sun, Whisper Whit
Ink: Pacific Point
Accessories: Good Morning Sunshine designer series paper, stampin' dimensionals, glue stick, glue dots

Accordian Frame

My stamp club project tonight was an accordian frame using coasters and Walk in the Park designer series paper. Earn designer series paper or 12x12 cardstock free this month - email me for details! This month's hostess picked the project and another customer requested the butterfly theme, and this is the little beauty I designed. When you open it, it can sit out on a desk, dresser, or counter to show off pictures of whoever makes your heart sing! Enjoy! :-)




Stamps: Darling Dots
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Whisper White
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: Walk in the Park designer series paper, corner rounder, 1" circle punch, scallop edge punch, Big Shot, Beautiful Butterflies die, white embossing powder, heat tool, silver brads, stampin' dimensionals, coasters

Woohoooooo!

YEAH KRIS!!!! :-)

Color inspiration

While surfing some blogs, I was inspired by a color combination on Lorri Heiling's blog. The Riding Hood Red/Basic Black combo was so striking and beautiful. I made this card for my son's math tutor since the end of the school year is almost here, and she's been such a big help to him. I hope she likes it!!


Stamps: Upsy Daisy, Trendy Trees
Cardstock: Basic Black, Riding Hood Red, Very Vanilla
Ink: Riding Hood Red
Accessories: eyelet border punch, word window punch, stampin' dimensionals

More leftovers

As I was cleaning up the scraps from my last post, I saw this little pear image on the Good Morning Sunshine designer series paper (DSP) and thought it would make a cute focal image. I punched it out with the 1-3/8" circle punch and layered it on a scallop circle. I wanted the contrast to be little more obvious between the two circles, so I took a Chocolate Chip marker and, using the brush tip, lightly colored the perimeter of the DSP. It framed it nicely without adding another layer of cardstock.

The sentiment is from the Oval All stamp set in the Occasions Mini Catalog. Using a Chocolate Chip marker, I was able to ink just the sentiment. And for perfect placement, I pulled out the stamp-a-ma-jig and easy-peasy! Enjoy!

Stamps: Oval All
Cardstock: Summer Sun, Close to Cocoa
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Good Morning Sunshine designer series paper, 1-3/8" circle punch, scallop circle punch, Kiwi Kiss satin ribbon, stamp-a-ma-jig, stampin' dimensionals

Using up scraps

Looking to use up some leftover scraps of designer series paper (DSP), I quickly layered three patterns from the Good Morning Sunshine DSP pack behind the image. I stamped the bird image twice - once on Whisper White cardstock and once onto the DSP. Then I cut the bird out of the DSP and layered it on top to create a paper-pieced image. Cute, huh?


A little bit of piercing along the top edge of the DSP and at the bottom corner, and I call it done! Enjoy! :-)

Stamps: A Little Birdie Told Me
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Pacific Point, Whisper White
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Good Morning Sunshine designer series paper, tool kit, stampin' dimensionals

Quick and easy projects

Stampin' Up!'s Simply Scrappin' kits are perfect for putting together quick and easy scrapbooking pages. By using elements that are designed to coordinate, it makes pulling together your pages easy and stress-free. The kits take the guesswork out of choosing a color scheme. The textured cardstock, designer series papers and accents make it easy to mix and match to create simple but festive layouts.

And even if you're not a scrapbooker, they're great for creating cards or giftable items. Here are two examples of non-scrapbook projects made with the "Best Ever" Simply Scrappin' kit:




The next time you want a quick and easy project, look no further than a Simply Scrappin' kit!

Stamps: none
Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss
Ink: none
Accessories: Best Ever Simply Scrappin' kit, 1-3/4" circle punch, photo corner punch, white taffeta ribbon, cello bag, Old Olive grosgrain ribbon, stampin' dimensionals

Not stamping related, but...

I just HAD to share a picture of my son, Evan, who was the ring bearer in my cousin's wedding this past weekend. It's the first time he wore a tuxedo and he loved it! He's 9 years old, but he looks like quite the young gentleman in his tux, don't you think?? :-)


Thanks for letting me gush about my little man!!

To all the moms out there...

Wishing you all a

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Kick back and enjoy a margarita today in celebration of Cinco de Mayo! For my card, I chose the fun "Cheers to You" stamp set that includes 4 different drink images and a "cheers to you" sentiment. Using an aquapainter, I colored in the image after stamping it with Stazon, which is a permanent ink. I also used a little contraband (shhh!) and added some subtle glitter on the glass with an atyou Spica marker. Bottoms up! :-)


Stamps: Cheers to You
Cardstock: Kiwi Kiss, Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Watercolor paper
Ink: Stazon black, Kiwi Kiss, Real Red. Tempting Turquoise, Yoyo Yellow
Accessories: red gingham ribbon, aquapainter, stampin' dimensionals, atyou Spica marker

Mini scrapbook

In honor of National Scrapbooking Month, I made a quick mini scrapbook using Stampin' Up!'s clear envelopes as the page protectors. The tutorial was featured on Splitcoaststampers and was so super simple and easy! I kept to a monochromatic look for the cover. You can simply slide your photos into the clear envelopes or make it a mini scrapbook, placing smaller pictures on an embellished page. Hopefully I'll have some pictures of the inside tomorrow (it's hard to take a picture at night when you get a glare off the clear envelopes because of the flash!).


Stamps: Enjoy Every Moment
Cardstock: Tangerine Tango, Whisper White
Ink: Tangerine Tango
Accessories: Tangerine Tango striped grosgrain ribbon, Tangerine Tango designer series paper, crop-a-dile, scallop edge punch, filigree brads, stampin' dimensionals

Celebrate National Scrapbooking Month!

Did you know there's a month dedicated to the art of scrapbooking, an ever-growing paper craft hobby? To celebrate, Stampin' Up! is offering three specials in May! The first is a buy-three-get-one-free promotion with Stampin' Up!'s fabulous designer series paper and textured 12x12 cardstock!

The second promotion is an opportunity to purchase a not-yet-released alphabet stamp set, Jumble Alphabet, at 20% off! This is a sneak peek and this stamp set will not be available again for purchase until the new Idea Book & Catalog is released on July 1st.
And if you've wanted to take the plunge and become a demonstrator, you can purchase a scrapbooking starter kit for only $75!


Visit my website for more information on these promotions!