Man's Best Friend

Yes, it's yet another simple card from me today. This time I inked up my new "D is for Dog" stamp set. I love how it looks like his tail is wagging! :-) I am lovin' the new Soft Suede in-color. It's such a warm brown tone. I pulled out my trusty stamp-a-ma-jig to make sure the sentiment was exactly where I wanted it. I had a heck of a time trying to photograph this card and have the Night of Navy cardstock come out right! It looks a lot brighter in this photo than it does IRL. I wrapped a small bit of Soft Suede polka dot ribbon around the top of the navy strip and mounted the image panel with stampin' dimensionals. Enjoy!

Stamps: D is for Dog
Cardstock: Pumpkin Pie, textured Night of Navy, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Soft Suede
Accessories: Soft Suede polka dot ribbon, stamp-a-ma-jig, stampin' dimensionals

Lack of posts

Hey, sorry for my lack of posting recently. We've been making lots of trips to Indianapolis because my father-in-law is very ill. I haven't had much time for stamping lately, so I'll just share a cool picture I took last weekend. There's a very nice garden at the hospital where my father-in-law is, and I thought these coneflowers were beautiful.

Hopefully more stamp-related posts coming soon!


Marilyn

Kid's project

I'm offering my first Mom & Me class next week! This is a sample of one of the projects - a door hanger for the kids' rooms. I made this one using my niece's name, and I still need to make a sample of the boy's version. I used the small Book Basics chipboard, covered it with textured cardstock and embellished. The hanger is grosgrain ribbon attached through jumbo eyelets. I hope the kids like it!

Stamps: Taffy Alphabet
Cardstock: Ruby Red, So Saffron, Close to Cocoa
Ink: Ruby Red
Accessories: Book Basics, crop-a-dile, jumbo eyelets, Big Shot machine, Scallop Circle die, Daisies #2 die, corner rounder, build-a-brad, 3/4" circle punch, glue dots, black grosgrain ribbon, glue stick

Waiting for autumn

We've been blessed with a mild summer so far (fingers crossed that it continues) but even so, I still can't wait for autumn. I love the colors, the smells, the sights, the clothes. I also wanted an excuse to use my new "Falling Leaves" stamp set!

Some of the new In Colors are fabulously fall-ish so that's where I started. I stamped and punched three of the leaves and sponged the edges. Then I stamped the thanksgiving circle image in Dusty Durango and Soft Suede. I punched and layered them (see zoom below) to create more dimension.


After layering several mats, I used my paper piercer and mat pack to create 2 dotted lines beneath the panel. Then I stamped the sentiment on Very Vanilla cardstock and punched one end with a square punch to create a flag. I softened the cardstock by pulling it along the edge of my desk to break up the fibers. By alternating SNAIL adhesive and dimensionals, it looks like a flag blowing in the breeze! The final touch was a Kraft button (another one of those accessories I bought and then hoarded!).

Thanks for stopping by!



Stamps: Fallling Leaves
Cardstock: Always Artichoke, Dusty Durango, Soft Suede, Crushed Curry, Very Vanilla
Ink: Always Artichoke, Dusty Durango, Soft Suede
Accessories: sponges, paper piercer, 1/2" circle punch, 1" circle punch, 1-1/4" circle punch, 1-1/4" square punch, Kraft button, linen thread, glue dots, stampin' dimensionals

So girly!

My card today is super girly! :-) It's the first time I've inked up my Greenhouse Garden stamp set, and I just started playing around, not really having a set idea in mind. But I'm happy with where I ended up!

Typically, I mat images on all 4 sides, but I found a scrap of Basic Black that was large enough one way, but too short the other. Not wanting to cut a new sheet of cardstock, I just went with it. I added the scalloped border at the bottom to ground it a little more. I went through several variations of the sentiment, trying to find the perfect combo so that it wouldn't melt into the flowers and I wanted to keep the black to a minimum. Lastly, I added some glitter to the center of each flower (you probably can't tell from the picture) adding just the right amount of sparkle!

Thanks for stopping by!



Stamps: Greenhouse Garden, On Your Birthday
Cardstock: Apricot Appeal, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Basic Black
Ink: Apricot Appeal, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Basic Black
Accessories: Pretty in Pink grosgrain ribbon, scallop edge punch, large oval punch, scallop oval punch, 2-way glue pen, Iridescent Ice embosssing powder, heat tool, stampin' dimensionals

Paper weaving

This month in my stamp club, we did paper weaving with designer series paper. It's one of those techniques that looks a bit daunting, but once you've done one, you realize just how simple it is! My club members were surprised at how quickly it came together. Of course, they benefited from the mistakes I made along the way in prepping:

• definitely use sticky strip to hold paper in place
• a little bit of temporary adhesive when you're placing the first row of paper makes a big difference!
• cut your base piece just slightly larger than the total paper width to allow for breathing room
  

Thanks for stopping by! :-)



Stamps: On a Pedestal
Cardstock: Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, Whisper White
Ink: Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Crushed Curry
Accessories: Razzleberry Lemondade designer series paper, square scallop punch, stampin' dimensionals

Caitlin's birthday

A friend of mine asked me if I would design some projects for her daughter, Caitlin's, birthday party. She's just having 2 girls for a sleepover party and all the girls enjoy crafting.

I found this adorable paper bag purse on Becky Roberts' blog that I thought would be perfect. The girls can make their bags and then we'll do some other projects that will fit inside and that will become their party favor! We're thinking of covering tubes of lip balm, making 3x3 cards with envelopes, small stuff like that. When I showed Caitlin my prototype, she loved it! So now I'm excited to design the rest of the projects. :-)

Stamps: Best Yet
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Good Morning designer series paper, 1-3/8" circle punch, scallop circle punch, Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, crop-a-dile, paper bag

Hope

My project today features some retired designer series paper that I really miss - Urban Garden. I had bought a bunch of shadow box frames at IKEA a few years back and hoarded them. What's the point of buying them and then keeping them hidden?! Silly, huh?

The glass is accented with some new Decor Elements called Inspiration. It's a set of four sentiments - life, hope, faith and love. With some serious family medical issues heavy on my mind, the word "hope" called to me. I simply mounted a square of the Urban Garden DSP onto Chocolate Chip cardstock and then cut one of the flower images from another sheet. Using a Versamarker, I lightly shadowed the petals and then layered it onto the DSP with stampin' dimensionals.

Now it's off for display at a friend's house. Enjoy it, Diana!! :-)


Stamps: none
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip
Ink: Versamarker
Accessories: Urban Garden designer series paper, Inspiration Decor Elements, stampin' dimensionals, shadow box frame

It's the perfect time

To become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, that is! Would you like to get a discount on every Stampin' Up! stamp set and accessory you purchase? Would you like to supplement your family’s income or just feed your stamping addiction? Then join the Stampin' Up! family from July 15 through August 31 for only $85.
The mini starter kit includes:

• For All You Do stamp set (p. 118)
  
• All six new In-Color classic ink pads
• Whisper White 8-1/2"x11" cardstock
• Assorted business supplies (catalogs, customer order forms, hostess order forms and more)

As a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, you receive 20% off stamps and accessories. Plus, you'll have access to demonstrator-exclusive opportunities like a monthly magazine and website with tons of project ideas and technique tips. So what are you waiting for? You can sign up online by going to my website and clicking on "start your own business" (my password is dimensionals) or I can forward the mini starter kit application form to you. There's no better time to join the Stampin' Up! family than now!

You rock!

Another super simple card...trying to fit some stamping into a very busy week! I wanted to do something bright and cheerful with this cute new stamp set, "Friends Rock." My least frequently used color family is the Bold Brights, but I thought it was perfect for this set. Kinda reminds me of the old day-glo days of the 80s!! ;-)

Nothing complicated on this card - stamped the sentiment with Stazon ink and colored in using markers, sponged the edges, stamped the guitar image repeatedly to create a background and tied a little ribbon. Simple and done in no time at all! Hope you like it!


Stamps: Friends Rock
Cardstock: Yoyo Yellow, Only Orange, Gable Green, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Stazon Black, Yoyo Yellow, Gable Green
Accessories: silver brad, Basic Black grosgrain ribbon, stampin' dimensionals

New stamp for charity support

Have you checked out this year's Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) stamp set, "Very Thankful"? In case you missed it, it's on the inside back cover of the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog, and Stampin' Up! donates $2 to RMHC for every set sold!

The four thank you images are all very different - something for everyone's tastes! Isn't this little turtle adorable?!?! I also used one of the new textured impressions embossing folders (pg. 195) that adds such a nice touch. I love being able to dry emboss with a few cranks of the Big Shot handle versus doing it by hand with a stylus - easy peasy!

Hope you like it and have a GREAT weekend! :-)


Stamps: Very Thankful
Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Sage Shadow, Whisper White
Ink: Stazon Black, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Basic Black
Accessories: Big Shot, Elegant Bouquet impressions embossing folder, Pretty in Pink grosgrain ribbon, stampin' dimensionals

Circle thanks

The layout for this card came from a sample in Stampin' Success, a demonstrator magazine from Stampin' Up! And "Circle Circus" seemed like the perfect stamp set to use. I love how our circle punches work so well with these images, making cards like this super-easy to create!

I added some stampin' dimensionals behind a couple of the circles and stamped some circles directly onto the cardbase to add some more visual interest. And this gave me the perfect reason to open that package of new Soft Suede polka dot grosgrain ribbon so I tied a small piece in a knot and attached with a glue dot.

One of the sentiments from the new "Falling Leaves" stamp set lent itself well to the trail of circles with its curvy phrase.

Starting with a simple layout, this card took only 5 minutes to complete. Enjoy! :-)


Stamps: Circle Circus, Falling Leaves
Cardstock: Dusty Durango, Whisper White
Ink: Dusty Durango, Soft Sueded, Not Quite Navy
Accessories: 1/2" circle punch, 3/4" circle punch, 1" circle punch, 1-1/4" circle punch, 1-3/4" circle punch, Soft Suede polka dot grosgrain ribbon, mini glue dots, stampin' dimensionals

New favorite!

Warning: short post ahead!

Destined to be a favorite of mine this year, the new Medallion stamp is so elegant! I opted for a very simple, basic card using clear embossing to showcase this beautiful image. Add a single rhinestone brad in the center and it's ready to go! I'll leave it blank until I need it and then can add the sentiment.

I hope you like it!


Stamps: Medallion
Cardstock: Kraft, Melon Mambo, Basic Black
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: clear embossing powder, heat tool, Pretties Kit, stampin' dimensionals

Courage and sacrifice

The first time I browsed through the new catalog, I was immediately drawn to page 67 with the patriotic stamp sets. Having recently discovered Cards for Heroes, I knew that I HAD to have these! So after all my new stamps were mounted, they were the first ones to be inked up. :-)

I started with the new Soft Suede cardstock and stamped the large image with Versamark and clear embossed it. Then I gently distressed the cardstock, bending and crinkling it to create a weathered look. For the final touch, I used a sponge and rubbed Soft Suede ink all over so that the wrinkles would pick up the color. It looks and feels just like leather IRL! Trust me, this is one that you have to see in person to truly appreciate!

Hope you like it!!

Stamps: Courage, Service & Sacrifice
Cardstock: Bordering Blue, Night of Navy, Soft Suede
Ink: Versamark, Soft Suede
Accessories: clear embossing powder, heat tool, sponges, stampin' dimensionals

Celebrate!

Happy 4th of July to my American blogging friends! To celebrate our country's 233rd birthday, I created some fireworks of my own. Using the large star punch, I punched out some Real Red and Night of Navy cardstock, temporarily adhered them to copy paper and punched them again to make these starbursts. Then I used some Versamark ink and iridescent ice embossing powder to make them sparkle. Can't you just see the fireworks lighting up the sky?!

Stamps: Starring You
Cardstock: Night of Navy, Real Red, Whisper White
Ink: Versamark, Real Red
Accessories: Big Shot, texturz plate, word window punch, modern label punch, large star punch, paper piercer, silver brad, iridescent ice embossing powder, heat tool, stampin dimensionals

New catalog excitement

It's here! It's here! It's here!!
The new 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog has made its debut! And boy, is it full of some fabulous products - new stamps, new In Colors, new ribbons, new dies for the Big Shot!

I placed my first order yesterday and will have tons of new goodies to play with next week! OH JOY!!

To start out the new Stampin' Up! year with a bang, I've got lots of activities going on this month:

• I'm having a New Catalog Kick-Off on Sunday the 19th so I'll need to get busy prepping my make-and-take projects.
• I've also scheduled my first Mom & Me class for the 23rd and 24th.
• Plus I have my regular stamp club meeting on the 16th.
• And lastly, I'm participating in a garage sale with some other local demonstrators on the 11th.

Whew! Should be a fun month!