Time is running out!

The Summer Mini Catalog expires on Tuesday, August 31st. All products featured in the mini catalog will be gone on September 1st so be sure to grab them soon! One of my favorite products from the catalog is the Watercolor Trio stamp set. The floral images and beautiful script sentiments are so elegant. Today's card features another autumn-like color combo of Old Olive, Cajun Craze and More Mustard. I'm so done with the summer heat and can't wait for Fall to get here!

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Watercolor Trio
Cardstock: Pear Pizzazz, Old Olive, Cajun Craze, Naturals White
Ink: Old Olive, Cajun Craze, More Mustard
Accessories: sponges, color spritzer tool, stampin' dimensionals

Ready for Fall?

Is anyone else ready for Fall?! My favorite season is getting closer by the day and I'm thrilled! So I pulled out and dusted off the fabulous Autumn Splendor stamp set for today's card. I created a custom-made background using fun Fall colors Soft Suede, So Saffron and Pumpkin Pie. So are you ready for Fall now too?:-)

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Autumn Splendor, Trendy Trees
Cardstock: Soft Suede, So Saffron, Whisper White
Ink: Soft Suede, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: scallop trim border punch, modern label punch, Whisper White satin ribbon, stampin' dimensionals

Success

I love how bright and cheerful today's card is! The colors came straight from some designer series paper. The layout is based on a SUDSOL sketch challenge. I love layering punches to create flowers, hand-cut the stem and punched the leaves using the technique here. The only thing I would change is to add dimensionals to the stem and leaves so they stand out a little better against the busy background of the designer series paper.

Wouldn't this make a great back-to-school card for your favorite student?!

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Full of Life
Cardstock: Real Red, Old Olive, Tempting Turquoise, Sahara Sand
Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Real Red
Accessories: Play Date designer series paper, scallop circle punch, 1" circle punch, 1-1/4" circle punch, 1-3/8" circle punch, flower brads, stampin' dimensionals

Color Coaching

Have you seen Stampin' Up!'s new Color Coach? Picture portable color swatches featuring Stampin' Up!'s exclusive colors. Whether you want a quick reference of all colors in a collection or a card showing combinations that cross color collections, it's invaluable! Today's card features a color combination from the Color Coach: Pear Pizzazz, Rich Razzleberry and Tempting Turquoise. Now, I don't think I would have put these 3 colors together, but thanks to the Color Coach, I created a card with a fresh color palette.

If you struggle with color combinations, give the Color Coach (#121620) a try! For only $14.95, it's a great investment. Start with the suggested color combinations and then break out and start customizing your OWN custom combos!

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Cheep Talk, Elements of Style
Cardstock: Rich Razzleberry, Tempting Turquoise, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Temtping Turquoise, Old Olive, Tangerine Tango
Accessories: In Color Designer Series Paper Patterns pack, spiral border punch, 1-3/8" circle punch, extra large scallop circle punch, 2" circle punch, stampin' dimensionals

Shoebox Swap, Part 2

As I promised, I'm back with some fabulous creations from a shoebox swap last weekend. Here are some of my favorites:

The first one was designed by Mary Knabe. I love the simplicity of the globe image on dimensionals - it really makes it stand out. The color combo was Baja Breeze and Soft Suede to coordinate with the Elegant Soiree designer series paper.

The next one was designed by Sheryl Braun and has such a vintage flair! Her sample also had some "scrunched" designer series paper but I need to work on my technique before I get the hang of it. :-)

And this beauty was designed by my upline, Sherrie Thomas. I absolutely love this elegant color combo of Cherry Cobbler and Basic Black. The black panel was embossed with my favorite impressions folder, Vintage Wallpaper - sooo elegant!

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

Shoebox Swap

What fun! My upline held a group meeting tonight with a shoebox swap featuring products from the new Idea Book & Catalog. I came home with some fabulous new cards!! I'll be sharing some over the next few days, but I'm going to start with my contribution.

My card features lots of new products - the fun Grunge Rock stamp set, new colors Pear Pizzazz and Concord Crush and the sparkly self-adhesive rhinestone jewels! The picture does not do any justice to the jewel - it adds just the right amount of bling to the crown!

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Grunge Rock
Cardstock: Pear Pizzazz, Concord Crush, Whisper White
Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Concord Crush
Accessories: 1-1/4" circle punch, 1-3/8" circle punch, sponges, rhinestone jewels, stampin' dimensionals

Plenty of Punches

Today's card features only one stamp but has so much pizzazz. Two of my favorite tools for paper crafting are the Big Shot and punches. I adore embossing folders - I love how simply they can add dimension to a project. And punches can be so versatile!

To create the flower, I punched three layers - sponging each layer to add a little more depth - and added a rhinestone brad in the center. The leaves were created with a circle punch. Punch one circle and then slide it back into the punch and punch again making the leaf however large you'd like.

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Cardstock: Wild Wasabi, Perfect Plum, Whisper White
Ink: Wild Wasabi, Perfect Plum
Accessories: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots impressions embossing folder, 1-3/8" circle punch, scallop circle punch, extra large scallop circle punch, Ice rhinestone brad, sponges, stampin' dimensionals

Happy Anniversary!

One of my favorite techniques is rock-n-roll. It's very simple but always impresses! On today's card, I inked the flower stamp with Baja Breeze ink and then rolled the edges in Basic Gray. When you stamp the image, it has great dimension. Even with a simple card, this technique can add some pizzazz with very little effort. Try it and I'm sure it will quickly become one of your favorite techniques too!

• Tip: Always be sure to ink the stamp with the lightest color first so you don't transfer the darker ink on the light ink pad.

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Vintage Vogue, A Word For You
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Basic Gray, Very Vanilla
Ink: Baja Breeze, Basic Gray
Accessories: Elegant Soiree designer series paper, scallop edge border punch, 1-3/4" circle punch, extra large scallop circle punch, stampin' dimensionals

Delightful Daffodil

The new Daffodil Delight color in the Brights Collection has really caught my eye. It's a rich, vibrant color without being a neon yellow. Today's card is a monochromatic card that started with a piece of the new Greenhouse Gala designer series paper. I found it hard not to add in another color (other than a neutral). I created a little bit of contrast by doing the rock-n-roll technique using only Daffodil Delight. I inked up the flower stamp, stamped off once on some scrap paper, then rolled the edges of the image in the ink and stamped. The color gradation is subtle but adds some depth to the flower.

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~


Stamps: Vintage, On Your Birthday
Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Very Vanilla
Ink: Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Greenhouse Gala designer series paper, scallop edge border punch, Very Vanilla satin ribbon, stampin' dimensionals

Stamp-a-Stack, Part 2

As promised, I have more cards from my Stamp-a-Stack class this weekend!


I just can't get enough of the new Vintage Wallpaper impressions embossing folder! Using these folders with the Big Shot is always a big hit with my customers! It's amazing how simple it is to get such incredible detail.


And this simple beauty has a vintage feel to it with the color combo and use of Stampin' Up!'s new crochet trim product. I used a small bit of trim tied in a knot to, again, be frugal with my ribbon.

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

{{thank you}}
Stamps: Thank You Kindly
Cardstock: Poppy Parade, Soft Suede, Whisper White
Ink: Soft Suede
Accessories: Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper impressions embossing folder, modern label punch, curly label punch, stampin' dimensionals

((happy birthday}}
Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral, On Your Birthday
Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Very Vanilla
Ink: Bashful Blue
Accessories: Victoria crochet trim, stampin' dimensionals

Stamp-a-Stack samples

Hey there, I'm back! It's been a busy week so I haven't had time to blog, but today I have two projects to share with you. Both of them are cards from my Stamp-a-Stack class this weekend.


The first one features a girly color combo. Blushing Bride, Peach Parfait and So Saffron. When I designed this card for my class, I realized I was running low on the ribbon I wanted to use. So I attached it to the card with a brad instead of tying it in a knot with a longer length of ribbon.



This card was my attempt at a gender-neutral card - one that could be used for a boy or a girl. I love the new Grunge Rock stamp set. It's great to use with the Extreme Elements stamp set.

Tomorrow, I'll be back with a couple more cards from my Stamp-a-Stack.

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

{{friend}}
Stamps: With All My Heart
Cardstock: Blushing Bride, Peach Parfait
Ink: Peach Parfait
Accessories: Peach Parfait stitched-poly ribbon, Play Date designer series paper, antique brads, stampin' dimensionals

{{happy birthday}}
Stamps: Extreme Elements, Grunge Rock, Sanded
Cardstock: Rich Razzleberry, Basic Gray, Naturals White
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Basic Gray, More Mustard
Accessories: sponges, stampin' dimensionals

More stencils

As promised yesterday, I have another card to share that features Stampin' Up!'s Decor Stencils.
Today's card was inspired by fellow demonstrator, Emma Fewkes. She expanded the ink stenciling to include heat embossing as well. I used a Versamark ink pad with the stencil, removed the stencil, applied white embossing powder and set with a heat tool. This creates a white-on-white effect that's hard to see...until you add ink on top of it, that is! I used a jumbo wheel to apply a stamped image and then lightly rubbed the cardstock to remove the ink where the embossing resists. Then I added a little more ink with a sponge over the image panel to provide more contrast for the embossed image.

So I challenge you to try these stencils. I promise they're a lot of fun!

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Because I Care, Very Vintage
Cardstock: Bashful Blue Whisper White
Ink: Bashful Blue
Accessories: Elegant Trio stencil, white embossing powder, heat tool, sponge, large oval punch, scallop oval punch, stampin' dimensionals

Elegant Trio stencils

I had resisted Stampin' Up!'s Decor Stencils for quite some time and finally broke down when I saw so many fabulous projects made with them. Even though they are perfect for home decorating, I still haven't used them for anything but cards!

On this card, I used the stencil to apply ink directly to designer series paper. I sponged on Garden Green and then added a little Always Artichoke for some depth. I also sponged the edges of the designer series paper as well as the punched sentiment. Be sure to check in tomorrow - I have another card using the stencil - one that was inspired by a fellow demonstrator.

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Baroque Motifs
Cardstock: Garden Green
Ink: Garden Green, Always Artichoke
Accessories: Newsprint designer series paper, Elegant Trio stencils, sponge dauber, large oval punch, stampin' dimensionals

Celebrate!

I love the color combo on today's card! It's so bright and cheerful :-) And perfect for the recipient (Happy Birthday Diana!). The layout is a variation of one that has become a "go to" layout for me. It can be used for so many occasions and can be easily adjusted with different punches.

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: It's Your Birthday
Cardstock: Peach Parfait, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Real Red, Whisper White
Ink: Real Red
Accessories: square scallop punch, corner rounder, Daffodil Delight satin ribbon, brights collection designer buttons, glue dot, stampin' dimensionals

Girly alert!

A super-girly card today....pink and green with a touch of satin ribbon! Every piece of cardstock I used on this card was left over from previous projects. I didn't cut into a new sheet of cardstock! The cardbase was from when I made another card. Whenever I cut cardstock in half for a card, I throw the other half in a small box on my craft table. And when I have scraps, I store them in 6x9 envelopes by general color, i.e., greens, reds, blues. The next time I'm making a card, I check these pieces first before cutting more. It's a great to make sure I'm getting the maximum usage from my cardstock.

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Watercolor Trio
Cardstock: Pear Pizzazz, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White
Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Regal Rose
Accessories: scallop trim border punch, Whisper White satin ribbon, glue dots, stampin' dimensionals

Calling all cupcake lovers!

Don't you just love this stamp set with its yummy cupcakes? :-) It's hard to tell in the picture, but the cupcakes are "iced" with Smooch ink. Have you tried this yet? It goes on kind of like nail polish and adds such a nice shimmery, pearlized finish. Stampin' Up! now carries it in 3 colors (gold lame, moonlight and silver fox) and a clear top coat.

I used the new Play Date designer series paper that features a fun color combination - Real Red, Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive and So Saffron. A little bit of designer series paper can add a lot of interest in your projects. Even little scraps can come to the rescue!

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes, A Word for You
Cardstock: Real Red, Whisper White
Ink: Black Stazon, Real Red, Sahara Sand
Accessories: Play Date designer series paper, scallop edge border punch, moonlight Smooch pearlized accent ink, stampin' dimensionals