Getting a Head Start

Are you ready for some Christmas inspiration? I have 2 holiday card events next month so I've dusted off my Christmas stamp sets. In addition to designing cards for the events, I'm also getting a head start on my own holiday cards.

Today's card features a retired hostess stamp set that I just couldn't part with.

I love the new decorative label punch in the Holiday Mini Catalog! I punched the tree image and then some designer series paper and layered them on the new 2-1/2" circle punch. This layering adds some dimension without adding a lot of bulk.

I'll have some more Christmas card designs to share in the next few days so be sure to check back!

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Patterned Pines (retired), Christmas Greetings
Cardstock: Real, Red, Old Olive, Early Espresso, Whisper White
Ink: Old Olive, Early Espresso
Accessories: Deck the Halls designer series paper, decorative label punch, 2-1/2" circle punch, dotted scallop ribbon punch, stampin' dimensionals

"C" is for Cookie

I know a special little boy who turned 1 this month; a shout-out to Master Henry!!! His mom/my friend told me that he likes Cookie Monster so, of course, I just had to make a Cookie Monster card! I've seen punched versions of him floating around the internet for years but since my son outgrew Sesame Street ages ago, I didn't know if I'd get to make one. So thanks Henry for giving me an excuse! ;-)


Isn't he adorable?? I hope the birthday boy likes it!

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes, Crazy for Cupcakes
Cardstock: Real Red, Pacific Point, Whisper White, Basic Black, Crumb Cake
Ink: Pacific Point, Basic Black
Accessories: Play Date designer series paper, 2-3/8" scallop circle punch, 1-3/8" circle punch, 3/4" circle punch, 1/2" circle punch, oval punch, stampin' dimensionals

Trendy Thanks

I LOVE the color combo of today's card. The new Brights Collection is quickly becoming my favorite. It all started with the scrap of Play Date designer series paper that was sitting out on my desk. It turned into such a cheerful card, perfect for making a friend smile! I hope you like it too.

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Trendy Trees, Short & Sweet
Cardstock: Melon Mambo, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White
Ink: Melon Mambo, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Play Date designer series paper, Daffodil Delight satin ribbon, 1-1/4" circle punch, 1-3/8" circle punch, fancy flower punch, corner rounder punch, stampin' dimensionals

Halloween Treats

Two years ago, I discovered an adorable Frankenstein creation and wanted to do a little something different with it this year. So here's this year's version as a treat box:

I started with the Top Die and the Big Shot and used textured cardstock this time. I love the result! I also changed some of his features: I used the round tab punch for his nose and the curly label punch for the mouth. All of the Old Olive pieces were sponged on the edges for a little more dimension. The box was also made with the Big Shot and the Fancy Favor die and is perfect for all kind of treats!

The second project is my version of a mummy that I've seen all over the internet:

Again, I made a box for this one. It's a smaller box that I made by just playing around with dimensions and creating my own. The finished size of the box is 2-1/4" by 3". I sponged the Very Vanilla strips to create some old bandages for the mummy.

Even if you don't invest in Halloween stamp sets (I only own 1), you can still make some fun Halloween projects with your Big Shot and some punches. Hope you liked these!!

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

{{frankenstein}}
Stamps: none
Cardstock: Old Olive, Concord Crush, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Old Olive
Accessories: Big Shot, Top Note die, Fancy Favor die, curly label punch, round tab punch, 1-3/8" circle punch, 1" circle punch, sponges

{{frankenstein}}
Stamps: none
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Whisper White, Crumb Cake
Ink: Crumb Cake
Accessories: 3/4" circle punch, 1/2" circle punch, sponges

Hey Rudolph!

As promised yesterday, I have another Christmas card to share. Today's card features the very popular "Dasher" stamp. Stampin' Up! line of a la carte stamps are individual stamps all under $10!

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

{{reindeer christmas}}
Stamps: Dasher, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Cardstock: Early Espresso, Real Red, Whisper White
Ink: Early Espresso
Accessories: PlayDate designer series paper, Early Espresso taffeta ribbon, modern label punch, corner rounder

Thank a Hero

Sorry for my absence from posting! Lots of stuff going on...my birthday, my son caught a stomach bug, left town for a work conference, had to prep for an event this weekend... But now I have lots of goodies to share! The event I held was yesterday and the purpose was to create Any Hero cards for the deployed troops. What's an Any Hero card, you ask? Well, I found OperationWriteHome.org last year and sent about 80 cards for distribution to the men and women protecting our freedom. In addition to cards for them to send home to keep in touch with family, they also collect and distribute Any Hero cards - cards of support for the sacrifices made every day by these American heroes. I invited my customers and neighbors to come make cards, and I donated the supplies, envelopes and postage. My goal was to make 50 cards and even though I didn't make my goal, a total of 26 cards were made! Because some of the people I invited aren't papercrafters, I kept the designs very simple:



I'll be shipping these off to OperationWriteHome.org this week and hope they bring a smile to faces half a world away! I invite you to visit their website and encourage you to show your support for our troops!

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to come back for some fun Halloween projects I'll be posting tomorrow!

~~Marilyn~~

Peace on Earth

One of my favorite places for inspiration is the Clean & Simple blog. While I can appreciate cards with lots of layers and embellishments, I find myself drawn over and over again to simple but elegant cards. Here's the Clean & Simple 107 sketch that I used to create today's card:


And here's my creation:


Hope you like it! :-) Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Angelic Joy, Four the Holidays
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla
Ink: Stazon Black, Bashful Blue, Crumb Cake, Blush Blossom, Early Espresso
Accessories: Deck the Halls designer series paper, aquapainter, dotted scallop ribbon punch, stampin' dimensionals

A Fairytale

One of my husband's cousins is getting married next month and today was her bridal shower. I wasn't sure what her wedding colors are so I opted for an all-white theme for her card. I absolutely LOVE how this card turned out. Unfortunately, the picture I took just does NOT do it justice!


The texture of the embossing folder and the beautiful satin ribbon add just the right amount of elegance! And it got lots of "oohs" and "aahs" at the shower! Made me feel real good :-)

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~


Stamps: Full of Life
Cardstock: Whisper White
Ink: Stazon Black
Accessories: Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, oval scallop frame die, Whisper White satin ribbon, stampin' dimensionals

Color Coach to the Rescue!

As I mentioned yesterday, my stamp club is back in session. This month's projects featured color combinations straight from Stampin' Up!'s new Color Coach. I started the first card with Cherry Cobbler and paired it with Daffodil Delight and Early Espresso.


The second card started with a Concord Crush base and really brightens up with In Colors Pear Pizzazz and Peach Parfait! Notice how the polka dot texture carries through...


And lastly, I have a Fall-ish card with Always Artichoke, Cajun Craze and So Saffron. To layer the wide oval and decorative label punches, you have to snip the tips on the wide sides of the label so they don't peek out from behind.


Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

{{happy everything}}
Stamps: Medallion, On a Pedestal
Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, Dafodil Delight, Whisper White
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Deck the Halls designer series paper, dotted scallop ribbon punch, corner rounder punch, stampin' dimensionals

{{thanks big time}}
Stamps: A Word For You
Cardstock: Concord Crush, Pear Pizzazz, Peach Parfait, Whisper White
Ink: Concord Crush
Accessories: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Beautiful Wings embosslit, stampin' dimensionals

{{because i care}}
Stamps: Autumn Splendor, Because I Care
Cardstock: Always Artichoke, Cajun Craze, So Saffron, Naturals White
Ink: Always Artichoke, Cajun Craze, So Saffron
Accessories: wide oval punch, decorative label punch, stampin' dimensionals

Stamp Club - Round 4

After a summer hiatus, my stamp club started back up last night! To thank my stampers for joining the next round of club, I always give them a little handmade goody at the first club meeting. Here's what the ladies received:


It has a magnet on the back so that they can post it on their refrigerator or any metal surface so they have some scratch paper handy! I got the idea from a similar project I found online but I adapted the half-box to fit on the scallop square. Stay tuned and I'll be posting our club projects tomorrow - everything was based on Stampin' Up!'s new Color Coach. If color combinations intimidate you, the Color Coach will be a Godsend!

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Very Vintage jumbo wheel, Vintage Vogue
Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Crumb Cake, Whisper White
Ink: Soft Suede, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Big Shot, scallop square die, jumbo wheel handle, Basic Pearls, oval punch, glue dots, chipboard

New Mini Catalog!

Stampin' Up!'s new Holiday Mini Catalog is here!! And, boy, are you in for a treat! Not only are there great new holiday stamp sets, but the accessories will blow you away:

• embossing folders
• waffle paper
• designer series papers
• Big Shot dies
• recordable cards
• designer fabrics!
• punches
• glass glitter
• tinsel trim
• glimmer brads
• and more!!

It's still hot outside but the holidays really are not that far away. In an effort to get a head start on my holiday cards and for my upcoming stamp-a-stack classes, I have a Christmas card to share today.


One of my all-time-favorite stamp sets is Lovely As a Tree and I was worried that it would be retired this year. But I'm thrilled that it's still around. I only use a portion of the evergreen image to make it look like the dove is flying over the tree tops!

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: A Wish for Peace, Lovely As a Tree
Cardstock: Wild Wasabi, Real Red, Very Vanilla
Ink: Basic Gray, Wild Wasabi, Real Red
Accessories: Victoria crochet trim, corner rounder, stampin' dimensionals