More class samples

I have the last two cards from my Stamp-a-Stack classes to share. Enjoy!



Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

{{thinking of you}}
Stamps: Tart & Tangy, Best Dad Ever
Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White
Ink: Versamark, Tangerine Tango
Accessories: clear embossing powder, heat tool, stampin' dimensionals

{{happy birthday}}
Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Bring on the Cake
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla
Ink: Baja Breeze, Soft Suede
Accessories: Elegant Soiree designer series paper, 1-3/4" circle punch, extra large scallop circle punch, stampin' dimensionals

Countdown to the new catalog

Sorry folks that I've been MIA. What can I say? It's just been busy. But I have some projects to share over the next few days! I had All Occasion Stamp-a-Stack classes this month featuring some of the retiring stamp sets. Don't forget to grab them before they're gone for good! We're only a few days away from the new Idea Book & Catalog and then you'll be able to see all the new goodies that Stampin' Up! has in store!!


The first card is appropriate for a wedding, shower, anniversary or general congratulations. The champagne glasses are nice and sparkly and adds some bling. Stay tuned for more stamp-a-stack cards!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Cheers to You
Cardstock: Whisper White, Marina Mist, Basic Black
Ink: Stazon Black, Pink Pirouette
Accessories: Big Shot, Elegant Lines embossing folder, 2-way glue pen, Iridescent Ice embossing powder, heat tool, Basic Black grosgrain ribbon, 1-1/4" circle punch, 1-3/8" circle punch

Easter projects

Easter cards were the focus in my stamp club this month. The first card featured Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink . With an applicator similar to nail polish, we colored in the blossoms to add some subtle shimmer. A quick and easy card - it's a great one for mass production. And wouldn't this be great for Mother's Day too??


The second card was a big hit with the yummy looking chocolate bunny. Shame on me though! I had forgotten that the stamp was retired so I unnecessarily tempted my club ladies! Sorry everyone :-) The Easter egg was created by using the wide oval punch with designer series paper - easy peasy! And lastly, the "grass" was created using just the top portion of the scallop envelope Big Shot die.


Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Chocolate Bunny (retired), Something to Celebrate
Cardstock: So Saffron, Chocolate Chip, Pear Pizzazz, Very Vanilla
Ink: Pear Pizzazz
Accessories: Big Shot, Scallop Envelope die, wide oval punch, Playdate designer series paper, clear embossing powder, heat tool, stamping dimensionals

Welcome Baby

4 days and counting! It's time for another project featuring the cute Punch Bunch stamp set that you can earn for FREE during Sale-a-Bration.



The mobile image is a bit tedious to color in with markers, so I opted to heat emboss the image to make it really pop against the cardstock. Pairing the heat embossing with embossing folders adds a lot of dimension. Add a little ribbon and it has just the right amount of texture!

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Punch Bunch
Cardstock: Pear Pizzazz, Peach Parfait, Whisper White
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: white embossing powder, heat tool, Peach Parfait stitched poly ribbon, Big shot, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Elegant Bouquet embossing folde, scallop trim border punch, small tag punch, large tag punch, stampin' dimensionals

Valentine Projects

For my stamp club this month, we made some Valentine's Day projects featuring products from the Filled With Love bundle that's available until January 24th. The first project is a treat holder that contains Sweetart conversation hearts.


The second project is a 3x3 notecard. Heat embossing is always a hit! :-)


I have some more projects featuring this bundle so be sure to check back in the coming days.

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

{{treat holder}}
Stamps: Filled with Love
Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Real Red, Whisper White
Ink: Real Red, Pretty in Pink
Accessories: Love Patterns designer series paper, Big Shot, Pretty in Pink satin ribbon, bitty buttons, Heart to Heart punch, sticky strip, glue dots, scallop rectangle clearlit, stampin' dimensionals

{{3x3}}
Stamps: Filled with Love
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Real Red
Ink: Versamark, Real Red
Accessories: Love Patterns designer series paper, white embossing powder, heat tool, Full Heart punch, oval punch

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

Fancy Favor

I'm very excited about today's project! After spending most of the weekend designing cards for a workshop and upcoming stamp-a-stack, I had an itch to make a 3-D project. And once again, Big Shot came to the rescue! Check this out:


I used the Fancy Favor box die for the Big Shot, some designer series paper, striped grosgrain ribbon and some punches to create a multi-layered flower. To add a little more pizzazz to the flower, I swiped a Versamark ink pad on the petals, applied clear embossing powder and set it with a heat tool and then glued a button to the center. Here's a close-up of the flower:

Hope you like it as much as I do. Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: With All My Heart
Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White
Ink: Versamark, Cherry Cobbler
Accessories: Greenhouse Gala designer series paper, Pumpkin Pie striped grosgrain ribbon, clear embossing folder, heat tool, 2-3/8" scallop circle punch, scallop circle punch, 1-3/8" circle punch, word window punch, Brights Collection buttons, sticky strip

Vintage moments

Pushing myself outside my comfort zone, I tried my hand at vintage tonight. I'm typically a clean and simple stamper, but I've seen so many beautiful vintage creations lately. I stamped the floral image with Versamark ink on Naturals Ivory cardstock, then used clear embossing powder and heat tool. I added layers of color using a marker and the color spritzer tool, sponging the edges and then lightly all over. Rubbing a kleenex over the image removes any remaining ink to make the image pop! I hope you like it!

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~


Stamps: Elements of Style
Cardstock: Soft Suede, Naturals Ivory
Ink: Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Versamark
Accessories: Big Shot, Top Note die, clear embossing powder, heat tool, large oval punch, sponges, color spritzer tool, stampin' dimensionals

Thanks Big Time

Ready for another card featuring products from the new Idea Book & Catalog?? Well, I'm happy to oblige! Today's card features a former In-Color, Baja Breeze, and new In-Color, Poppy Parade. It's hard to tell in the photo, but the Poppy Parade cardstock is heat embossed with clear embossing powder, creating subtle texture with one of the new background stamps. I like layering the curly label punch by turning one 90 degrees to peek out over the top and bottom of another one. The finishing touch was a fun button from the new Brights Collection designer buttons.

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: A Word for You, Pretty Pattern
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Poppy Parade, Very Vanilla
Ink: Baja Breeze, Poppy Parade, Versamark
Accessories: curly label punch, clear embossing powder, heat tool, Brights Collection designer buttons, glue dots, stampin' dimensionals

Best Wishes

With Stampin' Up!s new color renovation, Kraft will be renamed Crumb Cake. I'm so glad they're retaining this color - it's so versatile! I love using this fabulous neutral as a cardbase. Today's card features Crumb Cake paired with Bashful Blue and Concord Crush, a new In Color.

I created the main panel by heat embossing with the always-fun Circle Circus stamp set. I had a small scrap of satin ribbon on my craft table and hate to throw any amount of ribbon away, so I simply tied it in a knot, attached it to the panel with a glue dot and secured the ends around the back. It adds a nice, elegant touch.

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Circle Circus, Oval All
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Concord Crush, Bashful Blue, Whisper White
Ink: Versmark, Concord Crush, Bashful Blue
Accessories: white embossing powder, heat tool, scallop oval punch, large oval punch, satin ribbon, stampin' dimensionals

Tropical Thanks

Another card tonight...this time based on a sketch challenge. I love how bright and cheerful this card is - the rhinestone brads and embossed sentiment really pop. The designer series paper is from the Summer Mini Catalog and has such fun and funky designs!

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~


Stamps: Tropical Party, Thank You Kindly
Cardstock: Whisper White, Rose Red
Ink: Rose Red, Versamark
Accessories: Island Oasis designer series paper, white embossing powder, heat tool, rhinestone brads, Rose Red grosgrain ribbon, stampin' dimensionals

Rock on!

I can't believe that it's almost the end of another school year! My son's last day of fifth grade is today and these are the cards I made for his teachers. We picked out iTunes gift cards, and I thought this rocker would be the perfect way to package their year-end gifts! I sure hope his teachers like them!

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Extreme Guitar, Extreme Elements
Cardstock: Old Olive, Melon Mambo, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Versamark, Old Olive, Always Artichoke, Soft Suede, Melon Mambo, Regal Rose
Accessories: black embossing powder, sponges, stampin' dimensionals

Tropical Birthday

I'm still here! Life has just been crazy busy lately and I haven't had much stamping time. But I have a new card to share today that features the fun Tropical Party stamp set from the new Summer Mini Catalog. It's a simple card, especially since I used some Island Oasis designer series paper for the background - this particular piece features a subtle tone-on-tone palm leaf that matches one of the stamp images. Using embossing powder on the sentiment really makes it stand out against the designer series paper. And lastly, I stamped three flowers, cut them out and mounted them at varying dimensions. The first flower is mounted directly onto the card, the second flower is raised with a stampin' dimensional and the third flower has a rhinestone brad in the center and is attached with two layers of dimensionals!

Hope you like it! Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~


Stamps: Tropical Party, Full of Life
Cardstock: Summer Sun, Whisper White
Ink: Summer Sun, Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie, Versamark
Accessories: white embossing powder, heat tool, rhinestone brad, stampin' dimensionals

Festival of Lights

Ok, so I may be a little late as Hanukkah is almost over, but here is this year's effort. I only have one Hanukkah stamp and GASP, it's not from Stampin' Up! I bought it years ago and love the intricate design. I stamped it with Versamark on Brushed Silver cardstock and then embossed with silver embossing powder. It's so elegant IRL! I don't think the picture does justice to the shimmery silver! I wanted the main panel to stand out against the dark cardbase so I sponged the edges to make it a shade darker than the cardstock.

Thanks for stopping by!!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: non-SU
Cardstock: Night of Navy, Basic Gray, Brushed Silver
Ink: Versamark, Night of Navy
Accessories: scallop trim edge punch, sponges, silver embossing powder, heat tool, stampin' dimensionals

Reverse Masking

I attended the Stampin' Up! Regional Conference back in September, and one of the techniques that Shelli Gardner herself showed us was a variation on masking. Usually to do masking, you stamp your image twice - once one cardstock and once onto scrap paper. Then you can cover the cardstock image with the scrap so when you stamp other images, they appear to be behind on the original image. It's great for creating dimension without any added bulk.

Well, this technique is called reverse masking. Instead of using the stamped image for masking, you use the negative space. First, I stamped the medallion with Versamark on Whisper White cardstock. I applied clear embossing powder and used the heat tool to set it. Then I stamped the Medallion image on scrap paper and cut it out. Using the reverse mask, I lined it up with the embossed image and applied inks to the image. The embossed area resists the ink and with the mask, you're left with a halo effect around the stamped image. It's so beautiful!

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Medallion, Full of Life
Cardstock: So Saffron, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White
Ink: So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Bermuda Bay, Versamark
Accessories: clear embossing powder, heat tool, stampin' dimensionals

It's Snowing!

Are you ready for another holiday card?? This simple card uses only one sentiment stamp! I love how punched images can be used as a substitute for a stamped image. I punched out several snowflakes from Bashful Blue cardstock and attached them to Real Red textured cardstock, trimming the edges. The panel was mounted on Whisper White cardstock and attached to the cardbase with dimensionals. I wanted the sentiment to really stand out on the cardbase, so I used Versamark ink and white embossing powder.

I love how this one turned out. Real Red, Bashful Blue and Whisper White make one fabulous holiday card color combo! Thanks for stopping by :-)

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Four the Holidays
Cardstock: Real Red, Whisper White, Bashful Blue
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: white embossing powder, heat tool, snowflake punch, stampin' dimensionals

Bright buttons

Last month I took advantage of the free button promotion and picked the Playground buttons - they are such fun colors!! I had a special celebration card to make (can't tell you who for until he/she gets in their hands!) and thought these would be perfect! I wanted something bright and fun and these buttons certainly fit the bill!

I hope the recipient likes it! :-)

Stamps: Starring You
Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Apricot Appeal, Old Olive, Real Red, Whisper White
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: white embossing powder, heat tool, Playground designer buttons, glue dots, 5-petal flower punch, scallop edge punch, sponges

Rockin' birthday

I made another rocker card, this time for a birthday party tomorrow night. My son liked the last card I made with the Extreme Guitar and Extreme Elements stamp sets, so I changed things up just a bit - new colors, slightly different layout. Sorry for the bad photo - it's hard to take a good photo at night! My son wanted me to surprise him with the color combo, and he liked what I picked out.

And to brag just a bit, here's my little man heading off to fifth grade this morning! This is his new favorite shirt - it says "chicks dig pink"! And we paired it with his camo shorts because his classroom theme is army.


Stamps: Extreme Guitar, Extreme Elements
Cardstock: Crushed Curry, Old Olive, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Crushed Curry, Old Olive, Not Quite Navy, Versamark
Accessories: black embossing powder, heat tool, stampin' dimensionals

Rock star

Oh, this card was fun! As I was unpacking my latest box of goodies, I happened to pull out some Perfect Plum and Not Quite Navy cardstock together and thought it would make a great masculine card. I added some More Mustard and Basic Black and came up with a rockin' color combination!!

After stamping some images from the Extreme Elements stamp set, I wanted the rocker to really stand out so I embossed him in black. It's so much more fabulous IRL - trust me! There are several dimensional layers (I'm addicted to those stampin' dimensionals if you hadn't noticed!) to make it even more rockin'!

And to top it all off, my 10 year old son LOVES it, so it passes the "guy test!"

Have a GREAT day!

Stamps: Extreme Elements, Extreme Guitar, Starring You
Cardstock: Basic Black, Perfect Plum, Not Quite Navy, Naturals Ivory
Ink: Perfect Plum, Not Quite Navy, More Mustard, Versamark
Accessories: spiral punch, black embossing powder, heat tool, stampin' dimensionals

Shoebox swap goodies!

My fabulous upline, Sherrie Thomas, hosted a downline event this afternoon featuring a shoebox swap using stamps from the new Idea Book & Catalog or the Holiday Mini Catalog (available September 1st). As usual with our group events, I came home with fabulous new card samples! Here are just a few of the beauties I acquired...




Are you jealous now?? :-) Well, if you become a demonstrator under me, you, too, can attend these events and enjoy amazing projects like this. Our group truly is FABULOUS!! And if you sign up before August 31st, you can take advantage of the mini starter kit promotion for only $85! Just visit my Stampin' Up! website and click on "start your own business." To sign up online, you'll need my password (dimensionals) and a credit card. That's it - easy peasy! So, what are you waiting for??