Melon Mambo Floral

Last night was our hostess club get-together and we had so much fun going over the retiring lists one more time and getting those last items we just can't do without. You know there's always something you put off getting and then it's not going to be available anymore and you panic! How can it be retiring when you haven't even gotten it yet?! But that's the way it is in life. So this is fair warning - tomorrow is the LAST day you can order any retiring items. No, it's not too late yet and most things are still available. So if there's anything you still want - now's the time. You can easily click on the ordering button on the right and pick up those last minute items. Now on to the new(er) stuff!! This is another idea from my wonderful sister Connie! She has such great ideas - usually very crisp and clean lines and that's what this has going for it.


Stamps: Flower Fest and Curly Cute
Cardstock: Melon Mambo, Basic Black, Glossy White, and Brushed Gold
Ink: Stazon Jet Black
Accessories: Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aqua Painter, Big Shot with Beautiful Wings Embosslit Die, Basic Black Satin Ribbon, Fire Round Rhinestone Brads, Mat Pack and Piercing Tool, and Dimensionals



I have to admit I would never have chosen glossy cardstock to watercolor on, but it's interesting. It shows up sort of 'flat' on the glossy paper so that makes it rather unique. I changed up her design a bit by using the wide satin ribbon to play up the gloss from the cardstock instead of her narrow grosgrain. Either style of ribbon works nicely though.

I just love the bright color offset by the bit of black to make everything so eye-catching. I love your idea Connie and the ladies last night did too! Thanks so much for your wonderful expertise. And thank you for coming by to see what's new today. So far it's been a really productive week. I think I'm back in the groove again. At least, I surely hope so!!
Sharon

Sneak Peak Floral

It's almost time for the new catalog to be unveiled! I'm so excited about all the new possibilities just waiting to unfold. And while we're waiting, I thought I'd share a card using a few new products. Oh yes, as a demo I can get some things just a wee bit before my customers. So this week I've been playing with some new cardstock and a punch! Fun! This card showcases a new lacy border punch called the Lace Ribbon Border. It is so pretty! It was the first new thing I had to have!! What do you think - gorgeous, right??


Stamps: Fabulous Florets
Cardstock: Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Pink Pirouette, and Whisper White
Ink: Wisteria Wonder, Lucky Limeade, and Elegant Eggplant
Accessories: Big Shot with Flower Garden Embossing Folder, Lace Ribbon Border Punch, 2-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, and Dimensionals


Wasn't I right about the new punch? So pretty and I'll be using it a lot, I'm sure of that! Did you also catch the new colors used? Both the Wisteria Wonder and Lucky Limeade are new In Colors for you to enjoy. The Wisteria Wonder is such a soft vintage-looking color to me. I fell in love with it right away. The Lucky Limeade is a softer version of Old Olive which is one of my main go-to colors, so this should fit in nicely to my stamping collection.

For those of you that might care, both the Fabulous Florets stamp set and the Flower Garden embossing folder are in the new catalog. I know I was thrilled to still have them available for at least the next year! If you'd like to see the new catalog up close and personal, just let me know and I'll be happy to get one to you. I know you'll love the new stamps and accessories in the catalog. But most of all, the new sample ideas are just fabulous! Have fun stamping and dreaming of all the new goodies available in 3 more days!!
Sharon

Bargello Look

Hi all! had a great chat with my sis over the weekend. She's a SU! demo also and we were chatting about some wonderful cards she'd made recently. One of the ideas was a Bargello style card. That's a style of needlework that I've tried many years ago. She gave me some info on how she made it into a card, so I thought I'd give it a try. Now either I didn't understand her directions when I was writing them down, or I didn't understand just what I'd written down. Needless to say, it was a bit of a struggle. I need to give it another try to see if it's just me or whatever!

Stamps: Word Play
Cardstock: Vellum Cardstock, Bermuda Bay (retired), Early Espresso, and Very Vanilla with Welcome Neighbor (retired) Designer Series Paper
Ink: Bermuda Bay (retired), and Pumpkin Pie markers
Accessories: Early Espresso 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Extra Large Oval Punch, Paper Cutter, Sponge Dauber, and Dimensionals

I'm glad I chose a retired batch of DSP to try out this technique as it was a little challenging. Next time I need to make sure the strips of DSP are totally attached to the vellum before they are cut again. And I think the strips need to be staggered more that I did on this first try. When I get another one done with all my adjustments, I'll let you know how it works out.

Thanks for stopping in today. Your comments are always welcome. Sharon

More Swingin'

What a great week this has been seeing lots of friends, and finding out my card was chosen as one of last week's Operator Picks for Challenge #208. Woo Hoo! Thanks ladies - did that ever make my day!!! Last night was the 'frosting on the cake'. I went with my daughter, son-in-law, and grandson to her work picnic and fireworks along the river last night. It was soooo cold, down in the low 60's brrrr, so we were all bundled up. But Carson (my grandson) just didn't want to stay covered up. There was too much to explore with all the other kids running around and those wonderful 'glow necklaces' and flags to play with. And of course hot dogs to eat, and did I mention all those other kids running around? Oh my, did he ever have fun! I'm so mad at myself that I forgot to take my camera along. What a missed opportunity for some great candid shots. bummer! Anyway, today's card post was inspired by two different things - first the Stampin 411 Sketch Challenge here and my nephew's little boy, Brooks. When we spent time at the beach last month, Brooks wanted to be on the swing all the time and kept saying "mo' swingin!" And we happily obliged, of course! Ever since then, I've had this idea in my head to make a 'swingin' card for his 2nd birthday next month. This sketch seemed like the ideal starting point.


Stamps: Recess and Best Dad Ever
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, So Saffron, Basic Black, Wild Wasabi, and Whisper White with the new DSP Just Add Cake, and 2010-2011In Color DSP
Ink: Stazon Jet Black pad, Blush Blossom, Soft Suede, So Saffron, Wild Wasabi, Baja Breeze, and Basic Gray markers
Accessories: 2 3/8" Scallop Punch, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 2" punch, Subtles Designer Buttons, Sponge Dauber, White Bakers Twine, and Dimensionals




I can't believe this card took over 3 hours to make. It really isn't all that complicated, that's for sure! I just couldn't seem to find the right colors to work on the different layers. Most times when I work with a new Designer Series Paper it's a struggle to handle the colors in the different prints. I'm glad SU! gives a list of colors that coordinate with each pack of paper, but it's still an interesting game to see how they layer up together and which one to put where. Maybe you don't have that problem, but it's one I struggle with each time I try a new design. Now I've probably got enough extra layers cut to make two or three new cards up!

Anyway the card is bright and cheery so it should be a good choice to send to Brooks for his birthday. Hopefully he won't be too big for swingin' by the time I get to see him again. Have a great day, and thanks for leaving comments. I love hearing what you think!
Sharon

Just Believe Softly Done

Hi there! So glad you stopped by today! I'm taking a break in between making food for my 'foody' party tomorrow. I'm all excited that my friends will be coming over for food and ordering. What could be more fun than that? I do have a card to share with you today. Maybe that's more fun?! This is a very simple card to make, but with all the layers it looks much more complicated. I've seen so many cards posted that have a silhouette image and embossed with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder. So here's my take on that theme. Hope you enjoy it...

Stamps: Just Believe and Teeny Tiny Wishes

Cardstock: Pear Pizzazz, Marina Mist, Basic Black, and Whisper White

Ink: Basic Black, Marina Mist, and Pear Pizzazz

Accessories: Big Shot with Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Mat Pack and Piercing Tool, Neutrals Jumbo Brads, Sponge Daubers, and Dimensionals

I just love these colors used together with that pop of black. So pretty! At least I think they're great together. After stamping on the white cardstock, the image is put through the Big Shot with the embossing folder. Then it's sponged lightly to give an impression of grass and sky.

For some reason, after the card was finished and I was taking the pictures, I had the funny impression that the brads were making it into a book that I could open. What a weird idea! But it might be fun to try to figure out something like that! I'll have to think on that for awhile.

Ok, time to get back to baking my little cheesecake tartlets and making my chicken and apple salad. Doesn't that sound yummy! Don't you wish you were coming too?

Toodles,

Sharon

Turquoise Birthday Cupcake

Hey, it's birthday time again! Seems like I've been needing lots of birthday cards lately. But that's a good thing, right? That means everybody is getting another year older and of course another year better too. I was planning on making a masculine card, so I needed to use more masculine type colors. No pink and frills for this one. The 'Play Date' Designer Series Paper has some wonderful masculine, so that was my starting point. Here's where I ended up....
Stamps: Curly Cute, Create A Cupcake, and Occasional Quotes
Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Old Olive, and Whisper White with Play Date Designer Series Paper
Ink: Tempting Turquoise and Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Build A Cupcake Punch, Sponge Dauber, Chocolate Chip Corduroy Button(retired), Linen Thread, Mini Glue Dots, and Dimensionals


I'm having doubts about the Curly Cute sentiment. Is it too cute for a guy card? Hmmm.... still thinking about that one. That might get peeled off and a different sentiment added instead.

I had thoughts of using more cupcakes on the card front, but couldn't get them to work out properly, so the extra two were added to the inside of the card. Thought that worked out nicely. I wasn't planning on using one of my old retired corduroy buttons, but nothing else seemed to work out in that corner and it was just screaming out to me that it needed something! I guess it pays to hang on to all those retired odds and ends. You never know when one of those items will be just what you're looking for to make your project complete. (At least that's how I keep explaining all this stuff to my hubby! lol Thank goodness he puts up with all my 'saving'. Gotta love the guy!

Thanks for stopping by today. Hope this gets you motivated to do some stamping yourself today. Have a good one!
Sharon

Another Sketch Challenge

It's been ages since I had time to go visiting blogs and seeing what's been going on in the stamping world. But I couldn't sleep last night, so that's how I spent those long quiet hours when everyone else is asleep. I happened upon the blog called Sketch Frenzy Friday here, and thought I'd play along with their sketch from last Friday. Here's what I made in the wee hours of the morning...

Stamps: absolutely none! - how weird is that?

Cardstock: Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Rich Razzleberry with Rich Razzleberry DSP

Ink: none

Accessories: Scallop Border Punch, Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch, Big Shot with Perfect Polka Dot Embossing Folder, Filigree Designer Brads, Silver Mini Brads, Certainly Celery 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, and Dimensionals

When working on designs for last week's card classes, I had punched some flowers out to try out my new Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch that had just come in. So there was a little pile of different colors of blossom layers sitting around. After playing around with the color choices, I went with the Rich Razzleberry and Certainly Celery. This is outside of my comfort zone, but I thought now would be a good time to expand my horizons just a little bit. And I'm glad I tried!

This card is a bit different for me, but it was fun to make. The main layer looked boring to me and I couldn't think of what to stamp on it, so I got out my Big Shot and added a little texture to it. Also, the original sketch showed a sentiment on the bottom of the card, but for this card I omitted it. Nothing really seemed to work out right. So whatever sentiment I choose, it's going to be on the inside only. Which is fine because it seems to be a very generic style. Oh yes, there's also another punched flower for an accent on the inside too.

That's about it for now. Thanks for stopping by to check out what's new here. Hopefully I'll be posting again real soon. Have a great day stamping!

Sharon

Flower Fest 411 Challenge

Happy Father's Day to all the dads of you ladies out there. I'm assuming there are no men reading this, so this is for you ladies who are lucky enough to still have their dad around. I miss my dad so much and think back on all the wonderful memories of him and his guidance throughout my life. He was a very loving father with strong morals who was always there whenever I needed him. How lucky I was to have him for my mentor and friend too! Ok, enough with the eulogies and on to the reason for this post! Yesterday I had a chance to look at the Stamping 411 Challenge here, and they had a great new sketch challenge as usual. It was something I just had to try when I had time today. Why not give it a try yourself? Here's what I came up with for Challenge #208 this weekend...

Stamps: Flower Fest and Curly Cute, with Itty Bitty Backgrounds (retired)

Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, and Whisper White

Ink: Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Tempting Turquoise

Accessories: Big Shot with Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Sponge Daubers, Daffodil Delight Taffeta Ribbon, and Dimensionals

Of course I had to make a small change to the sketch as usual. I added the sentiment layer that wasn't part of the sketch, but it seemed to need it on my card. I was also trying to use only current items on the card, but sometimes a card just needs a few 'freckles' from the Itty Bitty Background stamp set. I miss this set soooo much and just have to get it out and use it every once in awhile. :)

These colors on the card are so bright and cheerful that now the card is done I think I need to make another one as a get-well or just a thinking-of-you card. Wouldn't this card cheer you up if you were feeling down? Yup, I think there's another one in the making since the materials are all spread out on my table. I can clean up as the next one gets made. Hope you're having a wonderfully relaxing Sunday. Enjoy the rest of the evening.

Sharon

Summer Flower Fest

With all the flowers blooming outside, I thought I'd bring a little of that bright, summery feel inside to my stamping cave. And this card certainly fit the bill of bright and summery.

Stamps: Flower Fest and Happy Greetings

Cardstock: Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, and Beyond the Garden Designer Series Paper

Ink:Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Old Olive, and Tempting Turquoise

Accesssories: 2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch, Fancy Flower Punch, 5 Petal Flower Punch, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Sponge Daubers, Paper Snips, Daffodil Delight 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Basic Rhinestones, and Dimensionals

I love how easy it is to make these flowers - no cutting out! Just a quick punch and they're good to go. And instead of doing a lot of coloring on them, I just did a little sponging with my trusty sponge daubers and they're finished. How incredibly easy is that? I think this might be one of the quickest cards I've ever made in my life! I wasn't sure if I really needed another floral stamp set, but I'm sure glad I opted to get this one. If you've been sitting on the fence about getting it, it's time to get off the fence and try it out! Believe me, you're gonna love it.

Well, that's all for today. Got to get going on stuff that needs doing around the house. Have a great weekend!

Sharon

Elegant Soiree' Retiring

Oh my! This time of year I always have mixed feeling about stamping. There are so many sets and Designer Papers retiring that are my favorites and I know I'll miss them like crazy. But then the new catalog is coming out in two weeks and I can hardly wait to see what it looks like. And of course what's in it!! The waiting is just about killing me here! lol But while I'm waiting for the new, I needed to use one of my favorite papers again. The Elegant Soiree' has been so easy to use for so many cards over the past year. It's been used for the fancy cards for weddings and anniversaries, but also for everyday type cards too. I've been running low on my thank you cards, so I thought I'd use it for some of those this time around. Here's what I came up with...

Stamps: For All You Do

Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, and the ever Elegant Soiree' Designer Series Paper

Ink: Soft Suede and Baja Breeze

Accessories: Bird Punch, Basic Pearls, Baja Breeze Seam Binding Ribbon, and Dimensionals

Somewhere along the way, I had seen a punched bird that used the solid floral stamp from this set as a background. I had used swirls from several different sets on different occasions to dress up this little bird, but I always forgot about this stamp. Finally I remembered and gave it a try and loved it!! That little punched bird fits on that stamped image perfectly and gives him just the cutest body! I added a pearl for his eye to give it some interest.

While I'd punched out the body, I got a branch too. I was going to throw it away, then got inspired to try it along the top of the page. After trimming it down to where I liked it, I thought I'd give it a sprinkling of those itty bitty pearls too. I'm not sure if I went overboard on those pearls or not. Let me know what you think.

Thanks for stopping in today. You know, it's not too late to get a package of the lovely Elegant Soiree' Designer Paper. You still have two weeks before it's not available anymore. Just a thought....

Sharon

One Last Thing...

Goodness, I'm tired tonight. But there's one last thing I need to accomplish today before I trundle off to bed. And that's get my card posted here today. It's been way too long since my last post, and the past couple of weeks we've been having issues with our internet connection - like most of the time we don't have any! How did we ever manage before computers and high-speed internet service? I surely don't know and it's been horrid going without it!! Anyway, it's slow going tonight, but I actually have a connection. So this is gonna be short and sweet. Checked in with the Stamping 411 Ladies here and loved the simple sketch they had for last weekend. Here's my take on it, after a few minor changes of course!

Stamps: Woodgrain, and Happy Greetings

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Baja Breeze, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Old Olive, and the Elegant Soiree' Designer Series Paper

Ink: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede

Accessories: Owl Punch, Bird Punch, Black Rhinestones (retired), Soft Suede Ribbon (retired), and Dimensionals

I was looking for a quick, no nonsense card to use an owl that I had punched for a different project and then decided not to use. I seem to always have a few things sitting around that I start, then change my mind and do something else instead. And this owl had been staring at me for awhile. So when I saw this sketch challenge, I thought it would be a perfect place to perch my owl buddy and make him happy.

I love the new sentiment set. They're all nice and I've definitely been using them all. But this one especially has become a favorite to say "hi, I'm thinking about you". And don't we all need a little pick-me-up like that every once in awhile?

Thanks for stopping by today. I'm off to bed and hopefully a good night's sleep. Tomorrow is babysitting all day and class at night so it's going to be a busy one. Toodles,

Sharon

It's A Challenge Entry

Yes, can you believe I'm actually getting around to doing a challenge while it's current? It really has been quite awhile since I've had time to peruse the Stamping 411 website. But today I took some stamping time for myself and really enjoyed it! It's been quite awhile since I had time to just play with some new items, to get a feel for the stamps, and decide how I wanted to use them. It's a 'getting acquainted' period of sorts. Do you need to do that too? The challenge from the 411 Team was a great sketch to try as always. So let's grab the stamps and paper and start having fun!! I do have a card to share with you for the challenge, and also another one that didn't quite make the cut for me. Actually, I've already taken it apart and I'm trying to re-make something of it.


Stamps: On The Grow
Cardstock: Wild Wasabi, Pacific Point, and Whisper White with Beyond the Garden Designer Paper
Ink: Basic Gray, Wild Wasabi, and Pacific Point
Accessories: Big Shot with Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Word Window, Modern Label Punch, Subtles Designer Buttons, Linen Thread, Mini Glue Dots, and Dimensionals


I just love this new set from the Summer Mini!! Of course anything floral that can be watercolored is on my favorite list! I wasn't sure if I'd like the larger print DSP along with the small image, but it worked for me. It's not the first idea I worked with, but it's the one I liked the most.


This is the first one I made with these colors and print paper. For this card, I was using the new Fabulous Florets stamp set. When I was done and getting ready to put some leaves on the envelope, I dropped the stamp onto my card. Aaarrrrrrrgh!!! How could I be so very clumsy?? How absolutely frustrating. And that's when I decided to change the main image on the card and start all over. All told, I really like the second one better. How about you?

tip: Oh btw, after I attached the dsp to the punched layer on my first card, I noticed that 'yes, there is a top and bottom to this print'!

As you can tell, this first card had a few issues and it really was time to start over. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get creating again. Hope enjoy your weekend. I know I am!
Sharon

Summery Flowers

Since we've jumped right from a cool and very wet spring into a hot and humid summer, I thought I'd share this card with you today. It has lots of hot summery colors, flowers, and a butterfly. To me it all says summer is here! And it even showcases one of the new stamp sets in the current Summer Mini Catalog. (If you don't have one yet, drop me a line and I'll send you one!) Hope you enjoy....

Stamps: Flower Fest and Curly Cute

Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise and Whisper White

Ink: Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Wild Wasabi, Tempting Turquoise, and Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Sponge quarters (lots of them!), Paper Snips, and Dimensionals

I love using these colors for summer cards. Together they just look like a summer bouquet of flowers (even if you're not stamping flowers!!) And instead of watercoloring all of the flowers, this time I just added a little sponged color rather loosely and left it at that. Just a fun and simple card that will be perfect for someone's summer birthday. Maybe a matching gift of a flower bouquet to go along with the card. Hmmm.... What do you think??

Thanks for stopping here today. I appreciate any comments you might like to leave. Have a beautiful day and try not to get too hot and bothered out there in all that heat!

Sharon