Sweet Sorbet Sweetie

I'm having so much fun using the Sweet Sorbet Designer Series Paper that is one of the free items you can get during Sale-A-Bration.  This is a wonderful set of prints to make cards and other paper projects because they're so sweet!  Yes, it's very aptly named and is one of my very, very favorite items in the Sale-A-Bration flyer!  Today I've used just a couple 1 1/4" strips on the front of the card as a softly printed background.  Here's the card for you...

Stamps:  Mixed Bunch and Petite Pairs
Ink:  Calypso Coral, Pool Party, and Basic Black
Paper:  Sahara Sand, Basic Black, Pistachio Pudding, and Whisper White cardstock, with Sweet Sorbet Designer Series Paper
Accessories:  Big Shot with Decorative Dots TIEF, Little Leaves Sizzlit, Blossom Punch, 1" Circle Punch, Corner Rounder Punch, Simply Pressed Clay and Buttons & Blossoms Clay Molds, Pool Party Seam Binding Ribbon, Glue Dots, and Dimensionals

Whew!  It didn't seem like I had used so many items until I started typing them all out.  Most of them were already out on my worktable and were handy, so why not make the most of what's lying around, right?

I chose the flower color to match the DSP and added the stamped and punched center to give it some pop.  The flower still looked too flat for me so I added a little clay button that I had made.  It was tinted with the Calypso Coral refill ink so it matches perfectly. 

I used the Decorative Dots embossing folder to continue the dotty theme in the flower and DSP prints.  I think the background layers almost always look better with some texture added.  The Pool Party ribbon was added to make it look even more feminine.  There's really a lot going on here, but it all coordinates nicely.

Thanks for stopping in today.  Hope you're staying warm and toasty...  Tell me, is spring ever going to get here???  I feel like it's been winter forever - or almost!
Happy stamping,             Sharon

Pretty Petal Parade

Hi gang!  Today I have another card using the free Sale-A-Bration set called Petal Parade.  I've been having so much fun using this lately and I wanted to share another idea with you.  This set seems to work well with all kinds of color combos and I've been using some regular ones and some not so regular.  This card was made using some of the newest In Colors and adding So Saffron and Pool Party to keep it nice and gentle looking.  Here's what I did....

Stamps:  Petal Parade, Four You
Ink:  Pool Party, So Saffron, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, and Basic Gray
Paper:  Crisp Cantaloupe, Pool Party, and Whisper White
Accessories:  Big Shot with Decorative Dots TIEF, Simply Scored Board, Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Sweet Sorbet Accessory Pack, and Petite Petals Punch

This is a simple and sweet card that's quick and easy to make when you're in a big hurry to get something in the mail.  When I was finished making it, I was surprised at how many free Sale-A-Bration items were used to make it!  There's the stamp set of course, but also the embossing folder and the twine from the accessory pack.

I added the lines of dry embossing to give it a little more interest since so much of the card is blank.  I added a layer of Whisper White cardstock inside the card for writing your note.  I also added the same flowers in the corner of the envelope and inside the card to match.  All that white plain white just bothers me and I have to add something!  grin

That's it for today.  I had a little free time because of the little one's nap and took advantage of it.  Hope you like this simple card and will try something similar.  Thanks for stopping in today.  Sharon

Belated Valentine

So sorry I never got any of my valentine cards posted.  I only have one left here, and thought it might still be worth showing because it could easily work for an anniversary card or even a wedding card.  So the idea is still valid and useful even though it's a little late.

Stamps:  Field Flowers, Peaceful Petals, and Countless Sayings 2(Photopolymer)
Ink:  Real Red, Garden Green, and Stazon Jet Black pads with Real Red, Garden Green, and Daffodil Delight markers
Paper:  Real Red and Whisper White
Accessories:  Big Shot with Adorning Accents and Fancy Fan TIEFs, Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit, Hearts Framelits, Oval Punches, Corner Rounder, Real Red Stitched Ribbon, Rhinestone Basic Jewels, and Dimensionals

Whew, lots of different products were pulled together to make this card.  Don't you love the two different embossing patterns used together here?  The little hearts are adorable and the fan embossing looks sort of Victorian.   Love how the die-cut print paper fits right on the Heart of Hearts embossed piece.  The tiny scalloped edge peeking out is a perfect touch.

Changing up the sentiment to Mr. & Mrs. would make this a great card for a wedding.  Of course, you'd be changing the sentiment on the inside of the card too.

Speaking of the sentiment, have you used one of the new Photopolymer stamp sets yet?  They are so easy to use!  I put all three stamps together on the block and stamped all at once.  How easy is that?  It's great to see exactly where you're placing the stamp so there's no mistakes.   And these stamps give you a nice clean image.   Hooray for Stampin'Up! for making stamping this easy!!

OK, gotta run.  I'm on my way to stamp with some friends in Toledo that love to stamp.  What a great way to spend an afternoon!  I've missed the last couple of months, so I can't wait to get there and see everyone.  Hope you can get some stamping in this afternoon too.  Have a great, relaxing Sunday.  Chill out and stamp!    Sharon

Another Good as Gold

Happy Groundhog Day!   (or Superbowl Day for some of you)  In case you were wondering, the groundhog didn't see his shadow so there's gonna be lots more winter to come.  Oh phooey!  But I've got another card to share with you that's bright and fresh and will help cure those winter blahs.  Here's my 3rd card made from just 1 of the cards from the Good as Gold  kit.   Love it!

Stamps:  Label Something
Ink:  Calypso Coral
Paper:  Calypso Coral, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White, and Champagne Glimmer Paper with Good as Gold SAB Card Kit
Accessories:  Big Shot with Circles #2 Die, SAB Decorative Dots TIEF, Artisan Label Punch, 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch, and Dimensionals

Even though these cards have been using many of the same colors, stamps, and punches, they all look quite different.  Each of them has it's own feel - from modern to sweet.  It's fun to see how you use the same products but end up with something unique time after time.

Yes, I still love the Good as Gold card kit that you can get free from now until the end of March.  All you need to do is place a $50 order of any of the hundreds of  items Stampin' Up! has in the current Catalog and Mini Catalog.  That makes you eligible to choose one of the Sale-A-Bration free items!  And look at all the wonderful things you can make using just one of the items.  By the way, the Decorative Dots embossing folder is another of the Sale-A-Bration free items too!  Contact me at sharoncarr50@gmail.com if I can help you place your order.  Or you can just click on the Order Now button to the right and order online.  Either way, you should get an order in soon to get your free items too!

Thanks for stopping by today.  Hope you had fun with these last posts using the same product.  I know I had fun making these cards.  Happy stamping....       Sharon

Watercolor Tag Card

Here's the next card the ladies made in January's class.  I know I saw several cards that were similar in the last couple weeks on Pinterest.  I was doing some surfing when I was down and out sick and wasn't really paying attention.  Just filing the colors, layout, or whatever caught my eye, and just let it all percolate til needed.  So anyway, here goes....

 

Stamps:  Happy Watercolor
Ink:  Crisp Cantaloupe, VersaMark
Paper:  Very Vanilla, Gold Foil
Accessories:   Heat Tool, Gold Embossing Powder, Scalloped Tag Topper Punch, Gold Baker's Twine, Watercolor Wonder Washi Tape, Bitty Butterfly Punch, Sponge Dauber, and Dimensionals 

 

This card epitomizes feminine to me on so many different levels.  Starting with the colors - love, love, love that Crisp Cantaloupe, Vanilla, and all that gold together.  Oh, yummy!!  And any card with all those different types of gold is going to look really rich and over the top.  I got to use the Gold Foil paper, gold embossing powder, and the 3 new gold Watercolor Wonder Washi Tape prints.  Don't you just love them??  They add so much soft elegance to the card.

Next, let's talk about the stamp set - isn't it great?  I love having the sentiments added to the set so you don't have to look for another set to work with it.  And the ...happy... sentiment can be used for so many different types of cards.   The 2 flower choices in the set are both pretty line art that can be stamped plain as I did here, or can be watercolored very easily.  I know this is a set I'll be reaching for very often!

Lastly, the tag and butterfly punches make it easy to add embellishments to this card.  Have you seen the new Tag Topper punches?  They're great and you can make your tag any length you need to fit whatever you're making.  Now, that's handy.  Then I punched out 2 butterflies to embellish the card from the center of the gold foil layer.  Since you can't see where I punched them out, you'd never know if I didn't tell you.  All that lovely paper is just wasted behind the next layer, so why not make use of it?

Ok, that's it for this card today.  I'm going to get a head start on tomorrow's post by doing it now and schedule the post for tomorrow.  So make sure you check back soon!  Thanks for stopping by - Sharon

Easy Christmas #5

Sorry I missed posting the last couple of days.  There were too many Halloween possibilities to attend with the little ones, so this got put on the back burner.  I do have another easy Christmas card to share with you today though.  Hope you're enjoying these quick ideas for multiple cards in a hurry.  Have you gotten started on your cards yet??  If not, I might have an idea that will fit the bill for you.  Keep checking back with me to see what's new.

 Stamps:  Joyful Christmas, and More Merry Messages(ret)
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Strawberry Slush, Pistachio Pudding, and VersaMark
Paper:  Pink Pirouette, Strawberry Slush, and Whisper White
Accessories:  Heat Tool, Winter White Embossing Powder,  Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Sponge Daubers, and Dimensionals

This card doesn't look like it should be included in a quick and easy Christmas card collection, but I think it's much easier to make than it looks.  Instead of trying to watercolor the poinsettia and leaves, I just sponged color on over the embossing.  So quick and you can get such a delicate color too!

I will admit that cutting out the embossed images will take some time, but I do things like that while watching all those Christmas specials on the Hallmark Channel.  In fact, those movies are starting up soon, so I need to get some busy work ready to take advantage of that time!!

I chose to use a retired sentiment on this card because the font looked like it should go with this card.  I hang on to all my retired sentiments, 'cuz you never know when you're going to need just that special one to fit your card.

Thanks for checking back with me today.  Hope you like these ideas I've been sharing with you and this one in particular.  I think it's one of the prettiest cards in the batch.  Come on back for more ideas throughout the next week or so.  And be sure to leave a comment!              Sharon

Kindness is Blooming

Well, here it is Monday again.  How come the weekends always go by so fast?  Wish I could stretch them out just a little bit longer.  Oh well, complaining never got me anywhere before, so I guess there's no point in it now.  So instead, let's take a look at something that I thought was really lovely.  I was wandering around some blogs a week ago and sketched out some layouts that I thought were interesting.  Here's what I did with one of them...

Stamps:  Blooming with Kindness, En Francais,  and Thoughts & Prayers
Ink:  Whisper White Craft pad, Soft Suede, Pool Party pads with Island Indigo  marker
Paper:  Pool Party, Crumb Cake, Island Indigo, and Whisper White
Accessories:   Big Shot with Window Frames Collection Framelits, Fancy Fan TIEF, Modern Label Punch, 2 1/2" Circle Punch, Decorative Label Punch, Pearls Basic Jewels, Sponge quarters, and Dimensionals

First off, the embossed Pool Party layer was sponged with Whisper White craft ink to make the embossing stand out more.  Next the Crumb Cake layer was stamped, then corner-punched with the Decorative Label Punch instead of the usual ripped corners.  Then it was sponged with Soft Suede ink.  The sentiment was also sponged and the pearls added to give a subtle bling to the card.

The flower stamp was inked first with Pool Party, then 'thumped' with the Island Indigo marker.  I love the two-tone effect this gives without being too rigid on where the color is added.

All in all, I thought this card came out really lovely.  The colors are soft and understated like I prefer for sympathy cards, but there's a lot going on to make it interesting.  Hope you enjoy this idea.  See what you can come up with for this layout.  It could become one of your favorites!  Thanks for stopping in today.  Hope your day is blessed with good things going on!  Sharon

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful dads out there!  My dad was one of the really good ones and I still miss him very much even though he's been gone for many years.  Somehow my dad was still my special 'daddy' even when I was grown and had kids of my own.  Miss you dad!  Now I'm lucky to have a husband that loves and cares for me and our family, so happy Father's Day to you dear!  Then I have a wonderful son-in-law who has blessed our family by being part of it.  And he's a great dad too!  This card is a version of the one I made for him to celebrate this special day.  Hope you like this idea...

Stamps:  By the Tide and Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink:  VersaMark, Crumb Cake, Pool Party, Marina Mist, Pear Pizzazz, Midnight Muse, and Soft Suede ink pads
Paper:  Soft Suede, Midnight Muse, and Whisper White
Accessories:   Winter White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Piercing Tool and Mat, Word Window Punch, Early Espresso Baker's Twine, Sponge quarters, and Dimensionals

Love this soft look of embossing resist with the under water images.  This is a CASEd card from my downline Phyllis D.  When I saw her card, I knew I had to make one of these too.  I loved the collage effect of all these stamps with the overlapped stamping onto the embossed coral.

 Holding the card, the colors are so soft, but still rich looking.  I wasn't sure exactly what colors she used, but just went with what I had on hand.  I was surprised with how dark the Crumb Cake was for the sand, but when all the other colors were layered on, it worked out nicely.

This would be a great card for many occasions, and with the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set, it's easy to make whatever kind of sentiment you need for you card.  I actually ended up making 3 of these for different occasions and with different people in mind.  I mean, if you get out all these colors to use, might as well make more than one.  Right?

Thanks for stopping by today.  Hope this card inspires you to try the Emboss Resist Technique.  Just emboss one of your images first, then stamp and sponge colors over it.  It's fun seeing the seahorses and fish peeking out from the coral on this card.  See what you can do with the idea!  Happy stamping and a very Happy Father's Day!  Sharon

Today's card is a little different than my normal offerings.  This card came about because a friend ordered the Ex Libris background stamp and wanted me to help her come up with an idea for it.  This stamp is so not anything I would ever choose myself, so this was a real challenge.  And after fooling around several days trying to get something to work, all at once I had an idea and it came together so easily I was surprised.  Here's the card I made with it...

Stamps:  Ex Libris, Four Frames, and Fabulous Phrases
Ink:  Versamark, and Cajun Craze
Paper:  Cajun Craze, Crumb Cake, and Very Vanilla
Accessories:  Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Decorative Label Punch, 3/16" Metallic Brads, Piercing Tool and Mat, Sponge, and Dimensionals

I wanted to make the card look like it was an antique book with a tooled leather cover.  After a few tries, I hit on using Crumb Cake cardstock and Versamark ink to emboss the image.  It was then heavily sponged with Cajun Craze ink to enhance the lovely detail on the stamped image.  It was fun seeing the detail come to life the heavier I sponged.  Yes, it was a little work, but it was definitely worth it!

I chose the Four Frames for the 'title' on the book.  It was punched out with the Decorative Label Punch that mimicked the label on the main stamp.  It was popped up with Dimensionals to make it stand out.

The final touch was some metallic brads in the corners to go with the 'tooled leather' look.  All in all I'm very happy with how this turned out.  It was a struggle and a challenge to work with something so different than my style, but it was fun getting stretched and stamping outside of my little comfort zone.  Thanks for stopping by today.  Hope you enjoyed this look.  See you soon!  Make time to stamp this weekend - it's what I wanted for Mother's Day!!  Sharon

Butterfly Emboss Resist

Oh my!  Have you ever stopped for a minute and wondered just how life got so out of control?  I keep thinking things are all getting done in a timely fashion and then wham!  Everything starts spinning out of control again.  Spent the past 8 days trying to get the cards prepped for making them for the soldiers this past Tuesday and also getting ready for classes next week.  So somehow the posts here just didn't get done.  Everything had to be finished early for classes because we're down in NC for my nieces wedding this weekend.  So now there's a few days to relax, spend time with family and catch up on my emails and posts here.  Who's crazy enough to travel with their catalogs and finished cards just to get some blog time in??  Oh well, enough of the chit-chat and on with today's card...

Stamps:  Swallowtail and French Foliage
Ink:  River Rock, More Mustard, Cajun Craze, and VersaMark
Paper:  Very Vanilla, More Mustard
Accessories:   Heat Tool, Gold Embossing Powder, Distressing Tool, Sponge Daubers

Have you stamped with this Swallowtail stamp yet?  It is so gorgeous and has such lovely detail.  Gold embossing makes the detail really stand out and shine.  When I do the emboss resist technique, I like the ink to bleed out beyond the lines.  Some of you have a really hard time with anything "outside the lines", but with this technique, that makes it look even better in my humble opinion.

Can you see the faint stamping in the background?  The two stamps from French Foliage that I used are the text and spatter.  These work very nicely on so many different cards as a delicate background that isn't intrusive.  And the River Rock ink is dark enough to see, but light enough to blend.

I might have gotten just a little carried away with the distressing, maybe.  But I like the heavily distressed look this has.  It's a nice counterpoint to the elegance of the gold-embossed butterfly.

Well, that's it for today.  Back to relaxing and visiting.  I could get used to this life, but I'd miss my little guys I see everyday.  We've only been gone 24 hours and already I miss my hugs and smooches!!  Talk to you soon....    Sharon

Everybunny and Shimmer Mist

Hi there!  What a time we've been having over here.  The 'cold of the month' has hit again and knocked us for a loop.  How is it possible to get a cold of some sort once a month for 5 months in a row?  It hits one of the little ones first, and then hubby and/or I get it another couple of days later.  This has got to stop soon 'cuz I just can't handle being under the weather and cancelling all the fun stuff we plan on doing!!  NOT FAIR!  Yes, that was me venting there.  Sorry!!  Anyway, back to why you're here.  This card was one of the cards made during class week that I had planned to share with you a week ago.  It uses one of my stamp sets from last year that is still in the current catalog.  Usually I'm using new products during class, but I know several of my students had purchased this set last year so it needed to get revamped and updated.  You know what I mean?  Here it is for your viewing pleasure...

Stamps:  Everybunny
Ink:  Stazon Jet Black pad, Crumb Cake, Baja Breeze, Pretty in Pink, and Daffodil Delight re-inkers
Paper:  Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Pool Party, So Saffron, Wisteria Wonder, Bashful Blue, Pretty in Pink
Accessories:   Big Shot with Framed Tulips TIEF, Ovals Collection Framelits, Small Oval Punch, Frost White Shimmer Mist Paint, AquaPainter, Piercing Tool and Mat, Occasions Paper-Piercing Pack, and Dimensionals

The idea of mixing drops of re-inker into Shimmer Mist has been done before, in fact I might have done it sometime in the last bunch of years.  But it hasn't been done in the classes, so it was something new for the ladies.  The colors the bunny and shell were painted all had the Shimmer Mist base, some had heavier applications of paint to get a solid color.  I used only a dime-size amount of Shimmer Mist to 1 - 2 drops of ink color, except for the bunny.  The Crumb Cake was too light so I added another large drop to the mix.  That worked out nicely.

On my original card here, I didn't use any yellow when painting, but knew the ladies would want to, so I made a mixture of Shimmer Mist and Daffodil Delight re-inker to get a soft yellow shade.  The So Saffron re-ink looked too brownish to be pretty on this card, so it was disposed of properly by throwing out.

Another wonderful side note, as long as you keep your mixtures in an air-tight container (I used empty embossing powder containers), the paint mixtures are still wet and useable over a week later!  I just checked to be sure, and I'm quite surprised!  Think I'll make a couple more cards now that I've got some energy again.  I've got a few kids to send cards to and these would be perfect.

That's it for this message.  Glad you're not sitting any closer to me because I've been sneezing and coughing again while writing this.  Oh boy, guess I'm not quite over this like I was hoping.  At least you can't catch anything over the internet!!  Stay healthy and find some time to stamp - it's good therapy!
Sharon

Ears to You Bunnies

Have you seen and stamped with this adorable single stamp called Ears to You yet?  If not, you don't know what you're missing!  These cute bunnies are all patterned differently and just a clean silhouette of each one, so they can be used in so many different ways.  The card today was going to be one of the class projects for this week until I realized I didn't have enough Pool Party cardstock or satin ribbon on hand.  Dog-gone it!  It's such a pretty card and I know everyone would have loved making it.  Oh, well.  I guess I'll just let them 'look' at it instead.  Aren't I nasty?  ha ha  Here you go.  You get to 'look' at it too!

Stamps:  Ears to You
Ink:  VersaMark, Pool Party and Wisteria Wonder
Paper:  Pool Party, Wisteria Wonder, and Shimmer White
Accessories:  Big Shot with Lacy Brocade TIEF, Heat Embossing Tool, Clear Embossing Powder, Sponge Daubers, Sycamore Street Ribbons and Buttons(SAB)

I took several pictures to try and show the lovely look of the Shimmer Paper underneath the sponging and embossing, but couldn't get it to show up.  Needless to say, this card is so ymmy and soft looking - just like pretty Easter candy colors.

The bunnies and sentiment were embossed first and color sponged over using the ink-resist technique.  Thought this would look nice because of each of the different prints on the bunnies.  Sponging over the embossing makes all the tiny details just pop.

I loved the texture of the Lacy Brocade embossing on the background.  It just fits with all the other prints.  And I can't imagine what I'll do when this pretty ribbon isn't available after Sale-A-Bration.  Boo hoo!  I think I need to get another order in before SAB is over on March 22nd.  Have to get me some more of this ribbon!!!

Thanks for stopping by.  I spent the weekend stamping and I've got lots to share with you, so come on back soon.  Happy stamping,    Sharon

Pieced Paper Heart

Have you ever started out to make one thing and then totally ended up with something else altogether?  Well, that's what has happened today.  I made a card using the new More Amore' Specialty Designer Paper yesterday and used the Hearts Framelits to die cut the center of it out.  That card will be one that the ladies will be making in class this month.  (It turned out really cute too!)  But that's not the point of this post.  This is about that die cut heart - what to do with it!?  After playing around with a couple different ideas, here's what I ended up making.  I liked it more after I left it and ate dinner and then came back again to look at it.  Still not sure about the little layered accent on the bottom right corner.  Not sure what I could have done instead. Any comments would be appreciated!

Stamps:  Mixed Medley (ret) and My Little Valentine (sneak peek)
Ink:  Primrose Petals and Crumb Cake pads, Pool Party, Primrose Petals, and Real Red markers, and Whisper White Craft Ink
Paper:  Very Vanilla, Real Red, and Pool Party with More Amore' Specialty DSP
Accessories:  Big Shot with Hearts Framelits and Framed Tulips TIEF, 1 1/4" Scallop Circle Punch, Small Oval Punch, Small Heart Punch, Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz, Very Vanilla Seam Binding Ribbon, Pearls Basic Jewels, Sponge quarter, and Dimensionals

Loved the addition of the Smooch Spritz adding some shimmer to the little punched heart and the scalloped circle layer.  It brightened the card up a little.  The other last minute change I made was to sponge a little White Craft ink on the raised tulip border on the red layer.  That made it really pop nicely.

Just want to give you a little reminder that tonight, January 2nd, is the last night to order from the Holiday Mini.  And tomorrow is the 1st day you can order from the new Spring Catalog!  If you're like me, you've already got your list made out and you're just waiting impatiently!!  You're going to love working with the new stamps and accessories.  And don't forget to check back about two promotions Stampin'Up! has running starting tomorrow!  Woo Hoo!!

OK, that's all for now.  For some reason I'm really worn out tonight.  Oh yeah, today was the first day back babysitting our two grandkids, and  6:30 sure came around awful early this morning!  grin  Hope you're enjoying your new year so far.  I know I am!  See you soon.  Sharon

Happy New Year!

Well, another year has finally ended and we're starting off fresh with a brand new year ahead of us!  Isn't that exciting?  And what a really lazy day it's been today.  I  loved watching the Rose Bowl Parade from pre-start to finish.  The floats were simply gorgeous and the bands and others were great.  What a fun way to begin the new year.  Last night instead of going out anywhere to celebrate, we stayed home and had a quiet evening.  And what do you do on a quiet night at home, you ask?  Well, you stamp, of course!  At least I did, and talked with my sister who is also a demo and that's what she was doing too!  I got inspired to work on a Valentine 'cuz it's right around the corner, you know.  Here's what I made last night.

Stamps:  You Are Loved
Ink:  Regal Rose pad, Basic Gray and Rose Red markers
Paper:  Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Baja Breeze, and Whisper White
Accessories:   Big  Shot with Apothecary Accents Framelits, Fancy Fan TIEF, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Essentials Paper Piercing Pack, Piercing Tool and Mat, Vintage Faceted Buttons, Regal Rose 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Sponge quarter, Glue Dots, and Dimensionals

Isn't this card just gorgeous?  I'm almost shocked that I did this all myself with no casing what-so-ever!  Every time I look at it, it still surprises me!  Hmmm, I don't suppose I should actually be admitting to that, huh.  But it really is pretty!

Ok, enough of the pats on the back or I might just fall over!  I had seen a video on making the die-cut piece smaller so the regular die can frame it nicely, so I had to give it a try.  It's just so easy to reposition the framelit and run it through the Big Shot the 2nd time.  How easy it that?

For this card, I chose a stamp set that was introduced last year, but I didn't really do much of anything with it.  To get this look, I inked the stamp with Regal Rose, then went back with markers and added the lettering and touches of Rose Red on the butterflies and flowers to make it stand out.  As I was putting the card together, I thought the white embossed layer needed just a touch of color, so I sponged on a little Regal Rose very lightly on the edges just to help the texture show up better.  When the card was finished (I thought), it still looked a bit plain, so I started thinking about what little bit could be added.  I was going to stay with the  pink tones, but that just didn't get it!  When I added the Baja Breeze tiny butterflies, it was just perfect.

So there you have it.  The first post for the new year.  This one's going to be hard to live up to.  Maybe I should have posted something a little more boring to start out the year!   Wishing you and your families a very blessed year in 2013.  Sharon

New Year's Eve

Yes, the hours are counting down to the end of another year.  Have you taken time out to review 2012 and consider changes you might want to make to the coming year?  Sometimes that can be a really gut-wrenching situation, but it can also be very enlightening on how you want to live the next 12 months.  Whew, that's getting pretty deep there.  Hope I haven't lost you yet!  Instead of being too introspective, let's look ahead to the coming year with Stampin' Up!  The new Spring Mini Catalog is coming up in just 3 days!  How exciting is that?!  Today I have a card to share using some of the new products, and boy do I love them!  Hope you do too.

Stamps:  En Francais, Hearts a Flutter, and Happy Valentine Heart
Ink:  Real Red, Crumb Cake, and Early Espresso
Paper:  Very Vanilla, Real Red, and Crumb Cake
Accessories:  Big Shot with Honeycomb TIEF, Hearts a Flutter Framelit Dies, Full Heart Punch, Small Heart Punch, Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Crumb Cake 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Sponge Daubers, and Dimensionals

So, whatdya think?  Some pretty cool new products there, right?  Don't you just 'love' the new heart stamps?  And I'm so tickled that the lacy heart stamp has a Framelit to match - along with a bunch of other Framelits to match all the Hearts a Flutter stamps.  That just makes the stamping so much easier!  What card doesn't look better with a few popped-up accent pieces?

And did you notice the cool Honeycomb embossing folder?  It's so versatile.   I can see that's going to be getting quite a workout with my stamping.

Now we're going to have to talk on January 3rd about that cute little Happy Valentine Heart stamp.  It comes as a bundle with some cello bags to make quick and easy treat/gifts.  You'll just love it!

Ok, this is it for this year.  Full Steam Ahead in 2013!  Wishing you a creative, happy new year!!

Evergreen in Cherry Cobbler

While perusing the Stampin' Connection site for demonstrators, I happened upon a lovely card by Gerry MacSporran that I just had to CASE.  Thanks Gerry for your inspiration!  It had all the hallmarks of the type of cards I've been drawn to lately.  I made very little in the way of changes, and here is my version of Gerry's card.

Stamps:  Evergreen
Ink:  Cherry Cobbler
Paper:  Cherry Cobbler and Whisper White
Accessories:   Big Shot with Northern Flurries TIEF, and Rhinestone Basic Jewels

Well, you can't get too much more basic than this card.  So very simple with only one extra layer on the front, but still elegant.  There's just something about those embossed snowflakes on white cardstock - love it!  Then you just add some rich Cherry Cobbler ink and some lovely trees and there you have it.  Oh yes, don't forget the rhinestone to top the tree.  (Gerry used a star she cut out and layered on.) 

So what's not to like about this card?  I can see making a few more of these (maybe trying other colors too) in my near future!  Thanks again Gerry for a fabulous card idea!  It is terrific.  And thank you for checking in again today.  I'm still under the weather with this strep throat thing that's hanging on, but the antibiotics are working and I'll be at the Regional coming to Lansing this Saturday.  Wouldn't miss it!  Maybe I'll see you there too.    Sharon

Embossing Again

In case you haven't noticed, I've gotten totally hooked on the Holiday Frame TIEF in the Holiday Catalog.  It works out so nicely using different sets and ideas.  And here's another idea using the embossing folder for you.  It's another simple card with not too much going on which I really prefer for my Christmas cards.  But I still think it's beautiful.  What do you think about it?

Stamps:  Ornament Keepsakes and Tiny Tags
Ink:  Cherry Cobbler and Old Olive
Paper:  Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler Core'dinations
Accessories:  Big Shot with Holiday Frame TIEF and Holiday Ornaments Framelits, Jewelry Tag Punch, Sanding System and Dust Buddy, Old Olive 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, and Dimensionals

This is the first card I made using the new Core'dinations cardstock and I have to tell you that I just love this paper!  The embossing stands out so perfectly when lightly sanded.  It gives your project a completely different look than regular cardstock.  And the Sanding System and Dust Buddy are must have items to get the best results.  The Dust Buddy cleans all the little traces of 'dust' away as quick as a wink.

This ornament set and coordinating Framelit set are some of my favorites from the Holiday Catalog!  I've done the ornaments in different colors and all the different sizes on several projects.  Whatever did I do before we had these Framelits???  I don't even want to think about having to cut out all the ornaments I've made in the last month!  I think my fingers would have fallen off by now or I'd have lots of calluses!!

That's it for this post.  Hope you like it.  Of course, what's not to like here??  Have a great week.  I'm enjoying my time in North Carolina with family.  It sure it great to be relaxing and getting all caught up with all the news.  Sharon

Joyous Celebrations Take 3

Just a quick post with another card using the versatile Joyous Celebrations stamp set.  It's been easy to use and come up with fabulous ideas.  This idea came from the Stampin' Connection which is a demonstrator only website.  Sandy Mathis made this lovely card and I seriously CASEd it!  Thank you for the great card idea Sandy!  Love it!!

Stamps:  Joyous Celebrations
Ink:  Cherry Cobbler
Paper:  Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, and Festival of Prints DSP Stack
Accessories:   Big Shot with Apothecary Accents Framelits, Holiday Frame TIEF, Large Oval Punch, 1" Square Punch, Pearls Basic Jewels, and Dimensionals

I really love the simplicity of this card, but it looks so pretty in hand.  There's lots of texture and layers going on here, so it doesn't look plain at all.  There are several other prints in that Festival of Prints DSP that would work well with this idea.  You'd just need to change the cardstock and ink color to match whichever print you choose.

That's it for tonight.  We're leaving to visit family early tomorrow morning.  I'm trying to get a couple posts ready for when I'm vacationing.  Hope it works out!  Have a great weekend.  Sharon

Another Joyous Celebrations Card

Today's card version is a CASE of my good friend and downline Phyllis Dahlstrom.  Her card was lovely and I just wanted to be able to look at it again and again, so I copied it!  At least I think I did.  I saw it at a get-together and thought to take a picture.  Unfortunately, I forgot to check the settings on my camera and I got an awful image.  So I just winged it and came up with what I thought she had made.  We'll see what she says about it later this week when I see her!  Anyway, here it is...

Stamps:  Joyous Celebrations
Ink:  Baja Breeze and Riding Hood Red
Paper:  Baja Breeze and Whisper White, Silver Glitter Paper, and Festival of Prints Designer Paper Stack
Accessories:   Big Shot with Holiday Frame TIEF, 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch, Large Oval Punch, Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Sanding System, and Dimensionals

I don't usually sand embossed DSP.  But doing that on this card really makes the embossing show up nicely.  The colors are all really soft and not your usual Christmas colors, but I think it turned out gorgeous! 

I liked the added bit of Silver Glitter Paper tucked in behind the focal image.  Most of it's hidden with just a bit peeking out.  But that little bit of glitz is just the right amount for this card.  The added rhinestone on the stamped ornament is the perfect finishing touch.

After using all the Framelits for my cards lately, it was crazy cutting out that tiny bow again.  But I thought it was better to add it as another layer instead of stamping it directly on the ornament.  You can do it as you see fit, but I thought the extra layer was needed.

That's it for today.  Yup, another short and sweet post.  But at least it got posted!!  Hurray!  Keep you fingers crossed that I can get at least one more posted this week.  See you soon!  Sharon

Joyous Celebrations

Whoa!  Is it really the middle of October already?  Sheesh, where has the time gone?  I've been busy with commitments and have squeezed in some stamping time around things.  But, I've been lax about posting anything.  So today, I'm going back to a card I made a couple weeks ago.  It was the first time playing around with this set and the Holiday Frame TIEF.  Several ladies wanted to know how to make the card in the Holiday Catalog, so I did a CASE of that one and then made another version.  Today I'm sharing my version with you.

Stamps:  Joyous Celebrations
Ink:  Cherry Cobbler and Garden Green
Paper:  Whisper White and Cherry Cobbler
Accessories:  Big Shot with Holiday Frame TIEF, Extra Large Oval Punch, Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon, Glue Dots, and Dimensionals

On this version, I used the embossed cardstock with the back facing front.  It seemed to show off the embossing on the White cardstock with more detail using it this way.

As you can see, it's a very clean and simple card, but sometimes those are the most elegant.  I'm sure I'll be making more of these to mail out myself.  And a couple of other ladies I know are using this very same idea too!

Thanks for checking things out today.  Come back tomorrow.  I'll have another look at this stamp set for you.  Sharon