Welcome, new followers!

Just wanted to shout out a big "Welcome" and "Thank you" to my followers!  It's so fun to see your pics show up each morning, eagerly greeting me and inspiring me to make something for you to enjoy and re-create as your own!  Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a comment or a message and let me know what you like best and if there is something you would like to see me create!  Have a fantastic day!!!

Congrats to my Sis!

Can I just say, I'm loving the new colors and this Garden Gala design paper!  Can't wait for it to be available to everyone July 1st!  My sister got the job she wanted teaching 2nd grade and I couldn't be happier for her!  As a gift, I'm giving her the Teacher's Pet stamp set and some classic ink pads and stampin' spots, along with this card:

and here's the inside:

I really like the way it turned out!  Here we go on the details:  I used Daffodil delight as my base card, and the Garden Gala design paper for all printed paper.  Cherry Cobbler, Marina Mist and Pear Pizazz were also used as card stock and ink.  I realized later that actually, I think this paper may use Real Red and not Cherry Cobbler, but it still looks ok to me!  Four stamp sets were used:  The new Friends Never Fade was used for the flower.  I colored it with markers first, stamped it, then colored again with a versamark pen and heat embossed it.  Wonderful Favorites was used for the outside greeting, and 'the best is yet to be' is from the Best Yet set.  I didn't have any Pear Pizzaz ribbon - yet... but I will!  I used some miscellaneous ribbon that came close enough until I get the real thing!  There really isn't alot of embellishments on this card - It's pretty simple with lots of layers and color.  Funny, that's how I could describe my sister, colorful with lots of layers! 

For You - originally

June has grown wings and flown by!  So much happening in my world this month - it's left me little time to create.  I did sneek some time in to purchase some new sizzix dies and wanted to share this creation with you.  As some of you may know, I'm more of a 'case and renovate' girl, but I'm proud to say this one is an original and I'm pleased with the results.  Hope you like it!

I used Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler and Whisper White cardstock, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Craft White and Cherry Cobbler ink.  Elements of Style, Vintage Vogue and Artist Etchings were my stamps of choice.  I used a distressing tool for the edges of the cherry cobbler matt after running in through an embossing folder.  I then crumpled the matt, smoothed it, and adhered it to the base card.  The big note die was used on Crumb Cake CS, stamped along the edge with a Vintage Vogue stamp, then dusted the edges with Craft white topped off lightly with Early Espresso.  I used another sizzix die to cut the WW and then edged it with Crumb Cake and Early Espresso before using versamark, clear embossing powder and Cherry Cobbler ink for the main image from Artist Etchings.  It was then mounted with dimensionals.  I stamped the round image and punched it out with the 1 3/4 punch, then used a stencil I had for the 2 inch circle matt.  I distress the 2 inch circle a bit, too.  The 'for you' image from Elements of Style was embossed on WW, then punched with the small oval punch and mounted with dimensionals.  The brads are miscellaneous one I had that just so happened to match my ink - yay for miscellaneous brads!  Can't wait to get the 'real deal' from the new catalog!  The ribbon is white organza that was wrapped around the corner and adhered to the inside of the card.  I created more dry-embossed panels for the inside of the card that covered the brad backs and the ends of the ribbon.  Voila!  I had a great time and can't wait to give this to someone for any occasion.
Thanks so much for visiting my blog today.  I hope it inspires you to create your own original or a case of this one!

A favorite technique - Emboss Resist

Morning Stampers!

I continue to practice my sponging and brayering techniques, and thought I would like to case something of Michelle Zindorf's and adapt her work to some of the new colors and stamps available at Stampin' Up!.  I am loving the Friends Never Fade stamp and the cherry cobbler color especially.  After surfing Michelle's website, I chose this card:

and updated it with Cherry Cobbler, Delightful Daffodil, Crumb Cake and Early Espresso, while using the new Friends Never Fade and Elements of Style Stamp sets:

The flower image was stamped first by coloring the stamp with markers.  I then colored them again with Versamark and embossed them.  After that, I used only versamark to stamp the flourishes around the edge and then embossed those as well.  I covered a 3" square in the middle, and then sponged Early Espresso along the edges, then wiped the ink of the flourishes.  I removed the 3" mask and lightly sponged the center with Crumb Cake.  I then took a ruler and the Early Espresso marker and defined the 3" square on the left and bottom edges to make the center pop a bit.  I used a little trick for the ribbon:  I tied my ribbon around a book first, then cut the ribbon in the back so I could position my bow/knot exactly where I wanted it, and then used snail adhesive to attach it to the back of the card front.  I used the Modern punch and some misc. brads to accent the red in the flowers.   I left some open space above the flowers so I can add a sentiment when I decide what occasion I will eventually choose for this card!  This was a fun card to make!  I'm looking forward to trying something similar with different stamps and colors.  Enjoy!

News Stamps for Preview of the New Catalog!

New catalogs are always so much fun!  The new Color Renovation at Stampin' Up has also been very exciting.  I'm having a blast playing with new paper, stamps and markers. 

I used all of the new In Colors for this cute little card that could be used for a birthday, congratulations or encouragement.  "Best Wishes"is such a versatile sentiment, don't you think?

I used the slit punch, daisy flower punch, and the Itty Bitty Buttons that go perfectly with the Itty Bitty Bits stamp set.  It's so nice to work with materials that coordinate so well together.

I'll be posting another creation made with some of the new colors from the color renovation, and another new stamp set!  Off to the 'day job' for now.  Happy Stamping and thanks for lookin'!

Brayering and Awash With Flowers

I thoroughly enjoyed my Brayering Classes with Michelle Zindorf in Boise, Idaho a few weekends ago.  We were asked to practice brayering.  I kept my practice piece, and then came home and added some images from Awash with Flowers and a butterfly stamp I had laying around.  I tossed in a miscellaneous button, ribbon and simple sentiment.  I really enjoyed putting this together!  The colors are some of my favorites:  Bashful Flue, Old Olive, Pink Pirhouette.  The design paper mat is from Bella Birds.  Hope this rather quick card inspires you to pull out your brayer today! 

For the Graduating Girls

My daughter has some of the sweetest friends!  I chose a color that reminded me of each of them, and then put the combo together to create this graduation card.  I used some diecuts for the vines behind the flowers.  They were painted with pigment/Kraft ink, and then embossed.  It was really fun!  I had some flowers laying around that I've been wanting to use up and these were perfect.  I could have also colored flowers from an SU! Pretties Kit and accomplished the same thing.  The organza ribbon and pretties kit products can be dyed with ink or markers to match ANY project.  Awesome!  

Colors used:  Bashful Blue, Old Olive, Barely Banana and Cameo Coral.  Stamps:  Happy Grad

I made the inside of the card into a money or gift card holder.
I cut the 'pocket' 1 inch wider than the card, and a 1/2 an inch taller than I wanted.  I used a score-pal to create fold lines on the sides and bottom 1/2 an inch from the three edges.  I cut the small squares off of the two corners, and then cute the flaps diagonally so when folded against the pocket they would lay flat.  I adhered the background paper first, and the pocket on top after applying the flower with a centered brad.  The leaves are from the new bird punch by Stampin' Up!.  I punched two from the design paper, and then cut off about an inch of the stem before adhering them behind the flower.  The sentiment above is an old irish blessing, fitting for a graduate just starting out in the world!

I hope you can use some of these tips in your own creations.  Feel free to contact me with any questions and make it a great day!

The front of this card was inspired by Kimberley Eklund here:

Happy Stamping Everyone!  I'll have a card using Stamping Pastels tomorrow!

Masculine Birthday, Medallion Style!

My friend invited me to participate in a card swap. 20 masculine cards, 20 feminine cards, and each participant gets one of each. Sounds easy and fun to me!

These are my masculine cards. The top left corner is stamped in old olive and NOT heat embossed. The other three are heat embossed with versamark only. I played with the old olive design paper pack, and stamped across both vertical and horizontal lines, just to see what I liked better. I think I like the upper right better. Which do you prefer? 

The ribbon, I believe, is Garden Green or Mellow Moss.  I wanted to go all monochrome, but couldn't find my Old Olive ribbon, lol!  The Vintage Labels were also heat embossed with versamark and old olive, and then punched out with the large scallop punched and popped up with dimensionals.  The card front was attached to textured whisper white cardstock, and sponged with Close to Cocoa around the edges. 

This is the last of my week of masculine cards!  Coming up are some feminine graduation cards, simple 3 x 3 thank you notes inspired by Dawn Griffith, and the set of feminine cards for the above referenced card swap.

Happy Stamping!

Sunshine Awards!

I gotta say, I'm giddy!  What fun - my first award! What an honor it is to receive this award from Chelsea Malouf (http://a-chelsea-morning.blogspot.com/).  Chelsea has been my mentor and support in motivating me to get this blog up and running.  Plus, I love literally everything she creates!  Thank you so much for being an awesome friend, upline and mentor, Chelsea!

So I understand there are a few rules in receiving this particular award, so read on:
1. Put the Sunshine Award on your blog and/or within your post.

2. Pass the award to 12 other bloggers.

3. Link the nominees within your post.

4. Let them know they received this award by leaving a comment on their blog.

5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received the award.

Each morning, after brewing coffee and feeding the pets, I enjoy my morning coffee by surfing crafting blogs!  It's like I get to say "good morning!" to all my cyber friends, and enjoy their wonderful artistry.  There are a few blogs that I go to very regularly. A few of those great crafters had already received this award. Here is my list:

1. Michelle Zindorf http://zindorf.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/

2. Michele Reynolds http://inspirationink.typepad.com/inspiration-ink/

3. Karen Barber http://karenbarberstamps.blogspot.com/2010/04/home-sweet-ohio-home.html

4. Dawn Griffith http://dawnsstampingthoughts.typepad.com/dawns_stamping_thoughts/

5. Lynn Pratt http://stampndesign.blogspot.com/

6. Ilina Crouse http://ilinacrouse.blogspot.com/
7. LeAnn Greff http://flowerbug.typepad.com/my_weblog/

8. Joann Travis http://www.sleepyinseattle.net/

9. Laurie Schmidlin http://justgivemestamps.typepad.com/

10. Jeannie Phillips http://www.aplaceformycards.blogspot.com/

11. Kriss Huels http://stampwithkriss.com/

12. Lynn Put http://thequeensscene.blogspot.com/

Please go visit these blogs and leave a comment - it will be a li'l ray of sunshine and  time well spent!

Hello, Stampers and Crafters!

I just got back from teaching a spin class and want to get today's card posted before I volunteer at Utah's Bikes for Kids cycling event.  We give away 1,000 bikes to 1,000 underpriviliged children.  It always proves to be a rewarding day!

I cased this (yet another) graduation card from Michele Reynold's site here:

http://inspirationink.typepad.com/inspiration-ink/2010/05/more-one-layout-and-color-scheme-ideas.html

I needed something quick and masculine and her idea was awesome.  That's the Tip of the Day:  Don't be afraid to case, just give credit where credit is due!  You don't have to re-invent the wheel, or 'card' as it were.  It's an honor to have someone think enough of your ideas to want to share them with their friends and loved ones.  So Michele, thanks for the card idea and on a side note (thanks for the stamps - they came in the mail yesterday!) 

I'm using these cards as money-holders, so here's what I did for the inside: 

Did you know that money/bills are 6 1/8 inches long and 2 5/8" wide?  Well, they are!  For this 5 x 7 card, I used a pencil to  mark 1/4" in from the top and bottom, and 1 1/2" from the left.  That's where I punched each hole using a standard hole punch.  Then I used my x-acto craft knife and cut a slit from hole to hole.  I moved my metal rule over just a smidge (I know, so technical) and cut again, creating a thin 'slot.'  I then used SU's snail adhesive for a full inch wide on the long edges and 1 adhesive length on the short edges.  This creates a strong bond and a 6 1/2 " by  3" pocket for cash!  Perfect!  Other products used are:  Baroque DP available at the Clearance Rack (see the banner above), Chocolate Chip card stock, Happy Grad stamp, Chocolate Chip 5/8" ribbon and classic ink, and misc. brads and edge punch.  Any of SU's edge punches will work beautifully here!  Thanks for checking out today's card!  Tomorrow I'll post my masculine card from my upcoming card swap.  Hope you've liked this week's Masculine Cards!

More from the Summer Mini

Here we go with more graduation cards for my daughter and her friends.  This one, Go Graduate, from the summer mini catalog had everything I needed:  An image, another image to create my background paper, and a sentiment.  Perfect! This set can be purchased by clicking the image of the Summer Mini Catalog at the right.  I used very basic suppies here.... just paper and stamping, plus a little embossing powder and versamark to make the main image and sentiment pop.  Whisper White, Black and Glorious Green are the main colors, with Blush Blossom for skin coloration.  Blender pens were used on the gowns.  Colors from the Brights family were used for clothing colors.  Best of luck to YOUR graduates, and happy creating!

Happy Graduation from the Summer Mini!

My daughter and several of her friends are graduating from high school this June, so it's a perfect opportunity to use the new Graduation stamps, Go Graduate and Happy Graduation from the new summer mini catalog.
I had a great time masking, embossing, spraying and coloring this card for my sweet girl!

You can make this card too!  Any questions about these techniques, please let me know and I'll blog about them!  Happy Stamping!

Aloha!

The new Stampin' Up! Summer Mini is now available!  Here is one of many projects you can make with items available in the Mini Catalog: 

Click this link to check out the .pdf file for the Summer Mini (it's at the bottom of the page) or any of the Stampin' Up! catalogs:

Stamin' Up! 2010 Summer Mini

Click the Summer Mini Catalog at the right to order any products your creative heart desires!

I'll be posting some of my own creations from the products available in this catalog, so come back and visit me again!  Thanks for stopping by and make it a great day!

Mojo Monday 137 ... My Sample

Here my take on this week's challenge: 

I pulled out some retired design paper from SU, along with the Haiku DP pack I purchase on clearance at SU.  I love the clearance rack!  You can shop at the clearance rack by clicking the "Order Onine 24/7" button to the right >>>>>>>>>>

I used Whisper White in 1 1/2" squares to clear emboss the Hibiscus image twice before brayering Close to Cocoa over each square.  Tip:  When doing the emboss resist technique, be sure to wipe of your embossed image when brayering is complete.  Then, re-heat the image and your image will be shiny again.  Cool!

I embossed the two main images and then colored the double hibiscus with copics.  Another Tip:  A great way to align clear stamps is to lay them out on your paper first, then press your clear block to the stamps.  I can't tell you how long I stuck the stamps to the blocks first, then tried to align them before realizing there was an easier way. 

I'll be looking for your creations from the clearance rack at Stampin' Up!.  Make it a great day!

Mojo Monday 137

Julee has again created a fun sketch for us!  The first week of the month brings a special blog candy for  Mojo Monday.  Woohoo!  Play along with me!  Here's the sketch:
I'll post my card in my next entry...