Unfrogettable Stamping!

Beat the Winter Blues II stamp camp

Join me for a fun day of stamping!  This stamp camp is for you if you enjoy making cards and 3-D items.  You'll get your own "Very Thankful" stamp set (Stampin' Up! will donate $2 from each set to the Ronald McDonald House Charities) to use with your projects as well as pre-cut supplies and materials for the projects.  Lunch will also be included.  The cost of this stamp camp is $40 and the projects are 4 cards (2 each of 2 designs), a fun Big Shot handled-box as well as a tea bag holder.  If you register and pay by January 1st you'll get to make an additional bonus project.  Deadline for prepayment and registration is January 10th.  Seating is limited so please register right away!  I am holding this stamp camp with my Design Team so registration will close before January 10th if all the spots are filled.

Another birthday card for a friend

I've had a lot of birthday cards to make for friends lately... here's one using my favorite layout with the Elegant Bouquet impressions folder and my Big Shot.  Have I convinced you that you *need* a Big Shot yet?!  I can't imagine creating any of my hand-stamped projects without it!!  Sale-a-Bration is a GREAT time to purchase the Big Shot - add a few dies and impressions folder and you will easily reach the $150 minimum workshop level to earn a hostess level 1 set, $15 in free merchandise and 3 SAB items for FREE plus 3 spots on my $50-50 board!!  Contact me for more details and to get a copy of the Sale-a-Bration brochure.

This card has elegant eggplant and pretty in pink as the color combination  - so pretty!  The heart is from the new I {heart} Hearts stamp set debuting in the Occasions mini catalog on January 5th and is punched out with the large heart punch (love that!).  I colored the centers of each of the flowers with my pretty in pink stampin' write marker and then added dazzling diamonds with a 2-way glue pen.  The happy birthday sentiment is from the Well Scripted stamp set, also available on January 5th.  The finishing touch was adding a knot of pink taffeta ribbon onto a paper clip that was attached to the back of the heart with stampin' dimensionals (a great idea shared by Patti Lee).

Such a quick and easy card, I love this layout and how easily you can change the color and punch used to make it a Christmas, Birthday or Easter card!!

Thanks for stopping by!! 

Happy Birthday, Beverly!!!

My stamping friend, Beverly Cole, is celebrating her birthday today... please visit her blog and wish her a Happy Birthday!

I created this birthday card for her, which sadly is going to be a day late because my mailman beat me to the mailbox yesterday.  I hope she'll forgive me!!  I used a lot of fun new products from the upcoming Occasions mini catalog and Sale-a-Bration brochure on this card and the layout is a CASE of one I did earlier this month for my downline shoe box swap (see that post here).  The base card is bermuda bay (love it!!) and I ran it through the Big Shot with my Movers & Shapers bigz xl die using the heart magnetic die.  I then ran only the card front through the Big Shot with the polka-dot texture folder.  The colors for this card are pulled from the strip of DSP, which is from the Sweet Pea paper bundle.  The so saffron border is punched using the new scallop trim border punch available FREE as a Sale-a-Bration item with a qualifying $50 order.  I used a piece of pretty in pink satin ribbon (luscious!) and embellished the rose red heart (using my large heart punch) with a sweet pea stitched felt flower (attached with Tombow multi-purpose adhesive).

 

Here is a picture of the inside of the card - I added a mat of pretty in pink cardstock.  The heart embellishment is popped up with dimensionals and I stamped the birthday sentiment from the Well Scripted stamp set with chocolate chip ink (I predict this set is going to be well-loved by the time the Occasions mini catalog period is over!!).

Beverly always makes me the most gorgeous cards for my birthday and I hope she can feel the love I put into making this one for her.

Thanks for stopping by and I'll be back tomorrow with more sneak peeks!!

Getting friendly with Fox & Friends

Fox & Friends is a brand new stamp set debuting on January 5th in the Occasions mini catalog.  I am having several sessions of an Open House on January 15th and 16th to kick off both Sale-a-Bration and the Occasions mini catalog (please contact me to RSVP for a spot at any of the 3 sessions) and I purchased it in the clear mount option so that my stampers would be able to try out this new option with one of the free make-n-takes.

I had a productive stamping session yesterday playing around with this set, thanks to some very valuable input by my friend Heather Guilliams, who stopped by to show me her new engagement ring that she got for Christmas (Congratulations, Heather!!!).  Above is the make-n-take that we decided was a fun one using lots of new product.  It features the notecard set as the base (has a matching envelope so that's great) and is sized at 3-1/2" x 5".  The chocolate chip mat has added texture from the new polka dot impressions folder and the monkey in the middle is from the Fox & Friends stamp set.  When I first looked at this monkey with his arms up in the air I thought he looked like he could be juggling.  For this card, he's juggling hearts from the I {heart} Hearts set and the sentiment is from the Well Scripted stamp set.  Colors used are melon mambo, bermuda bay and chocolate chip.   I love how the sentiment fits perfectly in the curly label punch and the melon mambo polka-dotted ribbon just adds a nice touch, pulling in the color of the hearts and the polka dots on the background piece.

Originally I created this card using a color combination from my book of favorites (SCS CC52H) but it wasn't as bold as I wanted it to be... changing the taken with teal to bermuda bay, the regal rose to melon mambo and the close to cocoa to chocolate chip worked better for me. It's still a cute card, though, isn't it?

While stamping, I also wanted to create some more options for my private stamp-a-stack classes that I've got booked for the next month.  This card is a fun Valentine's Day card featuring this same monkey from Fox & Friends.  I stuck with the melon mambo and chocolate chip colors, but went with close to cocoa for my background instead of the bermuda bay.  The melon mambo heart cut-out is what is leftover from my Big Shot and the Movers & Shapers die.  I needed a bunch of melon mambo hearts (you'll see why tomorrow) and I couldn't just throw these away (it's the crafter in me!).  I found out that the monkey, if turned sideways, fits perfectly in the heart punch.  And can you believe it, I CUT HIM OUT?!  I was going to pull out my stamp-a-majig, but decided that it would stand out more if I cut him out and popped him up with dimensionals.  His outspread arms look like he's just waiting for a great big ole HUG!

Since I also want to offer a more grown-up Valentine's Day card, I came up with this one.  It features the polka-dot impressions folder, the sentiment from Well Scripted and two of the hearts nested together from the I {heart} Hearts set.  I wanted to add some ribbon or other type of embellishment but was at a loss and was getting tired so will have to play with this one some more.  Basic black paired with our real red is my absolute favorite color combination for Valentine's Day cards - so classy!

Well, I'm off to stamp some more before taking my kids to swim practice.   Have a wonderful day and I hope you'll be back for more sneak peeks tomorrow... thanks for stopping by today!

Christmas cards received

 I thought I'd share some of the beautiful hand-stamped Christmas cards I received this year since it's clear a lot of love and creativity went into the creation of these!!

This first one was stamped by my sister, Cindy Blekas. Isn't it pretty?  I'm not sure what she used to give the leaves such a shimmer but it turned out very beautiful!  I really love this stamp set, Gifts of Christmas. She used real red along with bermuda bay - a fun color combination for Christmas!

This is a gift card holder that my stamping friend Heather Guilliams sent me.  It's hinged by the brad in the corner.  I just love this stamp set Cold Play from the Holiday mini and she used it with my favorite In Color - Bermuda Bay!  If you like this set and don't have it, you only have about a week left to purchase it before it's possibly gone for good (we are not told which stamp sets will make it into the big catalog next summer).  Don't miss out!!

This card was created by my downline Julie Scott.  What a gorgeous family!  She cleverly used the slit punch to create photo corners on her card... I love this idea and plan to use it myself!  She also used the snowflake punch with shimmer white cardstock to embellish along with whisper white grosgrain... simple, but really helps the photo to stand out!

Here's a card created by my stamping friend Ann Gilliam.  She used the circle scissors plus to cut out her circle and embossed using the Gifts of Christmas stamp set.  I don't know if you can see it, but the whisper white card is also textured with the finial press impressions folder and the Big Shot.  The scallop oval punch was used for the sentiment and she sponged color on everything... Beautiful!

This card was sent to me by my fellow Sisters in Stamping blogger Jacque Craig.  There's so much bling on this card with dazzling diamonds that my camera just couldn't pick up... great colors, too!!  They are pulled from the retro Holiday Lounge DSP.  I also really like the Santa image from the Wandering Words stamp set and the snowflakes are from the Serene Snowflakes stamp set... both are found in the Holiday Mini and only available through January 4th.  If you like either of these (or both!), be sure and purchase soon!  There's also a great Valentine's day image in the Wandering Words set and snowflakes are great for Winter cards so you can still use these stamp sets even though the holidays are nearly over!!

 

This beauty was sent to me by my stamping friend Debbie Thomas.  I love all the texture on this card - I had to photograph it an angle so you could see it all.

Thanks to everyone who sent me these beautiful hand-stamped cards!!

Tomorrow I'll share some more of my projects using new product... thanks for stopping by!

Playing with my new sets

We had a wonderful Christmas and I hope you did, too!  Now that the craziness of getting ready for Christmas is behind us, I am able to sit down and play around with my new Occasions mini catalog and Sale-a-Bration brochure pre-order items to get ready for upcoming classes and workshops.

Here is a quick card I created as an option for my private stamp-a-stack classes this Spring... it is based on one of my Christmas cards (see that post here).  I love this texture folder and design (I believe it was my demo friend Lisa Freeman who first came up with it)!!!  I chose to use a color combination that my daughter Amanda came up with when I was creating my color book last week - this one includes pretty in pink, almost amethyst and sage shadow with whisper white.  The tag stamp is from the new Eggcoutrements stamp set and the Easter sentiment is from the Whimsical Words stamp set - both new sets in the Occasions mini catalog that you can purchase beginning on January 5th.  I can't decide if this card needs dazzling diamonds or not... I am so used to seeing glitter on my cards after making so many Christmas cards over the last few months!!  LOL

And did you hear the great news?  Stampin' Up! is going to offer clear mount as an option when purchasing our stamps from the Occasions mini catalog and Sale-a-Bration brochure.  The acrylic blocks that we will be carrying are second to none, too!  I purchase the bundle and am not surprised that their quality is unsurpassed.  Best of all, you'll still get our great deeply etched red rubber stamps - just with static cling on the back to stick onto the blocks.  And they store in DVD-sized cases so storage will be a breeze!

Here is what Stampin' Up! posted about it:

Over the past few years, there has been enormous demand from demonstrators and customers alike for a line of repositionable clear-mount rubber stamps. Well, you asked for it, and now you have it! Starting with stamps in the 2010 Occasions Mini Catalog and the 2010 Sale-A-Bration Brochure, Stampin' Up! now offers our exclusive stamp art in both traditional wood-mount, and the new clear-mount option.

Our new clear-mount rubber stamps are the result of extensive research with the intent to maintain the very best image quality in the stamping industry, while at the same time offering the ease-of-use and storability inherent in repositionable clear-mount rubber stamps.

Clear-Mount Rubber Stamp Features

• Nine different sizes of clear blocks available individually or as a discounted bundle.
• Blocks have ergonomic grooves on all four sides for easy grip and traditional wood-mount feel.
• Stamps and blocks are durable and easy to clean with your Stampin' Scrub and Stampin' Mist.
• Optional image labels on stamp backs let you decide if you want to see the image through the block or not.
• Tight die-cutting for easy image positioning.
• Large clear blocks can be used to create collages or spell words with alphabet sets.
• Stamps store easily in standard, DVD-type cases with artwork on front and spine, making organization easy.

Item	Description	Price
118487	Block A (1-3/16" x 1-1/4")	$3.95
117147	Block B (1-5/8" x 1-15/16")	$5.95
118486	Block C (2" x 2-1/4")	$6.95
118485	Block D (2-7/8" x 2-11/16")	$8.50
118484	Block E (3-7/16" x 4-7/16")	$11.95
118483	Block F (4-7/8" x 6")	$16.95
118489	Block G (3/4" x 2-1/2")	$4.50
118490	Block H (1-5/8" x 4-7/16")	$8.50
118488	Block I (2-1/4" x 5-7/8")	$11.95
118491	Block Bundle (Blocks A-I)	$69.95

For my regular customers, look for these catalogs to appear in your mailboxes over the next week or so!!!!

Merry Christmas!

 May you have a joy-filled day with your loved ones!

Playing with color

I've been thinking a lot about color lately and how it affects the feel of a project.  I find, too, that I always reach for the same color combinations over and over.... so, I decided to go through past color challenges on splitcoast stampers and chose a bunch that I liked and created a color inspiration book using a retired ATC book that Stampin' Up! used to carry.  Here's a snapshot of one of the pages from it...

I then created a card using the new Vintage Vogue stamp set and En Francais along with my modern label punch and used two different color schemes with the same basic layout to see how differently they looked.  What do you think?  The first is created with real red, chocolate chip and old olive - a combination I've used a lot lately with my Christmas cards.

The second card uses pale plum, perfect plum and mellow moss - all soft subtles colors - and the card is totally different, don't you think?

Here's a quick shot of Amanda, Brandon and Joe with our snowman since I didn't have a picture of them the other day to share...

And the ensuing snowball fight...

Well, I'm off to fix breakfast for my family and then have to wrap presents... I still have so much left to do and the clock is ticking! 

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas tomorrow!!  I'll be taking the day off (as are my Sisters on Sisters in Stamping so no Fabulous Friday project this week) to spend the day with family.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the holidays with your loved ones!!!

Gifts for the coaches

As many of you know, my kids all swim competitively year-round for our local YMCA swim team.  Each of them has a different coach so I decided to get gift certificates for all 3 coaches to my favorite local coffee shop (luckily there is one located near the Y).

Here is the card I came up with for the two female coaches - a simple full-sized card made with the Petals-a-Plenty impressions folder and the Movers & Shapers bigz xl die with my Big Shot.  I used the Christmas Punch hostess level 2 stamp set for the sentiment to fit in the cut-out window (scallop oval punch).  The colors are real red, very vanilla and close to cocoa for the base card.  I finished it off with old olive striped grosgrain ribbon.

Here is a view of the inside of the card - I used a scrap piece of very vanilla to form a pocket (sticky strip on 3 sides and punched out on the top using the wide oval punch).  The Berry Christmas stamp set made it super-easy to whip up two of these cards in no time.  I even embellished the envelope with the poinsettia stamp.

For my daughter's male coach I used a snowman gift card holder that I taught in a class last month... you'll find that post here.

Thanks for stopping by!  I still have so much more shopping/wrapping/baking/preparing to do before Friday so I won't have anything new to share for a few days.  I will be sharing some of the beautiful hand-stamped cards I've received, though, so please come back tomorrow!  I've also been playing with my preorder items from the upcoming Occasions mini catalog and Sale-a-Bration brochure so be sure and check back for some sneak peeks!!

Gift certificates

I've had several family members of my stampers call to purchase gift certificates for them this Christmas and I changed the way I normally package them so they'd have something fun to open in addition to a card...

Instead of just including the gift certificate in a card, I made it small enough to fit inside this Fancy Favor box that I cut out with my Big Shot and the gorgeous flocked DSP in the Christmas Cocoa specialty pack.  I closed it with a chocolate chip corduroy button (that way the box won't get destroyed when opening it) and filled it with some peppermint patties along with the gift card because who doesn't love chocolate?!?!?

Here is a matching card - I kept it simple so you could see the gorgeous DSP.  I even added a strip of the DSP to the envelope.

Here is the completed gift - I would love to receive this, wouldn't you?  It' not too late to order a gift certficiate from me for the favorite stamper in your life or ask your family and friends to give me a call to order one for you.  Sale-a-Bration begins on January 5th along with our new Occasions mini catalog and there are so many great products to choose from... it's a great time to redeem a gift certificate!!!

Thanks for stopping by - if you don't have this designer paper pack I highly suggest you get it before it's gone!!!