Back to Posting (FTL155)

Hi Everyone!  I am so sorry it has been so long since I last posted!  We had our laptop stolen this past spring and it got me away from blogging for a while.  Now with the kids back in school and me with a little more time on my hands, I hope to be posting a little more regularly.  For this card, I took a sketch from a few weeks ago posted on the Clean and Simple Stamping website (FTL155).  I am loving this new hot air ballon set!  Hoping to use it for some pages from our local hot air balloon festival too.  The Big Top Birthday Designer Series Paper is a perfect match for this set and great colors for inspiration!  And don't forget those Stampin' Dimensionals to give those balloons a little pop.  This card was super easy to put together which is essential in my life!  Here is the nitty gritty on this card:

Stamps: Up, Up, & Away
Paper: Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Big Top Birthday DSP
Ink: Real Red, Tempting Turquoise
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals

Grab a Great Deal

Visit my online store today to get a great grab bag deal.  Get a grab bag full of discontinued ribbons, Accents & Elements, chipboard, Designer Series Papers, and/or Simply Sent kit components.  For $5, you get $20 of merchandise.  For $10, you get $40 of merchandise.  For $15, you get $60 of merchandise.  A bag is waiting for you over at the clearance rack.

Hartford Regional Swap

Last week, I got the opportunity to attend a regional event held right here in Connecticut.  One of the best parts about Stampin' Up! events is the opportunity to get and share ideas with other demonstrators.  One way we do this is through card swaps.  This was one of the cards that I created to swap at this event.

This card was inspired by a picture in a cupcake cookbook of Sweet Orange Cupcakes.  I used several techniques to add a little pizazz to this card.  The first was to crimp the paper for my cupcake base before I used our new fabulous cupcake punch.  For the topping on my cupcake, I applied two techniques, spritzing pumpkin pie ink with our spritzer tool and misting it with Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz.  Finally, I used the rock and roll technique to create my two toned orange slice.  I absolutely love the results!

Here are the ingredients you can use to recreate this yummy card:
Stamps: Bring On the Cake, Tart and Tangy
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso, Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Brights Patterns DSP
Ink: Early Espresso, Pumpkin Pie Classic Pad and Marker, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz, Build a Cupcake Punch, Crimper, Color Spritzer Tool, 1-3/4" Circle Punch, Square Punch, Scallop Edge Border Punch

A Little Get Well

This past weekend, I found out one of my long distance stamping friends has been quite ill and has a long road of recovery ahead of her.  I made this card to hopefully send her a little cheer as she is getting better.

This card uses one of our Sale-A-Bration sets that I have been having a hard time deciding how to use. Recently, I have seen multiple cards using the flowers in a neutral color on Crumb Cake card stock.  I thought, "I must try it out for myself!"  Love the results!

Here are the supplies I used:
Stamps: Sweet Summer, Sincere Salutations
Paper: Early Espresso, Kraft, Very Vanilla, Jolly Holiday DSP
Ink: Early Espresso
Accessories: Decorative Label Punch, 2"x1-3/8" Oval Punch, uni-ball Signo Gel Pen, Early Espresso Satin Ribbon

Masking-A Simple But Forgotten Technique

This month my stamp club's cards focused on the basic technique of masking.  In talking to my club members, I realized how few of us actually used this simple technique in our daily stamping.  I was first introduced to the technique when I started stamping 8 years ago and I don't think I had used it since.  The For All You Do stamp set lends itself to using this technique with the background polka dot stamp and foreground butterfly stamp.  For this card, I stamped the butterfly on a square piece of Whisper White card stock and then on a piece of scrap paper.  I cut out the scrap paper butterfly and laid it over the other butterfly image as a "mask".  I then took my polka dot stamp and stamped over the butterfly.  The mask helped prevent my butterfly from getting covered in polka dots.  There are so many possibilities with this technique!  I challenge you to try it out today.  For those of you wanting to learn the technique in more depth, contact me to schedule a workshop.

Here are the ingredients for today's card:
Stamps: For All You Do
Paper: Sahara Sand, Perfect Plum, Concord Crush, Whisper White
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Concord Crush
Accessories: Rich Razzleberry 1/4" Grosgrain

Birthday Card for a Snowy Day

I was supposed to be in North Carolina today to meet my new nephew, but due to my family's exposure to the chicken pox, we determined it was better to put off our trip.  I am at a loss as to what to do with myself!  So, you all get to benefit this week.  I actually have time to stamp for fun and do some blogging.

On this lovely snowy day which has become the norm for us here in New England, I decided to make a birthday card.  I modified last week's Clean and Simple Sketch for the design of the card.  I am having so much fun playing with the new cupcake punch and coordinating stamp set!  This card also uses one of my new favorite color combos that comes straight from page 123 in this year's Idea Book and Catalog.  Check back tomorrow for another card using this great color combination!

Here are the ingredients:
Stamps: Create a Cupcake
Paper: Sahara Sand, Concord Crush, Perfect Plum, Whisper White, Brights Patterns DSP
Ink: Sahara Sand, Perfect Plum, Rich Razzleberry, Concord Crush
Accessories: 2"x1-3/8" Oval Punch, Decorative Label Punch, Build a Cupcake Punch, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch

Sale-A-Bration

Just Around the Corner

I have finally acknowledged that life is sometimes busy and I don't get a chance to blog as often as I would like.  I have had some extra time now that the holidays are all over to get back to a little blogging.

My favorite time of year is just around the corner, Sale-A-Bration.  I just recently did a card swap and this was my card sample for the swap.  I am already in love with the great goodies that will be free with every $50 purchase!  This card uses supplies from the Sale-A-Bration catalog and the Occasions Mini catalog.  Be sure to check them out!  Remember, Sale-A-Bration begins January 25!

Supplies:
Stamps: Punch Bunch (free with $50 purchase)
Paper: Whisper White, Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight
Ink: Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Scallop Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, Ice Cream Parlor Ribbon & Button Pack (free with $50 purchase), Daffodil Delight Pom Pom Trim