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Bloggers Challenge – Case Yourself

OK…today’s challenge is to take an older card we made and re-do it, changing at least 2 things.  Now DON’T LAUGH!  I pulled out a REALLY old card I did back in 2002 when I first started stamping.  I thought it was pretty awesome back then…see how I did the Happy Birthday greeting diagonally across the background to make pattern paper?  And don’t you LOVE the deckle scissors?  lol!  And the Spectrum Pad (well…I sort of do miss those for certain things.)  These were actual birthday cards I mailed out to people in my group who had August birthdays.  Oh well…I’m glad I kept a few of my cards around that I did way back when…I think I’ve grown just a little bit as a stamper, don’t you?

The first thing I did to change up the card was add more layers.  For my re-do card, I started with a base of Regal Rose and added a Pink Pirouette layer.  Instead of the hand-stamped pattern background, I used some floral pattern paper from Sweet Always Designer Paper pack.  Instead of the deckle scissors trim, I used the Eyelet Border Punch with Pumpkin Pie cardstock to create a scallop under the pattern paper.  My Sundae image from Goody Goody Gumdrops Hostess Level 3 set,  I stamped with Black Stazon on Watercolor Paper and used my markers to watercolor in Pumpkin Pie, Regal Rose, Real Red and Going Gray.  I layered it on Pumpkin Pie, then offset my next Chocolate Chip layer so I could add some Rose Mini Brads across the top.  I also added some Pumpkin Stripe Ribbon around the center and added my Happy Birthday greeting from Goody Goody Gumdrops in Chocolate Chip at the bottom. 

I definitely like my NEW card better than the old…what do you think?

I’m headed out of town for a much needed vacation at the Beach!  I have several things scheduled to post over the next week, so don’t worry. 

VACATION SPECIAL!

Here is an ONLINE Ordering Special for my Blog Readers that is good from Friday, May 15 to Sunday, May 24, 2009, only thru me.  Place any $100 ONLINE order at my Stampin’ Up! Website (then click Shop Now in the upper right corner) and receive a 20% REBATE CHECK on ANY ONE item in the Spring/Summer or Occasions mini catalog!  Want the Big Shot?  Get it 20% off!  Any ONE item you want after you spend $100, just by ordering ONLINE while I’m gone!  (Place your order WITH the 20% off item you want, the REBATE check will be mailed to you when I return.)  The 20% rebate is on the merchandise cost of the item.  You will be paying shipping and handling on the full cost of the item.

Offer is not good with any other special, except Stampin’ Up!’s Buy 3 get the 4th free Designer Paper and Textured Cardstock Offer.  I will have my laptop with me if you run into any difficulty placing your order or if you have questions.  Email me and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. 

Fore U

My punch class last night was SO much fun…I love the gals that come to this.  We missed the gals that weren’t there last night, too!  Wish I could show you the projects, but since I’ll be teaching another class with them in a few weeks, I need to hold off showing them so my Canton gals are surprised.  They were a huge hit, though!

Today’s project is one that I worked on a long time ago and set aside.  I had some thoughts of sending it into a publication or Stampin’ Up!, but never did it.  Where I live in Dublin, the PGA Golf Tournament (The Memorial) is held.  If you live here, you know what a big deal it is when the PGA is in town…traffic is unbelievable! 

Anyway…I pulled this out and showed a couple friends who were over to stamp last week.  Then I had an idea to contact one of my neighbors who holds a BIG golf party every year during the Memorial Golf Tournament.  She is the BEST hostess!  I asked her if she’d be interested in using these as favors…she jumped on the idea!  So, I have a nice order to mass produce these by the first weekend in June!  But, this also fits the Masculine Challenge going on over at Late Night Stampers!  Wouldn’t they be fun for a Father’s Day party?

I used a Top Note Bigz Die and Pacific Point cardstock and stapled it over the small cello bag.  Then I added a strip of Kiwi Kiss that I cut to look like blades of grass.  I wrapped Old Olive grosgrain ribbon around 2 tees and tied it, then added it to the front with a Pop-up dot.  I cut "Fore U" with my Big Shot and the Go Go Boots die from Whisper White.

Inside I have two peppermint patties and used the 1 3/4 circle in Pacific Point, 1 3/8 circle with Kiwi Kiss and 1 1/4 circle with Whisper White that was run thru the Big Shot with my Dotted Texturz Plate so it looks like a golf ball!  I’m sorry you can’t really see the detail of that in the photo, but it is CUTE in person! 

Well, today is full of laundry and packing to get ready to go.  Need to finish my Bloggers Challenge for tomorrow and next week.  I also have a cute gift I’ll show you later for my friend who is having us overnight on the trip down to Hilton Head.  Can’t wait to see her!

Have a GREAT day!

Origami Tie – 2

I told you yesterday I made a mistake when I made my first Origami Tie this year…I wanted a larger size than I used last year for my 3 ties on this CARD.  (The TUTORIAL is there, too!)  This time, I started with a 5" square and it was too big for a standard sized card (4 1/2 square is the largest to fit on a standard card.)  I decided to go ahead and use my 5" sample and make a 3×6 base card. 

This one is pretty easy!  The base 3×6 card is Not Quite Navy and I layered Whisper White over top.  I used a scrap strip of Urban Garden Designer Paper along the left side.  I used my Big Shot and Go Go Boots dies to spell out the word DAD in Kiwi Kiss.  The paper for the tie is from the Hostess Patterns Designer Paper Pack…the 6×6 size was perfect to cut down to use for the ties!  Again…very simple…little embellishment…just the way guys like it!

I’m getting ready for vacation and hope to get some things posted to show up while I’m gone next week.  Tonight is my monthly Punch Class and I need to clean up my studio before they get here.  Plus, I need to make a gift for my friend who we are staying with on Friday night!

Have a wonderful day!

All About Dad Origami Tie and Tutorial!

Late Night Stampers group is running a masculine card/project challenge this month in honor of Father’s Day in June!  Yesterday, I spent some time working on my Father’s Day cards that I’ll be showing you over the next few days!

This card uses a large Origami Tie as the focus…made from our wonderful Walk in the Park Designer Paper and the Eight Great Greetings set from the Occasions Mini Catalog!  Truthfully, one of the major reasons I purchased Eight Great Greetings was for this DAD stamp!  I love it!

Here is the TUTORIAL I made last year for making these ties!  They really are quite easy.  You can also see a card sample for using smaller ties.

For today’s card, I started with a 4 1/2 square** piece of Walk in the Park Designer Paper for the tie.  The base of the card is Basic Gray and I layered a piece of Kiwi Kiss on top.  I had a couple strips of Urban Garden stripe Designer Paper and layered them in the background.  I stamped the D image with Versamark and then Basic Gray ink onto Whisper White and embossed with Clear Embossing Powder.  I trimmed it to size and layered it on Basic Gray cardstock.  I adhered the Tie to Whisper White cardstock and layered it on Baja Breeze.  I LOVE how it turned out!  Just as I imagined!

**Note:  4 1/2 square is the largest you can use and still fit on a standard card size.  Come back tomorrow to see the larger one I made!

Set:  Eight Great Greetings
C/S:  Basic Gray, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, Baja Breeze
DSP:  Walk in the Park, Urban Garden
Inks:  Versamark, Basic Gray
Other:  Clear Embossing Powder, Stampin’ Dimensionals 

Remember…the Designer Paper and Textured Cardstock sale is still going on!  Buy 3 and get the 4th one FREE!  Now is the time to STOCK UP…the majority of these beautiful papers will retire after next month because they have In-Colors.  Email me with your order TODAY or use the easy ONLINE ordering system.  Click here and then Shop Now in the upper right corner!

Thoughts and Prayers

Hmmm, I’m getting low on my "stock" of photos to use for my Blog!  Guess that means I need to get stamping!  Too bad, huh?  Actually, I do hope to spend the day stamping up some cards to share with you.  June is a BIG birthday month for our family and we have my younger son’s graduation from college!  And, of course, Father’s Day fits in there, too!  BUSY month.

I had a very relaxing Mother’s Day…didn’t do anything much except plant a couple tomato plants!  Our youngest stopped by and spent the afternoon with us.  We didn’t get down to my MIL’s, so hopefully will see her later in the week.  My parents are out of town, so won’t see them until they get back.  It was nice spending the day on myself!  My husband even grilled dinner!

This is a challenge card I worked on with Lisa and Mary a while ago, but never shared.  I think the Thoughts & Prayers stamp set is SO elegant and easy to make cards with it.  I started with a base of Basic Gray and layered Baja Breeze.  Then I used a couple patterns from Urban Oasis Designer Paper (I will DEFINITELY miss this DSP when it retires!)  I stamped the tree in Basic Gray on Sahara Sand and layered it on Basic Bray.  The greeting is stamped on Old Olive and punched with the Designer Label punch and a couple brads added to the top and bottom of the greeting.  I used a shorter strip of Old Olive and the Eyelet Border punch for interest along the bottom.  Finally, I added a trio of 1/4 circles to the upper right corner to balance out the colors.

I also wanted to share that I have a beach card published in the July 2009 Scrap & Stamp Arts!  Make sure to check it out!

Set:  Thoughts & Prayers
C/S:  Basic Gray, Baja Breeze, Old Olive, Urban Oasis DSP
Inks:  Basic Gray
Other:  Designer Label punch, Eyelet Border Punch, Mini Brads, 1/4 circle punch

Bloggers Challenge – Mom cards

Today’s Bloggers’ Challenge is to create a Mother’s Day card for mom or any other special person. Well…silly me.  I mailed off my Mother’s Day cards without taking a picture and realizing what the challenge was this week!  So…I quickly made up another one, but  changed the greeting on this one since I didn’t need another Mom card…just pretend it says Happy Mother’s Day…ok?  lol!

I showed you a card the other day made with the Reinker Watercolor technique and this uses the same.  I stamped the Soft Summer set Dogwood branch in White Craft Ink, then applied Clear Embossing Powder and heat set it.  I used my AquaPainter to watercolor with Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink and Mellow Moss reinkers.  I cut it out and mounted it with dimensionals on a square of Whisper White, then layered it on Chocolate Chip.  I added some length to the Chocolate Chip layer so I could wrap some Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon around it.  I also used a scrap piece of Pink Pirouette cardstock and my Eyelet Border punch along one side.  The background is Juntos Designer Paper in a soft Mellow Moss swirl pattern (Juntos is in the Spanish catalog…but YOU can order it, too!  One of the designer paper patterns that is on sale this month…buy 3, get the 4th one FREE!)  Finally, I layered the Juntos DSP on Chocolate Chip cardstock and added a greeting from Soft Summer in Basic Brown, then punched it with the Scallop Oval Punch.  I loved how this turned out and I know my mom will LOVE it!  She’s in Florida for a couple weeks on their 50th Anniversary trip, so won’t get it until she comes back.

I’m going to be doing a Punch Class today with my friends about 2 hours away.  I love getting together with them.  I hope everyone has a great weekend!  My upline is having a downline meeting tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to that, too!

Set:  Soft Summer
C/S:  Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Juntos DSP
Inks:  Basic Brown, White Craft ink, Pink Pirouette reinker, Pretty in Pink reinker, Mellow Moss reinker
Other:  AquaPainter, Clear embossing Powder, Pretty in Pink Taffeta Ribbon, Eyelet Border Punch, Scallop Oval punch

May Card Kit Now Available

My May Card Kit is now available!  Click HERE for more details!

Place a $100 order (before tax & shipping) and get this May Card Kit FREE! 

(Cannot be combined with any other offer, except  Stampin’ Up!’s Designer Paper Buy 3 and get the 4th FREE promotion.  Valid via phone, email or online orders thru me only until May 31, 2009.)

Manhattan Flower Impressions

Feeling MUCH better today.  I think sometimes the changes in weather bring on my migraines!  I had 3 people call off sick for last night’s class, so I wasn’t the only one feeling under the weather.

I showed you the square Riding Hood Red roses card I did HERE.  At the same time, I made another unusual sized card…this one is 4 x 9 to fit in a legal sized #10 envelope.

 I love the softness of the Pretty in Pink and Pink Pirouette colors on this card!  I used the Brayered Debossing techinque on the Manhattan Flower Impressions folder with Shimmer paper, cut it out and layered it on Whisper White.  Since I had a lot of extra space at the top, I added some Tea Party Designer Paper at the top, used the Eyelet Border Punch for a strip under the DSP and tied some Pink Pirouette striped ribbon around it to hide the seam.  I also had room for my favorite greeting in On Your Birthday, "Live, Laugh & Love…happy birthday", stamped in Pretty in Pink.  The base of the card is Pink Pirouette cut 8 x 9 and folded in half to 4 x 9.  On the envelope (not shown), I stamped the coordinating stamp set Fifth Avenue Floral several times in the botton left corner with Pretty in Pink.

Note:  Although I like the Shimmer paper (used here) with this technique, I found that I LOVE this done with Glossy Paper.  I used a damp paper towel and wiped across the debossed side before I started brayering the color on…I thought it blended MUCH easier…so experiment!  I’ll show the difference on tomorrow’s card!

Need to go get ready…I have a couple friends coming over to play today. 

And, can you believe it?  The car deal fell through…it was a demo car instead of a new car.  So aggravating…now we are looking again.  You’d think in today’s economy, these dealerships would be JUMPING at the thought of selling a car!  Not so!

Have a GREAT day!

Set:  On Your Birthday
C/S:  Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Shimmer White, Pretty in Pink, Tea Party DSP
Inks:  Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette
Other:  Pink Pirouette Striped Ribbon, Manhattan Flower Impressions Die, Eyelet Border Punch, Brayer

Soft Summer

I think this set, Soft Summer, in the Occasions Mini is SO pretty!  Since it is on the first inside page, I do believe it gets overlooked!  I purchased it mainly because my mom loves Dogwood flowers (and because Mary Brown twisted my arm!  lol).  Ours in this area are in FULL bloom and the flowers are so soft and delicate looking!

I used the watercolor resist technique that is SO popular with the Fifth Avenue Floral set right now…I wanted to see if it worked as well with other stamps.  Although not as dramatic as the Rose, I thought it worked very well with this set, too!  My Technique Class will be doing this technique tonight, too!

I used Pink Pirouette, Mellow Moss and Regal Rose reinkers to watercolor the flowers and cut them out.  The base card is Mellow Moss cut to 4 1/4 x 11, folded in half, then trimmed 3/4" off the front.  I went back over the trimmed area with my Eyelet Border punch to give it a lacy look.  I layered Whisper White over Pink Pirouette and wrapped some Pretty in Pink Striped Ribbon around it before I layered it on the Mellow Moss, right above the Eyelet Border.  I added the cut out Dogwood flower over top.  Then I trimmed a piece of Pink Pirouette Patterns Designer Paper 1 1/2 by 4 1/2 to place on the inside of the card.  I stamped Thanks So Much (from Soft Summer, too) in Basic Brown on Whisper White and punched with my Word Window Punch and place it over the designer paper.

I LOVE how this turned out…the layout was really fun to do!  What do you think?

I woke up with a killer migraine…upset tummy and all.  Feeling better now and finally able to eat a little cereal.  Ugh…  I need to finish prepping for my Technique Class tonight!  A couple have called to say they are sick…lots of bugs going around.  Stay safe!

Cheep Talk

I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  It was gorgeous here…we took several little tours in the convertible and the sun felt SO good!  We ended up buying a new car for me on Saturday…my lease is up on my Nissan Murano.  I ended up getting the same thing again with a few added options I wanted!  Yeah!  And in the color I wanted…Bronze.  It is SO pretty!  They have to bring it in from out of town, so I probably won’t get it until early next week.

So, this is another card I worked on when Mary, Lisa and I did some challenges…  We used a sketch (that I can’t find!).  But I wanted to use the lucious paper, Sweet Slumber, one of the Specialty designer papers that is cardstock weight…great for boxes and 3D items, but a very nice texture on cards, too!

I started with a base of Baja Breeze and added a layer of So Saffron.  Then I added a strip of the Stripe DSP across the bottom (my favorite pattern!) and hid the edge with the wide 1" Baja Breeze double stitch ribbon.  I added another strip of the Blue Check DSP going down the center…it was layered on Riding Hood Red for contrast.  I stamped the little bird from Cheep Talk stamp set with Riding Hood Red on Very Vanilla (with So Saffron and Chocolate Chip marker accents for the beak and legs) and the branch with Chocolate Chip.  This was punched with the Wide Oval punch.  I punched 1/2 inch circles from So Saffron and adhered them to the back of the Oval so they look like scallops.  Final touches were adding the Hello There greeting from Cheep Talk with my Riding Hood Red ink and two 1/4 circle punches in the upper left corner.

I like how it turned out!  I’ll have to use that sketch again. Don’t forget…Sweet Slumber could be one of your choices to order 3 Designer Packs of Paper and get one additional FREE!  Contact me today with your order!

I need to finish up my cards for my Technique Class tomorrow night.  I have two designed…one more to go, plus cut all the paper.  PLUS, be watching for my new May Card Kit…hope to get it finished today and posted tonight!

Take care!