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Stamping 411 – Morning Cup

Feeling kind of puny today…think I'm coming down with a cold…throat is scratchy and I'm very tired.  Tried to take a nap this afternoon, but hubby came home early from work!

Selene created a very simple sketch for this week's Stamping 411 sketch challenge SSC162.  When I saw the trio of images for the front, I immediately thought of the coffee cup in Stampin' Up!'s new Morning Cup stamp set (plus it was sitting out on my desk from Club night!)

Here's my intrepretation:

When I'm trying to decide on a color scheme, sometimes I try to go with colors I haven't used in a while.  I know I've been using a lot of reds, yellows, blues and greens…my pinks have been neglected!  So I pulled out the base of Pretty in Pink cardstock.  I layered on Regal Rose and ran it thru my Big Shot with the Petals A Plenty Impressions Folder for some texture.  I stamped the trio of Coffee Cups from Morning Cup in Basic Black on Very Vanilla cardstock, then watercolored with Stampin' Write Markers and the AquaPainter.  I decided the bottom looked a little plain, so added a Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon bow.  I also added some bling with the Rhinestone Jewels in the center of each heart on the cups.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend.  Make sure to check out what the other Stamping 411 Operators did with the sketch this week!

More Blossom Party

Today's card was one of my Control Freak organized swap cards at Stampin' Up!'s Convention last week.  I was inspired to make this one by yesterday's Create with Connie and Mary Challenge card.  I decided to change up the colors from white daisies to yellow ones.  The yellow ones in my garden are in full bloom right now!  I LOVE the new Daffodil Delight yellow…it is just SO cheery and fresh to me!

The base of my card is Early Espresso.  I added a layer of Daffodil Delight cardstock on top.  Over that is a strip of Greenhouse Gala Designer Paper (I thought it looked sort of like a lattice in the background!)  That was layered onto Pear Pizzazz cardstock.  I used the new Dotted Ribbon punch with Early Espresso Cardstock and adhered it to the back of the Pear Pizzazz so only the one scallop edge showed.  I used Daffodil Delight Textured cardstock for the Stampin' Up! Blossom Party Die daisies across the front with the centers of Early Espresso cardstock.  Then I tied a 1/8 Taffeta Ribbon in Daffodil Delight into a bow under the flower that is popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals.  Finally, the greeting "Thanks Big Time" is from the new set, A Word For You and stamped with Early Espresso Classic Ink.

I love how this turned out.  That Blossom Party die is so versatile…I can't believe I didn't notice it sooner!

Have a wonderful day!

Create with Connie and Mary Challenge – Blossom Party Die

Since we've been celebrating my son's wedding all summer, I have had wedding on my mind a lot.  The last and final wedding reception will be held here in mid August.  And yes, I'm busy planning away.  Luckily it is very casual and only about 50-60 people are expected.  But…seems like it is one more thing on my list this summer!  lol!

Mary found this darling wedding cake and we knew we needed to use it as our inspiration for this week's Create with Connie and Mary Thursday Challenge!  With all the flower stamps and dies on the market, we are positive you'll find some inspiration, too!  After you create your card, link it over on Create with Connie and Mary back to your blog or gallery.  Make sure to use the word CCMC109 so we can find your entry!

Here is what I did with the inspiration from the cake!  I started with a base card of Whisper White, then added a layer of Pacific Point.  I added another layer of Whisper White that I ran thru the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots Impressions Folder.

The flowers are from a die in Stampin' Up!'s main catalog called Blossom Party!  I overlooked this die for a long time, but recently purchased it and am having LOTS of fun with it!  I cut out 5 of them out of more Whisper White cardstock and then cut the centers with the die in Pacific Point and one in Daffodit Delight…don't you like that little POP of a different color?  The yellow center flower is popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals.  I wrapped some White Stripe Organdy Ribbon around the card and tied.  I needed a greeting, so I picked up Teeny Tiny Wishes and stamped in in Pacific Point on Whisper White, then punched with the Curly Label Punch.

I liked this card so well, I changed up the colors and made one similar for my second Control Freaks Convention Swap…I'll post that one tomorrow!

Have a great day and remember to check out what the rest of the Thursday Challenge Designers did over on Create with Connie and Mary!  Some FABULOUS cards this week!

Aviary

Want to see another card I made for Convention swaps?  This was one for the Control Freaks private swap.  As usual, this is the prototype…I ended up not using the Color Spritzer in the corners, or coloring in the bands of the birdcage.  I just applied the Rhinestone Jewels on the top band.  (Well, truthfully, my friends Barbara and Mindy helped me finish putting together my swaps on the plane…I think Mindy did the jewels!  lol!  Thanks girls!)

The base is Crumb Cake (formerly Kraft) and I layered on the Poppy Parade cardstock that I ran thru the Big Shot with the Vintage Wallpaper Impressions Folder.  I cut the Early Espresso cardstock with the Top Note, then added another layer of Crumb Cake to the top of the Top Note.  I stamped the birdcase from Stampin' Up!'s fun, new Aviary stamp set in Early Espresso.  I used my new Poppy Parade and Espresso Stampin' Write Markers to ink up the bird and stamped him inside the cage.  I then tied some 1/8" Early Espresso Ribbon around and placed at the top of the birdcase handle.  Finally, I stamped Thank You from Teeny Tiny Wishes on Whisper White and punched with the Word Window, then layered it on the Modern Label Punch of Poppy Parade.  I added 3 of the Rhinestone Jewels across the top band of the birdcage for a little BLING!  Love how that looks!

Going to try to get back to normal today.  I cleared out my Inbox of emails…oh my…they had been there when from when I was working on earning Cruise!  Next today is to take a shovel to my craft studio and get that cleaned up!  Plus plan for my Thursday night Stamp Club!

Have a great day!

Stamping 411 – Wicked Cool!

I'm back!!!  Wow…what an AWESOME time at Convention!  I was so happy that I decided to go…even at the last minute!  I ran into MANY people that I know…always so much fun catching up and seeing my online friends in person!  AND…lots of friends up on stage for Sales, Cruise and Recruiting marches…along with Demos of the Year!  Congratulations to everyone!

I needed to leave Convention on Friday night to go to my son's Wedding Reception in Wisconsin…remember, he had been married in Cancun a few weeks ago, and this was the reception for Beth's family.  Our family reception in Ohio is in a few weeks.  So, yes, we've extended the party all summer!  lol!  Had a wonderful party there, too!  So…now it is back to normal (ha, ha…) for a few weeks!

Somehow Selene didn't get this card for the Stamping 411 challenge this week, and my computer didn't save it on my Blog post, so I couldn't go in and edit it while I was at Convention!  It's a little late, but I LOVED how it turned out, so I'm sharing it anyway!  Here's the sketch:

And…here is my card!  Again, I'm using the Wicked Cool stamp set and Wicked Fun Designer Paper!  LOVE them!  lol!

I started with a base of Cajan Craze cardstock and layered on Basic Black cardstock.  I used a piece of the Wicked Fun Designer Paper and roughed up the edges with the Cutter Kit.  I tied the Black Satin Ribbon with a bow around the top.  I stamped the cobweb in Basic  Black on Whisper White, then the greeting in Cajan Craze.  I added one of the Rhinestone Jewels to the center.  I distressed the edges with the Cutter Kit and layered it on Basic Black that I also distressed.  Finally, I used the new bat punch for my accents along the bottom as the sketch showed.  Isn't it fun????

OK…hubby is still home today, so we are doing laundry, catching up on yardwork and hopefully get some running done for the upcoming Wedding Reception here in Ohio!  I have BIG shoes to fill to compete with their party!  lol!  Make sure to check out what the rest of the Stamping 411 Operators did this week with the sketch!

Create with Connie and Mary Thursday Challenge – Sketch

We have a fabulous sketch for you to try over on Create with Connie and Mary Thursday Challenge this week!  The other Challenge Team Members have some fabulous cards, so make sure to check them out over on Create with Connie and Mary!  Use your creativity and play along with us…add your card to InLinkz over on Create and use CCMC108 in your post or gallery upload!

For my card, I used a new set that I SWORE I wasn't going to buy…I didn't NEED any more Halloween sets.  But, you know…Stampin' Up! always comes out with a Halloween set that I just HAVE to get!  I love them!

The set is called Wicked Cool…and I ADORE these witch shoes!  That image and the Spooky greeting sold me on this set!  I first stamped the shows with Basic Black Classic Ink on Very Vanilla cardstock.  I added a strip of the dotted Designer paper from the Wicked Fun Specialty Designer Paper package (it has black flocking on some of the pieces!)  Then I punched with the 1 3/4 circle punch.  I added the circle to the NEW 2 3/8 Scallop Circle…love it…from Rich Razzleberry cardstock.  I used more of the Wicked Fun Designer Paper with the Spooky pattern layered onto Basic Black cardstock.  I ran the Old Olive cardstock thru the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots Impressions Folder for some texture in the background.  Along the left side, I used the Black Striped 1 1/4 Grosgrain Ribbon, secured it in the back of the Old Olive, then used some Linen Thread to tie a bow on the front for a little detail!

I liked this card so well that in addition to being my challenge card for Create with Connie and Mary, it is also one of my swap cards at Convention for the Control Freaks!  I know there are some Freaks who love Halloween as much as I do!  Again, check out the rest of the Create with Connie and Mary Challenge Team to see what they did with this sketch this week!

Tour de Freaks BLOG HOP

It's here!  This month's Tour de Freaks Blog Hop, featuring the Control Freak Swappers!  You've probably just arrived from Deb Currier's amazing Blog.  Weren't her projects lovely?  If you are arriving here prior to Tuesday, July 20th, please note that not all links may be available yet as we are testing the circle.  This month's theme is Good Ole' Summertime!  That's a pretty wide open theme, so we should see LOTS of great ideas!

My first project is what I made as a HUGE thank you to my customers who placed orders last month during my push to earn the Alaska Cruise.  Four days before the end of the month, I put out my plea and they responded!  As a thank you, I ordered the Elegant Thank You stamp for each of them.  This photo only includes a portion of them…I forgot to take a photo before I started handing them out.  If you are my customer who ordered and haven't received one yet…don't worry…I have one here with your name on it.  I just didn't get them done before you picked up your bag!

I used three of the new colors on these…Daffodil Delight, Poppy Parade and Pear Pizzazz.  I made the belly band with Poppy Parade to fit around the stamp box and secured it in front.  Then I cut the flower from Island Floral Bigz Die with my Big Shot.  The inside I stamped the Elegant Thank You in Basic Black on Poppy Parade cardstock and punched with the 1 3/4 Circle.  I kept them pretty simple since I had a BUNCH to make!  These definitely say SUMMERTIME to me, so I thought I'd include it in the tour!

This is one of the swap cards I'm taking to Convention with me for a large organized swap on SUDSOL.  Well, this is the prototype…the actual swap is just a little different.  I needed to make 75 of them and finished them last week…that was a big job!  For this, I also used our new colors…Pear Pizzazz, Marina Mist and Daffodil Delight.  I truly did not think that anything could replace Summer Sun for me…but Daffodil Delight certainly has!  I LOVE this color!  The base is Pear Pizzazz and I layered on Daffodil Delight cardstock.  I ran the Marina Mist strip thru the Big Shot with the new Vintage Wallpaper Impressions Folder.  I cut a square of Pear Pizzazz for the front, then stamped the a la carte image, For You Flower, once in Daffodil Delight, then in Marina Mist.  I punched the Daffodil Delight with the Fancy Flower XL Punch, then punched the center of the Marina Mist image with the 1 3/8 Circle Punch.  I popped up the blue on the front of the flower with Stampin' Dimensionals, then punched the flower from Itty Bitty Punches and added a White Mini Brad in the center (I am SO glad they added White brads this catalog!)  I wanted to feature the Dotted Ribbon Punch, so I punched the Whisper White and added it along the front.  On this one, I added the Daffodil Delight Taffeta Ribbon at the top for some added interest!  I love how these turned out!

Well, I have more things to show you that I'm taking to Convention, but I'll stop here and save them for another day.  Make sure to check out the rest of the tour.  Next stop is Mary Brown…you know her work is ALWAYS fabulous!  Continue around the tour until you get back here…we have about 12 stops this month!

Tour de Freaks TOMORROW!

I'm crazy getting ready for the Stampin' Up! Convention!  But, I will be participating in the Tour de Freaks blog tour tomorrow!  Make sure to stop by and see the wonderful projects from the Control Freak Swappers, featuring the theme of Good Ole' Summertime!

Stamping 411

It is time for another awesome sketch from Selene.  This week's was really a challenge.  I'm anxious to see what the other Design Operators did with it this week!  Check them out over on Stamping 411!

The base card is from the new In Color, Pear Pizzazz.  I added the scrap of Greenhouse Gala Designer Paper that was sitting on my desk.  I also had the embossed Top Note on my desk, left over from another project.  I had used the Vintage Wallpaper Impressions Folder on Whisper White, then cut it with the Top Note die.  I used the Eyelet Border Punch and Daffodil Delight Textured Cardstock to make the border across the top of the Designer Paper, then place a narrow piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock across the seam to hide it.  I ran some of the 1/8" Daffodil Delight Taffeta across the Chocolate Chip and secured it in the back.

The flower is from Blossom Party die, a Stampin' Up! original die that I just bought.  The flower is a fun size and I thought went perfectly with the sketch!  I added a Neutrals Flower Brad in the center of it and added a Word Window tag of Pear Pizzazz.  I stamped Just For You in Chocolate Chip from Teeny Tiny Wishes.  Finally, I thought the White Top Note needed a little color, so I used the new circle Itty Bitty Punch and Daffodil Delight to make two circles for the corner.

After I finished this card, I had a thought on using this sketch for one of my Convention swap cards!  I'll let you see it after I work on it!  Tomorrow is a busy day with my second Customer Appreciation Party!

Don't forget to check out Stamping 411 and play along with this week's sketch challenge!

Bloggers Challenge – Sketch

This is going to be REAL quick!  I'm running out the door to teach a class this morning.  Today's Bloggers Challenge is a FUN sketch!

I just had mounted my new Stampin' Up! Aviary stamp set and decided it would work perfectly with tihs sketch!  I used the new Sunny Garden Designer Paper and Peach Parfait cardstock, along with Poppy Parade!  And…look ma…no embossing!  That's because my Big Shot was already packed in the car ready to go!

So…I'll be back later tonight and add some more details…but I have to RUN now!  Have a wonderful weekend!