Today, is Day 4 of the Create with Connie and Mary Preview Week!  Mary Brown is back today with a BEAUTIFUL Vintage Scrapbook page!  I love the colors she used.  The Presto Patterns Specialty Designer Paper is especially gorgeous behind the cut out Elements of Style rose flowers.  She even has a sweet little Mini Vintage Tag hanging from the Bow.

Check out Create with Connie and Mary for more details!  Leave a comment over THERE to get a chance at one of the FREE subscriptions this week!  We are giving out a total of SIX free subscriptions!  Make sure to check back on Saturday to see if you won!

If you haven't joined, you only have a couple more days of PREVIEW week, then Create with Connie and Mary new projects will only be available to those who have subscribed!  You know you don't want to miss out…so join now!

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This is our Preview Week on the Create with Connie and Mary site.  From April 26 - May 1, the site will be open for everyone to view. For this preview week only, you will get to see the sort of projects and challenges that we will feature on the site.

Beginning on Sunday, May 2, you will only be able to view the new daily posts if you are a subscriber.

And this session we are proud to announce that Mary Brown joins me as Team Member!  Guest Designers Kerin Sylvester and Monika Davis are back!  They will be sharing in the Challenges and creating some special projects for you, too! 

To find out more about the site and to order a subscription, please visit us at Create with Connie and Mary!

Would you like to WIN a subscription to Create with Connie and Mary?  Each of our team members will be giving away subscriptions on their blogs this week.  To enter to win, all you have to do is leave a comment on our team member's blog on the day that we are featuring them. TODAY, LEAVE A COMMENT ON MARY'S POST OVER ON CREATE WITH CONNIE AND MARY!  

All the winners will be announced on Saturday, May 1st!  If you are a winner and have already subscribed, we will refund the price of your subscription!  Check back on Create with Connie and Mary to see if you won!

Create with Connie and Mary Summer Edition – $24.95 US

Good morning!  It is Monday again already!  Where do the weekends go?  Ours certainly FLEW by…although I didn’t seem to accomplish as much as I thought I would!

Here is a card I made using the stamp set Sparkly and Bright.  It was for a Shoebox swap we did before the Cincinnati Regionals earlier this month!  Only 7 of us participated, so it was a nice little one to do!  I guess you would call this a type of tri-fold card…more accordion type.  It does close to a standard sized A-4 card.

I started with a base of Real Red cardstock sized 4 1/4 x 11 and scored at 1 1/2, 4 1/2, and 7.  I folded so that the folds were valley, mountain, valley (from left to right) and made the accordian fold.

For decorating, I added layers of Holiday Lounge Designer Paper in each front panel.  I stamped the images from Sparkly and Bright and punched them with the 1 3/8 circle punch, then layered them on Taken with Teal Scallop Circle punches.  When placing these images on the base card, start with the center panel first, then line up the first scallop to that middle one (make sure your adhesive is only on the left side of the back or it will adhere to the next layer.)  Cover the first scallop on the back with another Taken with Teal Scallop Circle to hide the overlap of the front scallop.

The snowflakes were stamped with Taken with Teal on Whisper White cardstock and punched with the 1" circle punch and layered on the 1 1/4" circle punch.  They are adhered to the edge of the last panel.  I colored Rudolph’s nose with a Real Red Stampin’ Up! marker and the Christmas tree has a small Red Fire Circle Rhinestone Brad for the top.  Obviously you could BLING up this card a LOT.  I kept it pretty demonstratable since it was for a shoebox swap.

Supplies:

Sets:  Sparkly & Bright (115346)

Cardstock:  Real Red (102482), Whisper White (100730), Taken with Teal (101584)

Classic Inks:  Real Red (103133), Sahara Sand (106208), Taken with Teal (103257), Chocolate Chip (100908), Real Red Stampin’ Write marker (100051)

Accessories:  Holiday Lounge Designer Paper (115676), Paper Cutter with scoring blade (104152, 104154), Circle Fire Rhinestone Brad (109110), 1" circle punch (109046), 1 1/4" circle punch (104403), 1 3/8" circle punch (104401)  and Scallop Circle punch (109043), Paper Piercing Tool (116631)

Click here to place an order 24/7!

And…here is a sneak peek at the project posted over on Create with Connie and Julie today!  A fun scrapbook page using the Table Setting Bigz XL die!  I loved using it to create unusual things.  Can you tell how I used it in this picture?  Check out the previews this week…and then I hope you’ll join us for the rest of the Holiday Edition!

I made 4 of these for my Roommates and Upline who went to Convention (well…one for me, of course!).  The base of the Acrylic Album is made from Stampin’ Up!’s Thick Window Sheets!  These are AWESOME!  I used one whole sheet for each mini album, cut to four 6×6 double sided pages.  They are very easy to cut on a larger cutter like Stampin’ Up!’s Tabletop Cutter.  However, I did have to use a heavy duty corner rounder because it is too heavy for Stampin’ Up!’s punch.

This is the front.  The Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Paper is used throught and on this page is actually on the inside and secured with Mini Glue Dots in the corners.  I added the large Flower Layers Bigz Diecuts to the front with dimensionals, the leaves were cut with the Build A Flower die.  It is held together with the Summer Sun Corduroy Brad.  I ran all the flower layers and leaves thru the Big Shot again with the Finial Press Embossing Folder to give them some texture.  I also copied the Inspire, Create, Share logo and placed on the front so they can use this for their Convention pictures.

The first two pages.  You can see the reverse of the pattern from the front.  I added Cherry Blossom Embosslit diecut with a mini brad and some 5/8 Old Olive Grosgrain ribbon, along with the edge of the Top Note die that looks like a bracket!  I also used Razzle Dazzle stamp set in Whisper White Craft ink on Crushed Curry cardstock.

The next two pages, on the left is a pocket opening made from the Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Paper for a pull out that will hold a couple more pictures or journaling.  I used another Cherry Blossom diecut and punched the leaves with the 5 petal punch.  On the right I used the Razzle Dazzle stamp again with Whisper White Craft ink on the Rich Razzleberry cardstock…layered onto another square of Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Paper.

Next two pages.  on the left is a long piece of Melon Mambo cardstock folded in half with Razzleberry Lemonade designer paper and Polka Dot ribbon accents.  You can flip it up and add more pictures inside.  I also used the Butterfly Punch for an accent.  On the left is more Crushed Curry cardstock with a Cherry Blossom and Polka Dot ribbon.

Finally, the back has more Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Paper visible.  It is actually secured on the inside with Mini glue dots in the corners.  This was my prototype, but on the ones I made for the girls, I stamped the Razzle Dazzle stamp image with White Stazon randomly over the back.  I also used a sponge and White Stazon around all the edges of the album to soften the look.  Finally, I used my Crop A Dile to punch holes in each of the pages and added binder rings, accented with Polka Dot ribbons tied to them.

These were LOTS of fun to make and I’m sure they appreciated the acrylic album!  I love to make mini albums for my roommate gifts…then they can add their own pictures.  Now I need to get some pictures in mine!

INKspired Treasures

If you want any of the products I’ve used in my project today, click here to place an online order or to join my team and go to Convention with me next year!

Did you enjoy the weekend?  I took yesterday off stamping and worked in the yard, replacing some of the dried out flowers with mums, trimming the bushes and doing general cleanup.  Must say it looks very pretty in my yard right now…well, except for the brown grass!  Although…even it is starting to green up from the little bit of rain we’ve had.  And it was a perfect day for working out in the yard…not too hot!

This is the gift I made to go in the Elmo bag…a scrapbook for Liam’s first birthday.  It is a flip album full of places to put photos and mementos of his special day.  We also got him a really cute driving toy that makes LOTS of noise for mom and dad!  lol!

Anyway, I used the retired Party Pieces Scrappin’ Kit because I love the colors in it!  The Pumpkin Pie band is a belly band that holds the scrapbook closed.  The cupcake (theme of his party) is from Party Hearty and I used beads for the sprinkles on the frosting and Dazzling Diamonds glitter on the flame.   I used my Cricut Base Camp once again for the letters.

Inside I kept the decorating to a minimum.  His mom does scrapbooking, so I’m sure she can add to it as she wants.  I wanted to make sure that she had room for journaling, adding the invitation and any photos of his special day.  He was quite the little ham and I’m sure they got lots of great pictures (can you believe I forgot MY camera?)

Stampin’ Up!’s Scrappin’ Kits make doing these SO easy!  I love that everything is color coordinated.  I didn’t even use 1/2 of the package either!  Plenty of materials to make more.  The new catalog has some really nice ones, too…check it out!

NOTE:  I’m extending the deadline for my CLASS KIT until I return on Thursday.  Hurry and order today!

Here is another Display Board scrapbook page I made for Leadership in January.  I used Classic Backgrounds on this one.  I love the large star in it.  When doing the displays, I had to hand-cut each of the large stars out…thankfully we now have a large star punch that I can use to punch them out…so much easier. 

This picture is my online friend Claire’s little boy…isn’t he sweet?  When I saw the Classic Backgrounds set in my display selection, I just knew that I had to use his picture with a 4th of July theme for a scrapbook page.  His little outfit matches just perfect!

The stars along the left are Whisper White Craft on Brilliant Blue.  I used Short Order Alphabet and Big Deal Numbers for the title and cut them out.  The large star is stamped in Real Red on Whisper White.  I ran a thin strip of Brilliant Blue cardstock thru a clear button and then curled the paper.  I adhered the button to the center of the star.  His picture is layered on a mat of Whisper White.

I’m headed out of town for a couple days to do a couple classes..catch you again when I get back!  Then I’ll be in FULL SWAP mode getting ready for Convention…two weeks from today!  Woohoo!!!