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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!

May Tour de Freaks!

Woohoo!   It's here!  The May Tour de Freaks!  I can't wait to see what these fabulous girls have done…what about you?  You've just arrived from my friend, Lisa Martz's Blog…aren't her projects wonderful?  LOVE that Tropical Party set and Island Oasis paper!

Stampin' Up!'s Sweet Scoops is a favorite of mine from the Summer Mini!  My Technique Class did this card earlier this month using an old favorite technique…SHAVING CREAM!  Doesn't the background just remind you of some melted ice cream?  And…a double scoop of Vanilla and Strawberry ice cream on a sugar cone!  Yummy!

If you haven't done the Shaving Cream Background, it is very simple!  I use an old cookie sheet, spread regular shaving cream on it (I use unscented) and then place a few drops of 2-3 complimentary reinkers in the shaving cream, swirl around with a spoon and then place your Whisper White cardstock on top of the mixed shaving cream.  Lift off the cardstock, take a spatula and scrap off the extra shaving cream…it leaves behind a beautiful marbled look on the cardstock!  I used the reinker colors of Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink and Barely Banana.  Let it dry, then layer on the base card of Pretty in Pink.  I stamped the Cone with Creamy Caramel Classic Ink on Whisper White and the first scoop with Pretty in Pink.  I stamped the Barely Banana scoop of ice cream on scrap paper, cut it out and adhered on top of the bottom scoop.    I layered it on Pretty in Pink cardstock, then Certainly Celery.  Across the top I used the Scallop Edge Punch on a piece of Barely Banana cardstock, and wrapped Pretty in Pink Taffeta Ribbon around it and tied with a knot.  I finished by stamping the greeting with Chocolate Chip Classic Ink.

You may remember for March's Tour de Freaks, I did a carrot made from the Large Scallop Circle Die.  I decided that I could use the same thing to make an Ice Cream Cone!  I cut the large Scallop Circle die from Creamy Caramel cardstock, then ran it thru the Big Shot with my Square Lattice Impressions Folder to give it a waffle look.   I wrapped it into a funnel and secured with Sticky Strip.  I used some of the left over Shaving Cream paper I made above and punched the Scallop Circle from it.  I also punched So Saffron and Pretty in Pink Scallop Circles.  I adhered them to the inside.   I added the Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon in a box on the front.  Then used my Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write Marker to stamp the "Have a sweet celebration" on Whisper White and punched with the Wide Oval punch.  I highlighted the sweet with So Saffron marker and sponged the edges with Pretty in Pink.  I think this turned out CUTE!  I haven't seen an ice cream cone done with the Scallop Circle.  Inside I filled with Tropical Jelly Belly candies!  FUN!

Next stop is the fabulous, Mary Brown!  I know you'll love her projects!

March Tour de Freaks!

If you have arrived here on the 19th, not all links may be live yet.  We're getting ready to go live on March 20th!  It's time for the March Tour de Freaks by your favorite Control Freak Swappers!  Our theme this month is SPRING!  You've probably just arrived from Wendy Janson's Blog and her amazing ideas.  You'll be able to go to the next stop when you click on the badge at the bottom.    I always get some amazing ideas from this tour, I hope you do, too!

I was late getting ready for this tour…I definitely have "wedding" on the brain!  I've been working on the templates for printing out my son's wedding invitations, plus buying the supplies I'll need to make 200 of them.  The pocket invitation design idea has been done for a while, just needed to get started.  But, thinking about it inspired my first project.  And since the month of June is mostly in the Spring, I think it fits the theme! 

I've had the Bag with Scallops XL die for a long while, but haven't used it for some reason!  I pulled it out for this project.  I thought one of the roses made from the XL Fancy Flower punch would be perfect on the front scallop!  The bag and rose are both made from the White Shimmer paper…so pretty for a wedding!  I added the half Scallop Oval leaves along the side of the rose, then added the White Satin Stripe Ribbon knotted along the other side of the rose.  The front of the bag I textured with the Finial Press Impressions Folder that I ran thru the Big Shot.  The bag was really easy to put together!  I wrapped some more of the White Satin Ribbon around it to hold it closed (under the rose).  Very elegant and I think they would be pretty at the place settings at the reception!  I'll be making more of these Bag with Scallops…so fun and easy to put together!

My next card is a Mother's Day card for my mom.  We both LOVE lilacs in the spring!  I know it is finally here when my lilacs are in bloom.  I've planted lilac bushes in every house we've lived in and will cut the blooms off to bring them inside so I can enjoy their fragrance.  I've been wanting to do a punch art card using the Trio Flower punch to make some lilacs.  I used Orchid Opulence and Lavender Lace cardstock and punched a BUNCH of them!

I started by placing the "stem" from the Two Bird Punch at the bottom of the Whisper White cardstock.  Then I used the bird wings from that punch for my leaves.  I just started adding a variety of the Lavender Lace and Orchid Opulence flowers in a cone shaped pattern.  Each lilac is so unique anyway, it really didn't matter how I placed them!  I added a little Orchid Opulence Classic Ink to the edges after I was done, just for some added shadows.

I layered the Whisper White on Lavender Lace and then Basic Black cardstock to make it pop.  I tied the Old Olive Satin Ribbon into a bow and placed it at the top corner.  Then I added the Old Olive Scallop Trim Border across the left side.   Finally, I used the stamps from Tiny Tags and the Jewery Tag punch to make the 4 You tag and wrapped it with Linen Thread around the center of the ribbon knot. 

Next stop is Mary Brown!  I'm sure you will love her work!  Have a great day!

January Tour de Freaks!

I'm so glad you decided to drop by and see the January Tour de Freaks brought to you by the fabulous Control Freaks!  You've probably just arrived from Melanie Schulenberg's blog!  We have 16 blogs for you to visit this time.  I'm sure you will love all the awesome projects you see as you tour.  This month's theme is Valentine's and LOVE.  I know I can't wait to see what these fabulous designers have come up with!  To continue the tour, click on Mary Brown's link at the bottom of this post.

First up is a 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 card using the beautiful Sending Love Designer Paper…did you know that EACH sheet glitters?  It is so sparkly in person!  I started with a base of Pretty in Pink cardstock and added the small floral pattern from Sending Love.  I added a band of Pretty in Pink, punched on both sides with the Pinking Hearts Border Punch.  Layered inside is a strip of Real Red cardstock.  I stamped Happy Valentine's Day from Teeny Tiny Wishes in Chocolate Chip under the 6/8 Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon.  I used the Scallop Heart of Hearts Embosslit with Very Vanilla and Pretty in Pink cardstock and placed them on the right, then added a Real Red heart punched from Heart to Heart Punch and a Real Red Epoxy Brad.  But wait…what's INSIDE is all the FUN!

INSIDE I used the Simple Birthday Thanks cupcake and stamped the bottom in Basic Brown on the small floral pattern from Sending Love and cut it out.  I scored it every 1/4 inch and pleated it to form the cupcake liner.  I stamped the top on Pretty in Pink and cut it out.  I adhered the base to the top.  Then I punched LOTS of the medium sized hearts from Heart to Heart punch with the glittery pink floral pattern in Sending Love and placed them randomly on the Pretty in Pink base for the frosting.  I punched the small heart from the same punch in Real Red and placed them as "sprinkles" on the frosting.  I punched the long heart from the Red Pattern Designer paper for the "cherry" and added a Chocolate Chip cardstock stem. 

I cut the pop-up piece in the Pretty in Pink along the bottom and adhered the LOVE cupcake to the front of it.  I added the red heart flower pattern Sending Love Designer Paper in the background of the top and a strip along the bottom.  I added more stamped hearts from I {Heart} Hearts, the Scallop Heart of Hearts and punched Heart to Heart pieces.  Finally, I stamped Love You Much from Well Scripted stamp set in the Occasions Mini in Real Red Classic Ink.  I LOVE how this turned out!

OK…my next project was VERY fun to make!  I'll put up a tutorial on how to make it in the next few days!  Here I made hearts from the Sending Love Designer Paper patterns and adhered them together.  At the bottom, I used the Crop A Dile and set a Silver Eyelet.  I added a little ornament made with six Scallop Hearts, scored in half, and adhered together.  I did use the Silver Cord (from the Holiday Edition) to form a loop and added some crystal beads from the Pretties Kit at the top and bottom.  At the very top of the wall hanging, I added two more silver eyelets, then added a loop of Pretty in Pink Taffeta Ribbon so it is easy to hang.  Again, I was SO happy with how this turned out!  Even my husband said, "That's really cute!" 

Well, I hope you've enjoyed my contribution to the Tour de Freaks this month!  Now it's time to move on to Mary Brown!  Enjoy the rest of the tour!

November Tour de Freaks is here!

Yeah!  It is that time again…time to see what the fabulous Control Freaks are doing on their Tour de Freaks!  You've probably just arrived from Melanie Schulenberg's blog!  We have 12 blogs for you to visit this time.  I'm sure you will love all the awesome projects you see as you tour.  This month's theme is Christmas Gifts – small items, altered items, stocking stuffers, gift collections, and ornaments.  I know I can't wait to see! 

My first project brings back my favorite Stampin' Up! Simple Seasonal Thanks Snowman!  This time he is standing behind a little candle votive.  I stamped him in Basic Black on Whisper White and cut him out.  I colored the shadows on his sides with the Bashful Blue Stampin' Write Marker and used the AquaPainter and Old Olive and Real Red Stampin' Write Markers for his hat and scarf.  I colored his checks with the Blush Blossom and his nose with Pumpkin Pie.  I added 3 Basic Black "buttons" on his from punched from the large hole of the Crop A Dile.  I added a little Crystal Effects on his sides and Dazzling Diamonds glitter for a sparkly look! 

Can you guess what the base holding the votive is?  Yes!  The Sizzix Bigz XL Bitty Box!  It is secured to the snowman along the back edge.  I punched a 1 3/4 circle in the top to hold the votive and stamped Bashful Blue snowflakes from the Serene Snowflakes stamp set.  The glass votive has silver Icicles Rub-ons decorating the rim.  Now…this is for decorative purposes only.  I wouldn't light a candle this close to paper.  Wouldn't this be a fun little gift for a co-worker or friend?

My next Christmas Gift is a large decorated candle.  I found these nice two-tone vanilla/cranberry ones that smell SO good!  They are about 3 inches in diameter.  I wrapped some Merry Moments Designer Paper around the area where the two colors meet, then added a Old Olive Wide 1 1/4 Striped Ribbon.  Hanging from the ribbon is the Make Merry tag from Stampin' Up!'s Grateful Greetings stamp set.  It is stamped in Real Red on Very Vanilla card stock and punched with the small tag punch, then layered on a large Old Olive tag punch.  Now…what snowflake punch did I use?  The Merry Details Snowflake Die in Chocolate Chip card stock!  I cut off the extra long "legs" of the snowflake to make it smaller and fit on my tag!  The center is a Green Rhinestone Brad and it is tied to the bow with Silver Cord.

The next project is a Dove Chocolate Box Sleeve made from Bravo Burgundy card stock.  Now…who wouldn't want a giant bar of chocolate as a gift!  For the top layer, I ran the Handsome Hunter cardstock thru the Petals A Plenty Impressions Folder, then highlighted the centers with the White Gel Pen.  I placed the Handsome Hunter Piece on the Dove Movers & Shapers die to cut it out, then backed it with Whisper White and wrapped it with Bravo Burgundy 5/8 Grosgrain Ribbon before putting it on the Dove box.  I used the Eyelet Border punch across the top of the box, then cut a piece of Whisper White for the bottom, stamped Peace on Earth from Four the Holidays, and used the Eyelet Border punch again. 

The 3×6 card fits in the Box sleeve with the Dove Chocolate perfectly.  I used the extra Handsome Hunter die cut dove that was already embossed on the front, layered it on Bravo Burgundy and placed on the Whisper White card stock.  The Bravo Burgundy Ribbon is wrapped around the entire front of the card.  Peace on Earth from Four the Holidays is stamped with Bravo Burgundy Classic Ink.  Thanks to my downline, Annette, for the inspiration on this project! 

Whew…hope you enjoyed my projects!  Come back later next week and I'll post the directions on making the Dove Chocolate Box Sleeve!

Next stop is the fabulous Mary Brown!  I know you'll enjoy her projects!

October Tour de Freaks

Yes!  It's the Tour de Freaks Blog Tour, brought to you by members of the Control Freak Swappers.  You've probably just come from Melanie's Blog and you'll go to Mary's after mine…her link is at the bottom of my post.  The theme this month is Christmas!  I can't wait to see what everyone has done…I know it will be fabulous!

My first project is a step card.  Those that are in the Control Freaks swap will remember the Snowman Gift Card I did for the swap.  I used the same colors and design for my Simple Seasonal Thanks Snowman.  I love the Bermuda Bay, Real Red and White combo this year!  If you haven't made one of these, come back later this week for the template! EDIT:  You can find the template in THIS POST!

I started by stamping the snowman with Basic Black Classic Ink and coloring him with my AquaPainter and Bermuda Bay Stampin' Write Marker.  Then I added the Real Red for the polka dots and hat band, then Pretty in Pink for his cheeks and Pumpkin Pie for his nose.  I added 3 Black Mini Brads for his buttons.  I cut him out and applied Crystal Effects and Dazzling Diamonds Glitter to the sides of his body and face.  At the bottom of each "step", I tore some Whisper White cardstock for a line of snow.  The second tier has snowballs, punched with the 1/2 circle punch and sponged with Bashful Blue ink on the edges.  They are all stacked up ready for playing.  The top tier has a sign post cut from Close to Cocoa cardstock.  The sign I stamped Merry Christmas from Teeny Tiny Wishes and punched with the Modern Label punch.  I applied the Crystal Effects and Dazzling Diamonds glitter to the snowline, snowballs and the top of the sign.  It was FUN making this!

My second project is an altered metal sign.  It stands out from the wall, so it has a really neat 3D look to it.  Originally it had the word LIKE on it with rustic tones (don't know why anyone would want a sign that said LIKE on it!)  I immediately thought of altering it with SNOW!  I like that MUCH better!  I can't wait to hang this up with my holiday decorations (although I can wait for actual snow to arrive!)

I started by cutting the Bashful Blue cardstock with the measurements for each panel.  Then I stamped Serene Snowflakes randomly with Bashful Blue Classic Ink all over the cardstock.  I went back with the trio snowflake stamp from that set and used the Frost Shimmer Paint.  This REALLY adds a lot of shimmer to the background, but it is SO hard to capture with the camera! 

I cut out each of the SNOW letters with my Big Shot and the Serif Essentials Alphabet Bigz Dies from White Sparkle Foam…so pretty!  They are adhered to the Bashful Blue cardstock with mini glue dots.  I tore some Whisper White cardstock for the snow line.  Then I stamped the small and large Hostess Only Level 2 Snow Buddies snowmen in Basic Black on Whisper White and colored them with my Bashful Blue, Ballet Blue and Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Write markers.  I added more Frost Shimmer Paint to their bodies. 

I stamped the Simple Snowflake from the back of the Idea book in Bashful Blue on Whisper White cardstock and punched it with the new Snowflake punch that matches!  Quick & Easy!  Each snowflake has a Light Blue Rhinestone circle brad in the center of it.  I wrapped some White Stripe Organza Ribbon around the top of the left panel and the right side of the right one.  The O has some Bashful Blue ribbon wrapped around one side.  Finally, I stamped Let It Snow from Punch Pals and punched it with the Modern Label Punch, then layered it on the Scallop Oval cut from Ballet Blue.  I think it is a great decoration and wished they had more of them!

Supplies:

Sets:  Serene Snowflakes, Snow Buddies, Punch Pals, Simple Snowflake

Inks:  Basic Black, Bashful Blue (Bashful Blue, Ballet Blue, Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Write Markers)

Cardstock:  Bashful Blue, Whisper White

Accessories:  Frost Shimmer Paint, Modern Label Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, White Stripe Organza Ribbon, Bashful Blue Taffeta Ribbon, Serif Essentials Alphabet Bigz Die, Snowflake Punch, Ice Circle Rhinestone Brads,

Head on over to the next stop on the Tour…Mary Brown!  I'm sure Mary will have some FABULOUS surprises for you, too!

Tour de Freaks Tour

Wow!  The Tour de Freaks Blog Tour starts today!  You’ve probably just come from Melanie’s Blog if you are going in order of the tour. 

I’m so excited to see what fun things the Control Freak swappers have done this month!  Make sure to hop on the Tour and check them out for yourself!  You’ll have 15 stops this month to enjoy.  At the bottom you’ll see how to click to the next stop!

My first card uses Eat, Drink & Be Scary…truly one of my FAVORITE Halloween sets.  Those of you that know me, know that I’m a Halloween stamp NUT!  I can’t stop buying them and making cards!  I wanted this to look like the witch had hung up her hat for the night.  So…I have it resting on a fence post (Frightful Fence Jumbo Wheel) with the full moon behind it.

I started with a base card of Sahara Sand and layered on Pumpkin Pie cardstock, then added some Cast A Spell Designer Paper to the left side.  The new 5/8 Black Grosgrain ribbon hides the seam.  I wheeled the Frightful Fence Jumbo Wheel on Sahara Sand cardstock with Whisper White Craft Ink, let it dry, then cut it out with my Stampin’ Up! Hobby Blade.  I stamped the hat from Eat, Drink & Be Scary in Basic Black on Whisper White, cut it out and added a Pumpkin Pie band of cardstock.  Finally, I stamped the spider from Eat Drink & Be Scary in Basic Black in the upper left corner.  I think it makes a FUN card!

My next card uses the stamping set, Falling Leaves and a layout Mary Brown and I found a LONG time ago…we actually did a challenge with it.  So, I decided to recreate it here with new products!  I love this set…the images are small enough that they fit in a lot of punches.  I started with a base of More Mustard and wheeled Bright Blessings Jumbo Wheel in More Mustard Ink all over it.  I used a piece Autumn Meadows Designer Paper and layered it on Chocolate Chip Cardstock and used the Corner Rounder punch on both layers.  I added a strip of Taken with Teal cardstock along the right edge and a strip of Chocolate Chip cardstock, wrapped with Kraft Taffeta Ribbon along the bottom of the Autumn Meadows Designer Paper.  I stamped one leaf with Taken with Teal on Very Vanilla and punched with the 1 1/4 circle punch.  This was layered on a 1 3/8 circle of Chocolate Chip and then a Scallop Circle of More Mustard, pierced with the Piercing tool.  The other leaf was stamped with More Mustard on Very Vanilla and layered on 1 3/8 circle of Taken with Teal.  Both were popped up with Dimensionals.  Finally, I stamped Grateful from Falling Leaves in Chocolate Chip on Very Vanilla and punched it with the Modern Tag Punch.

Next, I made a set of frosted glass coasters using the Falling Leaves stamp set.  I kept them simple…I couldn’t use a lot of thickness.  I found the coasters at my local K*** Department Store.  They are a nice, heavy weight set of 4 coasters with a black stand!  I’ll be using these in my Family Room and change out the inserts for each holiday!  Wouldn’t they make a nice gift for your holiday hostesses?

The opening is a 2 x 3 size, so I cut a piece of Sage Shadow cardstock to that size, then wheeled Bright Blessings Jumbo Wheel over each one with Sage Shadow ink.  I punched Scallop Squares of Creamy Caramel cardstock, each one was sponged with the same ink as the leaf.  I stamped the different leaves in Ruby Red, Pumpkin Pie, Elegant Eggplant and Bravo Burgundy Classic ink on Very Vanilla cardstock and cut them out.  Each leaf was popped up with Dimensionals on the Scallop Square punched piece.  That’s it!  Pretty simple, but I think they make a WOW!

Next up is my good friend, Mary Brown!  I’m sure she has some FABULOUS projects, so check her blog and continue the tour!

Tour de Freaks Blog Tour & Bloggers Challenge 113

It’s here!  The 20th of the month, which means Tour de Freaks Blog Tour!  It also doubles as my Bloggers Challenge this week which is to use die cuts on your card! 

This month you’ll have 13 stops on the tour…I’m stop #4.  You’ve probably just come from Shona Watson’s BLOG.  I know you will enjoy the projects we have lined up for you to view!  The theme this month is In Colors!  The gals in this group ALWAYS do awesome work!  I’m so happy to have been invited to be a member of the Control Freaks Swap Group…it has been FOUR years this month!  Hard to believe!

My first project is a little birdhouse ornament.  Wouldn’t these look cute hanging on your Christmas tree?  Can you tell what I used?  Yes, the Matchbox XL Bigz Die!  I’ve had this idea in my head since I first saw the Matchbox die.  In fact, I did submit a similar one to Stampin’ Up!  

For the outside cover I used Bermuda Bay and punched a Scallop Oval in the top panel, then added some Thoroughly Modern Designer Paper on each side.  The inside box is Real Red.  I made a little scene with two birds from Cheep Talk and the Leaves Sizzlet die.  The nest is small slivers of Kraft cardstock crimped and curled into a ball, then stuck on with Mini Glue Dots.  The Cardinals are stamped in Real Red, with their beaks colored in with Pumpkin Pie and legs with Close to Cocoa.  I added a little roof made from Soft Suede cardstock and covered it with Designer Paper, too.  Before I put the two sides of the roof together, I added a ribbon hanger at the top.  (Check back next week for a little tutorial on how this was all put together!) 

Finally, to finish decorating the outside, I added the Snowflake punched from Faux Diamond Dust paper (Iridescent Ice EP over Whisper White).  Then stamped the trio of snowflakes from the hostess set Christmas Punch in Bermuda Bay and punched them out with the Boho Blossoms punch (did you know they fit perfectly???)  Added some Red Mini Brads to the centers of the snowflakes.  

This next card is a wiper card (purely coincidental that SCS has the tutorial this week)…mine has been done for ages!  I used the stamp set For All You Do and stamped the stems in Old Olive and the flowers in Crushed Curry, Melon Mambo and Rich Razzleberry.  The tag says Thank You and is punched with the Modern Label punch from Melon Mambo cardstock.  The Whisper White panel is layered onto Rich Razzleberry cardstock.  The base part of the Wiper Card is Crushed Curry and I ran the front and back panels thru the Big Shot with my Finial Press Embossing Folder for some extra texture!  The inside "wiper" is made from Whisper White and I stamped the greeting on it and rounded the corners with the Corner Rounder punch. Then I stamped the butterfly with Melon Mambo and cut it out and adhered it to the right right corner of the wiper.  When you press the sides together in and out, the wiper pops up, then hides inside the two sides.  Cute project to make for class!

My last project was also a card for my niece’s birthday last weekend!  I started with a base of Melon Mambo and adhered a layer of Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Paper across the bottom.    Some Crushed Curry Polka Dot Ribbon hides the seam.  I used the Flower Layers Bigz Die and cut flowers from Crushed Curry, Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo and Leaves (from Build A Flower Sizzlet die) from Old Olive.  I ran all of the pieces thru my Big Shot with the Finial Press Embossing Folder.  I used dimensionals between the layers when I stacked them together and added a Summer Sun Corduroy Button in the center!  I LOVE the outside…but wait until you see the inside!

I used the new Look Here XL Bigz Die cut from Rich Razzleberry.  I took the picture without the gift card so you could see it better.  I lined the back and bottom front panel with more Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Paper.  I punched the Butterfly from the purple pattern of Razzleberry Lemonade and added a Melon Mambo body with my Slot Punch.  And, finally I added the Birthday Greetings from On Your Birthday stamped on Crushed Curry and rounded the corners with my Corner Rounder.  She LOVED it!  (I’ll show you her brother’s card next week!)

Next stop is Mary Brown at StamperCamper Blog!  I’m sure she will has some FABULOUS ideas!

Tour de Freaks Blog Tour!

It’s time again for the Tour de Freaks Blog Tour, this is Stop #1.  You may have just come from our fabulous Control Freaks Swap Mom, Lisa Martz’s blog…welcome to my blog, Inkspired Treasures!  At the bottom of this post, you will be directed to the next blog stop, the awesome Mary Brown!  There is a total of 12 stops on this month’s tour. 

Our topic of the month is NEW stamp sets in the NEW catalog!  I’ve fallen in love with several sets and I’m excited to see the ideas the gals have come up with showcasing these sets!  I know I’ll have several more sets on my wishlist when I’m done with the Tour!

My first card starts out with one of the first sets I had on my wish list, Herb Expressions!  This is such a VERSATILE set with the images and verses it contains.  This card is 5 1/4 x 5 1/4 and uses two of the new In Colors!  For my focal element, I cut an oval template from the Oval Shapes die with my Big Shot and used the reverse image to sponge So Saffron in an oval shape on Whisper White.  Then I stamped the "I’m Here for You…" verse in Basic Black in the center of the oval.  I over stamped the Thyme image with More Mustard within the oval, too, so it stays as a background behind the verse.  I punched the corners of the Whisper White with the Ticket Corner Punch and layered it on Crushed Curry, punched the corners of that layer, too. I started with a base card of Crushed Curry and added a layer of Dusty Durango.  I used some of the designer paper from Razzleberry Lemonade and layered it on Dusty Durango.  Then I wrapped two lengths of Crushed Curry Polka Dot Ribbon and adhered to the back of the Dusty Durango.  I colored the silk flower from the Pretties Kit with Dusty Durango and Crushed Curry reinkers, then added a Crystal Rhinestone brad in the center.  It is popped up with Dimensionals on the front of the card.

My next card is a sneak peak for Christmas!  Everyone who knows me, knows that I love snowmen!  My house is decorated with them from the day after Thanksgiving until the end of February.  So, of course, the minute I saw the new Level 3 Hostess Set, The More the Merrier, I just HAD to have it!  Luckily, Stampin’ Up! allows demos to preorder one of the Level 2 and Level 3 sets before the new catalog takes effect, so I’ve had this gem in my hands for a while! 

One of the things I wanted to do is to make a Snowglobe from the Snowmen.  The images of the 5 snowmen was just a little too large for my 1 3/4 Circle Punch, so I used the marker omit technique and only inked up three of the snowmen with my black marker.  Then is used the colors from the Holiday Lounge Designer Paper (Taken with Teal, Real Red) and colored their scarves and hats with my markers.  For the base of the snowglobe, I inked up Warm Winter Wishes from Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set and  used the NEW Modern Label Punch (doesn’t it look like a real base?) to punch it out.  At the bottom, I layered the Holiday Lounge Designer Paper onto Kraft cardstock, then a layer of Real Red.  I wrapped some 5/8 Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon and tied a knot in the front to hide the seam.  I also added a couple Real Red Square Rhinestone Brads to the bottom right corner.  Finally, I added my little snowglobe to the top with dimensionals and adhered everything to the base card of Taken With Teal!  I’m thinking that this just might be my Christmas Card this year!  Too fun!

Finally, I’ve included something for the kids.  Except that I’ll be the one carrying this around in my purse!  I’m always needing something to take notes on.  I like this pad of paper because it doesn’t have lines on it…this allows me to make sketches for designs if something catches my eye while I’m out shopping!  (Yes, I really do scribble on the backs of receipts, etc., when I spot an idea!)  

This picture shows how I made a folder to surround the paper pad and covered the outside with the new Tall Tales Designer Paper…the whales are just too cute!  The DSP was layered onto So Saffron cardstock that I scored to size around the pad of paper.  I added the reverse Stripe print from the same DSP on the bottom and wrapped some Chocolate Chip 1/4 grosgrain ribbon around to the back to secure.  I added a Filigree Brad.  Then I inked up the whale image from Animal Stories stamp set in Close to Cocoa Craft ink and embossed with Clear Embossing Powder on So Saffron cardstock.  I punched it with the 1 3/4 circle punch.  I layered it on the Whisper White Scallop Circles cut with the Pennant XL Die on my Big Shot.  I LOVE how the scallops are large enough to fit behind the 1 3/4 circle punch!  I also used the same Tall Tails Designer Paper to decorate the inside of the folder.

Of course, if I were to give it as a gift, I’d need a card to go with it.  So I created a little 4×4 card in the same design to go with my little memo pad holder!  Just for You is from the Teeny Tiny Words stamp set.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my creations and bookmark my site in your Favorites file.  Or, sign up to receive email updates in the upper left corner.  It emails you every time I post something new!

Next stop is the awesome, Mary Brown!  I’m sure she will WOW you with her creations!

Have a great day!

INKspired Treasures