Control Freaks

Tour de Freaks coming soon!

July 18, 2011 By Connie | Leave a Comment

We're getting ready for this month's Tour de Freaks on July 20th! Make sure to stop by and visit me and take the tour! I'll be showing off the Control Freaks swaps I made for our Convention lunch get together! Want to put the faces with the names/blogs on the tour? Here is a photo of our awesome Control Freaks group at the Stampin' Up! Convention lunch this year!

Bottom Row: List Mom Lisa Martz, Becky Roberts, LeeAnn Greff, Wendy Weixler, Dannie Graves, Joey Hartman

Top Row: Patty Bennett, Liz Schulz, Mary Brown, Connie Babbert, Lorri Heiling, Kelly Powell, Dawn Olchefske, Jan Tinklenberg

Missing is Mary Polcin…she stopped by a little later to say hi!

I have tons more pictures of Convention…I loved the GROW theme they carried out in so many magical ways this year! See the large flowers in the background? Those were all over the convention space. They had Decor Elements on the doors leading into Convention in those shapes…just a great theme!

On the Grow again!

May 1, 2011 By Connie | 3 Comments

It's TIME!!! A couple reasons to celebrate today! One is the START of Preview Week for the Summer Edition of Create with Connie and Mary! You are going to want to check out Mary's AWESOME Wonky Acrylic Mini Album…with a FREE tutorial…and win a chance for Blog Candy over there!

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AND…it is ALSO the start of the Summer Mini Catalog! I know I have customers who have been trying to order from it for the past couple weeks…now you CAN!!! May is going to be a SHORT month for me because of the Alaska Cruise…so make sure to get with my EARLY this month with your orders!

Now…my card! I know! You probably think the only set I purchased from the Summer Mini is the On the Grow stamp set! Really….I did buy LOTS more! I did make this card several weeks ago for my Control Freak Swaps. When I saw this set, the jar of flowers REALLY reminds my of my hydrangeas that bloom all summer. Yes…ALL summer! We have neighbors and cars stopping all the time when we are outside asking what we do to make our hydrangeas so blue. And by "we", I mean my hubby! lol! He feeds them all the time!

I started with the base of Marina Mist cardstock. I layered on Very Vanilla cardstock that I ran thru the Big Shot with the Vintage Wallpaper Impressinos Folder. I added the 1 1/4 Marina Mist Striped Ribbon (I do have SHARES for this ribbon going on!) AND added some of the Cherry Cobbler with White Bakers Twine tied in a bow.

I used the Scallop Duo Die to cut the larger scallop square from Poppy Parade cardstock. I love the pop of color it gives to this card. I stamped on Very Vanilla with Black Stazon Ink, then used Marina Mist, Old Olive and Poppy Parade Stampin' Write Markers with the AquaPainter to watercolor the jar of flowers. Oh…I used a little Sahara Sand for the ground. I stamped Thinking of You with Black Stazon. That greeting stamp is in the set, too. I love it when Stampin' Up! includes greetings we can use for every day!

I was really happy with this card. I hope my fellow Control Freak Swappers liked it, too!

Now, don't forget to pop over and see what we are doing on Create with Connie and Mary today! It will be an exciting TWO weeks as each of the designers show off one project with FREE tutorials for you!

Sharing creativity one stamped image at a time!

Sweet Summer

January 31, 2011 By Connie | 1 Comment

When I saw the Sale-A-Bration brochure, I knew this set, Stampin' Up!'s Sweet Summer, was the FIRST set I would order! One…you can never have too many flower sets…and two…I loved the clean whimsical look of them! I made over 50 of this card, some for my Control Freaks Sale-A-Bration swap and I took a few of them to Leadership with me!

I started with a base of Rich Razzleberry and layered on Pear Pizzazz that I ran thru the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots folder. I added the stripe paper from Springtime Vintage Designer Paper in the Occasions Mini. I wrapped some 1/4 Rich Razzleberry Grosgrain Ribbon around, tied a knot and secured it in the back.

I stamped a Whisper White panel randomly with the leafy swirl image from Sweet Summer in both Rich Razzleberry and Pear Pizzazz to make my own "designer paper". The focal flower, I stamped the stem in Pear Pizzazz and the top flower in Rich Razzleberry, added a Rhinestone Jewel to the center. It is punched with the 1 3/4 circle punch and layered on the 2 3/8 Scallop Circle. Finally, I stamped "Thanks" from Fabulous Phrases in Rich Razzleberry on the striped Designer Paper.

I liked how it turned out!

Over on Create with Connie and Mary, we are just beginning Week 2 of our subscription! This week we are featuring the Sale-A-Bration brochure products! It's not too late to join! We still have four weeks left of the subscription AND you will be able to access all the past projects we've done. We also leave the site up indefinitely for you to use the ideas in the future! With a price of $29.95 for over 30 projects, that is less than $1 per project! We know you won't be disappionted! Join today at Create with Connie and Mary!

Bells and Boughs

September 8, 2010 By Connie | 4 Comments

I love the old fashioned look of this set! Poinsettias and holly are just favorites of mine during the Christmas season. I always hate putting them away, although I'm always ready for less "clutter" when I finally do put away all the decorations.

This is my Control Freaks Swap card for the Holiday Mini!

I started by using Always Artichoke for the base. I layered on Cherry Cobbler cardstock that I ran thru the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots Impressions Folder. I cut a piece of Deck the Halls Designer Paper (my FAVORITE design in that package!) and angled the bottom edge. I adhered it to Very Vanilla, then ran it thru the Big Shot with the Top Note die. I used the Scallop Edge punch on a piece of Early Espresso cardstock and adhered that to the bottom of the Designer Paper. I stamped A Merry Christmas from Stampin' Up!'s Bells & Boughs stamp set in Cherry Cobbler. I added a strip of Sticky Strip, then the WONDERFUL Champagne Glass Glitter! Wow…I seriously LOVE this stuff! So easy to work with, doesn't make a mess, but adds a lot of sparkle to your project!

Finally, I stamped the bells from Bells & Boughs on Watercolor Paper with Black Stazon and used my AquaPainter along with Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake Stampin' Write Markers to watercolor it. Then it was cut out and popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals (30 of them in total!!!) I was happy with how they turned out!

New Designer Paper and Ribbon Shares going on now! Find more information HERE!

With the new catalog, Stampin' Up! has introduced a lot of new ribbon colors! So, I thought it was time for more Ribbon Shares. Each Group of Ribbon will be wrapped around 1-2 pieces of cardstock so your ribbon arrives wrinkle-free and organized.

August Tour de Freaks is here!

August 19, 2010 By Connie | 40 Comments

Wow…this really snuck up on me this month! I can't believe it is the 20th and time for the monthly Tour de Freaks, brought to you by the Control Freak Swappers! You've probably just come from the talented, FABULOUS Patty Bennett's blog!

Our theme this month was Sneak Peeks from the new Holiday Mini Catalog! I know my customers are already commenting on how much they LOVE this mini…I do, too, as my pocketbook will attest to….ouch! lol! I just had to have it ALL! I especially love a lot of the accessories in this mini…it is FULL of them. You'll notice a lot of them on my projects this month!

To begin, I have a Suspension Bat card! I had SO much fun making this one! It kind of evolved! I started with a base 5 1/4 x 5 1/4 card of Tangerine Tango. I added a 5 1/4 x 5 1/4 piece of Nite Owl Designer Paper (from the new mini) on the front. I used my Circle Scissors Plus to cut a 4" circle from the front thru both layers at the same time (if I were doing it again, I'd make it a little smaller…say 3 1/2). I ran the back half of the Tangerine Tango card stock thru the Big Shot with the Spider Web Impressions Folder…cool! Then I rubbed some White Craft Ink over the raised embossing with a sponge dauber. This base card was layered onto a 5 3/8 x 5 3/8 piece of Basic Black card stock for extra support.

Between the Tangerine Tango front and the Nite Owl Designer Paper, I added two strings of Linen Thread and pulled them tight between the layers, then adhered the layers together. I sandwiched two layers of the Bat Punch together with the Linen Thread in between…this makes it look like they are flying! I sponged White Craft around the edges of the bats and added a Rhinestone jewel to their heads. I wrapped some of the new 1/2 Raven Lace Trim into a bow in the upper left corner…love that stuff, too!

I stamped the spider from Stampin' Up!'s Dark & Dreary on Whisper White, colored it with the Basic Gray Marker and cut it out. I added two 1/2 backed pearls for the body…one smaller than the other. and placed it on the Spider Web with a Stampin' Dimensional. I used the new Decorative Label Punch with Basic Black Card stock, sponged around the edges with White Craft Ink. I cut EEK out of Tangerine Tango "glitter paper" with the Timeless Type Alphabet die and adhered to the front of the Label. Then I placed the label on the front of the card. (Note: to make glitter paper, apply Versamark to the card stock direct to paper, pour on Iridescent Ice EP, shake off excess, then heat set…makes glitter paper in every color that Stampin' Up! carries!) I LOVE my blinged out Suspension Bat card!

My second project was just as fun! It's a Bat Cone Candy Holder. It makes me LAUGH! I traced a bat pattern onto Basic Black card stock, cut it out, then ran it thru the Big Shot with the Texture Plates Kit #4. I had to run it thru a couple times to get the entire bat textured. I used the sponge dauber and White Craft Ink to go around the edges. I added Real Red Glimmer Brads for the eyes and drew the fangs with my White Gel Pen. I pulled it into a cone shape and secured in the back with Sticky Strip. I added a hanger with 1/2" Raven Lace Trim by piercing holes in the sides of the cone and tying knots inside the cone.

For the treat, I filled a small Cello Bag with Halloween colored M&Ms and tied it closed with a piece of the Raven Lace Trim. I added a tag made with the Dark & Dreary stamp, inked in Basic Black and stamped on Whisper White, then punched with the Decorative Label Punch. I added the 31 by stamping again on Real Red, then punching with the 1/2 circle punch and placing it on top with a Stampin' Dimensional. I also used a sponge dauber with Basic Black ink and sponged all the edges.

EDIT: As promised, here is the Bat Cone Candy Favor template to download!

DOWNLOAD BAT CONE

Next on the Blog Tour is the wonderful Mary Brown! I KNOW her projects will be awesome as usual! Make sure to stop by and see all 11 stops on the Tour this month! Thanks for stopping by!

More Blossom Party

July 30, 2010 By Connie | 2 Comments

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!

Elements of Style

July 6, 2010 By Connie | Leave a Comment

Wow…sorry! The holiday weekend was busy, and lots of paperwork remaining from earning the cruise PLUS my Customer Appreciation Parties have consumed all my time! I wanted to at least post something today so you know I haven't fallen off the face of the earth! I also decided to go to Convention, so need to start thinking about swaps and packing to go! Yikes!

I don't think I ever shared my Control Freaks Swap card for the Spring Mini! Since I had 35 to make, I knew I didn't want to color in the flowers…but I liked how the Soft Suede Classic Ink looked stamped on Sahara Sand!

I started with a base of Soft Suede Cardstock, then layered on Rich Razzleberry that I ran thru the Big Shot with the Square Lattice Impressions Folder. I reversed the Polka Dot Ribbon to the solid side and wrapped around it. I cut the Top Note with Sahara Sand cardstock, then stamped on the large rose from Stampin' Up!'s Elements of Style in Soft Suede Ink. I added some speckles on each side with the Color Spritzer Tool. I punched a Scallop Oval from Soft Suede, then stamped For You from the same stamp set in Rich Razzleberry on Whisper White, punched with the 1 1/4 Circle, and layered on the 1 3/8 Rich Razzleberry Circle. I added two Gold Mini Brads on each side.

Hope you have a wonderful week. It's Tuesday already so a short week for most!

Tour de Freaks Coming Soon

November 15, 2009 By Connie | Leave a Comment

Yep…it is almost here! Friday, November 20th is the next round of Tour de Freaks, brought to you by the Control Freak Swappers! The theme this month is Christmas gifts…small stocking stuffers, ornaments, gift collections, altered items! I can't WAIT to see what the twelve bloggers will have in store for us! Mark your calendar and see you then!

INKspired Treasures Blog