Stampin' Up!

May Tour de Freaks

May 19, 2014 By Connie | 14 Comments

Woohoo!!! New products in the house!!! Well, I’ve actually had Work of Art in my studio since the catalog reveal. But, my preorder DID come in today! I have lots of new toys to play with! First…you’ve probably come from the blog of Heidi Boos…aren’t her projects fun? We have 12 stops on the tour this month, so make sure to continue along the tour until you get back here! Our theme this month is products using the Preorder Items demos could purchase this month!

For my Tour projects, I made 3 different cards using the Work of Art stamp set! Here’s the first one. I made 25 of these for the Stampin’ Up! Cruise Swap! I was happy with the color combination of Crisp Cantaloupe, Crumb Cake and Basic Black!

Here’s the second one I made for the tour. This one I used Watercolor Paper for the background and did the rainbow of colors with the long swash image in Work of Art stamp set. Colors were Island Indigo, Coastal Cabana, Soft Sky, Daffodil Delight and Pear Pizzazz. I added some punched Petite Flowers of Daffodil Delight with Gold Sequin Centers. Hooray for Today is from Geometrical stamp set.

Next I decided to use the Work of Art stamp set to make a sun! After it was finished, I noticed that it would make a great Sunflower with a brown center instead of the yellow! I’ll have to try that next! I did use the new Hello Honey Ink for my sun, stamping off to get the lighter colors. The 1 3/4″ circle is punched from new Lullaby Designer Paper! I added a little white designer button and White Bakers Twine.

OK…what do you think? Hope you like them all! Next stop of the tour is Judy DiScipio. I know you’ll love her fabulous projects, too! Thanks for stopping by!

Hello Sailor again!

May 18, 2014 By Connie | 3 Comments

So sorry that I have been a very bad blogger this week! Just a LOT going on after getting back from the Stampin’ Up! Incentive Cruise. Oh my…what an AWESOME time we had! The Allure of the Seas ship is truly HUGE and amazing! Even though I felt very little motion on the ship, on Monday I was feeling a little funny and getting used to being back on dry land, I guess! lol!

I’m very bummed that Stampin’ Up!’s Hello Sailor will not be in the new catalog! Better email me to order it NOW…the Occasions catalog ends on June 1st! I’ve used it quite a bit for masculine cards, even though my family really isn’t into sailing…they do love ski boats! This card is similar to the one I did for the Control Freaks Occasions Catalog Swap. I forgot to take a picture of the actual version I did for the swap. I needed to use less DSP in the background so I had enough to make 30 swap cards and I used another banner with that stripe DSP rather the full background. But other than that, it is the same.

Here are the details:

The base is 4 1/4 x 11 Summer Starfruit (will miss this in-color!)
The background is the stripe pattern from High Tide Designer Paper cut to 4 x 5 1/4.
I embossed the 2 x 4 3/4 Smoky Slate cardstock with the Woodgrain embossing folder and cut a flag end, then placed it down the center.
I used the Circle Framelits to cut out a Pacific Point and Whisper White circle rings, then cut away a portion of the Whisper White to make the life preserver. I looped the Summer Starfruit Twine around the top and secured the ends in the back. It is popped up on the front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
I used Summer Starfruit and Pacific Point Markers to ink up the Hello Sailor greeting and stamped on Whisper White, then cut with the Circle Framelit. I added Stampin’ Dimensionals to the back.
The wheel was stamped with Smoky Slate on Whisper White and cut with the Circle Framelit (or 1″ punch). In the center I added a yellow Candy Dot.

Hope you like it! Come back tomorrow evening for the Control Freaks Tour de Freaks blog hop!

Peaceful Petals Thank You!

April 23, 2014 By Connie | 1 Comment

Stampin' Up! has an amazing Demonstrator Support team! Every time you call in with a question or problem, they are on hand to help graciously! The demos have gotten together to show our LOVE by taking this week to show our appreciation! Here's my card for #weloveDS Appreciation Week! So THANKS SO MUCH Demonstrator Support!!!

I borrowed the general layout for this card from Deb Currier, but switched out the stamps and colors. I had the little flowers from Stampin' Up!'s Peaceful Petals already made and sitting on my desk, and they worked perfectly for the look I wanted to achieve!

The base is 4 1/4 x 11 Strawberry Slush cardstock, folded in half.
I added a 4 x 5 1/4 layer of Soft Sky cardstock.
On the 4×4 panel of Sahara Sand, I stamped the Hardwood background stamp with Sahara Sand ink. It is layered on a 4 x 4 1/4 piece of Basic Black cardstock and placed on the front.
I punched a 2 1/2" Circle from Shimmer White and pierced holes around it with the template. I stamped Thank You So Much from Lots of Thanks stamp set with Black Stazon and added to the front with Stampin' Dimensionals.
I stamped the flowers and leaves from Peaceful Petals in Black Stazon on Shimmer White and watercolored with Strawberry Slush, Wild Wasabi, Garden Green and Crushed Curry Stampin' Write Markers, then cut them out and adhered on the front.
Finally, I cut a couple 3/4" strips of Basic Black and Strawberry Slush and tucked them under the circle.

I'm happy with how mine turned out!

So, again THANK YOU to our remarkable Demonstrator Support Team and everyone who works so hard at the Home Office!

SUOC95 White Pansy Flowers

April 22, 2014 By Connie | 4 Comments

The theme this time over on SUO Challenges is Featuring Flowers! Well, isn't that an easy one for me! I have to hold myself back from using flowers all the time! I always say, no more flower sets…but end up ordering the newest ones each year! With the NEW catalog coming out soon, I'm excited to see what new ones they have for us! This one I decided to use Punch Flowers in a crisp white color with some of the Eastern Elegance Designer Paper!

This came together very quickly! Here are the details:

The base is 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 Whisper White, folded in half.
I added a 4 x 5 1/4 piece of Eastern Elegance Designer Paper to the front.
I cut a 2 1/2 x 5 1/4 piece of Crushed Curry cardstock and measured the center point at 2 5/8", then cut from the sides to the center point to make an "envelope" look on the front. I embossed this piece with the Perfect Polka Dots folder.
Next I punched two Pansy Punches and two Petite Flower Punches out of Whisper White and layered them together with Stampin' Dimensionals.
I cut two Itty Bitty flower punches (RETIRING SOON!) from the same DSP and placed them in the center of the flowers with Rhinestone Jewels.
I cut two Little Leaves Sizzlet (on the RETIREMENT LIST) from Pear Pizzazz and added them to the front of the card with Mini Glue Dots, then added the White Flowers.
Finally, I stamped Hello from Four You in Black Stazon on the front DSP.

Make sure to check out the rest of the Design Team over on SUO Challenges this time! Then grab your flower stamps and play along!

April 2014 Tour De Freaks

April 19, 2014 By Connie | 6 Comments

This month's Tour de Freaks theme is "Non-Gender Specific"…that kind of cracks me up! Anyway…projects that can be used for either male or female is how I interpreted it! The Control Freaks have a short, but sweet, tour for you this month! Come take the tour! You've probably just come from Justin Krieger's blog…weren't his projects fun!

I decided to use my On Film Framelits…I haven't used them much…and matched them with Film Strip and Hip Notes Stamp Sets! I used a Black/White/Silver theme and love how they turned out! There is a card and matching gift card holder. My daughter-in-law always asks for photo processing gift cards (she uses them a LOT with Carter!), so this will be perfect for her!

Here's a closeup of the card. The cameras from the On Film Framelits are embossed on Silver Cardstock…and there is a touch of Silver Glimmer across the bottom. I also used Gorgeous Grunge in the background with Neutrals Designer Paper Pack. The Filmstrip stamp (did you even know Stampin' Up! carried it???) I extended by piecing it together.

And here is the matching gift card holder. I used the same stamp sets and details on it, along with the Pop N Cuts Card Base Die.

Inside is a stand-up piece to hold the gift card. I cut the opening with the Word Window Punch.

Make sure to continue on around the rest of the Blog Tour. Next up is my good friend, Debbie Henderson…I always ADORE her work and am sure you will, too!

Just FYI – Typepad has been having server issues the past few days because of a hacker.
If you get stopped on the tour, here is the lineup to work around it:

Justin Krieger: www.jkcardsonline.com
Connie Babbert: www.inkspiredtreasures.com
Debbie Henderson: www.debbiesdesignsblog.blogspot.com
Cindy Elam: www.heartsdelightcards.blogspot.com
LeeAnn Greff: www.flowerbug.typepad.com
Wendy Weixler: www.wickedlywonderfulcreations.blogspot.com
Mary Brown: www.stampercamper.com
Judy DiScipio: www.judystamps.blogspot.com
Barb Mulikin: www.barbstamps.com

On Film Framelits Dies

$29.95

Hip Notes

$11.95

Filmstrip

$10.95

Card Base Pop' N Cuts

$39.95

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

CCMC299 Eggstra Spectacular

April 17, 2014 By Connie | 7 Comments

We have a fun sketch challenge for you to try over on Create with Connie and Mary! My mind went several different ways when I saw the sketch. I ended up deciding to use Stampin' Up!'s Eggstra Spectacular one more time before Easter! I think it turned out kind of fun! But, I really LOVE what the rest of the Challenge Team did! Make sure to check them out over on Create with Connie and Mary this week!

And here is my card! Aren't the bright Easter Eggs fun? I can hardly wait for our grandson, Carter, to enjoy his first Easter Egg "hunt".

The details:

The base is 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 Strawberry Slush cardstock, folded in half.
I embossed the top 2/3 of the 4 x 5 1/4 layer of Whisper White with the Perfect Polka Dots folder.
Along the bottom, I added a 1 x 5 1/4 piece of Kaleidoscope Designer Paper, then a small strip of Basic Black cardstock to hide the seam.
I stamped the egg from Eggstra Spectacular three times with Black Stazon on Crushed Curry, Strawberry Slush and Bermuda Bay cardstock, then punched with the Extra Large Oval Punch. They are popped up on the front with Stampin' Dimensionals.
Since the eggs had the "greeting", I stamped the row of Easter eggs with Black Stazon on Whisper White and colored with Markers. I cut a flag end and placed the strip across the eggs.
Finally, I added a small Petite Petals flower of Crushed Curry with an Itty Bitty Flower Punch of Strawberry Slush to the end, with a Rhinestone in the center.

Kind of fun and unusual Easter card, don't you think? I had fun with it!

It's not too late to join Card "Create"tions 2014! We are in the almost at the end of our session, BUT, our website stays up for almost a year so you can refer back to the EXCLUSIVE card ideas! Each card set could be a FULL class…and the weekly favor as a bonus! More details over on Create with Connie and Mary! For $19.95 US, you are getting 72 EXCLUSIVE card ideas from 18 different stap!

Oh Baby!

April 14, 2014 By Connie | 11 Comments

Oh, some EXCITING news! It's finally been shared on Facebook, so I can share it here, too!

Our youngest son and DIL are expecting their first child…our second grandchild! We are BEYOND excited!

I sent them this card last month when we got the news! I used Stampin' Up!'s single stamp, Oh Baby, that was available last year (it may be available as a digital MDS…I'm not sure…I tried to find it!) But, I knew I'd use it a lot so I purchased the stamp. I combined it with Kaleidoscope Designer Paper…Strawberry Slush is Allie's favorite color! So…a little pink…a little blue with Bermuda Bay…I figure I'm covered either way! Also, notice the little heart on her tummy! Here are the details:

The base is 4 1/4 x 11 Smoky Slate.
I added a 3 1/2 x 3 3/4 piece of Kaleidoscope DSP on th left, then a 1 1/2 x 5 1/4 strip on the right.
I stamped the Oh Baby image with Black Stazon on Whisper White, then used the Oval Framelit to cut it out. I popped it up on the front with Stampin' Dimensionals.
I punched two Petite Petals flowers from Crushed Curry Cardstock and added Strawberry Slush Itty Bitty flower punches in the center with Rhinestones.
Finally, I added a little Red Glimmer Heart, punched from the Owl Punch, on her tummy!

And, we got to hang out with Carter for a while yesterday after his nap. I took this picture…look at his WILD hair! lol! Isn't he a SWEETIE! Just love him to pieces! He is 10 months old today!

Well…happy Monday! Busy week of stamping for me! Have to start working on 1st birthday invitations for this little guy!

Crazy Mixed Up Love favor

April 12, 2014 By Connie | 4 Comments

It's Saturday and time for another Create with Connie and Mary favor! Each week during our Card Create-tions 2014 session, we are showing a coordinating favor that goes along with the stamp set we used that week. My stamp set for Week 2 was Crazy Mixed Up Love. I can't believe that this was the first time that I inked that set up. It really is a cute, unusual set with the whimsical greetings in it! Remember, only our Card Create-tions subscribers can see our card sets, but everyone sees the coordinating favor we did! See…you'll already have a class or stamp camp all figured out! Just follow the step-by-step tutorial that we provide to complete your cards!

Here are the details on how to make this favor:

The Crushed Curry cardstock insert is 3 3/4 x 7 3/4, scored at 5.
On top I added a 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 piece of I Am Me Designer Paper in the checked pattern.
On each of the clothespins, I measured the size and added the I Am Me DSP to cover the front and back of the clothespins. Then I cllipped each of them to the cardstock insert.
I slipped the insert down into a 4×6 cello bag and folded the top down.
I cut a Basic Gray Starburst Framelit and scored it in half, then folded it across the top of the cello bag, adhering in on front and back with a couple mini glue dots.
On top of that, I cut a Circle Framelit from the Designer Paper, scored in half, and layered on the Basic Gray Starburst.
The lightbulb from Crazy Mixed Up Love I inked up with Crushed Curry, then used a Basic Gray Marker on the bottom of the bulb. It was cut with a Circle Framelit. At the bottom, I added a Rhinestone Jewel.
I cut a smaller Crushed Curry Starburst Framelit and layered the lightbulb image on top, then added it to the top of the cello bag with Stampin' Dimensionals.
Finally, I stamped the greeting with Black Stazon on a narrow strip of Whisper White, cut a flag end, and tucked it under the circle on front.

I think it is a cute little "just because" favor! I'm always looking for chip clips and this would be perfect! Make sure to check out the rest of the Card Create-tions 2014 Design Team to see what they did for their favor this week! And, it's not too late to join! For only $19.95 US, you get over 72 EXCLUSIVE card ideas using 18 different sets! Get more details over on Create with Connie and Mary!

Click on the item photos below to order from my ONLINE STORE!