Stampin' Up!

Gifts of Christmas – SSC123

October 30, 2009 By Connie | 8 Comments

Grr…I had this post ALL done and my editor fritzed out! So…here we go again!

This week's Stamping 411 Sketch Challenge was really fun to do. I had this card done in about 10 minutes! Now…that is my kind of card!

My friend, Annette, who was here for a week, noticed that I didn't have a lot of Night of Navy or Bravo Burgundy cardstock scraps in my basket! I set out to make a card using those colors in her honor! So…here you go, Annette!

I purchased Stampin' Up!'s Gifts of Christmas stamp set because of all the beautiful cards I've seen made with it. Even all alone, the image is striking.

I started with a base of Bravo Burgundy cardstock and stamped the floral image from Stampin' Up!'s Gifts of Christmas stamp set randomly along the left side in Bravo Burgundy Classic Ink. The main image I stamped with Night of Navy Classic Ink on Whisper White cardstock and layered it onto Night of Navy cardstock. I added a strip of Bravo Burgundy that was trimmed with the Scallop Edge Punch, then wrapped the White Taffeta Ribbon around and tied. That's it! Less than 10 minutes from thought to completion!

It would be EASY to make this YOUR Christmas card and you could complete a stack of them in just a short time! This image also looks beautiful with Silver or Gold Embossing!

Enjoy! Check out the rest of the Stamping 411 Operators to see their creations this week! And…take a minute to make the sketch challenge yourself and upload to Mister Linky!

Have a wonderful weekend…Happy Halloween, too!

Bloggers Challenge – Halloween

October 30, 2009 By Connie | 18 Comments

Today's Bloggers' Challenge is to celebrate Halloween! It seems like I've made a LOT of Halloween cards this year! I love them! This card is one that my Technique Class did this month using the Split Negative Technique and Stampin' Up!'s From the Crypt stamp set! I think it is SO cool looking! This image really lends itself to this technique!

I started with a base of Old Olive and layered on a piece of Night & Day Designer Paper. I stamped the image on Whisper White with Old Olive Craft Ink. Then stamped the image with White Craft Ink on Old Olive and embossed with White Embossing Powder. The Old Olive image was cut in half and layered over the White Embossed image to get the split negative look. This element was layered on Basic Black and a small piece of Black Striped Ribbon was placed under the upper left corner.

I stamped Happy Halloween from Teeny Tiny Wishes in Basic Black on Old Olive and punched with the Modern Label punch. I punched the Designer Label punch with Basic Black cardstock, then a 1" circle from Whisper White fit inside the Designer Label and the Modern Label on top!

What do you think?

Happy Halloween! Hope you have a wonderful weekend! I'm hoping to RELAX!

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Twick or Tweet

October 29, 2009 By Connie | Leave a Comment

Tonight is Beggar's Night for us (Trick or Treat) and I can't wait to see all the little kids dressed up for Halloween! They always have the cutest costumes! I'm loaded up on candy…we ran out last year and I felt bad, but I had six bags and thought that would be plenty!

This is the Halloween card I mailed out this year. I think I made about 16 of them. I love the little chick in the set (of course, I love ALL the images in this Twick or Tweet set). Stampin' Up! really did a great job designing it!

I started with a base of Confetti White cardstock and placed a layer of Basic Black on top. I ran the Pumpkin Pie layer thru the Big Shot with the Perfect Details Texturz Plate for some subtle background texture. I wrapped the 5/8" Black Grosgrain Ribbon around to the back and adhered, then placed the smaller Black Gingham Ribbon over top of it. The label for the greeting is cut from the Matchbox XL die on Confetti White and stamped with Basic Black with Goblin Greetings from the Grateful Greetings set in the Holiday Mini Catalog. I sponged around the edges with Basic Black.

The chick from Twick or Tweet was stamped on Whisper White with Basic Black ink and colored with Stampin' Write markers in So Saffron, Summer Sun and Pumpkin Pie. I punched it with the 1 1/4 circle, the a 1 3/8 circle of Pumpkin Pie and Scallop Circle of Summer Sun.

That's it! My colorful Halloween card for this year!

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Supplies:

Set: Grateful Greetings (116511), Twick or Tweet (116497)

Inks: Basic Black Classic Ink, Stampin' Write markers: Pumpkin Pie, Summer Sun, So Saffron

Cardstock: Basic Black, Confetti White, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Summer Sun

Accessories: 1 1/4, 1 3/8, Scallop Circle Punches, 5/8 Black Grosgrain Ribbon, Black Gingham Ribbon, Matchbox XL Bigs Die (label), Perfect Details Texturz Die, Big Shot

Branch Out – take 2

October 28, 2009 By Connie | 3 Comments

Here is another card using Stampin' Up!'s Branch Out stamp set and the Chalk Lines technique. When I feature a technique in my class, I like to try to make up a couple more examples for them to see different ways the technique can be done. This is almost the exact layout, I just changed up the chalk colors.

For this card, I used a base of Taken with Teal cardstock and added the Chalk Lines technique made with Taken with Teal, Ballet Blue and Lavender Lace Stampin' Chalks. I layered it on Brushed Silver cardstock. The tree was stamped with Chocolate Chip ink on Bashful Blue cardstock and then layered on Whisper White. I stamped the snowflakes with Almost Amethyst Classic ink and Whisper Whtie Craft Ink for the tree "leaves". I added the Ruby Red cardinal in the tree, then wrapped the White Taffeta Ribbon around that layer. Finally, I punched a Whisper White snowflake with the Large Snowflake punch and added a Clear Rhinestone brad in the center.

I love this technique! Very fun to make your own designer paper in the colors you want!

Still have company so I'm going to keep this short! Have a great day!

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It's not too late! We would love to have you join us over on Create with Connie & Julie. We have just finished up our Halloween and Fall ideas and we are now starting 6 full weeks of Christmas projects. There are two ways to join us, you can place an online order for $75.00 or you can purchase a subscription for only $39.95 US. For more information on the site please click HERE.

Bloggers Challenge 122 – No Layers!

October 23, 2009 By Connie | 19 Comments

No layers! Oh my! Sometimes the simplest looking cards are the hardest to make! However, this one did come together pretty quickly! I started with a different idea, but this is how it turned out. I do like it! I love Stampin' Up!'s Level 1 Hostess Set, Patterned Pines and used it here!

I started with Shimmer White Cardstock! Every card looks elegant with Shimmer Paper. I stamped the trio of Patterned Pines image with Gable Green Craft Ink and then embossed it with Clear Embossing Powder. I added a Summer Sun Classic Ink star at the top of the center tree. Merry Christmas from Christmas Greetings (a MUST have set!) is stamped in Rich Razzleberry and I did use my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig for placement. Finally, I wrapped some Gold Stretch Cord around the card and tied with a bow (which would NOT stay flat for photographing!) lol!

That's it! I'm anxious to see what the other Bloggers Challenge players came up with for this challenge! Have a great weekend. Come back tomorrow for Stamping 411's sketch challenge!

INKspired Treasures

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Supplies:

Sets: Patterned Pines (Hostess Level 1 set), Christmas Greetings (115448)

Inks: Rich Razzleberry Classic (115658), Summer Sun Classic (100537), Gabel Green Craft Ink (101671),

Cardstock: Shimmery White (101910),

Accessories: Clear Embossing Powder (109130), Heat Tool (100005), Gold Stretch Cord (109867)

October Tour de Freaks

October 19, 2009 By Connie | 23 Comments

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!

Deals of the Week #3

October 19, 2009 By Connie | Leave a Comment

Today is the beginning of another Deals of the Week from Stampin' Up! Check out these bargains!

Week 3 Deals of the Week

Item	Description	Special Price
114348	Basic Jumbo grommets Reg. $6.95	$4.49
109857	Mini Library clips Reg. $12.95	$8.99
112571	Circle Designer brads Reg. $5.95	$3.99
112581	1/2" Library clips Reg. $6.95	$3.99

Click here to place an ONLINE ORDER!

Remember that I will be out of town this weekend, so if you want me to place the order for you, I'll need it no later than Friday at noon. I will not have internet service at the Retreat! As always, you can place an online order 24/7!

INKspired Treasures

Best Wishes and More

October 19, 2009 By Connie | Leave a Comment

The Late Night Stampers Design Team assignment this week is to use the colors of Really Rust, Ruby Red and Old Olive. These are favorite fall colors, of course, so I grabbed a universal set, Best Wishes & More, that I haven't used much at all this season. It has a very pretty stylized leaf in it.

Of course, the first thing I looked for was Designer Paper that had those three colors in it…I didn't really see anything I wanted to use. So, I made up my own "designer paper". I stamped the leaf in the three colors, Really Rust, Ruby Red and Old Olive on Very Vanilla cardstock. Then used the Itty Bitty Backgrounds stamp to speckle on some additional Old Olive. This was layered on Ruby Red cardstock. I used "Thankful Thoughts of You" from Grateful Greetings in Old Olive on Very Vanilla and layered it on Really Rust cardstock. Then I cut out three of the leaves from scrap Very Vanilla and mounted them on the greeting layer with Stampin' Dimensionals.

The base card is Old Olive and I added a strip of Really Rust cardstock and a Scallop Edge of Very Vanilla. I wrapped some of the gorgeous Mistletoe Old Olive Taffeta Ribbon around the Really Rust and tied a knot. The other two layers were mounted on top. As a final touch, I added a Neutral Button in the center of the leaf trio and used a thin strip of Really Rust cardstock to tie a knot in the button holes.

This starts a BUSY week for me! I have my best buddies coming in for the weekend stamping retreat and I get to STAMP, STAMP, STAMP all day and all night for 3 1/2 days! No meals to fix…nothing! Yeah! But…of course…I need to get everything ready before I go…AND my Stamp Clubs meet the night before I leave! I need to prep for it yet! Anyway, hope you have a great week!

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Supplies:

Sets: Best Wishes & More, Itty Bitty Backgrounds, Grateful Greetings

Inks: Really Rust, Old Olive, Ruby Red

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Ruby Red, Really Rust, Old Olive

Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, Mistletoe Ribbon, Latte Buttons, Stampin' Dimensionals

Don't forget! Tuesday, October 20th the Tour de Freaks begins at 8 AM! Stop back to take the tour and gather some special Christmas holiday ideas!