Stampin' Up!

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

Order online 24/7 at my website HERE!

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!

Order online 24/7 at my website HERE! Online Ordering BONUS is a FREE subscription to Create with Connie & Julie with a $75 order!

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!

Twick or Tweet Lollipop Treat Holder

October 18, 2009 By Connie | 1 Comment

It is time for another Create with Connie and Julie Challenge. Each week we have a fun challenge that all of our subscribers can participate in. Our top three picks will win some fabulous Stampin’ Up! prizes!

Here is the little treat holder I made for the challenge using Stampin’ Up!’s Twick or Tweet stamp set and the Petal Card die. I adapted the inside so that it holds the lollipop stick without it falling out of the sleeve! One of the perks for joining Create with Connie and Julie…I have the tutorial for making these on today’s post!

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 $39.95US. For more information on the site please click HERE.

Order online 24/7 at my website HERE!

Stamping 411 Sketch – Patterned Pines

October 17, 2009 By Connie | 6 Comments

I loved both the Hostess Only sets in the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Mini! Patterned Pines is the one I was able to earn first by placing my own $150 order. But, I only just got around to mounting it today! I debated whether or not to cut the trees apart, but I figured I’d probably be stamping and cutting them out individually anyway, so I left them as one piece. Isn’t that the great thing about Stampin’ Up!’s stamp sets? You can mount them however you want!

Here is today’s sketch challenge from Stamping 411! Love the sketch…Selene always does a great job making these up!

Since Patterned Pines was calling my name to ink it up, I used that for my focal piece. I stamped the Pines with Versamark on Very Vanilla and embossed them with Gold Embossing Powder, then cut them out. I mounted them with Dimensionals on a piece of Soft Suede that was run thru the Big Shot with the Petals A Plenty Impressions Folder. It was layered on Brushed Gold cardstock. I added a strip of Brushed Gold Cardstock on the base card of Confetti Cream Cardstock. This color combination is in serious contention for my Christmas Cards this year! I LOVE it! Finally, I stamped Season’s Greetings from Four the Holidays stamp set in Versamark and embossed with Gold Embossing Powder, too.

Pretty simple card and easy to mail since it would basically lie flat in the envelope.

I hope you check out what the other Operators have made using this sketch over on Stamping 411, then create your own. Add the direct link to your creation on Mister Linky over there.

Have a great weekend…GO BUCKS!

INKspired Treasures

Supplies:

Stamps: Patterned Pines (116525 Level 1 hostess set), Four the Holidays (116921)

Inks: Versamark (102283)

Cardstock: Very Vanilla (101650), Confeetti Cream (102835), Soft Suede (115318), Brushed Gold (102935)

Accessories: Big Shot machine (113439), Petals A Plenty Impressions Folder (116824), Gold Embossing Powder (109129)

Bloggers Challenge – Alter it!

October 16, 2009 By Connie | 15 Comments

It is Friday and time for another Bloggers Challenge! The theme this week is Alter it! Well…I think everyone knows this is one of my favorite themes. I’ve been holding off on sharing these until this week.

At the Stampin’ Up! Convention, they showed how to make beautiful magnet boards showcasing our gorgeous Designer Paper! After Convention, our group does a Round Up meeting and shows the other members in our downlines what we learned at Convention. I focused on this project and made the following magnet boards for my home.

The first one uses one of the Large On Board Book Basics that I painted with Chalkboard Paint. This is available at your local hardware store in the spray paint area. It is in a pint sized can, but inside a box if you are looking for it. Runs about $21. It took 2 coats to get covered and you need to have them shake it and use it right away, or spend some time stirring up the magnetic particles from the bottom settling of the can.

I stamped some Game Day images on Whisper White and cut them to 1" size, then adhered them to Scallop Square punches. There is a strong magent on the back of each of them. I cut the Let’s Play with the Big Shot and Stampin’ Up!’s exclusive Timeless Type dies and Real Red Cardstock. I added a strip of Jackpot Designer Paper, layered on So Saffron cardstock along the left side and some 5/8 Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon. I used my Crop-A-Dile to punch two holes in the top of the decorated On Board and added additional 5/8 Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon for a hanger. The back is also covered with Jackpot Designer Paper. Wouldn’t this be great to put a note on reminding everyone of the time for Game Night or your sports schedule?

The second one, I actually found a square 9×9 metal sign that was flat on the front. I rounded the corners and used Sticky Strip to adhere the Tall Tales Designer Paper to the front. Can you see the animal magnets? I cut out the animal/tree images from the Tall Tales Designer Paper pattern and laminated them to keep them from getting torn. Then I placed a heavy magnet on the back with Crystal Effects. I added some magnets to the back of a couple Designer Buttons, too. The sign already had hangers on the back, so I tied on the 1" Rose Red Double-Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon to them to make the hanger. Wouldn’t this be cute in a kid’s room?

Those are my two altered projects for this week! Hope you like them!

Order online 24/7 at my website HERE! Online Ordering BONUS is a FREE subscription to Create with Connie & Julie with a $75 order!

Twick or Tweet

October 15, 2009 By Connie | 1 Comment

Wow…I’m getting later and later posting. Hopefully I can catch up this weekend. My computer has been acting up, too, since it did a download the other day. Grrr…

Today’s card is my Design Team submission using the sketch from the LateNightStampers Challenge #41. Same sketch that I used HERE. Amazing how different it looks!

I started with a base of Pumpkin Pie cardstock and layered a 4×4 piece of Cast A Spell Designer Paper on top. I added two More Mustard mini brads to each end of a 1 x 4 strip of Old Olive cardstock, then placed it to hide the seam from the Designer Paper. I stamped the little bird from Stampin’ Up!’s Twick or Tweet stamp set on Whisper White and colored with my Stampin’ Write Markers, then sponged the edges with Basic Black ink. It was layered on Pumpkin Pie, sponged the edges, and finally layered on Basic Black cardstock. I stamped Twick or Tweet in Basic Black on Perfect Plum, then punched it with the Word Window punch and layered it on a Basic Black Modern Label punch piece. All that was added to the front of the card with Dimensionals.

I thought it turned out cute!

Wow…tomorrow is Friday already and time for Bloggers Challenge! See you then!

INKspired Treasures

Order online 24/7 at my website HERE! Online Ordering BONUS is a FREE subscription to Create with Connie & Julie with a $75 order!

Supplies:

Set: Twick or Tweet (116497)

Inks: Basic Black Classic Ink (101179)
Stampin’ Write Markers: Pumpkin Pie (105115), Summer Sun (100077), Creamy Caramel (100078)

Cardstock: Perfect Plum (101889), Pumpkin Pie (105117), Whisper White (100730), Basic Black (102851)

Accessories: Cast a Spell Designer paper (115677), Modern Label Punch (116630), Word Window Punch (105090), Earth Elements Mini Brads (105955)