Circle Flower Birthday

Oooh! It's the first time I've gotten to use my new Square Lattice embossing folder since it was on backorder for a good long while. It's great! I'm sure it will make many appearances here.
While looking at all the new color offerings the other day I realized that I really don't use Rose Red enough. It's a great color, but often overlooked by me. This is my first attempt to correct my neglect. :)
Remember, the new catalog goes live on-line TOMORROW. So, check out my website to see the whole thing any time after noon tomorrow. You can pick up your copy at any July class.

Blue Flower Thanks

It's a super simple one for you today. I came across a stack of note sized cards the other day and have been meaning to make one. Here's my version of a quick "I need to go back to work from lunch" card. :) Just a little work with the Big Shot & some quick roller work for the back ground along with a few special touches to make a thank you note in a hurry.

I'm really liking how Marina Mist & Baja Breeze combine. There is just so much to discover with the new colors! It's also the first time I've used my Floral Fusion die. I didn't realize how nicely they pair up with the Trio Flower punch. It's such fun when things coordinate well.

Presto Patterns Square/ Mojo Monday 145

Well, this isn't what I expected out of my post this morning! Isn't that fun? I set out to do a combo of Mojo Monday and PPC Color Challenge before heading off to work & found that I didn't quite do either. At first, I tried to force in the other two colors (Wild Wasabi & Tangerine Tango) from PPC, but it just didn't work. And there is one element from the Mojo card that I left off too because it just felt forced when added on. But that's what the challenges are for, right? To stretch us into doing different things? I was stretched, but didn't feel the need to sacrifice the card in the process.

I brought out the patterns in the paper this morning simply by sponging on the ink. I like the extra vintage look that lends. All in all, a fun adventure to start the week!

Stinky Greetings

My execution on this one was imperfect to say the least, but I still think it's cute. :) How can you not smile at this little stinker. I suppose he should be named after the legendary Charmin (as in don't squeeze the...) but that is a story for another time.

Next time I will employ my Stamp-a-ma-jig so I can create a more uniform line of flowers, but I wasn't sure if I really wanted that kind of consistency today. Now I am more sure though. All part of the process, right?

It's great to have a scallop circle that fits my larger images so nicely. This punch is an XL Scallop Circle & will be available in just a few days with the release of the new catalog. I hope you're as excited about all these new toys as I am!

Do you recognise the pink? Pink Pirouette is back, or at least it will be as of July 1!

Wasabi Lily

Have I mentioned yet how very excited I am about the return of Wild Wasabi? It is one of my all time favorite colors (in a close race with Elegant Eggplant) and I was so sad to see it go after its short year as an In Color. Ta da! It's back.
Today's project uses the textured Wild Wasabi cardstock. In the new catalog the textured cardstock will be available not only as a variety pack for each family but also in each individual color. It's a change that I am excited about.
I paired an old favorite with a new one in this card. Daffodil Delight made a small appearance in my hot air balloon, but I think you'll get an even better impression of this new color here. It's lovely! With all this focus on color you can be sure this one will appear in my Color theme class in July.

Up, Up, and Away

I promised more playing with punches today & here you have it. While trying to create my octopus from yesterday, I discovered that the Ornament Punch makes a lovely hot air balloon. And what is a balloon with out a basket? This little basket comes from the Bouquet Bunch flower pot. I just didn't ink the ribbon around it's middle or the lower lip of the pot.

I combined it with my favorite sky technique (which just uses a torn paper towel & a sponge) and my ever faithful Lovely as a Tree set to give the balloon a place to explore. I even branched out and utilized Soft Suede, a color I use rarely. Now that I know it will be around for a long time, I need to make friends with it. It's one thing to ignore an In Color that only has a year lifespan & quite another to neglect a part of the enduring pallet!

Ornament Octopus

I've decided to play around with my Ornament Punch for a few experiments. My little octopus friend is pretty cute, but he could easily morph in to a spider or even a jellyfish. Hmmm....perhaps you'll see them sometime too. It's hard to say what kind of mood will strike me.

In addition to having fun with my punch, I also had a great time with the colors for this card. None of them are new; they are some of the survivors of the Color Renovation. However, I don't think I've ever used the three together. Perfect Plum is a color I'm just sort of discovering as I play with all the new color possibilities and I really do like it. It's a great companion for both Certainly Celery and Elegant Eggplant.

I have another punch discovery ready for tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Summer Fresh Cuts

Believe it or not, this one isn't a color challenge. :) I came up with these all on my own & really like them together. I was pleasantly surprised by some of the colors that were created on my make-shift ink pad when I added Tempting Turquoise, So Saffron, and Pumpkin Pie reinkers. One is this great green that reminds me of Wild Wasabi. Such fun! You never know what to expect when you start playing.

The center image is cut out using the new Scallop Rectangle Clearlits die. As the name implies, the die itself is clear so you can make sure the image you are cutting out is exactly what you want. That way I could pick my favorite part of the stamp to use. It's a handy little tool that I'm sure you'll be seeing again from me soon!

Riding Hood Rose/ Mojo Monday 144

Today's project is all about the return of Riding Hood Red. You'll find that the new colors include lots of great variations of red including this one...a retired In Color back and ready for action.

I'm off today for my first ladybug hunt with the Youth Corps kidos so it seemed fitting to have a black & red themed card to set the mood. Apparently there are ladybug species that are disappearing, so we're going to help out with the effort to see who is out there. To find out more visit the lost ladybug project. Perhaps you'll want to go on a bug hunt of your own!

Pick a Petal Color Challenge

So sorry for my disappearance last week! I'm back now & I'm loaded up with projects for next week's posts. No more disappearing act for me.

I'm really excited about today's project. Every now and then I make a card that sort of makes me giddy. It starts out pretty much fully formed in my head & then actually works when I start playing with paper. Today was one of those days! The Elegant Eggplant square opens up for writing the message instead of the full card. It's always fun to switch things up just a little bit.

The folks over at PPC picked a batch of colors that I just adore together: Early Espresso, Chery Cobbler, So Saffron, and Elegant Eggplant. Two of the four are brand new colors (available July 1st) and I am having such fun playing with the new color selections. In fact, I'm having such a good time with it that my theme class for July will be Color Creations featuring the new offerings.

Best Friend/ Mojo Monday 143

Hmmm....my photography isn't stellar on this one, but I do like it in person. Imagine, if you will, that the background on the Pink Pirouette paper is actually a shimmery embossed deal & that it's not all bled out by extra light in the top corner. That's how things are actually. Oh, and the butterfly has great dimension thanks to a liberal helping of Crystal Effects. Much better, isn't it?

Color wise I found this one to be fun since it uses a color that I've really overlooked until now: Perfect Plum. It is one of the few Soft Subtles to survive the Color Renovation & it almost feels like a new color to me. I'm not sure why I didn't utilize it before, but I sure will now!

Sneak Peak at Baby Tees

Okay, it's sneak peak time! Today's card uses three colors that are new in the next catalog along with a wonderful new wheel. I just couldn't resist the Baby Tees wheel & was so excited to get it in time for my Baby Card theme class!
The colors for today include two old favorites: So Saffron as well as Chocolate Chip. Everything else is new: Wild Wasabi (a returning In Color), Peach Parfait (brand new In Color), and Crumb Cake (the color formerly known as Kraft).
I know there is nothing earth shattering about this design, but I love it anyway. I had such fun playing with a new pallet. Now every day is like a brand new color challenge. Such fun we will have!

PPC #16/ Vintage Wallpaper Thank You

Whew! I spent all morning straightening up my studio and just stopped to give myself a little gift of time to create. Since I hadn't yet done my PPC Color Challenge for the week & since organizing all the new colors/weeding out the retiring ones was part of my job today, it felt great to make something using one of the new colors.

The color combo for this week is Regal Rose, Pacific Point, & Sahara Sand. At first, I was in a bit of a quandary because I wanted to let Sahara Sand take center stage, but I didn't know how to do that when all I had was the ink. Then, I remembered that it is a member of the new Neutrals family & I just got a pre-view pack of that paper. Having all of these new colors & returning In Colors is like having a big batch of new toys to play with! I can't wait to use them all & we can explore them together.

The Stork or An Albino Flamingo Friend

Last night one of my stampin' ladies needed to change her Flamingo Friend card into some sort of baby card. The only thing I could think of was the possibility of the flamingo magically becoming a stork. It worked really well for her! Mine still needs a little work, but I think the idea gets across, right?

I was excited to pair my new found friend with the Full of Life stamp set (new to me) and the XL Scallop Punch (new to SU). New babies, new stamps, new punch = all sorts of fun!

Dasher Pocket Card

My Christmas in June adventure continues! Today's card features one of SU's individual stamps. Nearly all of our stamps come in coordinating sets, but we have a few (and the selection is expanded in the new catalog) that come just as a set of 1. Dasher is one of these little gems. Too cute, isn't he?

This is a pocket card, so the white insert pulls out via the little bling circle at the top. I see it has a gift card holder...just use a little temporary adhesive to stick the gift card to your card insert & you are all set.

June is always an interesting Stampin' Up month for me because we're saying goodbye to some stamps & welcoming in a whole new crew. This year that is especially true since we are doing the same with our colors. Yesterday, my copy of the new catalog arrived & I promise you won't be disappointed with the new offerings!

Hello Baby Trike/ Mojo Monday 142

It is still Monday for a few more hours, so it's not too late for me to join the folks at Mojo Monday. As always, they provided an excellent sketch to get my stamping week started.

As I have been doing lately, I already had a little bit of an idea about what elements I wanted to work into today's sketch before I saw it. The little trike from Pedaling Past has been on my mind & I really wanted to make it a part of this month's Baby Card theme class. I also thought it would be a great match to pair that trike with some of our retiring (and in the case of Real Red, more enduring) Bold Bright colors. Add these bits to today's sketch and this is what pops out. At least, that's how it worked for me!

Good Fortune Kitty

This project is a bit of a commissioned piece. My husband told me he needed a red card with a gold cat on it. Oh, and said that swirls might be nice too. And this is what he got.

I didn't actually have a stamp of the Lucky Cat I think he was going for, but this should do the trick. It was such fun to emboss the gold swirls that I think I'll try that again with another card. I especially enjoyed putting them on the little red detail piece. It's always fun when things come together quickly and well.

Jeff insists it needs a red envelope too, but he may be on his own there. Whisper White will just have to do.

Look What Rachel Did!

This project reminds me of the old Shake-n-bake commercials: "It's Shake-n-bake and I helped!". Well, this time it's Corduroy and I helped. :)

My sister-in-law had a vision for an adoption card featuring this cute little guy and knew that the Build-a-Bear die would work perfectly for him.

Isn't he too cute?

House Inspired

As its title indicates, this card was inspired by a house. My friends and I joined in the Bike Longmont ride last night through old town (I of course was on my full sized trike since I never learned to ride a bike...) and as we went past one home, I knew I found my next card. I think I even said "Crushed Curry, Rich Razzleberry, and Barely Banana" out loud.

The banana looks a bit too orange in this photo, but works well in the real world. You'll have to trust me on that one. It was also fun to not have the "something missing" feeling at the end of this project. It's a keeper.

Mombo/Sage Combo

Have you ever watched a Food Network show where the cooks are battling against not only each other, but also the clock? The crazy cake show comes to mind for me. That's sort of what this card felt like this morning. I know it's missing something, but I don't have time to figure out what that something is! :)

My color combo came to me while cutting extra bits at class last week. A scrap of Melon Mambo came in contact with a bit of Sage Shadow and Viola! I find that some of my favorite combos introduce themselves to me that way.

It doesn't show up super well in the photo, but there is a special little bit of bling on this one. The center brad has been coated in glitter--- just enough to give it a little sparkle. It's a fun technique I saw on the SU website yesterday and couldn't wait to try out.

Goodbye Old Friend/PPC #15

It's a little late in the day for a post, I know. However, the "Last Chance List" was released this morning and processing through all the SU sets that will only be around until the end of the month took some time. So, it had to be an after work sort of blog day.

Today's colors come coutesy of PPC Color Challenge. Only one of these (Blush Blossom) will retire at the end of the month. Whew! Old Olive & Chocolate Chip will be around for us to enjoy in the years to come.

Embrace Life is one of my old favorites & I will be sad to see it go. This flower has been my image of quintessential Stampin' Up since I first encountered the company. No worries though, I'm sure they will have brand new favorites for us in the new catalog.

Check out my SU website for the full Last Chance List and contact me today if there are any sets you can't let pass you by. Also, let me know if you are interested in a 2010-2011 Idea Book/Catalog and I'll add you to my pre-order list.