Alphabet Hello

Making kid cards is such fun! I was inspired by the appearance of alphabet stamps in two of my new hostess sets: Cute by the Inch & Punch Potpourri.

Right now, I'm in the midst of a training program through Stampin' Up. It's just one more way I'm focusing on stamping as my summer job comes to a close. To make that a success, I need a little help from you.

As part of this program I am supposed to share my "stampin' story" with at least three people. So I thought here would be a great place! Please leave a comment so I know I've reached at least three of you. :)

Accidental Stamper is the name of my blog because it so fits the way I got started. I attended one party (gasp it was of a competitor!) as a favor to my friend. Since I had no interest in card making or scrap booking & I was the least crafty person alive, I wasn't really looking forward to the event. At that event, I started to see the possibilities of paper crafting and the fact that I COULD do this. Needless to say, I was hooked! The next Monday, a friend of mine who I volunteered with brought a handmade card for us all to sign. I asked her about it and she introduced me to the world of Stampin' Up, the woman who would later become my upline, and started me on a path that I love!

One more part of this training requires me to book a workshop between now and August 17th. Anyone out there ready to host a stampin' adventure & earn great hostess sets like the ones I used today? Contact me & we can set you up!

Gray and Daffodil Color Challenge

I love the colors that PPC chose for this week: Daffodil Delight, Basic Gray, and Whisper White. Such a fun combination. I've actually been planning to make a card with similar colors (I also like So Saffron in place of Daffodil Delight), so it was great to have another excuse to make this one.

I finally ordered a couple of square punches which made this card such a breeze. It was just a must with the Cute by the Inch hostess set. Why cut when you can punch? This set is just one example of the excellent choices Stampin' Up come out with in the new catalog for hostesses to take advantage of. Want one of your very own? Contact me today to set up a class or workshop!

Happy Birthday Matthew!

It's hard to believe that my youngest nephew is a year old already, but, then again, he was operating his own crib music last night while we were babysitting as well as giving the cabinet locks a good test. So, I suppose it is time for a birthday!

I found myself with a little unexpected extra time this morning, so I took advantage of it. I often am just too lazy to do much cutting out, but it makes such a difference, don't you think? I created a stencil for the #1 using clip art I found on-line & added a special touch using the polka dots from Pick a Petal. Always a favorite!

This birthday card will be the first of several kid focused cards I hope to create. In fact, I'm offering Kids' Cards as one of my choices to hostesses for August & September. Stampin' Up is having an excellent deal for hostesses in the month of August where they add $25 to the hostess benefits of any workshop that has more than $350 in sales. That means you would get $65 of free stuff! I'm all about taking advantage of extra free goodies, so contact me today to set up your own stamping adventure for August! Meanwhile, keep an eye out for other kid focused projects from me. My Fox & Friends stamp set is on its way and it has all sorts of possibilities...

Silhouette Sentiments Square Mojo

Ah, it's so lovely to have built in structure for Monday mornings. Believe it or not, I do start my cards in the mornings...I just usually don't have time to post them until evening. Starting the week with Mojo Monday means there is a challenge, but a bit of structure too. A nice combo for the first day of the new week!

Today's project introduces yet another color to my pallet: Pear Pizazz. It's great fun in combination with Peach Parfait. That makes me happy that these two in colors will be around for a couple of years. It's hard to see in the photo, but the flower square has been embossed with Iridescent Ice just to give it a little more dimension.

At least now I've started the week off on the right foot. Fingers crossed that this is a sign of things to come for the rest of the week too!

Bicycling Through Life

More fun with colors today! It's the first time I've used Tangerine Tango and I must admit that I'm a fan. It goes so nicely with Daffodil Delight & Pacific Point. Perhaps I need to add some accents to my bikes using those colors too? I just thought that the progression from tricycle to bicycle to tandem was such a nice way to look at the journey through life that I wanted to capture them all together on one card before they disappear. I was a little disappointed that Pedaling Past doesn't make an appearance in the new catalog, but I sure will enjoy them while the summer mini lasts!

Beautiful Wings Color Challenge

Have you ever looked in your closet and just couldn't find a thing to wear? I kinda felt that way when getting started on this project. I knew I wanted to use the PPC colors of the week: Cajun Craze, Rich Razleberry, Regal Rose, & Baja Breeze, but I just couldn't find a stamp set that struck my fancy. So I decided to stick mainly with the Big Shot this time around--- just added a little Versamark background with the Very Vintage Wheel for fun.

I'm very excited about the new skinny ribbons. Doesn't the Razzleberry just pop with that one? There are so many little embellishment toys from the new catalog that I still haven't gotten to play with them all. Don't worry, there will be more of them on here soon!

Awash with Flowers Poppy Parade

I wanted to make use of some card odds & ends that have been floating around my desk as of late to make this one. Oh, and I really wanted to play more with Poppy Parade. It's quickly becoming a favorite of mine and makes me very pleased that In Colors will be around for two years now instead of just one. That way I can become attached with out too much worry. :)

I feel like there is still lots of potential that I haven't tapped yet with the Awash with Flowers set, so look forward to seeing it again soon. There's just so much to play with thanks to all the combinations.

Ladybug Mojo/ Mojo Monday 148

"It's a dangerous thing going out your front door..." so said Bilbo Baggins & I quite agree. I never really do know where I'll end up when I start designing a card, especially when it's one of my Mojo Monday creations. I decided to start out by picking a stamp set with an image that would fit well in my 1 3/4" Circle Punch. A Flower for all Seasons just happened to fit the bill. My little ladybug friends do need a bit of work (perhaps antennae?) but I suppose that a ladybug card was inevitable since I'm leading ladybug hunts as a part of my summer job with the Youth Corps. We only have two and a half more weeks of searching for the elusive nine spotted ladybug to go. Then, my blog posts should get back to normal!
I think I've finally come to terms with my circle cutter. Now I can consistently get circles without a bunch of fuss. I've found the secret lies in a bunch of temporary adhesive, paper that is cut just a little bit bigger than the circle, and a quick spin. Oh, and on a kind of random note: while coloring in the flower pot for this stamp, I realized it's the same image as the pot from Bouquet Bunch. Interesting little SU tidbit.

Little Shop on the Corner

Before I even get started, I want to give credit where credit is due. I CASEd this one, or at least the window shop concept. One of my fellow Stampin' Up Demonstrator contributed a version of the window/awning to our most recent demonstrator magazines. The magazine is one of many perks of becoming a SU demonstrator. Contact me today to get more info about joining my team!

The awning idea is such a great idea for using the Word Window punch. I can think of all sorts of goodies to put in the window! Of course, It can't really go through the mail, but some cards are hand delivered, right?

I keep finding myself turning to the new hostess set, "It's the Thought". It reminds me of how many really great hostess sets are out there right now. I know it's a difficult time to get folks together for an event, but you could also earn these sets by hosting a catalog party. It's one way to earn all the goodies with none of the fuss. Let me know if you're interested and we can set it up.

Life is a Bowl of...

It sort of looks like a color challenge, but really it's not. I'm just excited about how well Real Red, Marina Mist, & Wild Wasabi work together.

Of course, as soon as I saw the little bowl of cherries in the level one hostess set from the Summer Mini I knew it needed to be paired up with Tart & Tangy. It's just a perfect fit. I wasn't sure where it was going to go from there until I started to play.

Here's where I ended up! A fun summery reminder to enjoy each moment as it comes.

Blueberry Crisp Fun Fold

Such fun! This little card is a combination of new Designer Series Paper from the catalog and "create your own" designer paper. The new Blueberry Crisp DSP was a must have for me, whereas the same pattern in different colors (Razzleberry Lemonade) wasn't my favorite in the last catalog. Amazing what a color change can do! This card is super quick and simple, but I love the finished look. To make my stamped images multi-colored I just took out my trusty reinkers & a baby wipe to create my own ink pad. When the card opens the stamped flap just unhinges from the little circles to reveal the sentiment. Sometimes it's refreshing to switch things up a bit.

Silhouette Sentiment Squares/Mojo Monday 147

Whew! What a day. It's still Monday at least for a little while, so I'm "on time" with my Mojo Monday contribution. It was well on its way at 7:15 this morning when I got a call from work that one of the team leaders wasn't going to be able to make it. So, I had to stop stamping in mid-stream & head on down to Boulder. This group was working with a local nonprofit who collects & distributes donated bicycles. Ironic for those of you who know me because I never learned how to ride a bike...until today. We had to ride to our work site. This "we" included me, so, after a quick crash course (almost literally), I took to the open bike path. There is a first time for everything!
But on the stampin' end of things...I just LOVE this new hostess set & couldn't wait to use it in conjunction with the Woodland Walk DSP. Great stuff. Don't you think?

Color Challenge Fresh Cut Note

Time to play with new toys! My first order from the new catalog has just arrived and in it were several new toys as well as LOTS of new colors. I recently came across a stack of Fresh Cut Notes that I had forgotten about and realized I haven't done anything with these little gems in a long while. They are a bit smaller than regular cards so the post office won't process them unless they are in a larger envelope, but they have this great flower pre-cut in them. It layers so nicely with the 5 Petal Punch. I think they would make great gift toppers.

Today's note uses the PPC Color Challenge of the week: Chocolate Chip, Rose Red, and Cherry Cobbler. I used my new Elegant Lines embossing folder & Elegance wheel to finish things off along with the sentiment from one of the It's the Thought hostess set. OH! And I finally got to play with my circle cutter as well to make the 3" circle in the Chocolate Chip. Easy as pie. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

It's the Thought Flowers

Yesterday I went through my file drawers of cardstock & did the full rearrange to make way for the new colors & to order things in the new families. Lots of new ideas for color combinations came to me including this one: Blushing Bride with Always Artichoke. Great fun! I started off by simply embossing with the Elegant Bouquet folder, but quickly realized the image was in need of something more. So, I got out my Stampin' Pastels and went to work. Then, I dithered about keeping the words or ditching them so I could use a smaller punch & more layers. The new XL scallop punch came to my rescue. This way I could keep the full image & still have at least one layer. The 1 3/4 Circle nests so nicely inside. Overall, it's a simple but complete card. A good start to the day. Now, if the rest of my day would just follow along as nicely...

Fun with Fabric

Here's something new & fun for me...fabric! While treasure hunting at local thrift stores over the weekend, I came across a book of fabric swatches for drapery. One look at the colors & I just couldn't resist. I've done a little bit of fabric cutting with my Big Shot before, but this is too much fun. Such a dramatic image with so little effort! It seems that I'm just a little bit ahead of my time as far as Stampin' Up goes: I got a pre-view of the Holiday Mini Catalog yesterday & it includes designer fabrics. I can't wait for this catalog's release because I think it's the best yet! One question for you all though, my edges sometimes fray when I cut with the Big Shot. Any suggestions for fixing this?

Nutty for You

Back again! I've been up in the mountains for the last five days away from computers & all things stamping. That doesn't mean I wasn't plotting new cards though!

I'm pretty excited about this little gem. It came to me bit by bit over the weekend. Today is my nephew's birthday and he happens to be all about squirrels. With that in mind, how could I not think of the little guy from Bouquet Bunch? After all, he is one of the main reasons I bought the set. But, I knew he wasn't big enough to pull off a card all of his own. Then, it struck me! The ornament punch could so easily become an acorn. Add in a few multi-color oak leaves for good measure and there you have it. I even got to play a little with River Rock and found that it makes a great acorn base. More tomorrow...right now I have to come to terms with the fact that it's Tuesday even though it sure feels like a Monday!