Lucy Tutorial #4/ Vintage Vogue Butterfly

Well, since mom wanted to know what ELSE we can do with Versamark, I broke out my Stampin' Pastels. It had been a while, I'll have to admit. I had already shown her how Versamark can be used all on its own on colored cardstock to do watermark stamping. Now it was time to stamp using Versamark on white (actually Very Vanilla) cardstock. After stamping my images on the strip of Very Vanilla, I chalked over the flowers & leaves using Bravo Burgundy and So Saffron chalks. The result was fun, but not quite all that I wanted. That's the last mom saw of this card since it was time for my parents to head back home (luckily before snow flew). I, of course, kept tinkering with the strip of Vanilla. I decided to stamp over it using Always Artichoke and that was a good start. Then I wondered what it would look like if I embossed the whole deal with Glassy Glaze a couple of times. Bingo! It created just the look I was going for and did great things with the Stampin' Pastels. All that remained was for me to create a card that fit it. :) The whole thing shouted "vintage" at me...and not just because of the name of the set. So, I knew I would need torn edges & my Distressing Tool. A butterfly from Beautiful Wings seemed like a good idea and it was an even better one when sponged with Bravo Burgundy. I got to use my little Jewry Tag Punch again (yeahy) and finally found a good use for the strips of pears on each Basic Pearls sheet. A nice card to end my mother's lessons, don't you think? Especially since it shows how you can start with just one element & end up with a full creation.

Lucy Tutorial #3/ Embossed Tree of Hearts

Next on the list for teaching my mom was embossing. I knew she hadn't done it before and it was what got me hooked on stamping in the first place. I think the whole process is pretty close to magic. I decided to start us off with metallic embossing on dark paper (this time Cherry Cobbler) because it's the most dramatic. So I took out my Valentine Defined set yet again. I'm getting to be dependant on this little gem! Both the tree and the string of hearts look great when embossed. Adding the smallest of the Heart to Heart Punch hearts gave each embossed piece just a little more punch. Once I decided on them for an accent, the Bitty Button had to come next. It's a perfect fit! Add on a little Very Vanilla Satin ribbon and we're all set. Now I just need to decide if I want to use this one or my Love Mingos in class at Lakewood. I can fit both into classes in Longmont, but I'll have to choose for down south. Any preferences out there? Up next, mom wanted to know whale ELSE she can do with Versamark...

Lucy Tutorial #2/ Shimmer Mist Best Wishes

Well, after I introduced mom to the technique of sponging she asked a great question: "What happens when you sponge an embossed image?". So, that was the next mission. To pick out colors we just opened up the Idea Book and Catalog to the designer paper section and picked out a combo that worked for us. It didn't matter that we didn't actually have any of that paper. It was like an instant or "on demand" color challenge. Unfortunately, this card doesn't photograph as well as I would like. You get the idea though. Mom sponged the embossed image and I showed her how it's important to be pretty aggressive when sponging in this situation. You really want the embossed bits to stand out. Then, I introduced her to the 7 Sided Distressing tool & Shimmer Mist (made from a mix of Shimmer Paint and Rubbing Alcohol). As a final elegant touch we added a couple of little Basic Rhinestones. Just right. It would make a great wedding card! Next up for mom was the wonderful world of embossing...

Springtime Vintage Bouquet Squares

While my parents were here for their Christmas visit, I got to give my mom a few tutorials on stamping. She's become quite the card maker herself & just needs to know how to use some of the different toys and where to start with designing. So, while dad, Jeff, and I played pinball, mom and I made cards. This was our first. For Christmas she got a bunch of our Impressions Folders including Elegant Bouquet. I wanted to show her how to use the folder for more that just decorating a card front. Also, I really wanted to use the Springtime Vintage designer paper from the new Occasions Mini (which starts next week!). So, I showed her how to use the color pallet for the paper as a guide when picking what colors to use on your card. It's so handy that Stampin' Up spells it out for you & takes out all the guess work! Mom also was curious about how sponging works, so I had her sponge the Pear Pizazz layer on this card. More on sponging basics in our next card. :) I had a bit of Victoria Crochet Trim around and thought it went great with this card. Oh, and mom also got a Word Window Punch to go with her Teeny Tiny Wishes set (a new stamper must) so I thought I would show her how nicely even one of the longest sentiment from that set fits in her new punch. All in all, a fun first lesson!

Happy Birthday Jeff! / Mojo Monday 171

It's my husband's birthday (we'll leave out numbers for his sake) and so I decided to make my Mojo Monday card for him. There are few things he enjoys more than a good pun. The Pun Fun set was therefore the natural choice. The folks over at Mojo Monday have their monthly "round or square" challenge this week and I picked the square version of this great sketch. If you haven't done one of their sketches before I recommend you pop over there and give it a try. Even if you don't have a way to post it, trying a sketch challenge is a great way to get the stampin' juices flowing! The designer paper for this card is part of the hostess In Color pack. Great fun, huh? Now that I *gasp* own all of the stamp sets for level one, I am collecting some of this great designer paper for us to use in classes. I know some folks would keep this little bird for kid-only cards, but I think that he's great for kids at heart too! Jeff definitely qualifies on that one. Happy Monday!

Cupcake Punch Clouds Valentine

It's been a while since I woke up with a card design in my head & just needed to get it out before I could continue on my day. But, these little balloons were nagging at me before I got out of bed (actually off the air mattress since my parents are staying on our bed :) ). As one of the hidden benefits of being a demonstrator, SU sent us a sheet of the Love Impressions Rub-ons from the new Occasions Mini Catalog. These little hot air balloons are one of the featured images. Aren't they fun? I also used the Build a Cupcake Punch from the new catalog. Granted, there aren't any cupcakes to be seen but one of my favorite things about this punch is just how many other things we can make with it. The clouds came to mind right a way for me. So, I made one and used it to mask parts of the background while I sponged in Marina Mist. Then, I cut a few more to put on with Stampin' Dimensionals. That way there are different layers of clouds for the little balloons to fly through. On the inside, I continued the cloud theme by adding a couple of the little clouds from the rub-on sheet. That way the balloon that peaks through the window to the front (make sure to punch one layer at a time or the punch gets cranky) isn't all alone with the sentiment.

Top Note Elf Shoes

Merry Christmas! It looks like I had one last Christmas card in me after all! I've seen these cute little feet on blogs all over the place and wanted to give them a shot myself. You just cut a Top Note in quarters & then use the Large Oval Punch to make the top of the shoes. I found the remnants of Candy Cane Lane designer paper I had around made for great elf socks! Glue dots are an easy way to make perfect glitter circles for the toes. Great fun! I hope you have a lovely holiday. I'm off to enjoy mine!

Build A Roo Valentine

Again, not very Christmas-y but isn't she great fun? It's been a while since I've used my Build-a-Roo set & I decided it was time to get it out and play. I also haven't made a tent card in a long time and the format works so well with Mrs. Roo. While I decided to make a Valentine with these elements, it could just as easily become a birthday card for a kid or a kid-at-heart. Whimsical and fun can be for anyone! Also, depending on what you put in her pouch, it could become a "get well" or "congrats on the new baby" card too. There are lots of options and plenty of sentiments from Teeny Tiny Wishes to go along with each occasion. The glitter heart at the bottom of the card is thanks to a combination of Heat and Stick Powder and Dazzling Diamonds glitter. I've never used the Heat and Stick Powder before today and I was so impressed! It created a heart completely coated in glitter with no effort and no mess! Just a little Versamark and my heat tool made for a glue free & mess free use of glitter. If you haven't used this product before you're going to love it! I may, at long last, become a true glitter girl! Of course, I want to wish a Merry Christmas & happy everything to each of you...I just might not show it through the card of the day!

Get Well Heart Flowers

I know it's Christmas Eve Eve, but I'm thinking spring thoughts along with festive ones. The spring ones keep coming out in my cards! Today I wanted to show off that the new Valentine Defined set has much more to offer than just cards for February. The little heart flowers make a great centerpiece for a get well card too. Of course, my flower pot turned out to look just a bit too much like a hat, but I'll work on that. :) I tried it first in Cajun Craze since that gives a nice terra cotta feel to the pot, but it just didn't work with the Early Espresso. That's why I settled on Chocolate Chip. It's a little different than the Espresso without standing out too much. My little sentiment fit just great in the Jewelry Tag Punch that I just added to my collection. This is actually the first time I've gotten to put it to use. The little sentiments from the Silhouette Sentiments hostess set also fit nicely in this punch. And, of course, there is a set made to coordinate effortlessly as well. SU would never leave us completely to our own devices. I just haven't gotten the Tiny Tags set yet! Give me time. I hope this finds you all well and ready for the weekend of festivities. My parents arrive early tomorrow morning & I'm looking forward to an excellent Christmas with family and friends. Perhaps there won't be a post every day, but I'll do what I can. Have a Merry Christmas & I promise to be back before the New Year!

Cottage Garden Z Fold

WOW! I just checked the date & today marks this blog's 1st Birthday! A huge thank you to all of you who have checked in to see what I've been up to for the last year. Such fun to have an anniversary. I'll look forward to year two & hope you will all come along for the ride!

I was looking for something new to do for today's card. Specifically, I wanted to try out a new fold and I found a tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers for this "Swinging Z Fold". I've been at it for a couple of hours now... and I'm pretty okay with this one. :) I tried it with three layers for the cut out as shown in the tutorial, but it came out looking like something my 5 year old nephew would bring home from school. Not that he isn't talented, but I was hoping for a little better scissor work than that! So, I created my own DSP instead by stamping both sides of the Whisper White cardstock. Then I added just a touch of the Sunny Garden designer series paper to make things pop. My favorite part of this card is the sentiment though. I just inked a little part of the stamp & punched it out with the little tiny oval punch that was introduced in the Holiday Mini. All in all a pretty simple card given all the experimentation that went into it! It's a good thing I don't post all of my attempts. I think it would scare you all away.

Love Mingos (Take One)

Hello! So sorry for the prolonged & unintentional disappearance. I ended up working five days last week instead of two. That combined with the normal holiday craziness left NO time for stamping. I have to admit that I feel a bit rusty today. There's been a card itching at my brain for about a week though and I just had to get it out. This is the first attempt. Perhaps there will be another. While looking at some of the stamps from Simply Said not too long ago, I thought that one of the "flowers" would make a great palm tree if combined with the stem stamp from Cottage Garden. I knew I would have to give it a try at my next opportunity. What do you think?The card layout is very loosely based on the Mojo Monday sketch from last Monday (the day I intended to make this card!). It was nice to have training wheels of a sort to get me back in the groove! You'll be seeing much more of the Valentine Defined set from the soon to be released Occasions Mini. I think it's a real winner & it has flamingos!!! How can you go wrong with them? I hope you all are getting the itch for card making too. Check out my SU website for January class dates. Such fun we will have!

Build A Blossom Swap/ Color Throwdown #122

It's time for a preview of some of the goodies that will become available on January 4th when the new Occasions Mini Catalog goes live. Also, I wanted to squeeze in the Color Throwdown #122 since it will be the last one for 2010. I know that Laura made the colors to fit with last minute Christmas cards, but I'm ready for something a little different. So, I broke out my toys from the catalog pre-order and started playing. I love the combination of Riding Hood Red, Pear Pizazz, Chocolate Chip, and Crumb Cake for more than just Christmas cards. My assigned set for the Occasions Mini swap is the Build A Blossom set which coordinates with the new Blossom Petals Punch. It made creating this flower & its leaves super easy. Then, I just had to use my new Sweet Buttons embosslit. I know some folks wondered why we were getting new buttons for the Big Shot when we already have the great Buttons die, but look how well they layer with the older buttons and you just can't resist the embossing on them! Speaking of embossing, the boarder for this card was made using the new embossing folder, Framed Tulips. Lots of new and exciting things are headed our way with this new mini. I think you'll have as much fun playing with the new products as I did today! I can't wait to play some more. Then I can pick if this is the right card for swap. Hard to say...

A Little Gift

It's almost class time, but I wanted to take a moment to post this little gem. I saw this idea for a tiny hand sanitizer gift at a class given by my friend, Cindy, and just knew I would have to make one of my very own. So, when I found them on sale at Bath and Body I knew it was meant to be! Such a quick and easy way to spruce up a little gift for teachers, co-workers, and the like. We'll make them at class this afternoon and on Thursday too. Let me know if you would like to come over for Thursday's class. There is still room available! :)

Reinker Ornaments

Over a year ago, I bought a bunch of clear ornaments thinking that I would make a shrinky dink project with them. Well, there were several issues with baking the shrinky dink inside the balls. It was a great idea, but didn't quite work out. So, these little guys have been sitting around waiting for the right opportunity. Well, thanks to some of my teammates on Stampin' Connection (the demo only social networking site through Stampin' Up) I found just the right project. Thanks so much to Keri Young for pointing me in the right direction. All it takes is some reinker & a dab of shimmer paint (other folks used glitter, but that process drove me crazy) to transform a clear glass ball into something special. Then, I ran a little bit of Sticky Sheet through the Big Shot with the Star Die to make an easy embellishment for the ball. The Glass Glitter sticks so well to the Sticky Sheet that it makes working with a round surface no problem. After making one with Baja Breeze, I just had to try it out with a darker color. So, I took out my Bravo Burgundy and give it a whirl!

Two Ball Ornament

This had to be, hands down, the most fun I've had paper crafting in quite a while. It's a super simple way to transform just a little bit of designer paper into a lovely little Christmas tree ornament. It was just so different than anything I've done lately. Making it was so fast & fun that it just made me giddy. I came across a tutorial for making these little gems while browsing through Splitcoast Stampers the other day. You really should check it out! You won't be disappointed. Of course, if you're going to attend one of December's classes we will make them there too. I think I'll make a whole bunch of them to give out this holiday season. I've never been so pleased with a project that took me so little time! Enjoy making them yourself.

Fancy Favor Gift Card Holder

I just love discovering new things to make with some of my favorite toys! I have already made a bunch of little bags with the Fancy Favor die & have decked them out for many different occasions. Then, I found out that the same die makes a great little gift card holder with just a few modifications. Thanks so much to Cindy for passing this one on to me! The outside is very cute with just a little Deck the Halls designer paper & my very favorite stamp from the Tags Til Christmas set. Then you pull out the super cute little card that fits so nicely inside. Finally, you can open up this little number to find your gift waiting inside! Oops, looks like a little free advertising for my favorite cheese shop, huh? Trust me, they are well worth checking out too!

Simply Said Flower Mojo

Huzzah! My back ordered Simply Said set has arrived. I just had to use it for today's Mojo Monday sketch. It's such a cherry group of stamps that I thought this polka dot paper from Woodland Walk was a natural choice to brighten up this Monday. It's one of those wake up with a porcupine in your throat kind of days, so I needed a little perking up. I matched up the littlest heart from the Heart to Heart punch to provide a backing for one of my Bitty Buttons. It fits just right which is why there isn't a tiny heart punch in the punch pack that goes with the buttons and the Itty Bitty Bits stamp sent. Makes sense to me! The only flaw with the large image from this set is that I think all the flowers need defined centers, so I always just add them in using a Stampin' Write marker. Then all is right with the world. If only we could solve all the world's issues that easily! :)

Christmas Matchbox

For classes this month, we are going to make projects that work as great gifts or gift wrapping. This little matchbox is a perfect example. I finally ordered the matchbox die last week while it was on sale for the Online Spectacular and I'm so glad I did! Assembly for this little guy is super easy and doesn't even require any adhesive. How can you go wrong? It would be a great size to fit some earrings or other jewelery or perhaps some little treats. I spruced up the outside by using some of the Candy Cane designer paper which is unfortunately no longer available. SU sold out of it just the other day. I still think we'll use some in class though. I had no idea it would be sold out when I placed my paper order! The little tag for the box is also part of the same die. So, you can make a box, its wrapper, and a tag all with one trip through the Big Shot! You'll be seeing more of these boxes in the future, I promise.

Stampin' Royalty #48 Color Challenge

It looks like this is my week for trying out new challenges. I stumbled on the Stampin' Royalty blog yesterday and saw that they were having a color challenge that really struck my fancy. I almost never use River Rock so it was fun to give it a try mixed in with a bunch of other colors I use all the time--- Rich Razzleberry, Early Espresso, and Marina Mist. I also got to use FIVE new toys on this card! Great fun. The Cherry Blossom Die was on sale last week, so I just had to order that one. Then I just got the 7 Sided distressing tool, so I had to give that a go. The Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack is new to me & I used the 3/8" Circle for the center of my flower. I decided to try Rich Razzleberry wide grosgrain ribbon for a switch. Oh, and the Daisy Dash wheel is new too! Can you tell I went a little toy crazy last order? Just wait til you see my toys from the pre-order from the new Occasions Mini! They should be here soon. :)

Hello Flowers

While this card might feel like a color challenge, it wasn't actually. I started it while I was back in Illinois with only a few bits of paper on hand. So, I started to play with seemingly unlikely color combos like this one: Tangerine Tango, Rich Razzleberry, Garden Green, Tempting Turquoise, and Chocolate Chip. Not a mix I would usually put together, but I do like how they work here. I used both the positive and the negative of my Flower Blossom die to get two for one. Then I realized that the five petal flower from the Itty Bitty Bits goes well with the die. A couple of embossing folders later & tah dah! Must dash off now to rejoin the wonderful world of substituting. Fifth graders today...wish me luck!

My First Color Throwdown! (CTD #121)

Today I decided to branch out and try a new color challenge. So, I paid a visit to the folks over at the Color Throwdown and really liked what I saw. Their colors for this week included: Bashful Blue, Marina Mist, and Chocolate Chip. It's a great group for Christmas cards, but I just wasn't in a Christmas card kind of mood this morning. I decided to go whale instead! I got things started and then felt like the card was feeling just a little too ordinary. Sigh. That told me I needed to try something new! I got out my circle punches & chopped up my sentiment to see what that would do. Kind of fun, huh? YIKES! I just realized that I didn't add the little Marina Mist circles I punched to decorate the sentiment. How silly of me! Have you ever made a card and then forgot to add some of the bits when it came to assembly? This is new for me...I guess I'll add them to my example card, but leave things be here. How embarrassing!