Crimped Little Leaves

In class last month, we created a card with the Little Leaves Sizzlit and several folks wanted to know if we could do anything with the "frame" left behind. Of course we can! I decided to run mine through a crimper to give some extra dimension. I think dimension is the theme for this card...there are lots of Stampin' Dimensionals. Behind my Dotted Scallop Ribbon (laced with Hemp Twine), under my Confetti White layer, & under my crimped layer too. They combine to give this card a whole lot of depth! My large stamped image comes from Priceless, a set I will so miss! I've used the large & small swirls from this set for so many great cards & love all the little extras too--- the heart, butterfly, & flower. Of course, I will miss my seasonal & holiday favorites like A Good Egg & Autumn Harvest but I think I will miss the super versatile sets like Priceless even more! Remember, we need to order any of the Last Chance List sets before the end of the month...otherwise they are gone for good. No worries though, the more I see of the new catalog items, the more excited I become. I'll keep you updated!

Lattice Framed Butterflies

This time around, the frame I had to work with was left over from using the Lattice Die. It leaves behind an interesting shape that I have used before, but not quite like this. I was really surprised how well the Cajun Craze cardstock worked with the Concord Crush. It's not a color combo I would have put together normally, but I am so glad they came together on this one. After adding in the butterflies in Concord Crush and Perfect Plum (Regal Rose was one option I tried to disastrous effect!), I felt like the corners really needed something. So, I took out my Blossom Petals punch and made a few little leaves. Just the ticket! It's great to know I can use that punch even when I'm not making a full flower. The more versatile a tool, the more I like it. I left a sentiment off of this one because I wasn't sure it needed one. That, and it's just such a multi-purpose card that I wanted to leave it easy to switch for any occasion.

A Clearance Rack Creation!

I know, I know... it looks like I'm showing off a card made with all sorts of retired goodies. The best part is, I am but I'm not all at the same time! The Tall Tales designer paper hasn't been around for quite a while, but it lives on in the Clearance Rack! In fact, it's offered there at the excellent price of $3.49 a pack. You can't beat that. Oh, and my ribbon is retired as well. It's another Clearance Rack find. This So Saffron ribbon comes in a two pack with Certainly Celery ribbon. You get both rolls (10 yrds each) for just $3.49. There is all sorts of ribbon, chipboard, and the like waiting for the bargain hunters of the SU world. Just visit my webstie, click on "shop now", & then "clearance rack". I went Clearance Rack shopping to stock up on supplies for my Horseshoe Market cards. This little number is one of them. I think he's funky fun enough to fit the bill, don't you? Check out the Clearance Rack and snag some great deals of your own!

Detachable Frame/ Color Throwdown #131

I've said it in class about a million times: "We have no mistakes, just creative opportunities". Well, I had a whole bunch of creative opportunities on this card! When I saw the great colors over at the Color Throwdown this morning, I knew that was the starting point for me today. Not Quite Navy is one of my seldom used colors and it just looks so lovely with the Pink Pirouette and Baja Breeze. Colors = done. That was the easiest thing this morning. I decided that I also wanted to try out the simple frame technique I saw on Splitcoast the other day. We'll come back to that in a bit. First I needed an image. I found one I thought would work in the A Slice of Life hostess set from the Occasions Mini. A set I haven't even used yet! Out it came. No problems. Until I tried to get my Crystal Effects to work. Sigh. It's super clogged. So, I switched over to a Versamarker & thick embossing powder. Of course, it doesn't show up here, but trust me when I say it looks pretty cool. I sponged some Baja Breeze on my Whisper White cardstock & added accents with the Priceless set. Focal image = almost done. All I needed was the frame. Sigh. There's where the problems came. I totally failed at the tutorial. It happens. So, after MUCH deliberation, I just decided on a modified version. The best part is, I actually like it! The most excellent part of it all is that the thread can just slide off my Antique Brad so you can hang it up all on its own if you like. I almost didn't even make a card for the little frame once I got it finally finished. Then, the detachable idea came to me. Great fun! Besides, the card itself is simple. Just run a little Pink Pirouette through the Big Shot with the Perfect Details Texturz Plate, add a brad, and glue it on your Not Quite Navy base. Whole card = done. This little number rose up like a phoenix from the ashes!

Certainly Celery Priceless Emboss

My goal for today was to use Certainly Celery. Not a complicated goal, I'll admit. However, I keep almost reaching for this color and then going with Pear Pizazz or Wild Wasabi. Today I succeeded in finding a color combo with my challenge color that I really do like. Too often I find our friend, Celery, paired with Pretty in Pink or the like. I find I like it much better with Night of Navy and So Saffron. Then, I went details CRAZY. Perhaps I did too much? After embossing with white I decided I needed little Celery flowers. Then, the flowers "needed" Night of Navy centers. Oh, and my large flower required a brad and the embossed background was lacking some color contrast. So I added all that too. :) Sometimes I can't leave well enough alone. What do you think?

Roasted Turkey

I have made several punch art turkeys in the past. Usually they involve the Scallop Circle Punch. However, when my dear friend, Marge, showed me the idea for this roasted little bird I knew I would have to include it in this Sunday's Holiday Punch art class. Isn't he something! the bulk of the bird comes from the XL Bird Punch while the little drumstick bone is from the Owl Punch. They are all still bird parts, so I guess it's not that big of a stretch, huh? My husband thought that the Small Oval Punch made far too small of a platter, so I upgraded to the Large Oval Punch. That way he has plenty of room. It was a little difficult to settle on a color for my little bird, but I found that More Mustard sponged with the same came out a sort of golden brown. Soft Suede or any of the other browns looked like I'd managed to burn the bird. And while that might happen if I were cooking one for real, in the wonderful world of stamping, I can make a perfectly golden brown bird each time! Then I used some of my favorite stamps from the Grateful Greetings set to create sentiments for inside & out. I had a student in one of my classes this week point out that she likes to have as little room as possible to write after she's finished stamping, so I added a few flourishes from the Priceless set too. Now it's just ready to sign & send for the big Turkey Day!

Priceless Thanksgiving

Wow, when I first purchased the Priceless set I had no idea it would become my "go to" holiday stamp set. So far I've used it for Christmas & Valentines and now it was a natural choice for a Thanksgiving card too. Its versatility is excellent! Who knows where it will appear next. :)

It's been quite a while since I participated in the PPC Color Challenge of the week & I was excited to see them have fall colors this time. Cajun Craze, More Mustard, and Pear Pizazz fit the bill nicely for a Thanksgiving color palate. I started off thinking about using this sentiment with leaves, but really wanted something different. That's when I laid eyes on Priceless and remembered the very punchable flower circle. I think it has great fall possibilities. Of course, I had to tinker with the layout a few times to find all the needed little touches, but all turned out well in the end. It's always a fun card when at the end you've inked up nearly all the stamps in the set!

Perfect Details Xmas

I warned you that you would see the technique using Texturz plates & ink again, but I bet you didn't expect it this soon! I just couldn't resist when I saw the Mojo Monday sketch for today. The Perfect Details Texturz plate just fit so nicely with the ornament I wanted to use from Delightful Decorations. Recently I saw a card that used the pine tree from Lovely as a Tree to create a bunch of boughs. As much as I LOVE that set, I was so excited to see something brand new to do with it. Again, I thought this sketch was a great opportunity to put that idea to use. The little swirled accents are bits punched from the smaller swirl in the Priceless set. It all just seemed to work together far too well to leave any one piece out for today. Now, if I could just focus and finish my projects for our Halloween class this weekend!

Priceless Valentine Color Challenge

I know it may seem like an odd time of the year to make a Valentine, but I assure you I didn't do it on purpose! I started off with this week's colors from the PPC Color Challenge (Pink Pirouette, Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler, and Baja Breeze) all out in front of me. I decided I wanted to do something a bit elegant and that the Priceless set would fit the bill. So, I started off with the butterflies from that set and realized it just wasn't working for me. After a few experiments, I ended up with this card and I think I'm pleased with it. Trust me, the butterflies looked kind of awful! I really like the black embossed on the Cherry Cobbler and the tiny pearls added to the flower circles make them pop more in real life than this photo shows. Now, will someone remind me of this one when it comes time to do Valentines in classes? :)

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.

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!

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!