Summer is in full swing!  In fact, there are those who like to say it's nearly over. I'll hear nothing of that though. :)  I'm just getting back into the stamping groove of things.  Who knew that I would have more time to stamp during the school year than in the summer?  I certainly didn't think that would be the case.  Leave it to Stampin' Up to give me yet another reason to have fun in my studio.  This stamp set is called Reason to Smile and is available via special promotion this month only.  If you place an order of $50 or more then you can order this lovely little set for just $5!  Reason to smile in deed.  Contact me today or visit my website to place a qualifying order. 

Betsy's Blossoms Flower Mojo

For the third installment of Betsy's Blossom's Mojo Series, I decided to turn things on their side.  I wanted to use a few of the new In Colors, so I got out my Primrose Petals & Raspberry Ripple.  Summer is here and it's time to make things bright and shiny.  A little bit of whimsy seemed in order.  My favorite of the new Bitty Banners is the wavy one I've used on this card.  Isn't it fun?  The little leaves and the the flowers from Betsy's Blossoms were a great fit.  Add just a few rhinestones and we have everything we need for a summery twist on this Mojo Sketch.

Betsy's Blossoms Father's Day Mojo

Okay, here goes round two.  It's the same basic sketch as yesterday's post, but a very different effect.  I used my living room rug as inspiration for this design.  Well, that and the new Naturals Buttons.  Aren't they fun?  The muted colors and textured cardstock give a great natural feel to the card along with the hemp twine and faux wood buttons.  I find it hard to make more masculine cards, but had great fun making this one. Stick around for three more attempts at the Betsy's Blossoms Mojo Challenge.

Betsy's Blossom Mojo/ Mojo Monday 244

For my classes this week, I set a challenge for myself.  All five cards need to feature the Betsy's Blossoms stamp set from the new catalog AND I would use the same sketch as the basis for all of them.  So, I turned over to the folks over at Mojo Monday to give me inspiration.  Here's my first go around.  There are several fun new bits from the newest catalog.  The Midnight Muse ink and cardstock give us a glimpse at the new In Colors, the Daffodil Delight single stitched ribbon is brand new, as are the stamp sets & the Floral District designer paper.  All sorts of new fun products to play with!  Stay tuned for more of my Betsy's Blossoms series.

Color Throwdown #191

It's almost the end of the school year & I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I decided to take a couple of hours off Friday just to clean up in my studio and give myself just a little time to stamp. I'm so glad I did!  To get things started, I looked over at the Color Throwdown for inspiration.  I loved their color choices for this week & would have never put them together on my own.  They include: Pool party, Pacific Point, Tempting Turquoise, Elegant Eggplant, and Certainly Celery.  I added in some Whisper White and Basic Black just to make things pop a bit.  Isn't it a fun combination?  I also wanted to take the time to use some of my stamps that will retire at the end of the month.  Fifth Ave Floral is one of the sets of classic images that I will miss.  I like it so much that I bought the Decor Elements inspired by the set to decorate my studio walls.  This layered rose is just lovely.  I can't wait to see it on my wall too.  I'll post a photo once it's up (and perhaps once I clean my desk). :)

Welcome Baby Mojo Style/ Mojo Monday 237

It's that time of year again... Stampin' Up has announced its Retired List. Each year, we find out what stamps won't make it into the next catalog. This year, the list is especially long because they are starting a new catalog system in June. So, there are many old friends to say goodbye to. I always remind myself that there will be lots of great new stuff to check out in the new catalog as I march out all my soon to be retired sets for a last hurrah.

Fox & Friends is one of the sets that will no longer be available after May 31st. It's such a cute little group of critters. I love using it for baby and kid cards. For today's example, I used the Mojo Monday sketch of the week. I was glad to find that it worked well with another goal I had--- to use my new Simply Scored Diagonal Plate. That's how I created all those great background scores. I'll be demonstrating how to get this effect & how to make your own envelopes with this tool at my Lakewood Stampin' Social next week & my Second Monday open studio in May. You're going to love how easy this tool is to use! Isn't it fun how the background scores match up so well with the baker's twine? I love it when things work out well!

Springtime Lilacs/ Color throwdown #187

Can you tell what I was cutting out in my garden yesterday? My lilac bushes are in full bloom and there was a chance of snow last night so I wanted to rescue as many blooms as possible while I still could. They inspired me to create paper versions that will last even longer. When I saw how well this plan matched with the color choices from the folks over at the Color Throwdown, I knew this was a great chance to get back into stamping and back into blogging too. The colors for this week's challenge were So Saffron, Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery, and Lavender Lace. I replaced the Lavender Lace with Wisteria Wonder to make my little lilac sprigs. Please don't ask how many little flowers are in each cluster... I didn't let myself count! All I know, is that I punched a BUNCH of them with my little Punch Pack flower and then punched quite a few more just to make sure. I used all but four! Once I got the clusters together for a trial run, I knew I needed to do something with their centers. A tiny circle of So Saffron was too much. So, I glued them all in place and decided to solve that problem at the end. As I glued them, I liked how the little dot of glue started to give them each a center. Then it hit me, Dazzling Details would be just the ticket! So, I added a little dot to each of the exposed centers. Trust me, there are a lot more that ended up covered up. I may have gone just a bit overboard with layers. That's the fun part though, right? Now I have just a bit a spring to last for months & months.