Doily Valentine Easel

I'm ever so excited about our Valentine Theme class this weekend. I think I'll even sneak in a couple of the cards to Thursday's class in Lakewood. I would hate for folks to miss out on these beauties! Today's example would do quite nicely as an anniversary card as well as a Valentine. The "white on white" embossing of the card front adds just the right amount of texture to complement the doily pattern from the Flirtatious Designer Series Paper. I love how the Wisteria Wonder cardstock makes the Pretty in Pink from the designer paper just pop! Easel cards are such fun because they're really made to display. That way you can show off the beautiful card while your personal inscription remains hidden. The best part is, now folks can score their own bases for this card in class using my Simply Scored. This new scoring tool makes making non-traditional folds a snap! This card is one of the more "serious" cards from the Valentine line up. Check in tomorrow to see the lighter side of the holiday when I let whimsy take over!

Paper Daisy Sympathy/ Color Throwdown # 160

I was excited to see the opportunity presented by the folks over at The Color Throwdown this morning. You see, I tend to get stuck in a bit of a seasonal rut. So, I expected to break out more pumpkin and fall stamps today--- following my recent seasonal trend. However, there's just no way to make the color combo of Regal Rose, Early Espresso, & Very Vanilla work with leaves or pumpkins! That was great because I means I got to do something totally different. That's where this sympathy card came from. I've been wanting to use the Paper Daisies that came with one of my Convention projects for months now & this seemed the time to do it. In order to soften the Regal Rose a bit on this card I sponged it all with Early Espresso ink. In fact, I sponged darn near everything on this card! That trend wasn't stopped at all. :) For the background, I also added extra texture with the Color Spritzer tool & a trip through the Big Shot with the Finial Press folder. I find myself spending more time and attention to my backgrounds than my "featured" images lately. Perhaps yet another trend for me?

Well Worn Monogram

This is the last card for today's Fall Theme Class. Granted, it's not super fallesque, but it does use the right pallet of colors. I found the idea for the basic layout while cruising around Stampin' Connection (it's sort of like Facebook for just SU demos & just about stamping...one more perk of being a demo!). I love the combination of this pattern from the Well Worn DSP along with the image from Best Friends Forever & the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder. The three work so well together. Then I decided to take the vintage look a step further & added Log Cabin Smooch Spritz. Fun! I was stuck about what to put as my central image though. I wanted to keep the vintage/elegant feel so my Black Satin Ribbon was a must. While looking through my stamp sets to find just the right thing to feature, I saw my Occasions Alphabet set. Perfect! I didn't need any of the super cute quips for this card, but inking just the letter means that it's a great monogram set too! My very fist monogram card! It always feels good to try something new...at least in stamping. :)

Birthday Roses/ Color Throwdown #154

I don't think we'll be making this guy at classes any time soon, but I may show you how to make these super fun tiny roses. Each one is made from the outline that you create with the Blossom Triple Layer Punch. Just snip it in one place & then wrap it around something round and skinny. I used my Paper Piercer for most of them, but then had the great idea to use the end of my tweezers. That worked even better! It's a hand delivered type of card for sure. I don't think the little 3D roses would like the journey via USPS.

Sorry that my photo quality isn't quite up to snuff. I tried to use a different camera tonight & I don't think I have all the settings worked out quite yet. Perhaps a little more experimentation is in order. :)

Thanks to the folks over a the Color Throwdown for this color combo: Basic Gray, Daffodil Delight, So Saffron, & Old Olive. Don't they work well together?

Project Sneak Peak

I'm not in the habit of making projects, but I hope to do many more of them. In fact, I think it would be great fun to have project classes in addition to my card classes. This will be my first attempt! It's a bit of a pre-view because it uses all sorts of goodies from the Holiday Mini Catalog. The base for this project is the new Stampin' Card Keeper. It's a box perfectly sized for storing your handmade cards & even comes with six dividers to keep you organized. Also, it includes patterns for covering the whole box (or bits like I did) using designer paper or designer fabric. The fun little hardware on the box front is also included. My plan is to fill these little boxes with cards & give them as Christmas gifts!

I had such fun decorating my box with The Spice Cake designer fabric & designer paper. How did I make those excellent little flowers? Great question--- by using my brand new Simply Scored! This toy is Stampin' Up's answer to all our scoring needs. I can't wait to share how easy it is to use with all of you. Never fear, you'll see it at class soon & you can order your very own starting September 1st. Look for my example box at classes this month & let me know if you would like to sign up for or host a Card Keeper Class.