Color Throwdown #152

It's been a super long time since I've participated in the Color Throwdown. I miss that extra stretch I have to take when using colors that I would have never put together on my own. I guess that's why they call it a color "challenge". This week's choices were no exception: Rose Red, Mellon Mambo, Soft Suede, & River Rock. I NEVER use River Rock. In fact, all my colors have a file folder with full sheets & a paper protector with scraps. Most have a full pack with a few extra sheets & a whole bunch of scraps. However, when I took out my River Rock folder, all I found was a sheet and a half. Period. That shows you just how little attention I pay that color!

Since I have all sorts of new toys to play with, I started getting them out to see what would happen. My very favorite of the new hostess sets, Happiest Birthday Wishes, (it's HUGE) came out first. Then my Fancy Fan Letterpress Plate had to come out of its package too. I actually read the directions on that one, aren't you proud? I just kept fiddling until I came up with something that works. All my Soft Suede bits found their way through my crimper while the River Rock pieces were treated with my Color Spritzer tool. A few scrap buttons & I was finished! Now, I have the rest of my new toys to experiment with...stay tuned...

You Learn Something New Every Day...

Or at least I sure did while at Stampin' Up Convention! The very first night of convention we had a SU "garden party". There were prizes, games, & (my favorite) demonstrations. While watching one of the incredible punch demos, I learned how to make this great flower using the 3/4" Circle Punch & the Large Oval Punch. Hint: punch those circles first. It makes life MUCH easier. As soon as I saw the flower, I knew I needed to create a card with it for this week's classes. I did a little fun trick with the Bitty Button too. Just a few rubs with a sanding block & your clear button is instantly frosted. Nice, huh? It's another tid bit I picked up from a convention demonstration. I have a feeling I'll be spouting new tips gleaned from my time there for months to come! Oh, and did you check out the new embossing folders? I used both the Hound's Tooth & the Stripes folders on this card. Love them! The overall card is pretty simple, but the little details here & there really make it pop! I love that there is always so much more to learn in the world of stamping. :)

The Whole World Isn't Stamping?

I'm finding it a bit of a harsh transition to reality after spending four full days at SU's Convention. Since I landed in Salt Lake, the whole world has centered on stamping. Now, there are all sorts of other things I need to do! As I get ready for work this morning, there is SO much I want to share with all of you that I learned over the last few days. I need to post pictures of my adventures too. But, most of that will have to wait...duty calls! I couldn't let the morning get going without sharing one of my Make & Take projects from convention. Of course, I switched it up just a little. I can never leave well enough alone. :) These super fun little flowers come from one of the sets in the new catalog we got FREE at convention, Raining Flowers. Aren't they darling? My favorite part of the card is the ruffled ribbon. We got to play with all the colors of this new ribbon and I love it! In fact, it's inspired me to organize another ribbon swap. I'll send along the details on that one soon. Right now, I need to scurry off to work...