Double Emboss + Much More

Well, today's card is sort of the opposite of yesterday's. If Monday was a study in simplicity, this one sure has a lot going on! I've been itching to try out the Double Embossing technique ever since I read about it in my demonstrator magazine last week. It's so fun! You ink up one of your embossing folders using a brayer & Versamark. Run it through the Big Shot like normal & then add embossing powder to heat emboss too. For this card, I started with Melon Mambo cardstock, ran it through using the Vintage Wall Paper folder, & added Wild Wasabi embossing powder. Then, I went a little crazy with my new Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch & an Occasions Mini catalog. This card showcases all the fun shapes you can make with just one punch! I think it would be fun to create at classes because each one would be so very different. What do you think?

Baby T-Shirt

I had to get my scissors out for this one! After tracing a much needed template, I cut this cute little T-Shirt out of Whisper White. It opens up to reveal a sentiment on the inside too. I tried my perferator tool on the sleeves as well. It gives a little bit of a stitching look, but I'm not totally sold yet, what do you think? Can you see it? For my decorations I decided to stay simple & go with Itty Bitty Bits. Then, I punched out circles with my punch pack circle to glue on the back of my buttons. I'm a big fan of the Itty Bitty Bits co-ordinating stamps, punches, and buttons. It's designing gone easy!

Color Throwdown #123/ Itty Bitty Bits Build-a-Brad

This week's Color Throwdown threw me for a loop! One of the chosen colors is Cameo Coral which went away during the Color Renovation. I sold all of my Cameo Coral goods in my retired sale, so I had to substitute in Blushing Bride. Along with Baja Breeze & Always artichoke, they make a very sweet combination. After looking through the new Occasions Mini again yesterday, I was inspired to do more with the cluster of heart flowers from Valentine Defined. This set is turning out to be such a gem! I added little flowers from Itty Bitty Bits & punched them out with the coordinating Punch Pack. My other goal for today was to use a Build-a-Brad. I haven't done one in a long time, but I really like the look they create. The polka dots on my butterfly are very high tech...a pencil eraser served as a stamp! Of all the toys I have, it was just the right choice here. :)

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!

A Color Challenge for a Change

It's been quite a while since I tried a color challenge & I was feeling the need to do something other than a Christmas card today. So, I gave PPC a look. Their colors for this week are: Cajun Craze, Basic Gray, Pretty in Pink, & Pear Pizazz.

Once I knew I was going to do a color challenge, I decided to add a little extra challenge by picking out a few toys I haven't used lately to feature in this project. I took out my Movers & Shapers Die, the Hello Again stamp set, & my XL Bird Punch to see where the adventure would take me. I think it may still be missing something, and I'm not wild about the way the stitching around the window kind of disappears when I add texture, but overall it was a fun experiment. What do you think? Leave me a comment and let me know. I would love to hear your input!

Congrats, Janet!

Well, it's official! My friend, Janet, has joined the Stampin' Up family. :) I just wanted to send her a note of congrats for taking this step. (Of course, I'll send it in real life too!) It's so exciting to share the fun of being a demonstrator with some one else. Now, Janet can enjoy 20% off all her Stampin' Up supplies as well as all the resources available through the company. Our website, social networking site, monthly magazine, and much much more. And, she gets to look forward to playing with all the new toys from her customized Starter Kit. Lots of fun, all at once!

If you too would like to join in the fun contact me today. It's a super easy process & I'll be here to support you every step of the way.

As for today's card: I'm getting to play with all sorts of toys. The builder wheels & Itty Bitty Bits are still pretty new to me & I'm enjoying them immensely! I wanted something on here that was fully about joining Stampin' Up & found a heart I had punched from the backs of Stampin' Dimensionals while cleaning off my desk (a scary process, I assure you). Not sure why I did it in the first place, but it works well here! Since the heart features Tempting Turquoise, I knew that would be part of my color selection but I really wanted something bright & happy. So Saffron and Tangerine Tango were just the cheer I was looking for--- happy & sort of fall.

Silhouette Sentiments Fall Bird

The Mojo Monday sketch for today really worked to get my fall card juices flowing. I've been laughing about my orientation for the Silhouette Sentiments bird on the "Silhouette Sentiments Square" card since class on Saturday. One of you was kind enough to point out that my bird was fighting gravity in a big way. He seems much more at peace when the branch lays flat, huh? :)
I've been itching to put the Itty Bitty Bits combination of stamps, punches, and buttons to good use & this seemed a great opportunity. Tiny, but super fun, don't you think?
The ribbon from the sketch didn't quite fit when I was finished designing the card front, so I decided to forgo it this time around. Otherwise I stayed pretty faithful to the design.