Jason's Stampin' Pad

My First Freak Swap

2012-01-11T21:08:00.001-07:00

As many of you know the Control Freaks started out as a group of Stampin’ Up! demonstrators that wanted to be able to swap with other demonstrators who were all willing to commit to be held to a very high standard of creativity, artistry, and workmanship. The blog tours that give the Freaks the most publicity are a fairly recent thing.

The Freaks have a swap with every new mini catalog and IB&C release. I was fortunate enough to get into the group in time to be included in the swap for the new Occasions Mini catalog This was my first Freak swap and I was a tad bit stressed over making sure that I lived up to the standards and produced a great product. Fortunately, I had nothing to worry about as far as having great products to use in the process! The Occasions Mini is PACKED with fabulous new stamps, accessories, and tools!

The stamp set I chose to use for my swaps was the new “P.S. I Love You” set. I love how this set has great images and sentiments combined to make the perfect Valentine or a simple heart-felt wish of love to someone dear.

I also used a variety of products from our Twitterpated Suite and also played with our new Framelits and Edgelits dies.

So without further ado … here’s the card I created:

I was blown away by the swaps I received in return and truly felt like the work I put into mine was truly worth the wonderful swaps I got in return. I only hope that each of the ladies I swapped with feel the same about my creation.

Thanks for stopping by today. Let me know you were here!

SUPPLIES USED:

Stamps: “P.S. I Love You”; Paper: Blushing Bride, Riding Hood Red, Pear Pizzazz, Island Indigo, Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Twitterpated DSP; Ink: Island Indigo; Accessories: Blushing Bride Pleated Satin Ribbon, Twitterpated Designer Buttons, Pearls Basic Jewels, White Bakers Twine, Dimensionals; Tools: Hearts Collection Framelits Dies, Adorning Accents Edgelits Dies, Adorning Accents Embossing Folders, Scalloped Heart Embosslit Die, Full Heart punch, Hearts Galore punch, Modern Label punch

I’m a Control Freak!!

2011-11-19T19:00:00.000-07:00

I’m so excited to announce that I am a member of the Control Freaks swap and blog tour group!!

I have been a great admirer of the Control Freaks and their fabulous creations for a while now as I tour their blogs during their monthly blog tour. I have a few friends who have part of the group for a while. One of them suggested that I look into becoming a part of the group because the work I do is of the quality they are always looking for. In October I was officially made a part of the group. I decided to wait to make the announcement until it was time for the tour. I will be doing my first swap with the group in December and I am so VERY excited!

Now on to the tour …

WELCOME to the November 2011 Control Freaks Blog Tour!!!

We are showcasing projects based on the idea of keeping things simple. In the Stamping World, it’s called K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stamper). Since we’re still in the Christmas season I decided to make my simple creations Christmas based.

You have probably joined me after visiting our leader, Lisa Martz’s blogand you can click on the "next blog" button at the bottom of the post to continue on the tour.

Our tour officially starts on Sunday, November 20th.. so if you are joining us early, some of the blog tour links may not be quite up yet.. so please check back Saturday morning for the full tour.

Here’s a preview of all three of my projects:

One of the things I like to do if I’m trying to keep things simple is to take full advantage of the work Stampin Up has already done for me. I love how easy it is to make an awesome project using our coordinating products. The other thing I like to do is focus on one stamp set. There are often plenty of images in one stamp set to do everything I need on my project that there’s no need to use more than one.

I decided I wanted to focus on our Polar Party stamp set from the Idea Book & Catalog for these projects.

The trio of trees in this stamp set is by far my most favorite image in the set. I may not have purchased it if this image wasn’t in the set (although I do like the rest as well). This project was made super simple for me by following the color scheme that Stampin Up had already established in our Christmas Lane Simply Scrappin Kit. I used a piece of DSP from the kit and then used all products and colors that coordinate with the set.

It’s difficult to tell by this image, but the center tree has glittery ornaments. I simply used one of our Blender Pens and dipped the tip of it into our Champagne Shimmer Paint to color each of the ornaments.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Polar Party, Petite Pairs; Paper: Christmas Lane DSP, Lucky Limeade, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White; Ink: Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Lucky Limeade, Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight, Bashful Blue; Accessories: Cherry Cobbler Scalloped Dots ribbon, Dazzling Details, Champagne Shimmer Paint, Blender Pen

I am one of those that is a fan of nontraditional Christmas Colors. I love having blues, pinks, and other colors that give Christmas projects more of a whimsy feel for me. Here I paired Marina Mist with Old Olive simply because those are colors that are part of the palette of the Letters to Santa DSP.

I really wanted to add some shimmer and glimmer to this card, so once again I turned to our shimmer paints. I brushed the Frost White Shimmer Paint around the edge of the Top Note shape as well as colored the bear in with Frost White Shimmer Paint using a Blender Pen. Then I turned to our Dazzling Details and Dazzling Diamonds to add some glitter to the project. I finished it off by adding some bling with our rhinestone jewels.

Take a look at the image below to see it better:

The blues I used to color the bear are the exact same color. For the lighter blue I used a blender pen and picked the ink up from my ink pad really lightly. For the darker blue I used our Stampin Write marker of the same color.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Polar Party; Paper: Letters to Santa DSP, Marina Mist, Whisper White; Ink: Basic Black, Marina Mist, Lucky Limeade, Real Red; Accessories: Bashful Blue satin ribbon, Dazzling Details, Frost White Shimmer Paint, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Dazzling Details, Northern Flurry snowflake die, Rhinestone jewels, Blender Pen

This pillow box turned out different that I had originally planned. I had planned to hang a tag from it stamped with an image from Polar Party to fit with my other projects. But after I got the box and snowflakes cut from our glimmer paper, I just didn’t want to cover them up at all and I felt the box said plenty all by itself.

I just love the glimmer and shimmer that our new glimmer paper has. I can’t wait to see even more colors come out in the future!

Supplies Used:

Paper: Red & silver Shimmer Paper; Accessories: Northern Flurry snowflake die, Sizzix pillow box die, Whisper White taffeta ribbon, rhinestone jewels

I hope you’ve enjoyed my first ever contribution to the Control Freaks Blog Tour!! You’ll find more simple yet fabulous inspiration as you continue on to Barb Mullikin’s blog.

Thank you for joining me!

Join me Saturday ...

2011-11-17T23:04:00.001-07:00

Join me on Saturday, November 20 for an exciting announcement!

I'll give you a little sneak peek though. It looks something like this ...

FREE Digital Downloads

2011-11-03T20:17:00.001-06:00

Celebrate Digital Scrapbooking Day with Stampin' Up! for a four-day online event designed to introduce more of our customers to our digital content. Digital Scrapbooking Day is November 5, but we'll keep the celebration going from November 4-7! The event will include free downloads, blog posts with exciting project ideas all weekend long, and the announcement of the 2011 My Digital Studio Contest winners.

Here’s a peek at the free downloads:

Don’t miss out on this fun opportunity to become familiar with Stampin’ Up’s digital software and content!

Click the image below to be taken to the My Digital Studio site where you can join in on the celebration!

Christmas Mini Album Class

2011-10-13T22:34:00.000-06:00

Christmas CD Holder Mini Album

Get a jump on your holiday preparations with this fabulous album!

or order a full kit of the class (if you're not local).

This fun and festive mini album is not only beautiful and easy to make,

but it is also very interactive and loads of fun to decorate, fill, and then enjoy!

(They make wonderful gifts too whether filled or empty!)

With all of the necessary supplies included (even the ribbon and other details),

this class is a steal at only $25!

You can sign up for the class by emailing me here or contacting me through my Stampin Up website. Please sign up ASAP so I can order the correct amount of kits that I will need.

If a kit needs to be shipped to you there will be an additional shipping charge.

Contact me today to reserve your spot!!

Giving Thanks!

2011-10-11T02:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the October 2011 Pals Blog Hop! This month is all about “giving thanks” whether it be with Thank You cards or Thanksgiving inspired cards. You’ve likely arrived here from Leah O’Brien’s blog at Leah’s Stampin’ Corner and I’m so glad you’ve stopped by! I am stop #7 on today’s hop, but if you need to see a lineup, please see the list at the bottom of this post.

Stampin’ Up provided us with the absolute PERFECT products this year for our Fall and Thanksgiving themed projects. I am so in love with the Spice Cake Suite found in the 2011 Holiday Mini that I’m already panicking about what I’m going to do when it’s not available anymore! Thankfully it’s been made available in My Digital Studio, so I never have to worry about it going away forever!

This month in my club meeting, I wanted to feature the Spice Cake Suite along with the FABULOUS stamp sets we have to celebrate Fall & Thanksgiving. My customers all loved these products as much as I do and couldn’t wait to order their own. If you fall in love with them as well and want to order your own, please visit my online store.

Now onto the fabulous feast …

This first project features the Gently Falling stamp set, Spice Cake DSP, and the Spice Cake Fabric all from the Holiday Mini. I am so thankful for such perfectly coordinating products!!

This project features older stamp sets with newer accessories. We used the Day of Gratitude and En Francais stamp sets which can be found in the IB&C along with the Spice Cake DSP from the Holiday Mini and the Soft Suede Taffeta Ribbon which is new in the catalog this year! I’m grateful for new products that beautifully compliment tried and true products from the past!!

This fun fold card not only featured our beautiful products that the other cards used, but it also featured the use of our FABULOUS Simply Scored Tool which premiered in the Holiday Mini catalog. This wonderful tool made it so easy to score up a bunch of these accordion fold cards! I’m so thankful for fun and fabulous tools that make creating my projects easier and more fun!

When I saw the Leaves of a Tree a la carte stamp in the back of the Holiday Mini, I immediately fell in love with it and knew I would be purchasing it and using it my creations. Though this beautiful single image stamp looks best when it is colored, it is also gorgeous stamped in a single color. For our coloring method we used blender pens and ink straight from the ink pads. I am grateful that the DSP made it so easy to decide which colors to use to make the best looking image to coordinate with my card!!

This card is not a project we made in club, but one I made ahead of time to show to my club customers. This is a card that features not only beautifully coordinated papers, colors, inks, and fabrics but also a plethora of tools that are made to work together to create beautiful works of art. Here I used our Simply Scored Tool, Big Shot Dies, Circle Scissor Plus, Circle punches, and dimensionals to get a beautifully layered card. I am so thankful for all of my fun tools that make my creations so enjoyable to put together!

So there you have it. Those are some of my Fall/Thanksgiving creations using fun and fabulous coordinating products and tools exclusive to Stampin’ Up. I’m so glad you stopped by to visit today!

Please leave me a comment to let me know you were here and I would love to hear what you’re most thankful for as well!

Continue along the Pals hop by visiting Barbara Chatzkel at Take Out Paper Arts. You can also click the “Next” or “Previous” buttons below or use the full lineup to move around the hop. I hope you enjoy all the amazing projects that are in store for you!

Nancy Gleason at http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/mystampinspace/blog
Sandie Conner at http://www.prettyprovisions.com/
Cindy Hall at http://www.prettyimpact.com/
Kylie Nicolosi at http://www.kyliescraftycorner.blogspot.com/
Nina Dee at http://www.deesignsbyninadee.blogspot.com/
Leah O'Brien at http://www.leahsstampincorner.com/
Jason Casper at http://www.stampindad.com/
Barbara Chatzkel at http://www.takeoutpaperarts.com/
Mike Funke at http://stampin-style.typepad.com/stampin-style/
Mary Fish at http://www.stampinpretty.com/
Nicole Watt at http://www.impressionsbynicole.com/
Barb Furlong at http://www.theloveofstamping.com/
Jennifer Takacs at http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/jenntakacs/blog
Mikki Sarkisyan at http://www.mikkiscreativecorner.blogspot.com/
Patti MacLeith at http://papercraftsbypatti.blogspot.com/
Rae Harper at http://wildwestpaperarts.com/
Camila McManus at http://www.obxscrapbook.wordpress.com/

Thank you to the following stampers for their inspiration:
catrules
Jill Coleman
Tessa Wise

Halloween Hopping!!!

2011-09-13T02:00:00.002-06:00

Welcome to the September Pals Hop! This month, we're featuring Fall and Halloween inspired projects! Enjoy the hop and the amazing creations that the Pals have come up with.

You've likely hopped over from Camila McManus at OBX Scrapbook, I'm stop number 22 on the Pals Hop and I'm glad you hopped in! I'll help you "hop along" from blog to blog where you'll find great ideas for Fall and Halloween paper projects from the Stampin' Pretty Pals! Should you hop off course, simply click on any of the links in the Pals Hop Line-up below and you'll be back on track!

Since I planned my September club meeting to be all Halloween cards, I thought this blog hop would be a great opportunity to share those cards with you.

I had a customer recently ask me to include some chalking techniques in some of the cards we make at club so she can learn to use the Stampin’ Pastels she recently bought.So I decided that the Haunted Forest a la carte stamp from the Holiday Mini would be the perfect image to use to do some chalking with. I combined the image with some Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake, More Mustard, Always Artichoke, and Cajun Craze for a beautiful palette of Fall colors!

I definitely wanted to use the Out on a Limb stamp set from the Holiday Mini to do one of our Halloween cards, but I struggled to come up with a design that I liked very much. This one is a pretty shameless CASE from my uber-talented friend Heather Summers. Of course I changed up a few things to make it my own and had to simplify a few other things for my club customers. You can view Heather’s card here.

Several of my customers have made it very clear just how much they love the Wicked Cool stamp set in the IB&C since it debuted last year. I definitely have to agree with them that it is one of my favorite Halloween sets to use. The set is full of great Halloween images without being too creepy or too cutesy (and those shoes are just so sassy!). This card is based on a swap I received at Convention this year because one of my customers loved the design and idea and demanded we do it in club!

This card is probably my most favorite one we did this month at club. This is a version of a card I created to use as swaps at Convention this year. I decided to change up a couple of colors and design elements on this version though. I absolutely LOVE our letterpress plates and this Trick or Treat one is by far my favorite!! My customers really enjoyed getting to use this plate! The inside of the card is done using our Bring on the Bats jumbo wheel and only the sentiment from the Haunted Forest a la carte stamp in the Holiday Mini. The closeup shot shows how we spritzed the image with some shimmer mist and some black ink for detail and texture.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the projects I had to share with you today as part of the Stampin’ Pretty Pals Fall Hop. Please be sure to sign up to receive email updates and stay tuned throughout the month as I continue to share more Halloween cards and projects that I have in store!

Now hop along for more inspiring ideas from Jeanne Norris at My Creative Impressions. If you’d like to hop over to another location on the list, use the line up listed below.

1. Jeanne Norris at http://www.mycreativeimpressions.com
2. Patt MacLeith at http://papercraftsbypatti.blogspot.com
3. Melanie Collines at http://oopsadaisy.typepad.com
4. Ann Schach at http://www.stampinchic.com
5. Mikki Sarkisyan at http://www.mikkiscreativecorner.blogspot.com
6. Leah O'Brien at http://www.leahobrien.com
7. Mary Fish at http://www.stampinpretty.com
8. Barb Furlong at http://www.theloveofstamping.com
9. Linda Fisher at http://lindas-stampinloft.blogspot.com
10. Mike Funke at http://stampin-style.typepad.com/stampin-style
11. Nancy Gleason at http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/mystampinspace/blog
12. Joan Norris at http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/clearlycreative/blog
13. Barbara Chatzkel at http://takeoutpaperarts.com
14. Kylie Nicolosi at http://kyliescraftycorner.blogspot.com
15. Cindy Hall at http://www.prettyimpact.com
16. Nina Dee at http://www.deesignsbyninadee.blogspot.com
17. Sandie Conner at http://www.prettyprovisions.com
18. Nicole Watt at http://www.impressionsbynicole.com
19. Rae Harper at http://wildwestpaperarts.com
20. Debbie Pierce at http://www.stampinsunshine.com
21. Camila McManus at http://www.obxscrapbook.wordpress.com
22. Jason Casper at http://www.stampindad.com

Thank you for stopping by today and I hope you have enjoyed our hop! Don’t forget to leave a comment to let me know you were here!

Thank you to the following stampers for their inspiration:
kvsquires

3-D Blog Hop by the Pals

2011-08-09T02:00:00.000-06:00

Seeing as it’s been a long time since I’ve been blogging regularly, it’s also been a long time since I’ve participated in one of the Pals blog hops. So I decided it would be another great incentive for me to get back into the saddle again.

Welcome to the August Pals Hop! This month, we're featuring fun and creative three dimensional projects! Enjoy the hop and the amazing creations that the Pals have come up with.

You've likely hopped over from Barbara Chatzkel’s Take Out Paper Arts, I'm stop number 4 on the Pals Hop and I'm glad you stopped in! I'll help you along from blog to blog where you'll find great ideas for 3-D paper projects from the Stampin' Pretty Pals! Should you get off course, simply click on any of the links in the Pals Hop Line-up below and you'll be back on track.

Normally I like to share more than just one project when I post for a blog hop. This project took me a while to complete though and I think it’s GORGEOUS enough to stand alone as my blog post. Without further ado:

This is my Halloween Rosette Wreath. For any of you who have already seen the 2011 Holiday Mini catalog, you will know where the inspiration for this project comes from.

I was SO EXCITED to use my new Simply Scored tool (debuting in the Holiday Mini) that I had to make sure I used it to create my 3-D project. I have LOVED making these fun little rosettes over the past year to put on my projects and this FABULOUS new tool made it so much easier for me to do!! I can’t wait to share the Simply Scored scoring tool with all of you in Bloggerland and with my customers!

Here’s another view:

I was also REALLY excited to do a Halloween project using the new Spooky Bingo Bits from the Idea Book & Catalog as well as the new Hand Penned Holidays from the Holiday Mini catalog! Halloween is just one of my FAVORITE holidays and I always love making decorations for it!

Enjoy a few closeups of the project:

I hope this fun little project gets you excited about the endless possibilities available with the new Simply Scored scoring tool like it has for me!

Continue along the hop lineup to Melanie Collins blog at Oopsadaisy where you will find more fun and inspiring 3-D projects for your crafty delight!

Thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to leave me a comment to let me know you were here!

1. Stephanie Uzee at http://www.stampinwithsuzee.blogspot.com

2. Nicole Watt at http://www.impressionsbynicole.com

3. Barbara Chatzkel at http://www.takeoutpaperarts.com

4. Jason Casper at http://www.stampindad.com

5. Melanie Collins at http://www.oopsadaisy.typepad.com/

6. Carmen Sublasky at http://creativestamptuary.typepad.com/the-creative-stamptuary/

7. Patti MacLeith at http://papercraftsbypatti.blogspot.com/

8. Sandie Conner at http://www.prettyprovisions.com/

9. Nina Dee at http://www.deesignsbyninadee.blogspot.com/

10. Leah O'Brien at http://www.leahobrien.com/

11. Mary Fish at http://www.stampinpretty.com/

12. Rae Harper at http://wildwestpaperarts.com/

13. Kylie Nicolsi at http://www.kyliescraftycorner.blogspot.com/

14. Pam Giudici at http://www.pamshobby.blogspot.com/

15. Linda Fisher at http://lindas-stampinloft.blogspot.com/

16. Mikki Sarkisyan at http://www.mikkiscreativecorner.blogspot.com/

17. Martha Stewart at http://www.seasonsofstamping.com/

18. Mike Fuke at http://stampin-style.typepad.com/stampin-style/

19. Barb Furlong at http://www.theloveofstamping.com/

BUY 3 GET 1 FREE!!

2011-08-01T09:05:00.001-06:00

Stampin’ Up is offering an exciting opportunity during August to stock up on our exclusive Designer Series Papers! For every 3 packages of DSP that you buy in August (on the same order) you will receive one for FREE!!

Promotion Dates: August 1-31, 2011

Promotion Details: During August, get a FREE package of Designer Series Paper when you buy three! Stock up on all your favorites, including brand-new designs from the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog.

Things to Remember:

There is no limit to the number of free packages of Designer Series Paper you can earn.
Take advantage of this opportunity through online, workshop, or club orders!
Specialty Designer Series Paper and Hostess Designer Series Paper are not part of this promotion and cannot be redeemed through this offer.
On-line ordering deadline is Aug. 31 at 11:50 P.M. MT

Contact me today or visit my online store to place your order!

Been Gone Way Too Long!!!

2011-07-27T21:40:00.001-06:00

So you may have noticed I’ve been gone for a while …

I didn’t give up on crafting or Stampin’ Up! I just got out of the habit of posting to my blog after I had surgery on my wrist and haven’t gotten myself back into the habit.

Well, it’s time for change. I am recommitting myself to posting regularly to my blog. I won’t be posting daily but I certainly hope to be posting once or twice a week. I may even get lucky and get a third post in sometimes.

I’m also going to be getting back into doing blog hops. I have a blog hop with the Stampin’ Pretty Pals scheduled for August 9. There’s a couple of other things I have in the works where I may be doing blog hops as well. So watch for those in the coming days and weeks.

Now I know I’m a bit behind the Joneses in posting things from Convention but I thought that would be a great place to start getting my feet wet again. I do have some AMAZING projects I saw while I was there that I will be sharing soon, but I wanted to start with what is most important to me about Convention …

… THE PEOPLE!!

I have met so many amazing, wonderful, friendly, and kind people through being a Stampin’ Up demonstrator that I know I never would have met otherwise. These people have all blessed and enriched my life in so many different ways. I wish I had a picture of each person who has blessed me and helped me along the way. But since I don’t, I’ll start with some of the ones I do have.

I’ll start with a picture of me and my “fearless leader” Mary Fish. Though I only get to see Mary about once a year (usually at Convention), I’m so glad to have her for my upline! She works tirelessly to keep our very large group well informed and successful in whatever kind of demonstrator we choose to be (hobby or business).She’s just very sweet and so fashionably chic too!

Patty Bennett. If you’ve ever met Patty in person or online you will know what I mean when I say she is one of the most genuinely sweet, kind, and caring people I have ever met. She is a consistent, highly successful demonstrator who still keeps her feet on the ground and her arm around anyone who needs it! Patty has been so kind to me as we have developed a great friendship this year through Facebook. She calls me her “other Jason” since her son’s name is Jason.

Sara Douglass. The daughter of CEO and Cofounder Shelli Gardner, and more importantly a creative genius herself. I have enjoyed getting to know Sara not only through her presentations and videos but also through her blog posts at www.mydigitalstudio.net. We have connected on Facebook a few times as well and she’s just as genuinely sweet and down to earth as her mother is.

Heather Summers. #1 Demonstrator of the Year 2011 in Canada. Artisan Award winner. Friend. Heather is another one of those people who is incredibly successful in the company but is just down to earth and exceptionally friendly! I have gotten to know Heather a little bit through www.mydigitalstudio.net as well and absolutely LOVE her digital work! We connected for the first time in person this year at convention and I can’t wait to continue building a friendship with this totally awesome lady!

Mindy Backes. Many people in the online world know her as Minders. She’s positively sweet & sassy! I love her fiery attitude and her friendly nature. She and I are the co-creators of All Things Stampin’ Up on Facebook. We have come to be good friends and were finally able to meet each other in person at convention. Here she is pictured with the always sweet and helpful Jan Hoyt that we both know from Splitcoast Stampers.

Alana and Charlotte are two very sweet ladies I met online at Stampin’ Connection. We were all posting in a thread previous to convention that was a place to give helpful tips and suggestions to first-time convention-goers. I enjoyed meeting both of them in person!

The Guys. It is so wonderful to be able to go to convention and meet and/or spend time with other men who have a passion for paper crafting and Stampin’ Up as much as I do. Though we are definitely the minority in this world and certainly at convention as well, it’s just awesome to have these guys as friends!

Below: Mike Funke, myself, Kevin Theesen, Scot Sthrehlow

Below: Dennis Cochran, Kevin Theesen, Scot Sthrehlow, myslef (photo taken by Stampin’ Up’s roving reporter during convention)

Below: Ron Backes, Kevin Theesen, Dennis Cochran, Scot Strehlow, myself

I have to give special mention to Scot, Kevin, and Dennis. I have been blessed to have these guys as friends who have let me pal around with them and even spend time with them stamping in their hotel room during convention. Scot & Kevin took me under their wing during my first convention last year and showed me the ropes and made sure I didn’t get lost. They have become good friends. I love how Stampin’ Up brings people together!

The Facebook Group. These are only some of the many wonderful ladies I chat with on our Facebook group “All Things Stampin’ Up” They have become good friends of mine and are such a fun group of people to be with online and in person. We are doing the “thumbs up” because that is the icon for “like” on Facebook and we really “like” our little group!

Well, there ya have it. I really should have taken SO MANY more pictures with SO MANY more wonderful people I got to associate with. I just didn’t get it done. As I mentioned, I palled around with Kevin Theesen all week and he is a professional photographer and took thousands of pictures during the week. Most of us just gave up taking pictures and figured we’d just get copies of his later. So when I get a copy of them and find more wonderful people to share with you, I’ll be sure to post them as well.

Thank you for sticking with me during my hiatus and I hope now you will see me here a lot more regularly.

Check back soon!

14 Days of Valentines Continued

2011-02-11T11:18:00.001-07:00

As promised here are the boxes I have made for the 14 Days of Valentines that I’ve been doing for my wife. They are in order from Day 11 to Day 14.

Matchbox Die with Hershey’s Nuggets

Wrapped Giant Hershey Bar

Fancy Favor Die with Hershey Nuggets

Altered Altoid Tin

Beveled Windowpane Necklace

She has promised not to look at my blog until after the 14th, so I really hope she keeps her word. If you know her, please don’t divulge any of this.

I really hope she likes all that I have made for her and has enjoyed this process.

Thank you again for stopping by. Don’t forget to leave me a comment!

14 Days of Valentines

2011-02-11T10:07:00.001-07:00

On February 1 I started what I’m calling “The 14 Days of Valentines” for my wife.

The idea came about when I was showing a friend of mine all of the Valentine’s Day samples I had made for my January club meeting (I’ll be posting those soon too), and I mentioned that now I just had to find enough people to send all those valentines to so they wouldn’t just sit around. She suggested I should give one to my wife each day leading up to Valentine’s Day (thanks Sheri!!). I decided I didn’t want to give her one of those cards each day because she had already seen them all and even helped me with some design ideas on some of them. I loved the idea but I wanted original projects that she hadn’t seen before so it would be more special. The problem with that is that my stamp studio is in our family office where my wife works from home as a medical transcriptionist so I couldn’t really create them down there without her seeing them.

My Digital Studio to the rescue!! I was able to create a card for each day and then print 4 to a page on Whisper White and cut them out. I made them all so they are just 4x4 notecards. I wrote a little message on the back of each one and left them for her each day before I left for work. I only made 10 notecards. The last 4 days are going to be something a little more special each day than the notecards. Starting on day 11 she will get a little box each day with treats in it. Day 11, 12, and 13 are all candy treats. On Valentine’s Day she will get an altered tin with a necklace inside that I made for her. I used the new Beveled Windowpanes in the Occasions Mini and my friend Patti’s idea (find it here) to make her a customized necklace. I hope she likes it! I figured this was a great way to see if she likes the size of the necklace, and if she does then I will buy her one of the Simply Adorned necklaces.

I wanted you to have the back story behind this project, but enough with the babbling already. Here is each of the 10 cards in order from day 1 to day 10. (I will post the boxes in my next post)

This has been a really fun project to do so far. My wife has really enjoyed it and is now chomping at the bit to find out what the next few days will bring. I’m really glad she has enjoyed it. We have already talked about compiling them all into a little mini album when it’s all done so our kids will be able to look back on them later.

I hope you’ve enjoyed looking at the projects. Please leave me a comment to let me know you were here and what you thought.

I do need to give credit to a few designers who inspired some of the design elements:

Corina Meyer, Connie Collins, Jennifer Holiday, Mary Fish, Laurie Zoellmer, Jodi Collins

Thank you for stopping by today and don’t forget to check back to see the gifts of the last 4 days!

Time for FREE products!!!

2011-01-25T20:02:00.000-07:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year!! (Okay, maybe the second most wonderful ...)

Stampin' Up's SALE A BRATION sales period begins today (January 25) and runs through March 31. That's more than two whole months for you to get free products!!

View the Stampin' Up! Sale a Bration 2011 Catalog - click below to view the catalog online

FREE Gifts for every $50 you spend

Sale A Bration is the biggest promotion of the whole year!

Between January 25 and March 31, get a FREE gift

for every $50 you spend.

If you spend $100, you get TWO FREE gifts.

If you spend $150, you get THREE FREE gifts

PLUS regular hostess benefits!!

Click here to place your order today!

Ever think of joining Stampin' Up! and taking advantage of the MANY benefits available to Stampin' Up! demonstrators??

Sale A Bration is the best time to join!!

Get 15% off the starter kit PLUS an additional bonus kit

worth $50 absolutely FREE!!

(that's a $360 value for only $148.75 with FREE SHIPPING!!)

Contact me to find out more.

Or if you know you're ready to join, click here, and then click "join now"

My Apologies ...

2011-01-07T19:18:00.000-07:00

I should have written something to inform you all before this all began, so I apologize that I didn't.

I also apologize that I haven't been posting here at all lately. Now let me explain why.

On November 18th I had my tonsils, my uvula, and part of my soft palate removed. I didn't do much of anything for 2 weeks after that. On December 17th, I had surgery done on my left wrist and thumb to reconstruct the tendon that keeps your thumb in place in its joint. I have felt much better after this surgery than I felt after my tonsil surgery, but am still in the process of recovering and it is very difficult to type a blog entry with a cast on my left arm.

I have the cast on for 3 more weeks and then I have physical therapy for 4 to 6 weeks after the cast comes off. So I won't be posting much for the near future, but I'm still here and will be back as soon as I can.

Thank you for your patience and support!!

FREE Christmas Tutorial

2010-12-06T22:59:00.003-07:00

Sometime ago I had a relatively new customer ask me to put together a class that would help her get her Christmas cards done. She would gather a group of friends and coworkers to fill the class if I would create and prepare it. She also requested that we do a lot of embossing and other things with the Big Shot.

So my first thought was to turn to the Simply Scrappin Kit in the Idea Book & Catalog and see what I could do with it to make a card class. Originally I was rather disappointed with this kit because it seems to lend itself more to a countdown calendar or something of the sort rather than a card class like kits of the past have done. I decided to go ahead and order one and see what I could do. With a little creative “covering up” of certain elements, I was able to get a lot more mileage out of the kit and put it together for the card class I needed.

I created 23 card fronts (needing to be adhered to separate cardstock) and 4 boxes out of about half of the kit (it’s just a wee bit more than half). I bundled the kit, the “Four the Holidays” stamp set, 2 class periods of my instruction, and a THOROUGH printed tutorial together for $45.00. With the amount of time it took me to put the full-color tutorial together, test it, modify it, and finalize it, plus teach the class, I’m not really sure I earned much from this, but it was a GREAT experience with new customers and friends and I will definitely try my hand at using a Simply Scrappin Kit for this purpose in the future.

So, without anymore blabbing, here are some group shots of the projects:

What do you think of the projects?? It took a lot longer to design them all than I thought it would, but I loved it!

Originally, I was planning to offer the tutorial here on my blog for sale, but due to a surgery in the middle of everything, I just wasn’t able to get in done in as timely a manner as I would have liked. So instead, since we’re getting so close to Christmas, I decided to offer up this tutorial here on my blog for free to all of my readers.

There are TWO documents that you will need to be sure to download. One of them is the cutting instructions and the other is the full assembly instructions that is complete with photographs of each individual card or box. You can download them here:
Christmas Cheer Card Class Instructions
Christmas Cheer Cutting Instructions

The only thing I ask of you for downloading the tutorial is that you give me some feedback on what you think of it. I worked hard on it, and would like to do similar things in the future, but I need to know what could or should be changed to improve. So please either email me or leave me a comment here to let me know what you think. Please, Please, PLEASE!!!

I hope you enjoy it!

Check back later to see a video showing what else I did with this kit!

Cool & Simple MY DIGITAL STUDIO Technique

2010-11-27T16:30:00.003-07:00

I found a card on Splitcoast Stampers that I wanted to CASE, but try and do digitally just for fun. It’s been a few days since I played around in My Digital Studio (MDS) and wanted to do something quick and easy today.

Here is the card I wanted to CASE:
http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1850042?&si=SUO

When I got into MDS and started working on the project, I noticed that I can’t do “tone-on-tone” or “color-on-color” stamping like I can with my traditional inks and stamps. When I changed the color of my stamp to Old Olive to match the paper, It completely blended in and disappeared. So as I played around trying to figure out what would look the best, I found that playing with the drop shadows had the coolest look and affect.

All I did was change the color of the stamp to Old Olive and then add a drop shadow that I liked (I think it was 4,5 offset). Then I made a copy of the stamp and chose to paste it without offset so it laid right on top of the previous one. I then added a drop shadow to this stamp that was the exact opposite of my first drop shadow (-4, –5 offset). I REALLY liked the result it gave me. It almost looks embossed or engraved into the cardstock rather than just stamped on it.

What do you think?

Don’t forget that our My Digital Studio software is on sale for 50% off the normal price through November 30th. That’s an amazing $600+ of stamping products for only $40 that NEVER deplete. One of the things I love with our digital software is that the materials can be used over and over again without ever depleting and they NEVER retire. DON’T MISS OUT ON THIS OFFER!!

Go to my website listed below to purchase your copy of this amazing software!
Stampindad @ Stampinup.net

Club Projects with FREE tutorials!

2010-11-16T22:54:00.001-07:00

I have been wanting to share my monthly club projects with everyone out there in bloggerland and am finally getting around to doing it. I decided I had better get it done before I have my tonsils removed on Thursday and then don’t feel like doing much of anything.

Along with the pictures I am posting downloadable versions of the instructions for each card that I will be posting. When I have my club meetings I always make several extra kits with printed directions for the cards. These are then available to my club members to purchase for $2.00 each if they would like to be able to make more than what we made during club meeting. Of course, the card instructions are always free to my club members. (I’m working on setting up a virtual stamp club to start in the near future that will be hosted here on my blog … stay tuned for more info and let me know if you’re interested).

Below are two of the projects we did in our October club meeting.

Supplies:

Stamps: Serene Snowflakes, Season of Joy; Ink: Night of Navy; Paper: Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Night of Navy; Accessories: Northern Flurry embossing folder, Basic Rhinestones, Vanilla Smooch Spritz, Dimensionals.

Click here for the downloadable instructions for this card.

Supplies:

Stamps: Tree Trimmings, Word Play; Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Versamark; Paper: Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, Jolly Holiday DSP; Accessories: Very Vanilla 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Clear Embossing Powder, Big Shot and Top Note Die, Wide Oval Punch, Shimmer Mist, Dimensionals

Click here for the downloadable instructions for this card.

The three projects below are all of the projects that we did for our November club meeting:

Supplies:

Stamps: Sincere Salutations, Tags til Christmas, Delightful Decorations; Ink: Garden Green, Baja Breeze, Night of Navy; Paper: Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Real Red, Candy Cane Christmas DSP; Accessories: Basic Rhinestones, Dimensionals, Scallop Trim Punch, Ornament Punch

Click here for the downloadable instructions for this card.

Supplies:

Stamps: Christmas Postcard; Ink: Cherry Cobbler; Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, Garden Green, Early Espresso, Deck the Halls DSP; Accessories: Basic Pearls, Vanilla Smooch Spritz, Dimensionals, Scallop Trim Punch, Five Petal Flower Punch

Click here for the downloadable instructions for this card.

Supplies:

Stamps: Seasonal Sentiments, Tags til Christmas; Ink: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip; Paper: Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Jolly Holiday DSP; Accessories: Basic Rhinestones, Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon, Dimensionals, Mat Pack, Paper Piercer, Decorative Label and Ornament Punches, Scalloped Square Duo Die, Perfect Polka Dots folder, Big Shot

Click here for the downloadable instructions for this card.

Click here for the tutorial for the folded tree.

I hope you’ve enjoyed viewing these projects. If you download the instructions, please at least leave me a comment here letting me know that you liked the projects enough to download the instructions. I just appreciate knowing there are people out there benefitting from the work I do!

Happy Holidays!

Thank you to the following crafters for inspiration:

tjdstampsalot, bdindle, alliohran, kpaisley1

Simply AMAZING Offer!!

2010-11-11T21:06:00.001-07:00

What would you say if I told you that for a limited time you get over $300 worth of Stampin’ Up! product for only $87.50 with FREE SHIPPING??

I’d say wow!! Show me where!

Here’s how it works:

From November 15-30, you can purchase either the Standard or Digital + Starter Kit at 50% off the regular price ... plus free shipping!

This is the PERFECT opportunity for a hobby stamper! Imagine stocking up on these AMAZING, high quality products from Stampin’ Up! at this amazing low price … WITH NO COMMITMENT TO SELL ANYTHING!!

Here are some of the benefits you’ll receive just from ordering this kit:

$310 worth of Stampin’ Up! merchandise for $87.50 with free shipping
Receive a free subscription to an exclusive monthly magazine
Receive two free months subscription to your own business website
The opportunity to earn awards and incentive trips
A 30% discount off your first demonstrator order of $150 or more (within the first 45 days)
A 20% discount on ALL purchases you make
Pre-order from the 2011 Occasions Mini catalog and Sale-A-Bration catalog starting Dec. 1
Sale-A-Bration is right around the corner and your and there are great opportunities for FREE stamp sets!
Take advantage of the upcoming Holiday sales at the Demonstrator price!
The opportunity to earn extra income and be your own boss … or simply get great products at a FABULOUS discounted price!
Keeping the starter kit NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS after you purchase it!

If you’ve ever thought about becoming a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator, NOW IS THE TIME!!

If you’ve been a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator before and have thought of rejoining, NOW IS THE TIME!!

If you just want a load of great Stampin’ Up! products at an EXCEPTIONAL cost, NOW IS THE TIME!!

This offer is only good for TWO WEEKS, starting November 15th. DON’T DELAY, CONTACT ME TODAY!!!

Another NEW and AMAZING Resource!

2010-10-07T20:54:00.003-06:00

With the launch of our 2010 Holiday Mini Catalog, it has officially been one year since Stampin’ Up! introduced the amazing and powerful program called MY DIGITAL STUDIO.

I was fortunate enough to add this program to my crafting arsenal early on and I certainly haven’t been disappointed! I haven’t even begun to tap the full power and potential of the program and I am incredibly pleased with it so far.

To further assist customers and demonstrators in the process of falling in love with this program and using it in our crafting, Stampin’ Up! has set up a new website called mydigitalstudio.net. This site is already proving to be another wonderful resource provided by Stampin’ Up! to make our crafting lives easier and more rewarding!

On the site you will find tips and tricks, helpful hints, technical support, ideas, samples, and examples, as well as a dedicated forum for other users of the My Digital Studio software. The forum is a great place to ask questions or share ideas.

If you have been on the fence about purchasing MY DIGITAL STUDIO, this site will be the things to tip you over the edge. After you see the amazing things that can be done with this software, you will be itching to get your hands on it.

I thought I would share with you just a few of the projects that I have created using the software.

Completely Digital Projects:

Partial Digital Projects (Hybrid)

Blog Headers:

Flyers, Announcements, Invites:

These are only a minute sampling of projects from one artist. Visit mydigitalstudio.net to see the power and possibilities that can be opened to you through MY DIGITAL STUDIO.

If you have any questions about the software or would like to order your own copy, please email me and I would be happy to help!

Thanks for stopping by!

A HALLOWEEN HOP

2010-09-14T04:00:00.011-06:00

(… and a little Fall too)

WELCOME to the September “Stampin Pretty Pals” blog hop!! This month we are celebrating all things Fall and Halloween and we have packed our hop with inspiring ideas to give you a jump start on your creations!

If you have joined me from LeAnn Slater’s Leleathome, I am stop #15 in the lineup. If you’re just joining us right now, no worries. You can make your way through the entire hop by following the lineup at the end of my post.

The projects I’ve chosen to share with you today are the projects I made with my Stamp Club on Saturday. This was our very first meeting together and they loved the projects. I wanted to offer some Halloween to get their gears turning on their Halloween projects, but also wanted one that was just a generic “Fall” kind of project.

Here is our general Fall project:

Stamps: Upsy Daisy; Paper: Baja Breeze, Night of Navy, Cajun Craze, Whisper White, More Mustard DSP; Ink: Night of Navy, Baja Breeze; Cool Tools: Perfect Details Texturz Plate, Big Shot

The next two projects are fun Halloween projects that I shared with them. This first one features our new spider web embossing folder and our sweet treat cups

Stamps: Batty For You, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Whisper White; Ink: Basic Black, Old Olive Stampin’ Write Marker, Pumpkin Pie Stampin’ Write Marker; Frost White Shimmer Paint; Cool Tools: 2 3/8” Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/4” circle punch, 1 3/8” circle punch, 1” circle punch, Word Window punch; Spider Web embossing folder; Accessories: Pumpkin Pie 3/8” taffeta ribbon

You can find a tutorial on how I made my cool looking element around the sweet treat cup HERE. Be sure to check it out!

This last project features our versatile Two-step Owl Punch and the Movers and Shapers Big Shot die:

Stamps: Wicked Cool; Paper: Whisper White, Night of Navy, So Saffron, Always Artichoke, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake, Verry Vanilla, Basic Black, Real Red; Ink: Basic Black, Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight, Soft Suede, Real Red Marker, Basic Black Marker; Cool Tools: 2” Circle Punch, Two-Step Owl Punch, Bitty Bat Punch, Cogs Punch, Curly Label Punch, Star Punch, Movers and Shapers Curly Label Die

AREN’T THEY ADORABLE??? I just love that owl punch!! Click on each picture to see a larger version. Feel free to email me if you have a question on how I did any of these little guys.

Well, that’s it for me. Thanks so much for stopping by! Please leave me a comment and let me know that you were here!

You’ll find more Fall and Halloween inspiration at Tracy Cowee’s TLC Crafting. Don’t miss out on any of the other participants either.

1.     Ann Schach     http://www.stampinchic.com
2.     Diana Caho     http://b4ustamp.blogspot.com
3.     Joanna Munster     http://www.inspiredbystampin.com
4.     Melanie Collins     http://www.oopsadaisy.typepad.com
5.     Stephanie Uzee     http://stampinwithsuzee.blogspot.com
6.     Linda Callahan     http://stampinseasons.blogspot.com
7.     Carla Bazhenow     http://www.carlas-scraps.com
8.     Pam Giudici     http://pamshobby.blogspot.com
9.     Kris Kilcoyne     http://kweenbee.typepad.com
10.   Mary Fish     http://www.stampinpretty.com
11.   Barbara Furlong     http://theloveofstamping.com
12.   Angela Richwine     http://www.stampinawaywithangela.blogspot.com
13.   Gina Shaw     http://www.cardsbyginashaw.com
14.   LeAnn Slater     http://leleathome.blogspot.com
15.   Jason Casper     http://stampindad.com
16.   Tracy Cowee     http://tlccrafting.blogspot.com
17.   Kylie Nicolosi     http://kyliescraftycorner.blogspot.com
18.   Margaret Moody     http://www.margaretmoody.typepad.com

Thank you to the following stampers for ideas and inspiration:
LyndaLee28
stampercamper
TreasureOiler

Halloween Hop

2010-09-13T05:00:00.009-06:00

Join me and a whole lineup of Mary Fish’s STAMPIN’ PRETTY PALS

on Tuesday, September 14 for a parade of fall and Halloween projects

using exclusive Stampin’ Up! products!

The hop goes live at 5:00 am Central time but you can join us anytime

during the day (or even the next couple of days).

You won’t want to miss these FABULOUS fall projects!

Join me back here tomorrow morning!

I’m So Proud of Her!!!

2010-08-22T00:56:00.001-06:00

One of the most often asked questions I get when people find out that I’m the paper crafter and the Stampin’ Up demonstrator is, “Does your wife do this too?”

We’ve been married for 10 years now and over the years she has worked by my side to scrapbook, stamp, create, and craft. Over the past couple of years she has gotten more confident in working on projects on her own.

She is my co-demonstrator and goes to every workshop with me that she can. Unfortunately she wasn’t able to go to my most recent workshop with me. She helped me out so much in preparing for it though by creating some GORGEOUS samples that I could display at the workshop using some of our newest products.

Most of them she did while I was at work and little input from me on them. I am so proud of the gorgeous creations she made that I wanted to share them with you all.

So without further ado, here are some of the samples she made for me recently.

(The picture above is the outside of the card. Below is the inside of the card)

So what do you think??? She did a pretty amazing job huh?

I told her she’s hired to do all the rest of the samples for my workshops, clubs, and classes. I LOVE what she came up with.

Some of them are roughly based on samples she saw on Splitcoast Stampers, but I don’t know which ones and to what extent.

Please leave me a comment that I can share with her and let her know what you think!

Thanks for stopping by today!

PALS Hop & A One Sheet Wonder

2010-07-13T04:00:00.001-06:00

Welcome to the July PALS HOP! This month, we're featuring Stampin' Up!'s New Catalog & In Colors 2010-11! If you've hopped over from Nina Dee’s, deesignsbyninadee, I'm stop number 7 on the PALS HOP and I'm glad you stopped in! I'll help you "hop along" from blog to blog where you'll find inspirational ideas for papercrafted creations from the Stampin' Pretty Pals! Should you get off course, simply click on any of the links in the PALS HOP LINE-UP below and you'll be back on track!

Instead of the two or three cards that I usually create for a blog hop, I decided to go all out and created 10 cards for this one! Though there are 10 cards here, it was easy peasy to create them all using a One Sheet Wonder template.

A One Sheet Wonder is when a single sheet of Designer Series Paper or a stamped background of your own is used to create a series of projects using just that one sheet as the main focal paper. In this instance I used an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of Whisper White that was custom stamped with Circle Circus in three different colors.

Returning In-Colors Baja Breeze and Riding Hood Red join up with So Saffron for this fun and colorful combination. This combination came directly from the Riding Hood Red card in the new Color Coach. When a fourth color was needed for some card bases, I returned to the Color Coach and found Cherry Cobbler to be a dynamic duo with Riding Hood Red and it fit perfectly into my palette.

This is a fabulous project to use for a class or Stamp Camp. I used it this past weekend in a Stamp Camp with my customers and we were able to make all 10 cards in only 2 hours or so. I used a very convenient template that I received from Leeann Greff which you can find here.

I know that I will definitely be doing more of these One Sheet Wonders in the future. They are wonderful for stocking up on basic cards to keep in my stash and send out when needed. I hope you have enjoyed them.
Hop along for more inspiring ideas from Carla Bazhenow at carlas-scraps, stop number 8 on the July PALS HOP! Thanks for stopping by! Please leave me a comment before you head off!

1.    Kylie Nicolosi - kyliescraftycorner.blogspot.com
2.    Mike Funke - stampin-style.typepad.com
3.    Barbara Furlong - www.theloveofstamping.com
4.    Martha Stewart - www.seasonsofstamping.com
5.    Gina Shaw - www.cardsbyginashaw.com
6.    Nina Dee - deesignsbyninadee.blogspot.com
7.    Jason Casper - www.stampindad.com
8.    Carla Bazhenow - www.carlas-scraps.com
9.    Mary Fish - www.stampinpretty.com
10. Joanna Munster - www.inspiredbystampin.com
11. Pam Giudici - pamshobby.blogspot.com

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Circle Circus, Sincere Salutations, Upsy Daisy, FYI, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Word Play; Paper: Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, So Saffron, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White; Ink: Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, So Saffron; Accessories: White Brads Cool Tools: Scallop Trim Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, 1 1/4” Circle Punch, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Curly Label Punch, Wide Oval Punch, Crimper, Mat Pack

Workshop Projects

2010-06-22T14:15:00.001-06:00

I’m doing a workshop this weekend in the hometown where I grew up with a whole brand new group of customers that are friends of my mom’s. I’m really quite excited about doing it and hope it turns out to be a good group of customers. The following three projects are the projects that we will be doing at the workshop. We will definitely be doing two of the projects and if we can we will do a third.

This card will be featuring the Baroque Motifs stamp set and the “stamping off” technique. The featured colors are Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Very Vanilla, and Chocolate Chip.

This project features the Fox & Friends stamp set that is new in the 2010-2011 catalog. We will also be using Teeny Tiny Wishes, the Square Lattice Embossing Folder, and the Modern Label Punch.

This card is just to show the customers how you can step up a card design with just a few more products and supplies.

This card follows a sketch challenge from Splitcoast Stampers and features 4 of our 5 new colors. We will be using Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso and Marina Mist. We will also be featuring the Two Step Bird Punch that has been popular at all of the workshops where I’ve shown it.

If you could only do 2 out of the 3 cards, which ones would you rather do??

The project shown below is one I had to create for a technique swap I’m doing for the Stampin’ Up Convention next month. I just have to create a project, photograph the process and then deliver the actual project to the coordinator at Convention and then I’ll get a CD in return that has projects from 160 different people. It should be pretty cool!

I decided to do a basic Joy Fold card, but changed it up a bit to be a square card that features the Scallop Square Die from Stampin’ Up!

This card features the retiring Cottage Garden DSP, Flower Fancy and Sincere Salutations stamp sets, and the Scallop Square Die from Stampin’ Up.

Thanks for stopping by! Let me know what you think of the projects by leaving me a comment.

Stampin Addicts Mega Hop

2010-06-11T08:00:00.003-06:00

Thank you for joining me for the Stampin’ Addicts Mega Retiring Hop! If you’ve been following the hop in order, I’m stop #26 on the list. You may have just come from Melina’s blog where she showcased the FABULOUS “Only Ovals” set. (Sad to see that one going!)

I will be sharing with you another set that I’m sad to see leaving us, “One of a Kind.” My wife just barely bought me this set for my birthday in May and then we found out it was retiring. She was quite upset. That’s okay though. It’s a good strong set that I will continue to use in my personal creations for years to come!

Here I used the set to create my own stamped background as a focal image for my card. I absolutely LOVE creating my own backgrounds using our stamps!

Stamps: One of Kind
Ink: Ruby Red, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip
Paper: Whisper White, Ruby Red, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery
Other: Scallop Edge Punch, Wide Oval Punch

Here I combined this fabulous set with my ABSOLUTELY FAVORITE Designer Series Paper: To The Nines. I am probably more sad about that paper retiring than just about anything else. I love how elegant it is and how easy it is to use to whip up a masculine card in no time! You will notice on the Sahara Sand paper that I once again stamped my own background. This time I used Versamark ink to give a subtle design to compliment my other elements.

Stamps: One of Kind
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, Versamark
Paper: Sage Shadow, Sahara Sand, Always Artichoke, To The Nines DSP
Other: Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon, Wide Oval Punch, Ovals Big Shot Die

On this card I wanted to stay with the To The Nines DSP and combine it with some other elements to make a truly masculine card. This card could easily be used for Father’s Day, a birthday, or just to tell someone you appreciate them.

Stamps: One of a Kind
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Paper: Sahara Sand, Chocolate Chip, Sage Shadow, Always Artichoke, To The Nines DSP
Other: Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon, Large Star Punch, Star Punch, Stars #2 Big Shot Die

I hope you enjoyed your visit here with me on the Stampin’ Addicts Mega Retiring Blog Hop. Next in line is Melissa who will be sharing the “Very Thankful” set with you.

You can find the entire hop lineup by clicking here:
Blog Hop Lineup

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Join me for a Mega Hop

2010-06-10T15:49:00.001-06:00

Join me and some of my friends from Stampin' Addicts for a Mega Hop featuring retiring Stampin' Up stamp sets. We will be featuring 28 different stamp sets and each blog will be featuring at lest 3 projects. That's at least 84 projects for you to feast your eyes on!

Check out the information here:
http://www.stampinaddicts.com/forums/blog-hops/5381-stampin-addicts-last-chance-blog-hop.html

See you tomorrow!

It’s Your Last Chance!!

2010-06-01T14:03:00.006-06:00

Hundreds of products from the Stampin' Up! 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog and Definitely Decorative brochures are retiring July 1. Now is your last chance to get them before they're gone for good!

Please Note: Retiring stamps and Definitively Decorative products will be available through June 30. Retiring accessories (some at discounted prices) are available WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. If you have favorite accessories, I suggest you order on-line ASAP. They sell out quickly.

Last Chance Stamp Sets (by page number)

Last Chance Accessories List (FYI: retiring items with an asterisk (*) are being reconfigured for the new catalog and color collection)

I have also created a picture reference of the Last Chance Stamp List just so you can see the stamp set along with the titles and prices. You can download it here:

Visual Retiring List

Please email me or let me know if I can help you with the Last Chance products!

PPA44 – CELEBRATE FREEDOM

2010-05-27T05:00:00.002-06:00

It’s been a long time since I participated in a Pals Paper Arts (PPA) challenge. I actually had some time this week to get a card done following a sketch provided by Margaret Moody.

I am a HUGE fan of the 4th of July. I just love the feeling of pride, unity, and patriotism that accompanies the holiday. It is one of my most favorite holidays to do scrapbook layouts and other paper crafts for. So here’s my 4th of July creation to fit the PPA challenge.

Though I love the traditional red, white, and blue color combination, I’ve always been a little more partial to the rustic feel of a deep red, deep blue, and a tan color of some sort. To translate this color scheme to Stampin’ Up! products, I used the combination of Kraft, Bravo Burgundy, and Night of Navy. What a perfect combination for that traditional Americana feel that I love so much!

The Details:

Create a custom background with our Stampin’ Round Wheels, VersaMark Ink, and Clear Embossing Powder.
The Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder adds the perfect texture to the “star” of the card.
Create a custom sentiment using My Digital Studio to be sure it will fit in one of our many punch designs. Ask me how!
Pump up the rustic Americana feel by using our Hemp Twine (100982) in place of ribbon.
The hostess “Patterns Pack III” provides the Night of Navy Designer Series Paper. Ask me how you can earn this package of paper for yourself!

Thanks for stopping by to visit my blog today. Leave me a comment and let me know you were here!

I Call Him Dad

2010-05-11T04:00:00.001-06:00

If you've hopped over from Gina’s “Cards By Gina”, I'm stop number 4 on the PALS HOP and I'm glad you hopped in! I'll help you along from blog to blog where you'll find inspirational ideas for papercrafted creations from Mary Fish's Stampin' Pretty Pals! We'll showcase all that Stampin' Up! has to offer for two important occasions, Father's Day and Graduation! Should you get off course, simply click on any of the links in the PALS HOP LINE-UP below and you'll be back on track! We're thrilled to have you visit and excited to hear what you think about our hop! Please feel free to leave as many comments as you'd like along the way!

Normally I try to have three projects for you to view as part of these hops. Unfortunately May has just been too busy so far for me to get three done like I usually would. I apologize.

I’ve tried to make it up to you by bringing you what I feel is a pretty cool creation. The card I’m sharing with you today is what is technically called a “hybrid” card. I have used digital elements from our powerful My Digital Studio program and combined them with traditional Stampin’ Up elements.

It’s often a difficult challenge to come up with a masculine card that stays true to my style but is void of flowers and frills. I have found the Medallion background stamp to be an excellent solution to the problem of masculine cards. It can look elegant or grungy, sophisticated or simple. It is one of my favorite background stamps and has also been made available as a digital element in My Digital Studio, which is how I used it here:

I “stamped” the Medallion element and then used digital punches that I elongated to rectangles to frame in parts of the image. I then covered over the parts I didn’t need with other rectangular punches that were filled with Whisper White and placed on top of the portions I didn’t need. I then copied the image, pasted it, and changed the color to Real Red. I printed out both images on Whisper White cardstock. This is a small version of what it looked like:

I then used a trimmer to cut the black medallion out and matted the pieces onto Basic Black cardstock. I cut out just the inner circle of the Real Red medallion and adhered it over the corresponding section on the black medallion. I then finished it off with a rhinestone brad.

The inside of the card was also created with My Digital Studio:

Since I can resize the Medallion image to any size I want in My Digital Studio (super cool!) I was able to “stamp” it multiple times on my card. I then changed the color of each one to Going Gray and set the opacity to 50% to make them light enough to not be distracting. Next, I layered a punch on top that I sized big enough to leave a border around. I then changed the color of it to Whisper White and set the opacity at 50% to make it look like vellum placed over the sheet underneath. Next came two text boxes to create my sentiment using a font I already had on my computer. Easy peasy!

Once I printed it out, I trimmed it, punched the corners with the Ticket Corner punch and mounted it on Basic Black cardstock and then adhered it all to the inside of my card.

When my wife saw it for the first time, she said it looked so much like a piece of vellum that she tried to lift it up.

Though I will never give up on my traditional stamps, paper, and embellishments I LOVE the power of My Digital Studio and the options it gives me to make my projects a little more customized and unique, but still use my favorite Stampin’ Up images. Please contact me if you’d like more information on My Digital Studio.

More inspiring ideas await you at Joanna’s “Inspired By Stampin’ ”, stop number 5 on the PALS HOP!

Thank you for stopping by today! Please leave me a comment and let me know you were here!

PALS HOP LINE-UP

Click on any of the sites listed below to begin the Pals Hop. We're thrilled to have you visit and excited to hear what you think of our hop! Feel free to leave as many comments as you'd like along the way!

1.    Barbara Furlong -- The Love of Stamping
2.    Debbie Pierce -- Stampin' Sunshine
3.    Gina Shaw -- Cards by Gina
4.    Jason Casper -- Jason's Stampin' Pad
5.    Joanna Munster -- Inspired by Stampin'
6.    Kylie Nicolosi -- Kylie's Crafty Corner
7.    Martha Stewart -- Seasons of Stamping
8.    Mary Fish -- Stampin' Pretty
9.    Mike Funke -- Stampin-Style
10. Regina Mangum -- The Stampin' Bean
11. Sumaiyah Yates -- Stampin' Dymonz

A Mother’s Love

2010-04-13T04:00:00.003-06:00

A mother's love should never go unrecognized or unappreciated. That's why the Stampin' Pretty Pals are celebrating moms with our April Blog Hop.

If you've hopped over from Martha Stewart's "Seasons of Stamping", I'm stop number 9 on the PALS HOP and I'm glad you stopped by! I'll help you "hop along" from blog to blog where you'll find lots of creative ideas to inspire you for Mother's Day from the Stampin' Pretty Pals. Should you get off course, simply click on any of the links in the PALS HOP LINE-UP below and you'll be back on track! We're thrilled to have you visit and excited to hear what you think about our hop! Please feel free to leave as many comments as you'd like along the way! We have 13 Pals participating in this month's hop and the line-up is posted below!

Without further ado …

As always, I like to do three coordinating projects when I prepare for a blog hop. I wanted these projects to be fun, feminine, and springy so I chose the following color palette:

Certainly Celery, So Saffron, and Regal Rose.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Well Scripted; Paper: Regal Rose, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Welcome Neighbor DSP, Custom DSP; Ink: Regal Rose, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip; Accessories: Certainly Celery Satin Ribbon, Apricot 1/4" Grossgrain Ribbon (retired) Cool Tools: Extra Large 2-Step Bird punch, Scallop Circle Big Shot die, Mat Pack, Paper Piercer, My Digital Studio

TIP: If you don't have a design of DSP in a color you want ... no worries. Turn to your My Digital Studio program and print out custom-made DSP to match your project! Contact me to learn more about My Digital Studio.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Well Scripted, Very Vintage Wheel; Paper: Regal Rose, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Custom DSP; Ink: Regal Rose, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip, Versamark; Accessories: Certainly Celery Satin Ribbon, Sherbet Designer Buttons; Cool Tools: Small Tag Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Beautiful Wings Embosslit Die, My Digital Studio

TIP: To create a subtle custom background (as seen on the tags), use one of our Stampin' Around Wheels with Versamark ink.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Tiny Tags; Paper: Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Custom DSP; Ink: Regal Rose, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip; Accessories: Apricot 1/4" Grossgrain Ribbon (retired) Cool Tools: Extra Large 2-Step Bird punch, Extra Large Flower Punch, Scallop Trim Punch, Medium Tag Punch, Crop-A-Dile, Mini Milk Carton Big Shot Die, My Digital Studio

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today! I hope you enjoy the rest of the FABULOUS projects on the hop! Please feel free to contact me with any questions and please leave me a comment to let me know you were here.

More inspiring ideas await you at Mary Fish's "Stampin Pretty", stop number #10 on the PALS HOP! Hop over and see Mary's wonderfully creative ideas!

Blog Hop Line Up:
1. Regina Mangum Stampin' Bean
2. Mike Funke Stampin-style
3. Barbara Furlong The Love of Stamping
4. Debbie Pierce Stampin' Sunshine
5. Carla Bazhenow Carla's Scraps
6. Kylie Nicolosi Kylie's Crafty Corner
7. Sumaiyah Yates Stampin' Dymonz
8. Martha Stewart Seasons of Stamping
9. Jason Casper Jason's Stampin' Pad
10. Mary Fish Stampin' Pretty
11. Gina Shaw Cards by Gina
12. Kalshelia Lloyd Stampin' Fabulousity
13. Melanie Collins Oops a Daisy

Thank you to the following stampers for design inspiration:
debdeb
card crazy

Stamp A Stack

2010-04-06T06:00:00.002-06:00

If you live in the state of Utah, please check out the information below on my first ever "Stamp A Stack".

If you don't live in the state of Utah, you're going to miss out on a great event!

Let me know if you can attend. I'd love to see you there!

Two Step Stampin' in April

2010-04-03T08:28:00.001-06:00

Stampin’ Up!’s Two-Step Stampin’ sets allow you to quickly and easily take your creativity to the next level. And now, from April 1-30 only, you can purchase the brand-new Awash with Flowers Two-Step Stampin’ set – or get it FREE when you host a $350 workshop!

Item # Description Price

117062 Awash with Flowers

Set of 18 (Wood Mount) $39.95

120549 Awash with Flowers

Set of 18 (Clear Mount) $27.95

The Awash with Flowers stamp set is a sneak peek from the upcoming 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog and will not be available again until the release of the new catalog in July.

Plus, get 20% off a selection of perfectly springy Two-Step Stampin’ sets from our current catalog:

Greenhouse Garden #113824 ~~Reg. $25.95~~ SALE $20.76

The floral images in the Greenhouse Garden stamp set create the perfect blossoms for your springtime projects. Pair them with any greeting set to make a card for any occasion.

Fifth Avenue Floral #113734 ~~Reg. $24.95~~ SALE $19.96

The beautiful, modern flowers in the Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set share the sophistication and styling of its namesake. You can choose to watercolor these line-art images, or leave them uncolored and layer them for a refined floral collection.

Flower Fancy #111578 ~~Reg. $36.95~~ SALE $29.56

Try your hand at a little flower arranging with our Two-Step Stampin’ Flower Fancy stamp set. You can quickly create all kinds of attractive bouquets to send to friends and family-or even for home decor projects-with this pleasing assortment of images. Arrange away!

Trendy Trees #113258 ~~Reg. $17.95~~ SALE $14.36

Use this fashionable set to thank your fans for their continued adoration or let your manicurist know you’re thinking of her. Be the trend setter with Trendy Trees! And don’t forget to accessorize your Trendy Trees stamp set with the Funky Forest wheel!

Click here to contact me or place your order online today!

Hopping Into Spring and Easter

2010-03-09T04:00:00.002-07:00

If you've arrived from Mary Fish’s Stampinpretty.com, I'm stop number 7 on the Pals Hop and I'm glad you are here! I'll help you "hop along" from blog to blog where you'll find inspirational ideas for papercrafted creations from Mary Fish's Stampin' Pretty Pals! We'll be showcasing all that Stampin' Up! has to offer for your Spring and Easter needs! Should you get off course, simply click on any of the links in the PALS HOP LINE-UP below and you'll be back on track! We're thrilled to have you visit and excited to hear what you think about our Spring and Easter themed hop!

Please leave me a comment to let me know you stopped by!

I generally prefer to create three projects when I am preparing for a blog hop. This time I decided to go with three projects that are not traditional cards or card sizes.

The first project I made is a fun little treat box to gift some Easter treats to a friend or loved one.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Hello Again, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper: Bermuda Bay, Rose Red, Whisper White, Welcome Neighbor DSP; Ink: Rose Red, Bermuda Bay; Accessories: Rose Red Grossgrain Ribbon, Dazzling Diamonds, Dimensionals; Cool Tools: Fancy Favor Big Shot Die, Scallop Oval Punch, Modern Label Punch, Corner Rounder, Beautiful Wings Embosslit Die, 2-Way Glue Pen

This next project is a Triangle Tri-fold Card. I got the template and idea from Dawn at DoStamping With Dawn.

Supplies Used: Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes, Vintage Labels; Paper: Bermuda Bay, Rose Red, Whisper White, Thoroughly Modern DSP; Ink: Bermuda Bay, Rose Red; Accessories: Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon, Sweet Pea Stitched Felt, Glue Dots; Cool Tools: Scallop Trim Punch, Curly Label Punch, Beautiful Wings Emblosslit Die

The last project I have to share with you is a Tri-fold Shutter Card. I got the template for this project from Patty Bennett at Pattystamps.com.

Supplies Used: Stamps: Well Scripted; Ink: Rose Red; Paper: Rose Red, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White, Thoroughly Modern DSP, Welcome Neighbor DSP; Accessories: Whisper White Grossgrain Ribbon, Dazzling Diamonds, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Glue Dots; Cool Tools: Beautiful Wings Embosslit Die, Scallop Edge Punch, Wide Oval Punch, Ovals Big Shot Die

More inspiring ideas await you with Melanie Collins at Oops A Daisy, stop number 8 on the Pals Hop. Hop over and see Melanie’s fresh and fun ideas. Thanks for stopping by!

Regina Mangum -- The Stampin' Bean
Mike Funke -- Stampin-Style
Martha Stewart -- Seasons of Stamping
Anne Beale Yancey -- Mukibug
Liz Hughes -- DIY Paper Creations
Mary Fish -- Stampin' Pretty
Jason Casper -- Jason's Stampin' Pad
Melanie Collins -- Oops a Daisy
Kris Kilcoyne -- Kween Bee Kreations
Tricia Gillam -- Soul Stamper
Barbara Furlong -- The Love of Stamping
Gina Shaw -- Cards by Gina
Kim Lampone -- Stamp, Scrap, Get Kreative
Debbie Pierce -- Stampin' Sunshine
Ann Schach -- The Stampin' Schach
Kalshelia Lloyd -- Stampin' Fabulousity
Lourdes Torres -- Cozy Crafty Corner
Carla Bazhenow -- Carla's Scraps

Join the fun at Stampin’ Addicts!

2010-02-22T05:00:00.002-07:00

So hopefully you’ve just gone the round of our Stampin’ Addicts Birthday Blog Hop over the weekend. Hopefully you enjoyed all of the projects! I know I was quite impressed with my fellow hoppers and the great work they did.

StampinAddicts.com is a free website dedicated to supporting Stampin' Up! stampers and demonstrators alike. Our motto is "Positively Creative! Positively Stampin' Up!". While we welcome all crafters, we do ask that you maintain a positive outlook and most importantly HAVE FUN!

Stampin’ Addicts just turned one over the weekend and it’s amazing to see how large and fun this community is for only being active for a year. I have followed some of their fabulous blog hops in the past and was so honored to be able to participate in my first one this weekend. You can definitely plan on seeing me participating in more Stampin’ Addicts blog hops in the future.

One of the things I really love about the community is that there is a forum specifically for SU demonstrators. I have already found many great tips and wonderful friends on the site.

I love how the galleries are organized to help you find just the kind of project you’re looking for using a particular Stampin’ Up tool or stamp set. Not to mention it’s just brimming with creative and inspiring projects to be enjoyed.

If you’d like to see what Stampin’ Addicts is about and possibly join our little community, please follow the link below:
Stampin’ Addicts Referral

This will take you to the site where you can investigate and see how wonderful it is. It is also a referral link so they will know that I was the one that sent you to the site. If at any time you are asked who referred you to the site, please list “Stampindad” as the referral.

I hope you’ll come join us! (Let me know if you do!)

Stampin’ Addicts Birthday Blog Hop

2010-02-20T06:00:00.003-07:00

Welcome to the Stampin' Addicts Birthday Blog Hop weekend! Stampin' Addicts.com is a free website dedicated to supporting Stampin' Up! stampers and demonstrators alike. If you have not been to Stampin' Addicts, you should check them out as soon as you finish the Birthday Blog Hop! This is my very first time participating in a Stampin’ Addicts Blog Hop and I’m excited and honored to be part of it. Hopefully this will just be the first of many times I am part of a Stampin’ Addicts Blog Hop (so check back in the future).

You have found stop #19 on the hop, featuring elegant or classy birthday cards. If you just arrived from Stampin' Addicts, welcome and thank you for stopping by! If you just came from Holly’s “Rubber Redneck Blog”, I hope you enjoyed her western themed birthday cards. You can follow the hop right through - each stop will lead you to the next and make a complete circuit. The blog hop posts will be active through midnight on Sunday, February 21. After that, many hostesses will post detail pictures, instructions, and supply lists. Be sure to bookmark your favorites and go back to visit next week!

When I signed up to be a part of this hop, I decided I wanted to feature classy or elegant birthday cards. Now my samples I have to share may not look like they are much classier than a common card to you, but I tried to add just a few little extra-special touches to kick them each up a notch.

I found the THOROUGHLY MODERN DSP to be a perfect fit for the feel that I wanted for these cards and all of the DSP I used on the cards come from this package of paper.

I wish it wasn’t so hard to catch the shine and shimmer of out Dazzling Diamonds in a photo of a card. I used the Dazzling Diamonds to accentuate the embossed design on my butterfly.

The Dazzling Diamonds are used here to accent the centers of the flowers. TIP: Use Dazzling Diamonds on a Glue Dot for some quick and perfect circular bling.

Stamps from the new vintage collection in the holiday mini add a touch of elegance and sophistication to this card. The finishing touch is made by adding a rhinestone brad and some silver brads to the flower accents.

Our Exclusive Top Note Die and Scallop Border punch make a nice landing spot for the sentiment (and the butterflies too!)

I plan on making a container of some sort that will hold each of these cards and their envelopes. Unfortunately, I just don’t have it ready quite yet to show during the hop. But check back soon! I’m hoping to have it finished up soon and may even offer the whole kit as blog candy in the near future!

Continue on your fun and fabulous journey by visiting Kandi and “My Sweet Stampin Spot”. If at any time you get lost along the way, you can always come back here to get straightened out or visit our entire lineup here.

Thank you so much for visiting here today. Check back early next week for some closeup shots of these projects along with the supply list for each card.

Please leave me a comment and let me know you were here!

Sweet Treats for my Sweetheart

2010-02-14T22:47:00.004-07:00

I’m one of those guys that really likes Valentine’s Day because it gives me an excellent opportunity to make something for my sweetheart. I was originally planning something much different than this, but due to time I had to change my plans.

Someone recently had told me about a book that shows how to make candy bouquets. I didn’t get an opportunity to view the book but I looked some up online and decided that was what I wanted to make for my sweetheart.

So without further ado, here is the candy bouquet I made for my wife for Valentine’s Day.

Though this project is not 100% Stampin’ Up, I wanted to share it with you all anyway. I got the basic inspiration from this post by Andrea Walford.

I bought a cheap plastic bucket from Walmart for $1.50. Originally I tried to cover it with some of the Sending Love DSP from Stampin’ Up! After much frustration, I finally just ripped the DSP off and scrapped that idea. To get the look that I finally ended up with, I had to paint the bucket with three coats of sheetrock primer and two coats of acrylic paint.

I then decorated it with the Top Note die featuring a sentiment that I created using My Digital Studio and adorned with embossed butterflies from the Beautiful Wings Embosslit.

The majority of the bouquet is created by using the excusive Flower Folds die. The paper and embossing is where I diverged from Stampin’ Up. I wanted to be able to sand the embossing on the flowers so another color would show through. So I used three different colors from Cored’nations cardstock. I did use the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder as well as two from other manufacturers. Though the pictures may not show it very well, each flower was spritzed with Shimmer Mist created by adding our Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint to some rubbing alcohol. A heart shaped candy is then adhered on top with heart that is punched out using the new Small Heart Punch from the Occasions Mini.

There are two candy-filled hearts you see in the front of the bouquet that were created using our new Sweetheart stamp set and Heart-shaped Sweet Treat cups.

All the rest of the items in the bouquet are candies that I purchased from the dollar store or Walmart.
Here are a few more shots of the completed project.

Using My Digital Studio I created the sentiment with the Baroque Motifs stamp set and the Always stamp set.

Using the Beautiful Wings Embosslit I created the butterflies and then sanded some of them to reveal the colors beneath.

Using the new Sweetheart stamp set and the Heart-shaped Sweet Treat cups, I created two little candy-filled hearts.

I created all of the flowers using the exclusive Flower Folds die and then embossed each one. Here I used the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder.

This large red heart is actually just a large chocolate heart wrapped in foil.

PPA29 - Loads of Love

2010-02-11T04:00:00.006-07:00

This week's Pals Paper Arts challenge is based on this sketch from the ever-talented Margaret Moody.

It's been far too long since I played along with a PPA challenge so I thought I would jump in and use this great design to create a Valentine card for a dear friend.

I received the Loads of Love and Loads of Love accessories stamp sets for Christmas and have been dying to use them ever since. This is a set that I have wanted for a long time and I was so happy to finally get it.

The images are stamped in Basic Brown and then colored with watercolor pencils and blended with our Blender Pens.

The base of the card gets off to a great start with the fun and glittery Sending Love DSP from the Occasions Mini catalog which also makes a second appearance in the red strip. The colored image is layered on top of a piece of Whisper White which is adorned with a Scallop Edge trim in Pretty in Pink.

The finishing touches come with the sentiment that is stamped on a 1 1/4" piece of Whisper White, layered onto a 1 1/2" piece of Pretty in Pink, and then layered on top of our Scallop Circle punch. I highlighted the scallops with our Signo White Gel pen and attached the whole thing with Stampin' Dimensionals. A strip of Chocolate Chip grossgrain ribbon ties the whole thing together.

The Loads of Love sets are the perfect set to use when you want to send Loads of Love to a special someone on Valentine's Day! Thanks so much for checking in today. Please let me know that you stopped by today by leaving me a comment.

Stamp Sets: Loads of Love (115022), Loads of Love Accessories (115024)
Paper: Whisper White (100730), Pretty in Pink (100459), Real Red (102482), Sending Love DSP (117153)
Ink: Real Red (103133), Basic Brown (104315)
Accessories: Chocolate Chip 1/4" Grossgrain Ribbon (111367), White Signo Gel Pen (105021), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)
Cool Tools: Scallop Edge Border Punch (118402 - SAB item), Scallop Circle Punch (109043), 1 1/4" Circle Punch (104403)

Sale-A-Bration Goodness!

2010-02-09T05:00:00.004-07:00

Welcome to the Sale-A-Bration Hop! If you've arrived from Martha Stewart's Seasons of Stamping, I'm stop number 17 on the hop! Hop along with me and my fellow Stampin' Pretty Pals and we'll direct you through the entire hop of wonderful papercrafted creations!

While you're here please leave me a comment and let me know you stopped by!

The Stampin' Pretty Pals have come together for this hop to show you some of the fun and exciting products that can be earned in this year's Sale-A-Bration catalog. I hope you've enjoyed your journey so far!

One of the exciting things that Stampin' Up! has done new and different this year is giving us all more options for our SAB items. They have allowed us to earn stamp sets from the big Idea Book & Catalog (IBC) that are $15.95 or less as Sale-A-Bration items. You can find a complete list of these sets on page 11 of the Sale-A-Bration catalog.

I wanted to focus on some of those fun sets that are available in the IBC for purchase year-round that can now be earned during Sale-A-Bration. I've chosen three of my favorites from this extensive list to share with you today. I also made sure to combine each of these sets with at least one other item from the main pages of the SAB catalog to share with you as well.

Let's get to the fun stuff now.

This first card features the Thank You Kindly set (120248) and the Welcome Neighbor DSP (118401) from the SAB catalog, as well as the new Beautiful Wings Embosslit Die (118138) from the Occasions Mini.Melon Mambo gets the fun started on this card while Pretty in Pink adds a soft touch and Basic Black adds a bit of class. Of course, our exclusive Top Note Die (113463) adds a fun and curvy shape to the whole card and the Wide Oval Punch (112082) says "Thank You" with a punch!

Our two-way glue pen (100425) and some Dazzling Diamonds (102023) add some fun and flirty bling to the already fabulous embossed butterfly.

Our To The Nines Specialty DSP (114038) starts this cute card off with a subtle pattern in Chocolate Chip to compliment the fun Old Olive pattern from the Welcome Neighbor DSP (118401). On center stage is the cute turtle stamp from the Very Thankful stamp set (115338). Not only can you score a fun and versatile set in earning Very Thankful, but since it is our Ronald McDonald set of the year, Stampin' Up! will still donate $2 to the Ronald McDonald House Charities! The fun is rounded off on this card with our brand new Scallop Trim Border punch (118402) from the SAB catalog!

The Forest Friends set (120232) is one I have loved for a long time and was so excited to see it on the extended SAB list on page 11. It pairs up on this set of thank you cards with another set on the extended list, Thank You Kindly (120248), as well as our FABULOUS new Scallop Trim Border punch (118402).

This set welcomes in Spring with a fun pattern in Taken With Teal from our brand new Sweet Pea DSP (117161) in the Occasions Mini Catalog, which has teamed up with So Saffron and Certainly Celery. The colors and stamps are left to take the forefront here because of the card base made from our Kraft cardstock.

Thank you so much for joining me for my part of the Sale-A-Bration hop! The Pals Hop continues with more excitement at Barbara's Blog, "The Love of Stamping". Hop on over to Barbara's blog to see what wonderful things she has in store for you!

If you become lost somewhere along the way, you can return here and find your place using the lineup below.

Thank you so much for joining us on our Sale-A-Bration Hop. Please leave me a comment and let me know you came by!

1. Kalshelia Lloyd -- www.stampinfabulousity.com
2. Ann Schach -- www.stampinchic.com
3. Margaret Moody -- www.margaretmoody.typepad.com
4. Debbie Pierce -- www.stampinsunshine.com
5. Carla Bazhenow -- www.carlas-scraps.com
6. Mary Fish -- www.stampinpretty.com
7. Kim Lampone -- www.kjskorner.blogspot.com
8. Gina Shaw -- www.cardsbyginashaw.com
9. Regina Mangum -- www.thestampinbean.blogspot.com
10. Lourdes Torres -- www.cozycraftycorner.blogspot.com
11. Kris Kilcoyne -- www.kweenbee.typepad.com
12. Liz Hughes -- www.diypapercreations.com
13. Melanie Collins -- www.oopsadaisy.typepad.com
14. Mike Funke -- www.stampin-style.com
15. Anne Beale Yancey -- www.mukibug.com
16. Martha Stewart -- www.SeasonsOfStamping.com
17. Jason Casper -- www.stampindad.blogspot.com
18. Barbara Furlong -- www.theloveofstamping.com
19. Tricia Gillam -- www.soulstamper.com

To give credit where credit is due, the following projects were inspiration for the projects you have seen here today:
OregonStamper
I_burkitt
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It's HOP time again!

2010-02-06T22:15:00.000-07:00

The Stampin' Pretty Pals are gearing up for another fun and exciting blog hop that you don't want to miss.

Join us as a group of talented stampers and SU demos (the Stampin' Pretty Pals) come together to share with you some of the fun and exciting products in this year's Sale-A-Bration catalog. Each of us will be creating projects using different products that can be earned during Stampin' Up's biggest promotion of the year.

So join us on Tuesday, February 9 starting at 5:00 AM Central Time as we kickoff the Sale-A-Bration Pals Hop. There are 19 of us lined up for the hop this time around including the uber-talented Mary Fish, Ann Schach, Kris Kilcoyne, and Anne Beale Yancey to name just a few. You don't want to miss this!

See you on Tuesday!

Favorite Vintage Bird

2010-01-14T12:58:00.000-07:00

I created this vintage looking card as one of my samples for an upcoming workshop. I CASEd this card that I found on SCS and changed a few things to make it my own.

Since I don't own the En Francais background stamp I decided I would use the Script Designer Series Paper in Kraft from My Digital Studio. I created a standard sized card and added the Kraft Script DSP as the background. Since I was in there already I used MDS to add the Medallion stamp to the background and changed the color to Soft Suede and then lowered the opacity to 70%. I printed this off at high quality on my home printer, cut it down to size, roughed up the edges of the cardstock and inked them with Soft Suede.

I also don't own the Define Your Life stamp set so I printed my sentiment off from MDS and punched it out with the Scallop Oval, inked it up with Soft Suede, and then layered it on top of the Large Oval punch in Soft Suede.

I LOVE that I can use My Digital Studio to create hybrid cards with images that I don't own the stamp sets of! It is such a versatile program and priceless in my opinion!

I punched a strip of Soft Suede cardstock with the new Scallop Trim edge punch and cut it to a width of 1 1/4". I then layered a 3/4" strip of Mellow Moss on top of that.

The 'F' is stamped from the Vintage Vogue set in Soft Suede and I trimmed around it so I could cut off the word "friend".

The bird is cut using the Christmas Window set of Movers and Shapers dies that came from the Holiday Mini catalog. (Though they were featured in the Holiday Mini catalog, they are still available to order!) The bird was then sponged with Soft Suede and mounted on the card with Stampin' Dimensionals.

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Medallion, Vintage Vogue, Define Your Life
Paper: Soft Suede, Mellow Moss, Kraft Script DSP (from My Digital Studio)
Ink: Soft Suede
Cool Tools: Scallop Trim Edge punch, Scallop Oval punch, Large Oval punch, Christmas Window Movers & Shapers die, My Digital Studio

Valentine's Holiday Hop

2010-01-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Valentine's Holiday Hop! If you've arrived from Martha Stewart's Seasons of Stamping, I'm stop number 17 on the hop! Hop along with me and my fellow Holiday Hoppers and we'll direct you through the entire hop of wonderful papercrafted creations!

While you're here please leave me a comment and let me know you stopped by!

For my first creation I REALLY wanted to play with and feature the new Large 2-Step Bird Punch by Stampin' Up! I've been so excited about this new little guy and I have seen some FABULOUS creations made with it!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Vintage Vogue
Paper: Very Vanilla, Pretty in Pink, and Chocolate Chip cardstock; Sending Love DSP
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Extra Large 2-Step Bird punch, Perfect Polka Dots impressions folder, Heart to Heart Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Love You Much, Well Scripted, I {Heart} Hearts
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Real Red, and Pretty in Pink Cardstock
Ink: Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink
Accessories: Heart to Heart punch, Small Heart punch, Scallop Trim punch, Blender Pens, Hearts O' Plenty wheel, Stampin' Dimensionals, Real Red Grossgrain Ribbon

**I must apologize about this next picture. My camera battery died and I wasn't able to use it for this next picture, so I had to use my webcam and do the best I could**

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Fox & Friends, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, and Real Red cardstock
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Real Red
Accessories: Hearts O' Plenty wheel, Ticket Corner punch, Curly Label punch, Modern Label punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

The Valentine's Holiday Hop officially ends here with me. But if you came into this somewhere in the middle, please continue onto the beginning by going to Kalshelia Lloyd's Stampin' Fabulousity.

If you become lost somewhere along the way, you can return here and find your place using the lineup below.

Thank you so much for joining us on our Holiday Hop. Please leave me a comment and let me know you came by!

Fun Valentine Blog Hop!!

2010-01-09T08:51:00.001-07:00

Join me for a StampinPretty Pals Holiday Blog Hop!

A group of talented Stampin' Up! Demonstrators are ready to show off their paper crafting skills with inspirational ideas for Valentine's Day using Stampin' Up! products! Join us on Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 5:00 AM CST for a Holiday Hop as we showcase all that Stampin' Up! has to offer---from rubber stamps, designer paper, embellishments and more! Mark your calendar now. You don't want to miss out!

Join me here at Jason's Stampin' Pad any time on Tuesday for this fun Holiday Hop!

PPA24 - Simple Sketch

2010-01-07T08:56:00.000-07:00

Today's challenge at Pals Paper Arts (PPA) is a simple sketch designed by pal Margaret Moody. Here is the sketch:

I played along and created the card below in Stampin' Up's My Digital Studio.

I used Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, and Very Vanilla papers with Real Red accents. The stamps I used come from the "Always" set and "All Holidays" set.

I love how quick and easy I can whip up creations in My Digital Studio (MDS) to be able to play along with these challenges.

If you're interested in the simple power and great fun that you can discover with My Digital Studio, please contact me and I can tell you more about the wonderful program!

Farewell to the Holidays

2010-01-04T09:14:00.000-07:00

First of all, please notice that I have posted links to the new 2010 Occasions Mini and Sale-A-Bration catalogs in the right sidebar. Click on the catalog covers to be taken to the PDF for the catalog. Email me to request a hardcopy of the catalog to be mailed to you for free!

I had the best of intentions to get these projects posted throughout the holiday season as I made them. Unfortunately that didn't happen.

So in a farewell tribute to the holidays, I am posting a wide variety of projects I created throughout the holiday season. All of the projects are created with Stampin' Up! products. Some were created for my workshops and others were created to be given away.

I hope you enjoy them. If you have any questions about a specific project, please feel free to email me.

New Blog Header

2010-01-03T18:48:00.000-07:00

So what do you think of the new blog header?
It's been a labor of love trying to find the right design that fit my style without looking feminine.

The entire blog header was created with Stampin' Up's fun and powerful "My Digital Studio."

I have enjoyed playing around with the program and getting my feet wet with digital creating. I've always wanted to do some digital creations and My Digital Studio has finally made it easy and provided me with the tools and power to make it possible. I have really fallen in love with this program!

If you have ever wanted to do digital or hybrid papercrafting, this program will make it fun and enjoyable for you.

If you're interested in purchasing "My Digital Studio" please feel free to contact me and I will help you get this fun and powerful program.

HUGE Stampin Up Holiday Sale!!!

2009-11-23T12:01:00.000-07:00

HUGE Stampin Up! Holiday Extravaganza Sale begins today!

With bundled deals up to 50% off the catalog price, this is a sale you don't want to miss.

Simply click the picture or the link below to be taken to my Stampin' Up Website to start your shopping!

www.scrappindad.stampinup.net

Get ready for the Holiday Extravaganza!

2009-11-19T14:33:00.000-07:00

Get ready for the Stampin' Up! Holiday Online Extravaganza!!

Starting Monday, November 23 2009 Stampin Up! will be hosting their Holiday Extravaganza! Due to the holiday week and the short period of time this sale will be running it is set up to be an online sale.

For my customers who live nearby I am hosting a viewing party Monday at 9:00 a.m. to show them the exciting offers and help them place their orders.

For all other customers, please check out my Stampin Up web site at http://www.scrappindad.stampinup.net/ as early as 12:01 a.m. on Monday, November 23.

You will be able to view the exciting deals and place your orders right there on my web site and they will be delivered right to your door!

CHECK IN EARLY AND ORDER SOON because these deals are good only while supplies last and they go FAST!

Please email me if I can answer any questions for you. If you need assistance with your order, my phone number is on my site and you are welcome to give me a call!

2010 Occasions Mini Catalog

2009-11-05T11:12:00.000-07:00

Although the 2010 Occasions Mini catalog by Stampin’ Up! is not available yet for viewing, we are quickly approaching the time when I will be mailing catalogs out to customers.

If you are interested in receiving the 2010 Stampin’ Up! Occasions Mini catalog from me, please email me so I can add you to my mailing list.

Please use “Occasions Mini Request” as your subject and be sure to include your full name and address.

Unfortunately, I don’t have an exact date when I will be mailing out the catalogs just yet, but if you request one from me I will be sure to keep you updated on when I will be mailing them out.

Here are just a few sneak peek images I’ve been able to find of stamp sets that will be available in the new catalog:

This set was given to demonstrators who attended Founder’s Circle (I wasn’t one of them).

These two images show a display board at a Regional Conference highlighting one of the sets that will be in the mini

One can only wonder what other multitude of FABULOUS products will be available to us in the new 2010 Occasions Mini. Don’t miss your chance to get one as soon as possible. Email me soon to get on the mailing list!

And don’t forget the current Holiday Mini catalog is still active until January 4, 2010! If you would like to order from the Holiday Mini catalog, please send me an email as well and I’d be happy to help you out!

Autumn Splendor

2009-10-27T10:49:00.000-06:00

I've been really bad about updating my blog -- I apologize to anyone who follows or attempts to read it. Life has gotten really crazy, but I'm going to try to commit more to keeping my blog updated.

This is a card I made a little while ago to showcase the Autumn Splendor set from the Holidy Mini Catalog. I used it as a display at a workshop, but it's super easy to make!

It is a standard A2 card size at 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" in Chocolate Chip

The next layer is Cameo Coral cut to 4 x 5 1/4"

I stamped the large leaf image all over the Cameo Coral layer using color on color stamping with Cameo Coral Classic Ink

Cut the Top Note Die using Very Vanilla cardstock

Stamp the leaf in Basic Brown Classic Ink (It's waterproof!)

Using your blender pens and ink pads, color in the leaf in Fall colors. (I used colors like Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Rose Red, and Dusty Durango). Color and blend until you're happy with the image

Stamp "Give Thanks" from the Holiday Best hostess set on Very Vanilla cardstock using Cameo Coral Classic Ink

Punch out with Oval Punch

Sponge the edges of the stamped sentiment and the Top Note shape using Old Olive Classic Ink

Adhere the Top Note shape to the Cameo Coral layer

Tie a ribbon around the Cameo Coral layer using Old Olive 1/4" Grossgrain ribbon

Adhere layer to card base

Adhere sentiment over ribbon using Stampin' Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by to look! I hope you enjoyed the card!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Autumn Splendor (116503), Holiday Best (Hostess)
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip (102128), Cameo Coral (100475), Very Vanilla (101650)
Ink: Cameo Coral (103035), Old Olive (102277), Basic Brown (104315)
Cool Tools: Wide Oval Punch (112082), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)
Other: Old Olive 1/4" Grossgrain Ribbon (111368)

Deal of the Week

2009-10-01T16:01:00.000-06:00

Back in July, before I became a demo, Stampin' Up! offered an amazing new deal each week. Well there was so much success with the program that they are now offering the DEALS of the week.

I don't know about future weeks, but this week alone there are three fabulous deals for you to take advantage of!

5 Petal Flower Punch
Regular Price $15.95
Sale Price $10.99
#109041

My Way Punch
Regular Price $15.95
Sale Price $11.99
#110709

Trio Flower Punch
Regular Price $15.95
Sale Price $10.99
#109183

This deal is only good through Monday, October 12 at 9:50 a.m. (Mountain Time) A new deal will be released at 10:00 that morning.

Don't miss out on these great prices!

You can place an online order 24/7 by clicking here

Or feel free to contact me via email to place your order!

2009-09-29T20:43:00.001-06:00

This is a great opportunity to snag some really great deals on really great products!

First click HERE
Then click SHOP NOW
Then click CLEARANCE RACK in the left column

Have fun shopping!

My Very First Tutorial!!!

2009-09-22T20:29:00.000-06:00

I am about to embark on a new chapter of my blogging life - a tutorial.

For my workshop last week we focused on a Halloween and Fall theme. We had time to do two projects so I came up with one for Halloween and one for Thanksgiving/Fall. Both projects are based on a basic idea by other crafters that I changed to fit our needs.

The first project we made was a Frankenstein card using the Sizzix Top Note die and various Stampin' Up! punches. The FABULOUSLY gifted and talented Tammy Beaver has recently been posting some fun tutorials on how to make various "creatures" using the Sizzix Top note die and Stampin' Up! punches. I followed her tutorial for her Frankenstein Box to make this guy:

In the workshop we just made the face of Frankie and then placed him on a card. We also didn't use the Drippy Goo punch, but cut Frankie's hair by hand.

I've also followed her tutorials to make a few other creatures and can't wait to make some of the ones she's posted for Christmas.

Since Tammy's tutorials are so clear and fabulous, I'm not going to reinvent the wheel by doing one of my own but refer you to her tutorials if you'd like to make some of these fun and fabulous creatures. Her Frankie box and many others can be found at: http://dreamcreateandshare.blogspot.com/

The other project that we made was a little treat bag of sorts. I struggled with ideas for my second make and take clear up until just a couple of hours before the workshop when I happened upon the idea for this fun little one.

It was originally inspired by the idea and tutorial I found by Rochelle W on "Teeny Tiny Milk Cartons"

Her measurements were really too small for what I was wanting to do with my ladies so I went about trying to figure out how to make it bigger. I changed the measurements significantly enough that I thought it would be wise to go ahead and do a tutorial on it with my measurements and methods for the treat bag. I also wanted to have something printed to give to my customers who couldn't come to the workshop.

So here is what the final project looks like:

The one we did at the workshop was made out of Crushed Curry cardstock and stamped "color on color" with Crushed Curry ink. I made this one you see above for the purposes of the tutorial.

I created the tutorial in a Word document format and I have attached it here in PDF form so it can be printed and followed easily.
You can download the tutorial by clicking here:
Thanksgiving Treat Bag Tutorial

Please take a minute and let me know what you think of the tutorial and if there is anything I can do to make this one and future ones better. If I can answer any questions for you, please click on the link to email me and I'd be happy to help.

Don't forget that the Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini is still available. This delightful little catalog is chock full of holiday fun! If you'd like your own free copy of the Holiday Mini, please email me and I'd be happy to send one out to you!

Stay tuned for some fun workshop sample projects that I'll be posting soon!

PPA 7 - Pals Paper Arts #7

2009-09-10T05:30:00.000-06:00

This week on the Pals Paper Arts blog, we were asked to follow a sketch designed by Margaret Moody. I knew right away when I saw this sketch that I wanted to use my Falling Leaves set for the 3 images along the bottom.

I have really been on a kick lately using Rich Razzleberry, Crushed Curry, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, and Soft Suede together in various combinations. Rich Razzleberry and Crushed Curry fit excellently into the Fall/Halloween color schemes. And when you throw in Soft Suede along with them, the whole color combination just screams "Fall" to me. I just love how versatile the In-Colors can be!

I started out with my base of Soft Suede measuring 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 and stamped my own background on it using the Retro Remix Stampin' Round Wheel and Soft Suede.
**TIP** Creating your own background papers is a cinch when you use our versatile Stampin' Round Wheels!
**TIP** Stamping "color on color" such as Soft Suede ink on Soft Suede cardstock provides a subtle and pleasant effect and is great for doing backgrounds with!

I cut a strip of Old Olive measuring 1 1/2 x 4 1/4 and layered a strip of Crushed Curry measuring 1 x 4 1/4 on top. Before I layered the Crushed Curry, I again used "color on color" stamping with the same Retro Remix Wheel by stamping Crushed Curry ink on the Crushed Curry cardstock.

To create my 3 images along the bottom and my small round image, I took a strip of Very Vanilla that was about 2 1/2 x 8 1/2 (or some scraps) and crumpled it up a lot. I then uncrumpled it and sponged Soft Suede ink over it to highlight the folds and creases. This provided me with a nice weathered and rustic look. I then stamped my images using Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, and Soft Suede inks. I then used the Curly Label punch to punch out my images and then adhered them to my base. The circle is punched out using the 1" circle punch and then adhered with a dimensional. To finish it all off, I tied a length of Hemp Twine around the strip at the top.

Thank you so much for looking. I hope you enjoyed the project. Please let me know you were here and what you think!

Don't forget to stop by Pals Paper Arts to check out all the other amazing examples using this sketch and then upload your own version of this week's challenge!

The 2009 Holiday Mini Catalog is Here!

2009-09-01T21:49:00.001-06:00

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE HOLIDAY MINI CATALOG

If you would like a free copy of the Holiday Mini Catalog, please email me with your name and address and I'll send one out to you!

Keep in mind that this catalog is active from September 1, 2009 to January 4, 2010.

Don't miss out on your opportunity to order FABULOUS holiday items that hold true to the Stampin' Up! tradition of excellence in design and quality!

Creating a Scene with Season of Friendship

2009-08-30T20:56:00.000-06:00

Lately I have really been enjoying toying around with the brayered and sponged scene techniques. This technique is often referred to on Splitcoast Stampers as the "Zindorf" technique because Michelle Zindorf is such a master of it and offers some fabulous tutorials.

To create this scene, I started with a sheet of Whisper White cardstock measuring 5x7. I prefer to use a larger size when doing these scenes because it gives me so much more space to work with.

I started with my sky by masking off the bottom half of my paper using an index card (perfect width). I then sponged Barely Banana on the lower right hand side of my sky portion. Once I was finished with that, I placed a 1 3/8" circle over the area. I then sponged some more Barely Banana around the area to increase the color depth there. I then started layering colors as I moved out and away from my sun. The colors I used in order were:

More Mustard
Pumpkin Pie
Dusty Durango
Really Rust
Chocolate Chip

I then removed my circle to reveal the sun I had created and then moved my mask from the bottom portion to the top portion. When I do this I leave a little bit of the portion I just worked on visible so I can kind of blend the two sections together.

So with my sky now finished and covered, I began working on the ground. Here I sponged the entire area with the following colors in order:

Mellow Moss
Green Galore
Old Olive

I then sponged Chocolate Chip around the edges and in a few spots on the grass to give it the appearance of some shadow.

Next I inked up the tree from Season of Friendship with Basic Brown ink and stamped it over my background making sure some of the branches extended over my sun.

To create the hill I tore my index card into a shape resembling what I thought I was looking for. I then placed it over the grass and the trunk of the tree leaving a bit of the bottom portion exposed. I then inked the whole area with Basic Brown ink.

Once I was satisfied with the way my scene looked, I stamped my leaves on the tree using Really Rust, Pumpkin Pie, and Old Olive (the Pumpkin Pie didn't turn out so good). I then stamped the birdie using Basic Black.

Next I trimmed my image down and matted it on a sheet of Very Vanilla Cardstock, tied some older SU grossgrain ribbon around it and mounted this whole piece on a 5x7 card made from Whisper White cardstock.

I know this whole thing would make more sense if I had step by step pictures, but I didn't really think this scene would turn out good enough to post when I was creating it. I was really just doing it to practice the technique. Fortunately though it turned out pretty good. Several of the ladies in my stamping group have now asked me to teach the technique so I'm planning to set up a class in the near future.

Thank you so much for looking! Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Season of Friendship (111776)

Paper:
Whisper White (100730),
Very Vanilla (101650)

Ink:
Barely Banana (101170),
Pumpkin Pie (105216),
Dusty Durango (115654),
Really Rust (102549),
Chocolate Chip(100908),
Mellow Moss (102774),
Green Galore (102122),
Old Olive (102277),
Basic Brown (104315),
Basic Black (101179)

Accessories: Stamping Sponges (101610)

"From Our Patch To Yours..."

2009-08-14T09:51:00.000-06:00

When I first saw Stampin' Up!'s new Holiday Mini (active for customers on September 1), I fell in love with this halloween set of stamps.

This is the PUMPKIN PATCH set that will sell for $22.95 in the mini. It is a set of 11 and will be item #116499

I am a big fan of Halloween and love to create fun little projects for Halloween. I immediately fell in love with the versatility of this set. With 3 different pumpkin bases and 3 interchangeable faces there are so many different possibilities for creating the pumpkins. The set is completed with grass, a stem, a swirly vine, and 2 different sentiments.

The basic design for this fun little card came directly out of this years Idea Book & Catalog from page 10 (sorry the image doesn't show up very clear here).

I started with a base of Pumpkin Pie cardstock. I then stamped the 3 face images that come with "Pumpkin Patch" in a random pattern using Pumpkin Pie Classic Ink.

I cut a strip of Pumpkin Pie cardstock, punched the edge of it using the Scallop Edge Punch, and trimmed it to fit my square of Whisper White Cardstock. I used the Ticket Corner Punch on the square to add a bit of interest and then tied two pieces of white floss around the cardstock. I then mounted the square on a square sheet of Old Olive Cardstock.

Next, I stamped my pumpkins using Only Orange Classic Ink on Whisper White Cardstock. I then stamped their stems on top using Chocolate Chic Classic Ink, and their faces with Basic Black Classic Ink. I then cut them out by hand.

I visually gauged where I wanted them to be on the Whisper White Square and then stamped the grass using Old Olive Classic Ink. Next, I did the same thing to stamp the swirly vines at the top. Then the pumpkins were mounted using Stampin' Dimensionals.

As a final touch, I punched the edge of the Pumpkin Pie Cardstock using the Scallop Edge Punch and then added a strip of Old Olive Cardstock underneath the scallops for a bit of interest.

I love this stamp set and can't wait to be able to use it more to make some fun and festive Halloween creations. I also can't wait for you to be able to order this fun stamp set for yourself after September 1.

The holiday mini is chock full of fun and festive sets to make your holiday creations delightful. Please stay tuned as I feature more of the wonderful products you'll find in the mini catalog.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Pumpkin Patch (116499)
Cardstock: Pumpkin Pie (105117), Old Olive (100702), Whisper White (100730)
Ink: Only Orange (102696), Old Olive (102277), Chocolate Chip (100908), Basic Black (101179)
Cool Tools: Ticket Corner Punch (107214), Scallop Edge Punch (112091), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)
Other: White floss

Official Launch and a Challenge

2009-08-06T07:05:00.000-06:00

First of all, welcome to my brand new Stampin' Up! blog!! Thank you so much for visiting me here.

Although this blog is new, I have been blogging for quite some time. My other creations using more general, store-bought products can be found at http://www.scrappindad.blogspot.com/

I have recently become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and will be using this blog for the purposes of displaying my Stampin' Up! creations as well as discussing all things that are wonderfully Stampin' Up!

Please take a moment to poke around a bit. Please take a moment to add yourself as a follower of the blog and to fill out the subscription box in the upper left corner for email updates.

Now I ask that you be a bit patient with me as I get this blog up and running. I don't have a header or a solid design for the blog just yet. You are likely to see colors changed and see a few things rearranged as I settle into my new digs. I hope you will understand. In the process, if you see anything I can improve, please let me know!

Now, onto the challenge!

My SU upline/sideline family is a wonderful group of friends called the Stampin' Pretty Pals. My wonderful upline, Mary Fish, and a few of the other talented designers in our group have recently launched a challenge blog called "Pals Paper Arts." This wonderful blog will be a great resource for you as you search for inspiration with Stampin' Up! color combinations, sketches, and other design inspiration.

A challenge new challenge will be posted each week on Thursday mornings. You can follow the challenge and link your own version to the blog using Mr. Linky. Each week 3 of the participants will be chosen to be "Artist Picks" and will be featured on the blog.

Don't miss this chance to participate in fun challenges and drive traffic to your blog!

This week's challenge was to follow this sketch drawn by Margaret Moody.

Just yesterday I got a wonderful box filled with goodies from Stampin' Up. It came in perfect time to be able to play with them for this sketch!

The Falling Leaves stamp set (175368) is one I fell in love with immediately when I got my new catalog and I have been so anxious to get it and play with it.

The card you see below is one that we will be doing at my first workshop next week on August 12 and I'm so excited to share it with the customers that will be there!

I took this picture of the card just to try and give you a better view of the background image.

Using Falling Leaves (175368), I stamped each of the leaves in the set on Whisper White cardstock (101731) using the following Classic Stamp Pads:
Rich Razzleberry - 115658
Crushed Curry - 115659
Pumpkin Pie - 105216
Old Olive - 102277

I then punched them out using my Curly Label Punch (112208), sponged the edges using Close to Cocoa (103139), and mounted them on Pumpkin Pie cardstock (105117). I then mounted each of those squares on a square of Old Olive cardstock (100702). These were then mounted on Crushed Curry cardstock (115319). Before I mounted the Crushed Curry on the Rich Razzleberry cardstock (115316), I made a background image using the new Retro Remix Standard Stampin' Wheel (115619) and Rich Razzleberry ink (115658). I love the look the color-on-color stamping gives for this background! I finished it all off by stamping "Grateful" from the Falling Leaves set on the Crushed Curry using Close to Cocoa and mounting the whole stack of layers on a standard A2 size card of Whisper White.

I hope you've enjoyed this creation and will come back to view more. Please leave me a comment and let me know you were here!

-Jason

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

2009-08-04T09:58:00.000-06:00

I am VERY close to getting this blog up and functioning the way that I would like it to. In the meantime, please visit my general crafting blog at http://www.scrappindad.blogspot.com to see my most recent projects.

Please subscribe via email using the box in the upper left corner. Also, please add yourself as a follower of this blog.

I appreciate your visit!

Jason's Stampin' Pad

My First Freak Swap

I’m a Control Freak!!

Join me Saturday ...

**FREE** Digital Downloads

Christmas Mini Album Class

Giving Thanks!

Halloween Hopping!!!

3-D Blog Hop by the Pals

1. Stephanie Uzee at http://www.stampinwithsuzee.blogspot.com

2. Nicole Watt at http://www.impressionsbynicole.com

3. Barbara Chatzkel at http://www.takeoutpaperarts.com

4. Jason Casper at http://www.stampindad.com

5. Melanie Collins at http://www.oopsadaisy.typepad.com/

6. Carmen Sublasky at http://creativestamptuary.typepad.com/the-creative-stamptuary/

7. Patti MacLeith at http://papercraftsbypatti.blogspot.com/

8. Sandie Conner at http://www.prettyprovisions.com/

9. Nina Dee at http://www.deesignsbyninadee.blogspot.com/

10. Leah O'Brien at http://www.leahobrien.com/

11. Mary Fish at http://www.stampinpretty.com/

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