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An Old Favorite with a Peek of the New!

Aloha, all!

     Well the stamp set, Button Buddies, isn't exactly "old."  It's only been around for a year.  But it is older than all the new stamp sets we're going to be seeing in the upcoming Stampin' Up! Catalog.  For now, though, with just a couple of exceptions, I'm not able to buy any of the new sets let alone show them off for you here on my blog.  But I do want to start using some of the brand new products so that you can get a bit of a taste of what's coming June 1st!

     The new products that I'm featuring in this card today are the 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon and the Designer Series Paper set, Floral District.  I was a bit disappointed when all the current 1/4" ribbons were retired.  On the other hand, you haven't seen me use them much recently – because I haven't been using them!.  One of the reasons has been that the current ribbons are sometimes a bit stiff and awkward to use in a card.  These new ribbons, however, wrap and tie beautifully!

     The Designer Series Paper has a ton of colors represented in the set, but (so far at least) my favorite sheet is the one peeking out from behind the stamped layers, and it features Rich Razzleberry, Lucky Limeade, and Daffodil Delight.  The background paper is ALSO from this Paper Set, and is printed only in Daffodil Delight.

     The layout for this card is one that I'm using this morning for an online Chat & Challenge with my SUDSOL Stampin' Up! Demonstrator group.  One thing that seems to be happening to a lot of us demonstrators right now is that we're itching to get our hands on new products to show off – but we can't!  Yes, we do have a few such as these that are in my card today.  But we all want a whole room full of new products so that our creativity can just take off!  So a Chat & Challenge is especially useful for us all right now to help us get going and use what we have to be creative between now and May 31st.

     As always, for the Chat & Challenge – as well as for you here! – I have a sketch!  But before that, let me tell you about all the other details of this card.  First, the two primary colors are Daffodil Delight and Rich Razzleberry.  I originally intended not to have mats behind the layers.  But that Daffodil Delight background paper made the Whisper White of the stamped layer seem a bit washed out.  So off I went to cut mats for the two layers on the right of the card.  The flower stamp is from Button Buddies, and the sentiment stamp is from the stamp set, Petite Pairs.  All of the Daffodil Delight Buttons are from the Brights Buttons set (did you order extra free buttons during Sale-a-bration this year? I certainly did!).  I tied a little piece of Lucky Limeade Baker's Twine through the larger button, but left the smaller buttons to stand by themselves, mostly because they were so close together.

     I hope you're starting to get as excited as I am about the new catalog.  I already have my shopping list made, though as every day goes by, something else gets added to it!  I just love having a shopping list, but usually I don't have one sitting around for this long!

     Have a fun week – I know I'm going to as I get ready for that brand new catalog!

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Fun With Simply Sent!

Aloha, all!

     Simply Sent Card Kits provide just about the easiest way for anyone to make a quick card!  The only thing that you need beyond the kit itself is a couple of stamps and some ink. 

     One of the kits in the current (2011-2012) Stampin' Up Idea Book and Catalog has just about the prettiest cards that I can remember!

     The set about which I'm writing today is that very set, and it's called the Everyday Elegance kit.  I cannot believe the gorgeous laser cut design on the bottom front of this card!  And it's very effective whether the card is opened or closed.  This card features the Baja Breeze color, and already has the printed graphic design on the front.  The label on which the "Thanks" sentiment is stamped also comes with the kit, and it's a Self-Adhesive Die Cut Label.  That means no adhesive is needed!  Of course, I had to get fancy with this, so I added a piece of the Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper that I had laying out on my table (have I mentioned that I have a hard time learning to put stuff away before I start on the next project??).  I also added two Basic Rhinestone Jewels to spiff the card up even more!  The stamp set from which the sentiment is taken is designed to go with this Simply Sent Kit; it's called Everyday Wishes, and will retire at the end of this month.

     Here is the other card that's in this Simply Sent Kit.  For this card, I stuck entirely with what's included in the kit and the complementary stamp set.  See – no additions, and it's still a lovely card!

     One additional note:  BOTH of these cards may be used in either Portrait or Landscape orientation.  I showed one of each so you could see how that works out!

Products in this project that are going to be retiring:

• Everyday Elegance Simply Sent Kit (available while supplies last)
• Everyday Wishes Stamp Set (available until the end of May)

Products in this project that are NOT going to retire:

• Tangerine Tango Classic Stamp Pad (though it will be undergoing a reconfiguration to a new stamp pad type)
• Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper (Available June 1st in the new 2012-2013 Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog)
• Cherry Cobbler Classic Stamp Pad (though it will be undergoing a reconfiguration to a new stamp pad type)
• Basic Rhinestone Jewels

     I hope that by the time this blog post goes live this kits is still available – because I know it will be something you'd love to have some fun with before it goes away!  I know I've been having fun with mine!  For one thing, while I'm on airplanes – and I've been on a lot of them this month! – I like to take the "down" time to write notes to my friends.  This is a perfect set of cards to use for this!

     Don't forget that you can order any of these products any time of the day or night, any day of the year, on my Stampin' Up! Website.  Just click HERE!

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Thank You With a Smooch

Aloha, all!

     I hope you enjoyed this past weekend's blog hop!  It was just the right size for me – I got through it and made comments in under half an hour.  And I'm so inspired to get out my scrapbooking materials and get started on some long overdue projects!

     But today I'd like to share one of the greeting cards that were made to go into yesterday's box, this one made with the Island Indigo color scheme which Lucy particularly liked for her box – and, of course, with the Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper.

     This is such a simple design to make as all but one of the layers is cut from Designer Series Paper or card stock!  The flower on the stamped layer is from the Stamp Set, Bright Blossoms, which is also a part of the Summer Smooches suite of products – available for purchase this month, then not again until June 1st with the 2012-2013 Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog.  The "vase" for these flowers is a piece of the Island Indigo Card Stock, punched with the 3/4" Circle Punch, with a bit of the end cut off to make the flat side.  Or you could also (as I did for this card) slip your punch over the edge of the paper you're punching, but not all the way so the edge of the paper doesn't get punched.  

     And the circular layers are all punched, too!  We used the 1-1/4 Circle Punch for the Designer Series Paper circles and the 1-3/8" Circle Punch for the Island Indigo Card Stock mats.  So simple – and a fun project to make!  I've even done up a sketch for you to use if you'd like to duplicate this card.  And there are so many Designer Series Paper sets and coordinating stamps throughout Stampin' Up!'s catalog that I'm sure you'll find something in your stash to make a gorgeous card!  Or, even better, order some of the Summer Smooches products from me – just click here, and then on the Summer Smooches display under the word, "Promotions."

     I've had several people ask me about a pattern for the box in yesterday's post.  This is a pattern that I found in a library of the online group, SUDSOL.  SUDSOL is a website for Stampin' Up! Demonstrators only, and we are all able to use patterns we demonstrators have posted to the site.  That's what I did with yesterday's project and for the ladies in my class on Friday – I used a pattern posted by Sandi McIver.  If you're a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, it's easy to gain access to all the patterns – just join SUDSOL!  There is a subscription fee, but there is also a 2-week FREE TRIAL available to all demonstrators.  If you'd like to try it out, just click on the SUDSOL Link Here!  And, once you get into your free trial, let me know if you have any questions about the group.  If I don't have the answers, I can get them pretty quickly from Coleen or Patti, the SUDSOL "moms."

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Twisted is a Good Thing!

Aloha, all!

     "Twisted" is, indeed, a good thing when it's paired with "Easel Card"!  And that's my project for today!

     I have a couple of challenges that I was working on today.  One was to use a tutorial from the library of my Stampin' Up! Demo group, SUDSOL.  The other was to show off my favorite color combo of the week!  So what I have to show off for you today is a Twisted Easel Card using the colors Pool Party and Lucky Limeade.  These just happen to be two of the colors in the Stampin' Up! Sale-A-Bration Everyday Enchantment suite of products, and that's pretty much what you see in this card!

     The paper here is from the Designer Series Paper set, Everyday Enchantment, and the brads and ribbon are from the Everyday Enchantment Ribbon & Brad Pack.  Both the paper and the ribbon/brad pack cannot be bought!  Nope; you get each of them for FREE when you buy any Stampin' Up! products and your purchase totals $50 or more.  You can get either of these products for spending $50 and you can get BOTH of the products FREE for spending $100!  And these are not insignificant sets of products.  For the paper, you get 12 sheets of double-sided printed paper, and for the ribbon/brad pack you get two 10-yard spools of ribbon AND a pack of 30 designer brads.  Such a deal!!

     The Twisted Easel Card is one that's featured in lots of tutorials around the Internet, so I won't bore you with the details of the fold (really simple, though!).  What I will give you, though, is the set of measurements for the front piece of my card in case you want to copy that for yourself.  No sketch – it's a square!  So: 

• First layer is 4" square Lucky Limeade Card Stock
• Second layer is 3-3/4" square Pool Party and Lucky Limeade Print
• Third layer is 3" square Pool Party Card Stock
• Top layer is 2-3/4" Very Vanilla Card Stock.

     I first stamped the image from the Sale-A-Bration Stamp Set, Elementary Elegance in the center of the Very Vanilla Card Stock layer, then I adhered all the layers together.  I stamped the greeting in Soft Suede on a scrap of Pool Party Card Stock and punched it out with the Curly Label Punch.  This fits perfectly into the center of the stamped image.

     To make the "bow," I cut a 22" piece of the Lucky Limeade Ribbon and folded it in half, then in half again, and so on until it was 2-3/4" long.  Then I opened the brad and set it over the middle of the "bow" and then closed the brad points over the ribbon before inserting it into a hole I made in the corner of the layered card stock.

     Using instructions you'll find online for the Twisted Easel Card, adhere this to the front (diagonally folded) side of the card and decorate the rest of the card as you wish.

     If there are enough of you who read my blog who don't know where (or wish) to find the instructions for the Twisted Easel Card, let me know in a comment on this blog post and I'll videotape a quick tutorial next week!

     This is actually going to be one of the projects in my class this weekend, so I'd better get going and make sure I have all my supplies ready!  I know I'm going to have a blast with the class, and I hope you have something fun in the way of paper crafting planned this weekend, too!

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New Papers with an Old Sketch!

Aloha, all!

     Guess what I did yesterday?  Well, I started with wanting to get into the craft room to make a card, but I just couldn't figure out where to start.  So I did what I hope a lot of you are doing – I went to my Greeting Card Layout eBooks and browsed through them until I found a sketch that caught my fancy!

     I first used this sketch back in 2010 using the Island Oasis set of Designer Series Papers.  And I've used it with several other paper sets, too.  For today's card, though, I used the current set, Twitterpated (from the 2012 Occasions Mini Catalog) and added the sentiment from the Sale-a-bration Stamp Set, Outlined Occasions.  I just LOVE coloring in the letters on this set!  (Hmm, I think I did that in my last card, too!)

     Ah ha!  That last card was so bright with all the primary colors and here we are back with a more subtle set of colors – and the stamp set works well with both!

     So here I am using a 2012 set of papers with a 2010 sketch!  You see, even if the papers and stamps that I used back in 2010 and 2011 aren't around, my sketches are great for inspiration for using NEW products!  If you haven't bought one of my CDs (and the 2011 can also be purchased on Amazon.com as a Kindle eBook!), now might be the perfect time to do it! 

     And if you already have one of the eBooks – get it out and use it for some inspiration – and HAVE FUN WITH IT!

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Thank You!

Aloha, all!

     And thank you all for your patience with my slow response to comments and e-mails over the last week and a half.  I'm a bit better today and even managed to make a card in my craft room!  I didn't have the energy to clean the craft room up before I did, so now I have an even bigger job!  But I finally feel up to it.  In fact, by the time you read this, I should be back with everything put away or thrown away and I'll be working on my last project for the Create With Connie and Mary Occasions Edition!  I'm so sorry I'm not able to share these project with you because I think they're among the best I've ever done.  But you have to be a subscriber to get to them. 

     For this card, I used just two colors.  Two colors was the challenge for the Stampin' Up! Only Challenge Team this past week, and I missed that because I was sick.  And it was supposed to be a Valentine, so it's a bit late for that.  But I'm sure that, if you're working on a two-color project this week, we'd love to see it over at SUO Challenges anyway!

     The two colors that I used are Calypso Coral and Island Indigo, both a Stampin' Up! "In Color"" for this year.  Nice combo!  The Island Indigo colored Designer Series Paper is from the "Sweet Shop" Specialty Designer Series Paper set, from this year's Occasions Mini Catalog.

     I made this Z-fold card with the cut out using the Sizzix Movers and Shapers Die from the Punch Windows Die Set.  It's been awhile since I've made one of these, but I thought to use it because I had a customer ask me about this style card this past week.  Fun to make – and so easy with the Sizzix Big Shot!  The stamp is from the set Oval All and I stamped the little butterfly on a scrap of the DSP and cut it out to tie the stamp together with the background.  I forgot to take a photo of the other side – but I made a Calypso Coral butterfly there from stamping on a coordinating piece of the DSP.  Fun little thing to do!

     I always try to tie a card together with some ribbon, and this time I used some Calypso Coral 3/8 Ruffled Ribbon.  It makes such a nice knot or bow.  I kept it to a knot this time to keep the card simple. 

     If you've got a type of card that you'd like me to make, just let me know.  I'm starting to feel like being creative again, and I'm up for suggestions!

     It feels like I'm going to have a better week this week – and I hope you are, too!

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Fun and Quick!

Aloha, all!

     With all that I'm doing the next few weeks, I decided I had to take some time this morning to show off some of the products from the brand new Stampin' Up! 2012 Occasions Mini Catalog.  On the other hand, it had to be quick because I'm already behind on so many new year's projects and it's only the 4th!!!

     Believe me, this was quick – and it was fun on top of it!  The basic card design was one that was featured in this month's magazine for Stampin' Up! Demonstrators as something we could easily demonstrate at a workshop.  They were right, even though I had to think for a few minutes because I wanted the colors and design just a tad different from those in the magazine.

     What really makes this easy are the two brand new products from the Occasions Mini Catalog that I used:  the stamp set, Mixed Bunch, and the brand new punch made just for the stamp set (or is it the other way around??), the Blossom Punch.  There are three big flowers in the stamp set, and this shows off just one of them.  I'll be getting to the other two before long, I hope!

     The card base is Sahara Sand, and the colors that I used to stamp the flowers were (left to right) Peach Parfait, Poppy Parade, and Tangerine Tango.  I stamped the Peach Parfait and Tangerine Tango flowers on So Saffron Card Stock, and the Poppy Parade flower on Peach Parfait Card Stock.  The center image on each flower is also from the Mixed Bunch Stamp Set and cuts perfectly with the 1" Circle Punch. 

     To finish this quick and easy card off, I punched some Whisper White Card Stock with the Scallop Edge Border Punch, then quickly colored in some circles using Poppy Parade Stampin' Write Marker, the Paper Piercing Template from Stampin' Up!'s Mat Pack.  I trimmed the Whisper White Card stock and mounted it on a strip of Poppy Parade Card Stock.  The sentiment is from the stamp set, Petite Pairs, and I just had to punch it with the Postage Stamp Punch.  I've been dying to do that to a sentiment with the word, "Sending," in it!  I tied on a little bow with Linen Thread.

     The one thing that's not quite evident from the photo is that I made my card base 5-1/4" wide rather than 5-1/2" so that I could let the flowers hang off the edges a bit, yet still allow the card to fit in a standard A2 envelope (Stampin' Up!'s Medium Envelope). 

     OK – I've had my fun for the day, now back to work.  Hmmm.  Actually, my "work" IS fun!  How many people get to say that?  It's easy when you're a Stampin' Up! demonstrator!  Hope you're having fun today, too!

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Another Thank You Note!

Aloha, all!

     Earlier in the week, I shared a sample of a Thank You card that I'd made with all NEW products – from the 2012 Sale-a-Bration catalog.  But today I'm taking a hint from fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrator (and my 2nd upline) Sandy Hancock, and using up some of my left over Christmas paper to make those Thank You notes!

     This was a quick card that I made last night with scraps from the Letters to Santa Designer Series Paper that is featured in the 2012 Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog.  While you and I know it came from Christmas paper, there's no design that requires it to be used on a Christmas card (no santas or ornaments).  But sending it out this time of the year, with red and green as the main color, still feels holiday-ish to me!

     The red here is Riding Hood Red and the green is Old Olive.  The Taffeta Ribbon is also Riding Hood Red.  My first go round with this card had the background Riding Hood Red Card Stock looking awfully plain, so I pulled out the Snow Burst Textured Impressions Embossing Folder to give it a bit more interest.  Good News – this Embossing Folder will still be available after the Holiday Mini expires next week!

     Here is the sketch that I used for this card.  It's not a new sketch, but it's been awhile since I used it.  I just love having sketches around and this one was on page 43 of my 2010 Greeting Card Layout eBook, which is still available on a CD.  Just check over on the right for more information about both of my Card Layout eBooks!  Of course, the sketch in the eBook has all the measurements included!

     I hope you're having fun making your own Thank You cards after a fun holiday season!  I still have a couple more to make and hope to be able to share them before the year is out!

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It’s Time for Thank You Notes!

Aloha, all!

     Aaaaahhhh!  While I do love Christmas, it is SOOO good to have it over and be able to relax a bit.  Actually, I did a lot of relaxing over the weekend.  I put away the last of my Christmas Card making supplies and tools on Friday night, and did not touch a thing related to paper crafting until this morning.  In fact, I was so relaxed about everything that I forgot to give my husband the very special card I'd made for him weeks ago!  If I had gone into the craft room I would have seen it lying there.  But at least I remembered before Christmas Day was over.

     And of course now that Christmas is over, it's time for Thank You notes!  This is also the day for the bi-weekly Stampin' Up! Only Challenge, and this is the card I made for the challenge to make a punch the center of attraction on a project.  I looked at all those fancy punches that Stampin' Up! has been putting out lately, but then decided on a really simple one – the 2-3/8" Scallop Circle Punch. 

     Usually I have an item punched with that as the background for something else.  This time, though, I was inspired by the fan-style design in the new set of paper, EverydayEnchantment Designer Series Paper, that Stampin' Up! will be giving away as part of the 2012 Sale-a-Bration Event, which begins a month from now.  So, since that paper inspired me, I decided to use it, as well as the coordinating Everyday Enchantment Ribbon and Brad Pack.  I thought that the brad with the scallop shape on it was perfect for the center of the punch feature.  To help it stand out a bit more, I used a second punch, the Boho Blossoms Punch, to make the little flower behind the brad.

     The colors in the Designer Series Paper – and the colors of Card Stock that I used to accent it – are Lucky Limeade, Peach Parfait, and Pool Party.  Oh, and Very Vanilla is in there, too!

     To make the Scalloped Punch element, I drew lines on the back of all three colors that I punched out and then snipped along the lines from the indentations to the center point (where the lines all crossed).  To find the center of the Very Vanilla piece, I drew a couple of lines on the back of it, too, and used the Paper Piercer to punch through a pinpoint hole which is there the points of the cut pieces all met.  Once I glued on all the cut pieces, I enlarged the hole to allow the brad to fit through easily.

     The scallop circle in the background is a die-cut image from the Sizzix Scallop Circles #2 die, which I also texturized with the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder.

     The Thank You Stamp is also from the Sale-a-Bration catalog – one of the 6 stamps in the Outlined Occasions Stamp Set.  Love those outline-style designs that I can color in!  I wrapped each end of the greeting element with the ribbon from the ribbon pack.  I adhered both the greeting and the punched scallop to the card front with Stampin' Dimensionals to give the card just a bit more, well, dimension!

     I hope you had a lot of fun during your holiday celebrations!  And I hope you'll have as much fun as I'm having now that I'm back in my Craft Room again!

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A Fall Favorite!

Aloha, all!

     I love Fall!  Even here in Hawaii, the nights are cooler and there are changes in the way our garden looks.  But when we lived on the mainland, as the trees started changing colors and some leaves began to drop, my heart (and wallet!) turned to Fall Mums.  I really had to set a budget for myself before I headed to the local garden store to stock up on all the wonderfully-colored pots of mums.  More than anything that time of the year, I enjoyed bringing them home, getting out all my fun colored flower pots, and making arrangements at our front door. 

     So when the Stampin' Up! Only Challenge this week asked us to think "fall colors" for our entry, mums definitely came to mind.  OK, I have to confess – you know I'm the one who makes up the challenge themes, so you can probably guess that I was thinking mums when I came up with that one!

     I wasn't sure what I was going to do with that thought, though, until I started thumbing through the Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog.  Yes, I came across the stamp set, Fabulous Florets.  But that was the set I'd had in mind all along.  What did catch my attention was the little graphic in the lower outside corner of every page in the catalog – a flower pot!  The pot changes with every new section of the catalog, from an empty pot at the beginning to one with flowers at the end.  But that pot reminded me of some of the pots that I used to use for my mums.  So a pot it was!

     I really liked cutting these flowers out.  My very first Stampin' Up! demonstrator, Maria, would be so surprised to hear that as she could never get me to do ANYthing by hand way back then.  It either got stamped or punched or it didn't appear in my work.  Now, though, I find that I can have some peaceful time just sitting down and working with those paper snips.  If I could have fit more flowers in this pot, I probably would have. 

     As for the pot, I've made a template for it and it's attached here. It's sized to fit as shown on a piece of cardstock that's 3-3/4" wide.  It's easiest to cut out if you cut a piece of card stock that's 3-3/4" wide x 3" high and trace the template onto it.  Don't worry about your pen or pencil marks – just turn the pot over!

     The Fall Colors that I've used here are Cajun Craze (for the card base, the pot and one of the flowers); Old Olive (for the first mat, the mat on the tag and the leaves); Pumpkin Pie (two flowers); Daffodil Delight (two flowers); More Mustard (the center flower and the second mat); and Cherry Cobbler (one flower).  I used to tie twine around some of my pots and the Linen Thread does that job nicely for this card.  I used one of the Backgrounds I Textures Plates to emboss the pot.  The greeting is from the new stamp set, Petite Pairs.

     I hope you're enjoying getting into fall and will enjoy using whatever colors make you think of Fall in your crafting this week!

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