Little banner with {love}

Hi all!  Happy Friday!  Just popping in with a quick post.  Here's a fun Valentine card I created with the super cute Banner punch and Decorative Dots embossing folder from Sale-a-bration catty.  The "love" sentiment is the Expressions Thinlits die from the Holiday Catalog.  Such a fun and easy card!  Hope you have a great Friday! 

{Tech Tip Tuesday}: #3 - Stamping on Muslin bags

Hi there blog friends!  Welcome to another week of {Tech Tip Tuesday}!  This week, I'm gonna share how easy it is to stamp on Muslin using Stampin'Up!'s Photopolymer stamps.  Aren't the bags above so cute?  I have to admit that I had to get over my own fears of stamping on Muslin - i.e. "Will the image come out ok?" or "Are the inks going to look dark enough?"  among other musings of mine that were preventing me from experimenting on these fun little bags sooner.  I'm pleased to share that it's really super easy to stamp on the bags and get a nice image.  Are you ready to get started?  I've got 4 easy steps for you.

1. To get started, here are the items I used: Muslin bag, Stampin'Up! Classic Ink pads in Smokey Slate and Daffodil Delight, Eye-catching Ikat Photopolymer Stamp Set, Acrylic Block.

2. For this Ikat pattern, I used 2 stamps from the Eye-Catching Ikat stamp set - the 2 diamond shaped stamps.  Place the 2 stamps on your acrylic block to create your repeating pattern.  Stamp the first row in Smokey Slate.  The beauty of the photopolymer stamp sets are that you can see the exact placement on the acrylic block and the actual stamped image on your Muslin bag.  Tip - be sure you evenly ink the stamps to ensure your full image stamps onto the Muslin.  Press the acrylic block firmly onto the bag and be sure not to rock the block back and forth for a clear and crisp image. 

3. Continue making your pattern and clean your stamps between colors. For the second row, I used Daffodil Delight.  You can stamp as many rows as you'd like to continue and repeat your pattern on the bag. For this sample, I create 3 rows.

4.  The finished bag!  As you can see, creating a pattern is a snap with the photopolymer stamps!

Here's a closer look at the trio of bags I stamped {notice the use of my rosette embellishments? - SOO fun!}:

For the rosette embellishment, I doubled up and used 2 flower dies rolled together to create a bigger bloom.

I just love this Ikat pattern and color palette! This pretty polka dot rosette was created using the Polka Dot Parade DSP.

For this stamped patter, I did a two-step stamp technique to create the yellow sunflowers.  Then, I topped it off with a happy orange felt rosette.  These Muslin bags are perfectly sized for cute little goodies or trinkets.  Hope you're inspired to create your own little gift bags. :)

Here are the supplies I used:

{Muslin Bag Trio}
Stamps: Eye-catching Ikat Photopolymer stamps
Inks: Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight, Pumplin Pie, Smokey Slate Classic Stampin'Up! Ink Pads
Accessories: Spiral Flower Originals Die, Mini Metallic Clothespins, Smokey Slate Chevron Ribbon, Secret Garden Framelits, Muslin Bags, Polka Dot Parade DSP 

Product recommendations for this project:

You can check these products out on my online store here.  And, don't forget - Sale-a-bration starts today!  So, what that means is, for every $50 you spend, you can choose Free product from the Sale-a-bration catalog.  Woot woot :)

Happy stamping and thanks for visiting!

Sale-A-Bration 2014 is HERE!

Hi there blog friends!  Sale-A-Bration 2014 is HERE!  It's Stampin'Up!'s annual promotion where you can earn Free product with every $50 order.

To kick off this promotion, I'm excited to host my very first Virtual Workshop!  Now, you're probably wondering, what's a virtual workshop?  Well, it's where you all can participate and submit online orders by entering this special code in the promotions section at checkout: EMS7CAYP.  
This workshop will run until Friday, Jan 31st and any orders submitted for $50 or more will be entered into a raffle to win the Banner Blast punch from the Sale-a-bration catalog!  I'll announce the winner on Sat, Feb 1st!

Here's a peek at one of the adorable card kits you can earn for free with a $50 order - the Go for Gold card kit:

This super cute kit comes with all the supplies to create 8 cards - complete with envelopes and embellishments!  Here's a closer look:

If you happen to be local to the South Bay/Los Angeles in Southern CA, I am also having a LIVE workshop this Saturday, Feb 1st!  If you're interested, please email me here and I'll be sure to send you all the deets!

A bowl full of roses

Hello there, blog friends!  How do you like my bowl full of roses?  I just love how these felt roses came out using the Spiral Flower Originals die!  They are so fun to make and they just look so adorable in person.  I wasn't going to get this die since I figured I have so many flower dies already.  Then, at leadership I saw the die in action at the new products table and while I was there, I received a super cute purple felt flower from a fellow demo.  And, just like that, I HAD to get the die. {You know the feeling, right?} These roses are so easy to assemble, too! Just roll up the flower starting from the center, and then glue closed with a dollop of hot glue and viola! Instant cuteness.  Now here's what I did for the back:

Just like the sample I received, I added a Mini Metallic Clothespin on the back so you can clip it onto cards, gift bags, purses, your hair...whatever you like, really!  Here's what one of the flowers looks like clipped to my Leadership bag…

It adds such a nice touch, don't you think?  Now, if you're a big fan of flowers, then this die is a must have.  I can't wait to make more of these roses!  You'll probably see more projects using this die in the near future!

Here's the product info for you:

Wanna make some of these flowers or check out other goodies in the Occasions catalog?  Feel free to pop by my online store whenever you like!

Thanks for visiting and have a great weekend!

{Tech Tip Tuesday}: Week 2 - Fabulous watercolor background

Hi all!  Happy Tuesday.  Hope your week is off to a great start.  We're having some nice warm weather here in Southern California, so I stamped this week's Tech Tip outside on MLK day {it was SOO nice to have the day off from my day job!}. It got to the high 70s in the afternoon, which is a pretty warm January for us.

For this week's Tech Tip Tuesday, I'm sharing a watercoloring technique that we got a peek at during leadership.  For my card, I used the Making a Point hostess set, which I just LOVE.  It's quite a clever and sassy little set - the sentiments crack me up. Take a look for yourself:

Doesn't the lipstick one make you chuckle? Anyway, I digress.  Back to the technique.  Watercoloring elements are so trendy right now that it's a great style to work into your every day stamping and paper crafting.  This technique in particular is such an easy and fun way of using the Stampin'Write markers and an acrylic block.  So, let's get started, shall we?

1.  You'll need an acrylic block, markers, and a water spritzer.  For my project, I used Primrose Petals and Summer Starfruit Stampin'Write markers and Stampin'Up!'s size C acrylic block.

2.  On a clean acrylic block, use your markers to color directly onto the block.  I colored the Primrose Petal on about two-thirds of the block and Summer Starfruit on the bottom third.

3.  I used the Stampin'Up! Spritzer filled with water and squirted 2 sprays onto the block until the water on the block was evenly "beaded."

4.  Next, take the block and stamp it directly onto your card stock.  I used Whisper White card stock for my project.  As you press the block down onto the card stock, you'll see that the moisture from the inks and water will mix and swirl with the colors and as you pull the block off, it will create some fun variations of color and depth.

5.  Set the card stock aside to dry for a few minutes.

6.  Once the watercolor block is dry, stamp your image onto the card stock using StazOn ink.  This ensures that the image will not bleed.  Viola!  You have your stamped image on a pretty watercolor background!

I finished off my card by mounting my stamped Whisper White card stock onto Crumb Cake.  To give my card a little texture, I added a few sequins onto the card. Just a teenie amount of bling.  I've been on a simple and clean kick lately. Adhesive tip: the Two-way Glue pen is great for sticking sequins or baker's twine on cards! 

Here's another look at my finished card.  Super quick and easy! Hope you like it. :)

And last but not least, here's the recipe for you:

{you're fabulous, watercolor}
Cardstock: Whisper White, Crumb Cake
Inks: Primrose Petal and Summer Starfruit Stampin'Write markers, Black StazOn permanent ink
Stamps: Making a Point {Stampin'Up! Occasions catalog - hostess set}
Accessories: Acrylic Block {size C}, Gold sequins {Stampin'Up! Occasions catalog}

Thank's for the visit. I would love to hear what you think about the card or technique…let me know!  Bye for now. Hope your day is fabulous.

Gray Skies meet Polka Dot Parade

Hello and happy MLK day, blog friends!  I'm so excited to share today's card. I will shamelessly say that it's purely inspired by the cards of Jennifer Timko and Lisa Rhine. I just LOVE their creations and the sun and clouds on their cards that I had to create a card of my own!  Here's a look at my full card.

When have you every seen gray skies look so cheerful?  Aren't the clouds and sun so FUN?  I thought it was so clever to use the Word Bubble Framelits dies for the clouds.  They are just too cute!  And how about that background - do you recognize it? If you're wondering what that might be, it's a sneak peek from the Sale-a-bration catalog.  It's called Decorative Dots Embossing Folder -pretty aptly named, dontcha think? Plus, I really do love the sun in the Polka Dot Parade, too.  Dots, dots, everywhere! It just makes me smile.  Here's a look at the sun components:

I used the Banner Blast Punch {another sneak peek from Sale-a-bration!} for the rays, and the Starburst Framelits layered behind the 1 3/4" circle punch for the center of the sun. I used the Banner Framelits for the sentiment at the bottom and layered the same size frame lit with just a little peek-a-boo of the Polka Dot Parade DSP in Daffodil Delight. I am such a framelits addict! I love them all!  One last look of the full card..

Here's the recipe for you:

{Gray Skies meet Polka Dot Parade}
Cardstock: Smokey Slate, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Polka Dot Parade DSP
Inks: Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Word Bubbles Framelits {Occasions Catalog}, Starburst Framelits {Occasions Catalog}, Banner Framelits {Occasions Catalog}, Banner Blast Punch {Sale-a-bration sneak}, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Decorative Dots Embossing Folder {Sale-a-bration sneak}, Daffodil Delight Stitched Grosgrain ribbon, Designer Buttons, Linen Thread

Hope you like it.  Thanks for popping by today.  Have a great one!

Paper Pumpkin Challenge

Hey there, blog friends! I just wanted to pop in real quick and share the card I had created for the My Paper Pumpkin Challenge at leadership.  The challenge was to create a card using past Paper Pumpkin stamps and current products from the Occasions catalog. I had lots of fun playing with the new Occasions products.  You can see I used the Fringe Scissors and Scallop Tag Topper punch again. :)

Don't forget there's a special Paper Pumpkin promotion going on until February 10th, so if you want to take advantage, it's not too late.  Check out my post here for more info!

Cute little Zoo Babies

Happy weekend!  Hope you're enjoying your day, wherever you are. I'm excited that I got a chance to play in my craft room this morning.  Ever since Leadership, I've wanted to play more with the Fringe Scissors and the Scallop Tag Topper punch.  Plus, I got the Zoo Babies set that I haven't gotten to use, so I thought these cute little animals would be perfect for some fun and quick tags.  What do you think?  Here's a closer look at each one.

The giraffe is the longest tag of the three. I started with a 4" x 2" piece of Whisper White and then punched out the top.  Then, I stamped the giraffe in Pumpkin Pie.  To create the fringe for all the cards, I started with a 2"x 12" piece of the Polka Dot Parade DSP in Daffodil Delight.  Then I used the fringe scissors to cut about an inch into the paper and did that for the length of the 2"x12 strip.  That way, it was just faster to cut each piece down to 2" wide and put it at the bottom of my tags.

For the elephant tag, I started out with a 3 1/2" x 2" piece of Whisper White.  The elephant is stamped in Smokey Slate. I had fun doing the ribbons for each of these tags.  While the striped basic gray grosgrain I used for the elephant tag is retired, the other ribbons I used are in the current catalog - Daffodil Delight stitched grosgrain ribbon, Marina Mist Chevron ribbon, and the Natural Chevron ribbon (from the Occasions catalog)

The lion tag is the shortest tag, with my starting piece at 3" x 2."  I stamped the lion in Daffodil Delight and the sentiment in Marina Mist.  I used the Regals Designer buttons on all the cards and secured them with the Linen Thread. These tags were really fun to put together and super easy, too! 

I have to say that the Fringe Scissors and the Scallop Tag Topper punch are 2 of my faves from the Occasions catalog.  I'm not gonna lie though, I have LOTS of faves from the Occasions catalog. It's definitely worth checking out!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Introducing {Tech Tip Tuesday}: Week 1 - Simply Pressed Clay

Hi there, blog friends! I'm excited to announce that I'll be doing a weekly {Tech Tip Tuesday} post starting today.  So now, you're probably wondering "What the heck is Tech Tip Tuesday?"  Well, what that means is, I'll be posting either a paper crafting technique tip or a digital/online technology tip for you WEEKLY.  Yes.  Weekly!  I've neglected my blog for far too long and I'm gonna revamp it with some fresh new posts and ideas to share with you all.  I promised at the beginning of 2014 that I'd commit to posting 3 times a week, so now you know at least one post will be on {Tech Tip Tuesday}. :)

So, let's start with today, shall we?  I'm thrilled to finally share that I got to play with the Simply Pressed Clay today for the very first time.  I've been intimidated by the packaging and just even trying to make the flowers or buttons in the Simply Pressed Mold.  I finally decided to take the time to search for instructions or videos and mustered up the courage (and of course, carved out the time) to try.  In the picture above, I'm pleased to say…Success!

Here are the steps for you, broken down to make it easy-peasy.

1.  What you'll need are the following: Buttons and Blossoms Simply Pressed Mold, Re-inker (I chose Pink Pirouette), and Simply Pressed Clay.  The re-inker is really just an option, but this is what I chose for this example.  There are a number of ways you can add color to your clay - with Stampin'Write markers, ink pads, etc.  With the re-inker, I added 6 drops of the Pink Pirouette and kneaded it into the clay.

2.  Pinch off a tiny piece of clay and roll it into a ball.  

3.  Press the clay into the mold and be sure to fill the mold completely.  If you have too much, pinch off the excess and form the clay into the mold till you're satisfied that you've filled the area. If you have too little, add a bit of clay until you can fill the mold.

4.  Now, here's the tricky part.  Depending on the humidity in your area and the moisture of the clay, the mold may stick.  After trial and error, I saw that it's best to rub the silicon molds with an embossing buddy first, since this will help "pop out" your mold.  Think of it like baking a cake.  You add flour to the pan to help it not stick.  Same principle. :)  Since I was sans embossing buddy today, I also learned that a few minutes in the freezer does the trick equally well.  I'd say 5-10 minutes is sufficient.

5.  When you take your mold out of the freezer, just gently bend back the mold and pop out your flower.  Viola!

Here's a look at the flowers again - I love the delicate look they have.  What's fun is that the clay doesn't  get hard even when it's dry. It's semi soft and bendable!  Pretty cool.  Here's another look at my first batch of flowers.

And lastly, here's a look at the full card I made, using the Language of Love stamp set from the Occasions catalog, Polka Dot Parade DSP, heart punch, and linen thread on Crumb Cake card stock.  It also happens to be my first Valentine card of the year, too.

Hope you like it!  Thanks for visiting me on my first {Tech Tip Tuesday}.  I'd love to hear your feedback.  Especially if you have any specific techniques or technologies you'd like me to cover.  Have a great day!

Scenes from Make N Take night

Hi Stamping Friends!  I wanted to share our fun night of make and takes at Stampin'Up! Leadership. It was such a blast! Check out the tables. Imagine a huge convention room brightly lit with dancey-dance music playing in the background, energized Stampin'Up! employees greeting you as you walk in, and a sea of tables dotted with these colorful splashes of orange among giddy demonstrators milling about to find a seat. Quite a sight to walk into!  How cute are those orange little bags filled with our Stampin'Up! goodies! Ahhh.. it felt so good to stamp!  The projects and presentations were awesome and I really did come away from that night inspired to stamp, create, and share.

Here's some more images...

A roomful of crafty stampers!

My partners in crime during the leadership festivities - Norma Pimentel (aka Pinkblingcrafter), Louise Goodman, and Michelle Halleen.

And proof that I actually was there, too! :)

Now for a closer look at our Make N Takes:

We got to play with the aqua painter and practice the watercolor technique.  I had lots of fun coloring in these pretty vases and flowers!  This stamp is Vivid Vases and the inks we used were Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, and Gumball Green.

Here's a look at all the Make and Takes:

In addition to the card, we made 3 tags using the Kaleidoscope DSP and the Geometrical stamp set from the Occasions catalog.  We also got to use the Scallop Tag Topper punch which I just LOVE LOVE LOVE!  It makes the perfect tag that's 2" wide and any length you want to make it!  Not sure if you can clearly see the fringe on the last tag on the right - isn't that a fun texture?  Well, you can create that in a snap using the Fringe Scissors…so cool!  I think it's a great bargain at $9.95!

There were lots of awesome stamping demonstrations that night, too!  AND, yet another little bonus…a free giveaway of the Happenings Simply Created Card Kit!!  This is a super cute kit that makes 15 cards!

Here's a better look-see at this adorable kit - you can judge for yourself!

Now, was I lying? ;)

Well, I hope you enjoyed getting a peek of our fun night of stamping.  Thanks for coming by today!

My Paper Pumpkin - Oh MY!

Hello all! I wanted to share an awesome promotion that's now going on when you sign up for a new My Paper Pumpkin subscription.  From now until February 10th you'll get a free set of the 2012-2014 In Color Stampin' Write markers as part of your new membership!  How cool is that?  The monthly subscription is a great value at just $19.95 per month.

Are you curious to learn more about My Paper Pumpkin?  Well, if you're someone that's looking for a craft fix in the form of a new project kit every month, then this is just for you!  There are super cute and exciting project kits coming up {we got to see a sneak peek at Leadership at 2 upcoming kits..but that's all I can say}.  For a look at one of the project kits, check out my post on the November kit to see how cute the projects really are!

What's great is, each month is a surprise, so you won't know what the projects are until you open up the box.  That's part of the thrill and delight for me. :) I have been a subscriber from the beginning and all I can say is that the wide range of projects has been fun for me and has exposed me to lots of paper crafting categories.  From cards to party decor…it's been great!  This promo is only available until February 10, so be sure to take advantage soon!

Hello from Houston!

Hi all!  I can't believe it's already Friday!  Boy does time fly when you're having fun!  I've got a lot to share, though I forgot how jam packed the schedules are.  And, there's the connectivity issues. :)  So thanks for bearing with me.  I did a quick page in MDS2 to share tonight.  It actually helped since I got to create the page without needing wi-fi and so was able to upload it in a jiffy!

For this evening's leadership programming, we'll be doing make and takes, so stay tuned for a peek at the projects tomorrow.  I'll also be posting to my Flickr link here, so feel free to take a look there as well. :)

Off to do some crafting!  Thanks for popping in! Bye for now.

The Fox says...

Hi all! Have you guys watched that viral video on "What does the fox say?"  Well, today, he's saying "Thank you so much!" Before I left for Leadership, I was determined to make Thank You cards so I could start writing them to our family and friends for all the fun holiday gifts we got (yes, I know, I'm way behind!).  Not to mention, another motivating factor was the package of goodies I got from the Occasions catalog that I couldn't wait to use!  I created the card using the Life of the Forest stamp set, the Starburst Framelits, and the Arrows Textured Impressions embossing folder. Wanna see a view of the full card?

I actually ended up doing 2 versions - the first with the twine {a sneak peek from Sale-a-bration!} and centered "Thank You"...

And a version sans the twine, which I thought would be cute for Thank Yous from our little guy. 

Either way, I was thinking simple and clean and I'm really happy with how they came out! Plus, now I have a stack of thank you cards. :)

Hope you like it!  Thanks for stopping by today.  I'll be posting more soon from Houston :)

Bey for now!