Dude, You're Welcome!

One of the cool announcements that were made at Leadership that I’m excited to share is a new masculine stamp set offering called “Dude, You’re Welcome!”  What is that, you say?  Well, imagine a stamp set and papers especially made with the guy in mind.  Something that’s masculine and cool that I think the men in our lives would appreciate.  Do you wanna have a quick look to see what I mean?

Here’s a fun little video that says it all.  Take a look an enjoy!  I know it made me chuckle when I saw it the first time.

Whaddaya think?  Pretty cool, eh?  Are you wondering when and how you can get it?  Well, wonder no more!  It’s available starting today!  You can check it out at my online store here.  I know I’ll be getting one to share with my dear hubs.  I can’t wait to get his feedback!  Bye for now.

Great things come in {cute} handmade packages

Hi all!  How are you?  I am popping in with a quick post of a fabulous idea that I had to CASE from Qbee's Quest!  How cute is this box!  Here's a full look of the outside:

And wait til you see the inside....

 

Isn't that so clever?!  It's a hinged box that measures 3" x 5" and is 1" deep.  I love the little pop-up for the gift card!  I am so glad I stumbled across Brenda's post - she has a step-by-step tutorial on her blog, so it makes this project so easy peasy, you'll want to make a bunch!  I know I am!! Plus there's even room to add some yummy candy or a nice tube of lipstick.  Hope you liked this case!

 

Here are the supplies I used:

{Penguin Gift Card Box}

*Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, Be of Good Cheer DSP, Very Vanilla

*Stamps: No Peeking

*Inks: Cherry Cobbler

*Accessories: Window Framelit dies, Festive Paper Piercing Pack, Big Shot, Gumball Green Stitched Satin Ribbon, dimensionals, Simply Scored board, Decorative Label punch, Paper trimmer

 

Have a great day and I'll see you guys soon.  I think I've bitten by the inspiration bug, so I'm hoping to post a few more things this week!  Bye for now.

 

Get ready for the {Online EXTRAVAGANZA!}

Hi all!  I'm back with another post, can you believe it?  Well, with the holidays coming upon us, Stampin'Up! is kicking off their Online Extravaganza sale just in time to pick out those special stamp sets and craft goodies for all the crafters in your life!  And, the cool thing is - there's no hassle with lines or parking, just shop at my Online Store here!

Here are a few highlights of this sale that you definitely don't want to miss:

Special 24 hr deals on Nov 19 and Nov 28!

Nov 19:

Nov 28:

Get ready for Sell-a-stamp {SPOOKTACULAR}

Hello there blog friends!  Hope you're enjoying your weekend!  I know it's been quiet again on my front, but I had to pop in and tell you about Monday's Spooktacular Festivities!  Stampin'Up! is offering 15% off on almost every stamp in all our catalogs for ONE DAY ONLY, on Monday October 29th!  What does this mean?  It means, you get $15 off on all stamp sets, including:

Background stamps

Personalized name stamps

Incentive stamp sets from the supply list

Cookie press stamps

Single-image stamps

So, you're  probably wondering...ok, so what's excluded?  Here's the list:

Hostess sets

Bundled stamp sets

Digital stamp brush sets

It's the perfect time to place an order just in time for the holiday card and craft making!  AND, you have direct access to my website here!

Feel free to start browsing now so you can pick out the stamps you'd like to get on Monday, October  29.  Don't forget that the deal is for Monday only!  Have fun!  I'll remind you again on Monday....and may have some things to post for you as well! ;)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!  Ciao for now.

simply flat..with {tExTuRe}

Happy Friday to you!  Hope you all had a great week.  Just wanted to pop in with a simple card I created.  After making this one, I decided that I should sit down and make a stash of these simple one layered cards to have on hand..especially thank yous!  The inspiration for this card is actually from a couple things - 1) the chevron arrow stamp from the Border Banter stamp set and 2) the leaf from the Wonderfall stamp set, both of which are in the Holiday Mini catalog.  I've been wanting to play with both of these and I happened to have a white 3 1/2" x 5" card in close proximity to my computer, so, as I was sitting on a conference call, I thought I'd try these stamps out.  I found it to be very effective multi-tasking!  I was really pleased with how it came out - for no layers at all, it seemed to be chock-full of texture.  Here's another view, so you can see what I mean about flat texture:

So, what do you think?  I thought it had a nice retro-modern look to it, especially with these colors.  I used the brand new In Color, Summer Starfruit, and paired it with a classic favorite - Pumpkin Pie.  For the Thank You sentiment from the Itty Bitty Banners set, I used Early Espresso Ink to make it stand out, in a subtle sort of way.  Here's the recipe for you:

 

{Wonderfall Chevron Thanks}

• Stamps: Wonderfall, Border Banter, Itty Bitty Banners
• Cardstock: Whisper White Notecards & Envelopes (3 1/2" x 5')
• Inks: Summer Starfruit, Pumpkin Pie, Early Espresso

Now, the fun part.  Last but not least, I was blurfing {aka blog surfing} a little bit ago and saw that my sketch actually fits Pals Paper Art's sketch challenge for the week, so without even intending, by serendipitous luck, I'm actually getting to play in a card challenge!  Woohoo!  It's been awhile for me. :) 

 

In any case, I hope you guys like the card, or, at least come away with an idea for trying to create texture with a one dimensional card.  Patterns really do a lot - be it stamps or paper - and they're fun to dabble with!  Give it a whirl and see what you come up with.  Thanks for popping by and have a great weekend!

 



Birthday Bazaar!

Hello there blog friends!  How goes your week so far?  Today, I've got a fun birthday card to share for you, using the cool Chevron embossing folder and the Delicate Doilies Sizzlits.  How about my little scallop flower?  I love the smaller sized 1 1/4" scallop punch {from the Holiday Mini Catalog} that nests so perfectly to add an inner layer to my flower!  I created the flower petals by cutting towards the center of the flower at every 2 scallops.  I punched out the leaves using the Blossom Petals Builder punch.  Wanna see the rest of the card?  Here you go:

 

I used the Apothecary Accents Framelits as the background to my sentiment, from the Happy Hour stamp set.  And lastly, I created the scallop border at the bottom using the Large Scallop Edgelits. I had a lot of fun making this card for my good friend Robin :)  As you guys can probably tell, I'm a big fan of this color combo.  It's a change up from my regular repertoire of colors, but the Rich Razzleberry, Pool Party, and Daffodil Delight just pop with that happy freshness, dontcha think?

Hope you like the card!  Here's the quick recipe for you:

{Birthday Bazaar}

• Stamp Set: Happy Hour
• Cardstock: Pool Party, Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight, International Bazaar, Summer Smooches
• Inks: Rich Razzleberry, Crumb Cake (to sponge on the edge of the leaves)
• Accessories: Chevron Embossing Folder, Delicate Doilies Sizzlit, Large Scallop Edgelit, Blossom Petals Punch Builder, 1 3/4" Scallop Circle punch, 1 1/4" Scallop Circle punch, Boho Blossoms punch, Apothecary Accents Framelit, Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons, Hemp Twine,

Thanks for the visit.  Have a great one!

sweet anniversary {LOVE BIRDS}

Happy Monday, blog friends!  I have a quick card share for you today.  I created this anniversary card using my current fave, International Bazaar DSP {such cool prints!} and the Apothecary Accents framelits, and the bird punch, and the awesome Paper Piercing Pack {I think I'm kind of addicted to this paper piercing, too!}.  For the stamps, I used the Owl Occasions stamp set from the Holiday Mini for the branch, and then the sentiment is from the Memorable Moments stamp set.  Here's a look at the full card for you:

Now, isn't that paper print so fun?  Love it!  Well, I hope you guys have a great Monday and I'll catch up with you all in a bit!  Thanks for popping in ;)

You're {AMAZING!}

Hey there, bloggie friends! Hope you had a great Friday today! It was a busy week, but I'm starting to feel like I'm turning the corner as far as managing my time.  I'm so glad I got to stamp a little bit this week - it felt so good!  Plus, I have lots of birthday and anniversary celebrations this month, so I was motivated to create some cards with my stash of brand spankin' new Stampin'Up! goodies from the new catty!  Today's card share is a birthday card I created using the You're Amazing stamp set and the International Bazaar DSP {which is one of my faves!}. Here's a look at the full card for you:

Aren't the prints of this DSP so pretty?  The color palette I used for the card was Pool Party, Daffodil Delight, and Tangerine Tango.  Such a happy and cheery color combo.  Now, how about that flower?  Truth be told, the card was basically created around this flower, since I had made it first.  I was so intrigued by Patty Bennett's video flower tutorial, that I had to give it a whirl and try to make a flower myself!  What's fun about this particular flower is that it uses one of my good ol' favorite tools - the crimper!  I had to dust mine off a bit, but I tell you, it's a great tool to have in your crafting quiver.  Here's a closer look at the flower detail for you:

Isn't it just so pretty?  All you need is the Blossom Punch, a crimper, DSP, and a brad and you're on your way!  For this flower, I used 5 punched out blossoms, but you can play around with this number based on how full you want your final paper flower to be.  Definitely worth a try!

Here's the card recipe for you:

• Stamps: You're Amazing
• Inks: Tangerine Tango, Crumb Cake {for the flower edges}
• Cardstock: Pool Party, International Bazaar DSP, Whisper White
• Accessories: Antique Brads, Apothecary Accents Framelits, Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack,  Paper-Piercing Tool, Stampin' Pierce Mat, Corner Rounder punch

Hope you like the card!  Well, my friends, I appreciate you coming by today.  Have a great weekend and come back to visit soon!  :)

 

Ciao for now.

guilty pleasure...

Ha! Did I get your attention?  And no, I'm not talking about 50 Shades {heehee}, but rather, this month's MDS {My Digital Studio} promotion at Stampin'Up!

To sum it up for the month of August, all cards, photobooks, individual pages, and tags are on SALE for 31% off!  But wait, there's MORE.  There are also 31 digital products available at 31% off, too.  So now, you're probably thinking, well, I don't have MDS...not to worry.  During the month of August, you can download a 30-day risk free trial of MDS2! How cool is that? 

I'm a huge fan of MDS, so I'm excited to download MDS2 and check out all the new features.  If you're a big fan of digital crafting, then I think it's definitely worth a free trial peek ;)

While I'm posting, I also wanted to share that there's an awesome Howl-o-ween project kit that you can earn for free if you join my team in August!  You can become a Stampin'Up! Demonstrator by purchasing a Starter Kit for $99 this month and build it your own way with the products that fit your crafting style and focus.  It's definitely worth checking out!

Thank you so much for stopping by today.  I've actually been bitten by the crafting bug this week, so I'll have a few more posts to share in the coming days :)  In the meantime, take a peek at the MDS and the starter kit options!

Bye for now!

Keep Calm and Carry On!

Hellooooooo there!  I know it's been quiet on my blog...hope you all are doing well!  I am still here, but busy as ever (or as usual?!).  I was so excited to have a little bit of time to play with my stamping stuff.  You wanna see what I came up with? I have to say, being out of practice with stamping is kind of like not having worked out in a long time for me...I'm actually guilty of both at the moment!  But the analogy is, when I don't run in a long time, the first time back is always so much harder!  So today, it took me quite a while to come up with an idea, even though I had all kinds of new goodies at my fingertips.  Here's the card I created...

I decided to use the new Hostess set called Carry On, which I just LOVE.  The sentiment is one that I'm sure you've seen - it actually originated as a saying on a poster by the UK government back in the 1930s.  This said poster was rediscovered in 2000 and so the saying has been reproduced by various companies.  So, all was fine and good until something had come up that caused the hostess set to be unavailable. Thankfully, somehow, things got sorted out so Stampin'Up! has made the hostess set available again!  WooHoo!  Now, here's a look at the card in an upright position:

I got to use a lot of fun goodies - even a sneak peek from the Holiday Mini catalog - can you guess what that might be?  It's the Windows Framelit that I used for the sentiment and the matted border!  And, I also have to say that I am really digging the Paper-Piercing Pak that has the templates to do a pierced border for all the sizes of the Windows Framelits in addition to templates for the Labels and Holiday Oranaments Framelits, too!  With the origin of the phrase being from the UK, I couldn't resist using the retired crown charm - it just seemed so fitting. Hope you like it! Here's the recipe for you:

{Keep Calm and Carry On}

*Stamp Set: Carry On

*Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, International Bazaar DSP

*Inks: Rich Razzleberry

*Accessories: Windows Framelits, Finishing Touches Edgelits, Delicate Doilies Sizzlits, Paper Piercing Pak, Hemp Twine, 1/4" Daffodil Delight Grosgrain Stiched Ribbon, crown trinket {retired}, dimensionals, Snail adhesive

Thanks for popping by!  I appreciate the visit.  Have a great one!



Blast Off!

Hello there blog friends! I've got a fun post today.  This past weekend, I created this birthday card for my Godson's 5th birthday.  I felt a little rusty putting a card together (I clearly need to craft more often!), but I had fun trying to figure out how I was going to design it.  This Blast Off set is so CUTE and great for little boy cards!  And, I have to say, I LOVE the Chevron embossing folder.  I know chevrons are all the rage right now, but it  really does make the card stock look amazing!  I also incorporated the bitty banners and super cute polka dot DSP, too.  They add such a happy element to the card, don't they?

Hope you like the card! Thanks for visiting me. Oh - and if you'd like to play along with my June Final Friday Giveaway, today is the last day to leave me a comment on this post. 

 Have a great day!  Bye for now!

Pin cushion frame and Bumblebees!

Hi bloggie friends!  Are you ready to take a peek at a couple more projects from Craft Project Central?  This first project created by the talented Heidi King is a clever idea for a frame - make it a pin cushion! I  also love the coordinating card and bookmark, too.

How adorable is this next Bumblebees ensemble?  Kim Score is amazing at creating the cutest punch art.  This would make an adorable party theme, dontcha think?

If you'd like to get the full instructions for these projects, they are all available in the June subscription at Craft Project Central.  Hope over to the Craft Project Central website for all the deets. 

Thanks so much for popping in for a visit.  Hope you all have a great day!

Cupcake Box and more amazing projects from CPC!

Hi all!  Hope you had a great weekend.  It was a beautiful weekend here in Southern CA! I am back today to share a few more projects from Craft Project Central!  This first one is an adorable Cupcake Box and card ensemble from Heidi King.  It makes for such a cute party favor, don't you think?

The next project is a great one for a house warming!  Check out this House gift box and card by Tara Bourgoin.  Love all the details on the house!

Now, I love how this next project incorporates papercrafting elements with jewelry.  Here's a chic Summer Smooches Necklace & Earring Gift Set by Debbie Naylor. Too cute!

For detailed instructions for these projects, hop on over to Craft Project Central and subscribe to June! 

Toodles for now!

June's Final Friday Giveaways!

Yes...I said giveaways because I will be picking 2 lucky winners for the following goodies !

1) The Chevron Embossing folder

2)  The Afterthoughts Hostess Stamp set!

Hope you'll play along and leave me a comment!  As always, you can leave me a comment about anything, or you can tell me what your summer plans are!  Or, since June is a big Birthday Month at my house, you can tell me about a fun Birthday memory.  I think I've asked that question before, but it's always nice to read about your personal stories!

Here's a quick run down of my giveaway rules...all I ask is that you play using the "honor" system:

1. Leave me just ONE comment on this post by midnight Pacific Time, Wed, June 27, 2012.

2. On your comment, please make sure to include a valid email address or a blog URL (where I can leave a comment or have a way of contacting you). For those of you that are uncomfortable with leaving an email in a post, you can write your info like this: yourname at emailaccount dot com.
3. One comment per person please. :)
4. Anyone can play - international visitors welcome!

Look forward to reading your comments.  Have a great Friday! :)  Toodles for now!  I will announce the winner next Friday, June 29th on the bloggie blog. 

June creative inspirations at Craft Project Central!

Hello again!  Hope you all are having a good week so far.  I had planned on posting sooner, but was stalled by some computer technical difficulties.  I'm happy to say they're resolved now, so I'm back to share some great ideas from Craft Project Central for the month of June!  I was honored to be a guest designer this month.  It was a great way for me to play with some fun new products from the new catalog!  The picture above is a peek of my project for the month.  I love the Floral District DSP!  And, I have to say, I love making my own envies now with the handy dandy Diagonal Plate that coordinates with our Simply Scored board!  You can check out  all the deets by subscribing to the June projects.
I have a handful of projects to share with you from the talented designers over at Craft Project Central:

The first project is by Amanda Corbet, who created this gorgeous "For You Mini Photo Album." You can check out her blog at  www.kraftingkreations.blogspot.com.

Next up, we have a super cute set of Betsy's Blossom Card Holder and Cards by Laurie Zoellmer - you can see her creations over at www.stampingnut.blogspot.com.

Chris Galbraith  brings us another great set of Note cards, box and pen set in the same Floral District and Betsy's Blossom theme.  There are so many great ideas with this combination!  You can check out Chris's projects at www.chrisgalbraithcreations.blogspot.com.

Are you ready for the 4th of July?  Well, here's a fun and festive project to get you in the Independence Day spirit!  Beautiful 4^th of July Décor by Carrie Rhoades! Love how she created her wreath using the Candy Wrapper die!  Her blog is at www.carriestamps.com

Hope these projects inspired you to get your craft on!  For complete instructions on these, you can hop on over to Craft Project Central and subscribe to June!  I'll have more projects to share with you this weekend! 

Oh - you might want to come by tomorrow, too.  I've got the June Final Friday Giveaways lined up! :)

May Blog Candy Winner!!

Hello there blog friends!  I didn't forget about the winner...I'm just a few days late in my post, so my apologies!  This week was a busy one for me, especially with the little man's BIRTHDAY this past week, too. {More pics and a post coming this week!} I don't know what I was thinking about posting on Friday...but in any case, I am here to announce the May winner on THIS post!  Ready to find out?

The lucky winner of the Apple Blossoms stamp set and Bling is....lucky number 22, who happens to be Paige!!  Congrats to you Paige! I will be emailing you for your snail mail info :)

Thanks to all of you that played along in this giveaway.  It was nice reading everyone's comments!  Now that we're in June and you guys have had a little over a week to check out the new Catalog, whaddayathink?  I'd love to hear!

Check back this week too on the June Double Giveaway!  Something old and Something new...stay tuned :)

Ciao for now!

Let me introduce you to the new {In Colors}

Now that some of you may have had the chance to take a peek at the new catalog, I'd like to give you a more casual introduction to the Stampin'Up! In Colors for 2012-2013!  Starting from the top left, please meet Raspberry Ripple, Gumball Green, Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit, and Primrose Petals.  Stampin'Up! has also updated their stamp pads, so I had to give 'em a try and check out how they look with this new palette.  And, I have to say, I do love the effect of the new pads!  The former felt pads have been redesigned with a new foam pad, which allows you to stamp with more even coverage.  The colors appear to be richer on the stamped image.  I do have to say it took a little practice on my part.  Since the ink pads were brand new and super juicy, I learned that blotting the surface with a paper towel helped to ensure the stamp didn't get "overjuiced" on the first applications.  Here's another look of the set of 3x3 cards I created:

Can I just tell you how fun it was for me to stamp and create some stuff?  I loved playing with the Apothecary Accents Framelits - the shape of the "For You" label is just so cute!  Plus, I added a bit of a textured accent at the bottom of my card with the sweet little Adorning Accents Folder.  Just to finish off the card, I added a little flower embellie with a Basic Pearl in the center.  While I felt a little bit out of practice, I had fun making these last night.  They were super easy peasy to put together and I really liked doing the tone-on-tone (I thought it showed how the cardstock and ink match perfectly!). Hope you like 'em!  Here's a closer look at the Primrose Petals card:

And...here's the recipe for you:

*Stamps: Layered Labels

*Cardstock: Raspberry Ripple, Gumball Green, Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit, and Primrose Petals

*Inks: Raspberry Ripple, Gumball Green, Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit, and Primrose Petals

*Accessories: Adorning Accents Embossing Folder, Apothecary Accents Framelits, Mini Clothespins, Basic Pearls, Itty Bitty Punches, Corner Rounder, Stampin' Dimensionals

Thanks so much for coming by to visit!  Have a great rest of your weekend!

Last day of May Blog Candy Giveaway!

Hi there, dear bloggie friends!  How are you?  I know my poor blog is so neglected these days.  It's the last day of May and the last few hours of the 2011-2012 Stampin'Up! Catalog before the brand new one is unveiled tomorrow.  So, I thought I'd end the Catalog Year off with a bang by having a Last Day of May Giveaway!  How about some Rhinestone bling and a fun Stamp Set giveaway?  I love this Apple Blossom stamp set that was a Hostess Set in last year's catty.  Worth playing for? 

Here are the rules:
1. Leave me a comment on this post by midnight Pacific Time, next Wed, June 6th.
2. On your comment, please make sure to include a valid email address or a blog URL (where I can leave a comment or have a way of contacting you). For those of you that are uncomfortable with leaving an email in a post, you can write your info like this: yourname at emailaccount dot com.
3. One comment per person please. :)
4. Anyone can play - international visitors welcome!

As always, you can leave me a comment about anything, but I would love to hear what sort of stamping or papercrafting projects you all have been making these days.  Are you making Grad cards or Father's Day cards?  I soooo want to just spend a few solid days of stamping and crafting! 

Come back tomorrow because I will definitely be back to share the brand new catalog with you all :)  I may even have a project or 2 to share, too! 

As for the blog candy, I will announce that next Friday, June 8th!  Also stay tuned for the double giveaway for June....Bye for now.

Winner Winner stamp set dinner!

Hello there, bloggie friends!  Happy Wednesday to you.  Hope you're having a good week so far.  I'm glad you popped by today because it's time to announce April's Final Friday Winner!  I know it was a quick little contest, so I want to thank all of you guys that left me a comment and played along!  So nice to hear from you :)  This month's lucky winner is....

Lucky number 20, who happens to be

Jodi!

Jodi - I will be emailing you soon to get your snail mail.  For the rest of you dear friends - thanks so much for playing this month! 

I also wanted to throw out a teaser for you all....I just ordered some sneak peeks from the new Catalog, so be on the lookout!  I will be sharing some projects with you soon. Stay tuned!

Bye for now!

Cards with Cool Moves

Hello all...last day of the month and I wanted to share the project I created for Ustamp with Dawn and Friends Cards with Cool Moves online event! 

What's cool about the projects in Cards with Cool Moves is that one of the 3 cards has some sort of dimension or "animation" to it.  Mine has a pop-up that you'll have to check out in the tutorial.  I was floored at all the super cool cards I saw from all the designers.  So inspiring!  Hope you like my little sneak.  If you'd like to check out UStamp with Dawn and Friends, feel free to hop on over here.  Enjoy!  You'll really be in for a treat!