A Slice of Peach Parfait

This little card is approximately 4" square and is packed with lots of little elements!  The card base is Peach Parfait, embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder in the Big Shot.  At the bottom of the card front is a strip of Peach Parfait Patterns Deisgner Series Paper and a strip of Pear Pizzaz punched with the Lace Ribbon Border Punch adhered to a strip of Whisper White cardstock.  The focal image is from the A Slice of Life stamp set.  (It was a hostess set from the 2011 Occasions Mini Catalog which means that it is no longer available.)  I used the Blender Pen to color in the coffee cups and punched it out with the 1 3/4" Circle Punch.  I wanted a layer of Pear Pizzaz to mount this on but nothing I could get my hands on was fitting right so I improvised with an idea that I've seen on other card samples.  I punched a bunch of 1/2" circles and adhered them around the 1 3/4" circle.  The large punched Whisper White circle that is behind the focal image was an experiment I made earlier in the day.  It started as a 2 1/2" circle.  Then I took one of the Itty Bitty Shapes Punches and punched out a border around the large circle.  I used the 1/16" Circle Punch to punch between the Itty Bitty Shapes.  If you look closely you'll notice this specific shape is in the DSP and the Lace Ribbon Border Punch, also.  I think this card turned out really cute and light-hearted!

Stamps:  A Slice of Life

Ink:  Basic Black, Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzaz, Daffodil Delight, Peach Parfait

Cardstock:  Whisper White, Peach Parfait, Pear Pizzaz, Peach Parfait Patterns Designer Series Paper

Accessories:  1/16" Circle Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, 2 1/2" Circle Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, Lace Ribbon Border Punch, Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Stampin' Dimensionals

Birds En Francias

This is a 3" x 6" card, made by folding a 6" x 6" piece of Soft Suede cardstock in half.  I used the En Francias background stamp on the card base rather than using an embossing folder this time.  The background stamps really add a "PoP" to a card I think.  I wanted to use my new Postage Stamp Punch and these little chatty birds from the stamp set Clearly For You fit perfectly.  I layered them on a Marina Mist Scallop Square.  I love this color combination!  I also like how easy it is to do cross-stitch on the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch and I'm so happy that Stampin' Up now sells Baker's Twine to do that stitching with!  I mean I love the Linen Thread but sometimes I just want to use a different color.  Anyway, I used the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch twice, once in Whisper White (cut in half and adhered to the card base) and again in Marina Mist (the cross-stitched layer on top).  I used the same trick with the sentiment and the Small Oval Punch (i.e. - cut the Soft Suede punched piece in half and layered it behind the Whisper White punched piece). 

I think these little birds turned out so cute!!!

Stamps:  Clearly For You, En Francias

Ink:  Soft Suede, Marina Mist

Cardstock:  Soft Suede, Marina Mist, Whisper White

Accessories:  Small Oval Punch, Scallop Square Punch, Postage Stamp Punch, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stampin' Sponge, White Baker's Twine, Needle

Pacific Etchings

I wanted to make a card using the Artistic Etchings stamp set and I had a scrap piece of Pacific Point that was already embossed using the Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder .  So, I decided to use some shades of "blue" instead of "red" for this card.  I have found that I really like the monochromatic/dynamic duo look of Pacific Point paired with Baja Breeze.   I ruffled the Baja Breeze Seam Binding, a look that is so awesome.  I thought that the small butterfly image from the Clearly For You stamp set would make a nice accent without adding the bulk of a bow or knot.  Then I had to dress up the little fellow with some tiny Basic Pearls.  It's pretty cool how the embossing folder kind of mimiced the design in the medallion image that I stamped for the background on the Crumb Cake card base.  Don't you just love how Stampin' Up's products are so coordinated!?! 

Stamps:  Artistic Etchings, Clearly For You

Ink:  Pacific Poing, Basic Black, Garden Green

Cardstock:  Crumb Cake, Baja Breeze, Pacific Point, Naturals White

Accessories:  Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Small Oval Punch, Basic Pearls, Baja Breeze Seam Binding, Glue Dots

Sympathy with Style

I needed to make a sympathy card for a friend this week.  Her grandmother passed away.  In my book, grandmas are very special people.  After 13 years I still miss my own grandma.  We spent a lot of special times together over the years.

For this card I chose the stamp set Elements of Style.  These roses remind me of a flower that a grandmother would like.  I colored the image using my Blender Pen with Rose Red and Old Olive.  The Rose Red cardstock base was embossed using the Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder and accented with a Rich Razzleberry strip that I punched using the Lace Ribbon Border Punch.  Afterall, the doily-look of this punch reminds me of "days gone by" and doilies were popular back when my own grandma was young.  I ruffled some Always Artichoke Seam Binding and layered it along the left side of the card.  The sentiment in the ovals came from the Thanks for Caring stamp set from a previous mini catalog (unfortunately that stamp set is no longer available).

Stamps:  Elements of Style, Thanks for Caring

Ink:  Rose Red, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Early Espresso

Cardstock:  Naturals Ivory, Rose Red, Rich Razzleberry

Accessories:  Scallop Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, Lace Ribbon Border Punch, Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Always Artichoke Seam Binding, Brights (Old Olive) Brad, Blender Pen, Stampin' Sponge, Stampin' Dimensionals, Glue Dots

 

Just Believe... Kicked Up a Notch

I was blog surfing last night to get some ideas and was reminded of this card we made at the 2010 Stampin' Up Convention:

 

So, I used the 2 1/2" Circle Punch to make my template and sponged lines of color on Whisper White cardstock, specifically Pear Pizzaz, Peach Parfait, and Poppy Parade.  Then I stamped the same image from the Just Believe stamp set with Basic Black in the circle of blended colors and ran the piece through the Big Shot with the Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder to add some depth.  I really like how it turned out!  I stamped the sentiment with Pear Pizzaz and punched it out using the Curly Label Punch, sponging the edges.  I mounted this on a Poppy Parade Modern Label Punched piece that I paper pierced.  I dug out my favorite punch of all time, the Ticket Corner Punch, to trim the corners of the large Poppy Parade layer.  I think this card looks like a beautiful sunset full of inspiration.

Stamps:  Just Believe

Ink:  Basic Black, Peach Parfait, Poppy Parade, Pear Pizzaz

Cardstock:  Whisper White, Poppy Parade, Pear Pizzaz

Accessories:  Big Shot, Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Modern Label Punch, Curly Label Punch, Ticket Corner Punch, 2 1/2" Circle Punch, Mat Pack, Paper Piercer, Stampin' Sponges, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

Itty Bitty Full Heart

This card was inspired by a sample on page 143 of the 2011-2012 Stampin' Up Idea Book & Catalog.  First I stamped images from the Itty Bitty Bits stamp set in various In Colors and punched them out using the Itty Bitty Shapes Punches.  Then I covered a piece of Whisper White punched out using the Full Heart Punch with Snail adhesive and applied the Itty Bitty Bits, overlapping them a bit.  I used my Crimper on a piece of Island Indigo and punched some Pear Pizzaz with the Doily Triple Layer Punch.  Then I assembled these pieces with a Bitty Button tied on with some Linen Thread and layered it all on a Blushing Bride cardstock base.  I think it makes a nice "girly" card!

Stamps:  Clearly For You, Itty Bitty Bits

Ink:  Island Indigo, Pool Party, Wisteria Wonder, Concord Crush, Pear Pizzaz, Calypso Coral, Peach Parfait, Poppy Parade, Lucky Limeade, Blushing Bride

Cardstock:  Pear Pizzaz, Blushing Bride, Island Indigo, Whisper White

Accessories:  Crimper, Itty Bitty Button, Linen Thread, Doily Triple Layer Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Punches, Full Heart Punch

 

Purples and Pearls

Have you noticed all of the pennants and flags featured in the samples in the 2011-2012 Stampin' Up Idea Book & Catalog?  Well, I decided to try my hand at making a card with the notched pennant accent.  I am loving the color combo of Concord Crush and Wisteria Wonder, accented with Lucky Limeade!  Once I had picked out the color scheme and stamp images, I knew that the card background needed something special to do the pennant and tag justice.  So I got out my Big Shot and chose the Elegant Lines Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  Can you hear me "Oooooh" and "Aaaaah" as I looked at the result!?!  I had seen others add the Basic Pearls to the small circle impressions.  I couldn't believe how easy these embellishments were to work with and they really added the "PoP" I was looking for!

Stamps:  Clearly For You

Ink:  Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder

Cardstock:  Concord Crush, Wisteria Wonder, Lucky Limeade, Naturals White

Accessories:  Big Shot, Elegant Lines Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Decorative Label Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, Scallop Trim Border Punch, 5/8" Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon, Basic Pearls, Stampin' Sponge

I think I'll probably send this card to my aunt in Florida for her birthday next month.  She loves "purple" and the bird image on the tag looks like he would live down there.

Ornamental Fish

I have seen many other demonstrators use the Ornament Punch to make fish but this is the first time I have attempted this myself.  I CASEd Sandy Hancock's fish from this card.  While Sandy's card was just adorable, I wanted my fish to be swimming in water made out of the new In Color Pool Party.  I added some bubbles to their pool with the Circle Circus stamp set and used my Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder to add more texture.  I mounted the fish pool on Island Indigo and used my Crop-o-dile to add the embossed dots across the bottom.  A little 1/8" Early Espresso Taffeta Ribbon covers the border where the dynamic duo colors meet.  I think these little fellows turned out cute!

Stamps:  Delightful Decorations, Circle Circus

Ink:  Pool Party, Pumpkin Pie

Cardstock:  Island Indigo, Pool Party, Pumpkin Pie, Confetti White

Accessories:  Ornament Punch, 5-Petal Flower Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, 1/2" Circle Punch, 1/8" Early Espresso Taffeta Ribbon, Crop-o-dile, Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Glue Dots

 

Monochromatic Turtles

Here is my attempt at making a monochromatic card using the dynamic duo Pear Pizzaz and Garden Green.  I used the Pear Pizzaz Patterns Designer Series Paper with the circles to mimic the spots on the turtles' backs.  I accented the card with some paper piercing, Linen Thread, and a little Jewelry Tag Punch message.

Stamps:  Fox & Friends, Tiny Tags

Ink:  Garden Green, Rich Razzleberry

Cardstock:  Garden Green, Pear Pizzaz, Pear Pizzaz Patterns Designer Series Paper, Confetti White

Accessories:  Mat Pack, Linen Thread, Jewelry Tag Punch, Scallop Edge Border Punch

 

With Owl My Heart

This card features another cool punch that I haven't used very much:  Owl Builder.  I dressed the little fellow up in a Poppy Parade Patterns Designer Series Paper vest.  Poppy Parade is one of the In Colors introduced last year and I haven't actually played with it before.  I like how this color "PoPs" when paired with the various neutrals.

Stamps:  With All My Heart, Woodgrain

Ink:  Poppy Parade, Soft Suede

Cardstock:  Confetti White, Poppy Parade, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede

Accessories:  Owl Builder Punch, Small Heart Punch, Heart to Heart Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Extra Large Oval Punch, Early Espresso 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon

 

Sweetheart Love Note

This is a 3 x 3" "Love Note" card that I made for a friend.  In editing the photo I found that it came out nice and bright, but the Fancy Flower Punch looks more like Tangerine Tango than Peach Parfait.  See the little lacy flower-like punches on the petals of the flower?  Those were cut out of the Lace Ribbon Border Punch which I punched out of Concord Crush.  I like how versatile this new punch is!

Stamps:  Sweetheart, Tiny Tags

Ink:  Tempting Turquoise, Pear Pizzaz

Cardstock:  Pear Pizzaz, Confetti White, Concord Crush, Peach Parfait

Accessories:  Fancy Flower Punch, Lace Ribbon Border Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Scallop Edge Border Punch, 1/16" Circle Punch, Jewelry Tag Punch, Big Shot, Finial Press Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Stampin' Sponge, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

Sweetheart Thanks

I'm trying to make myself use more of my punches and stamp sets that have been collecting dust.  This card features the stamp sets Sweetheart and With All My Heart.  I went a little monochromatic with the two-tone flower, using Peach Parfait and Tangerine Tango.  I think the Glimmer Brad sets it off, too.  Do you see the cross-stitch along the left edge that I did with Linen Thread?  Well, it was a good idea at the time but was trickier than I thought it would be due to a particular needle and holes that were too small.  Good thing that this card is for a special friend as I don't think I'll be adding the cross-stitch detail to another card for quite a while... my thumb still hurts from the sewing!  Ouch!

Stamps:  Sweetheart, With All My Heart

Ink:  Pear Pizzaz, Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point

Cardstock:  Crumb Cake, Pear Pizzaz, Peach Parfait, Tangerine Tango, Tempting Turquoise, Confetti White

Accessories:  Linen Thread, Glitter Brad, 1/16" Circle Punch, Round Tab Punch, Fancy Flower Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, Scallop Edge Border Punch, Mat Pack, Needle, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

Hello Teacups

This is a card I made with last year's In Colors from Stampin' Up.  I think the Tiny Teacup stamp is so cute!  Remember these In Colors are available for one more year!

Stamps:  Tiny Teacup

Ink:  Pear Pizzaz, Concord Crush, Peach Parfait

Cardstock:  Pear Pizzaz, Concord Crush, Peach Parfait, Naturals Ivory

Accessories:  Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

Going to the Chapel... Part 2

I used some of the pictures that my dad took at my cousin's wedding to make a couple more layouts with Stampin' Up's My Digital Studio.  This program is so much fun!

The first layout features the bride & groom coming out of the church after the wedding to a crowd blowing bubbles at them:

This next layout features some pictures of the family.  I managed to escape having my own picture taken but my dad and I did capture some of our relatives unaware.  

I hope you enjoyed seeing the pictures of my cousin's wedding and some ideas for using My Digital Studio!  I sure had fun sharing them with you!



Going to the Chapel...

This past Saturday I attended the wedding of my cousin Lisa.  I took my camera along to try and capture some of the memories.  Then I got to work playing with Stampin' Up's My Digital Studio.  I used Wisteria Wonder and Concord Crush as "Purple" was the focus color in the wedding.  I used the Presto Patterns Overlays on this first layout with digital Antique Brads as accents.

I used the Vintage Overlays on the second layout.  Now that I know how to use the overlays I think they look soooo cool!  Lisa was a beautiful bride!

I experimented a little with this last layout.  I used one of the digital images from the Bliss stamp set on a Whisper White background, then added Concord Crush on top but used the opacity button to lighten it and saw the pattern appear from below.  Isn't this neat!?!  Now you might notice that this picture has a cool effect and is kind of blurry.  Well, when your pictures don't come out clear you improvise.  I used my digital editing software to add the special effects to the picture before importing it into MDS.  Now I think it looks like I altered this picture on purpose.

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the magic that can be created with the My Digital Studio software that Stampin' Up offers!  Let me know if you have any questions about it!





Sweet Postage

I wanted to use my new Postage Stamp Punch and the coordinating stamp set Pretty Postage and came up with this card.  One punch led to another as I layered the postage image.  I think the Petal Card Double Punch made a nice layer, too.  When deciding what to use on the background of the Naturals White card I thought of one of my favorites, the grass image from Inspired by Nature.  I also used my bone folder to distress the strip of Crumb Cake cardstock and the Lucky Limeade petal punch piece.

Stamps:  Pretty Postage, Inspired by Nature

Ink:  Lucky Limeade, Concord Crush

Cardstock:  Naturals White, Lucky Limeade, Concord Crush, Crumb Cake

Accessories:  Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, Scallop Square Punch, Postage Stamp Punch, Petal Card Double Punch, Bone Folder, Stampin' Dimensionals, Watercolor Pencils

Button, Button

I've started playing with the new In Colors from Stampin' Up and they are FUN!!!  This card features Calypso Coral on the top half and a strip of Lucky Limeade across the middle.  I used all five new In Colors for the buttons on the bottom half of the card.  The cross-stitching was easy enough when I used the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch as it makes the holes for you!

Stamps:  Button Button, Tiny Tags

Ink:  Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo, Pool Party, Wisteria Wonder

Cardstock:  Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade, Naturals White, Crumb Cake

Accessories:  Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, Jewelry Tag Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, Bitty Buttons, Linen Thread

 

Happy Birthday from Stampin' Up

Speaking of My Digital Studio which I featured in my previous two posts, look at this cool MDS birthday card that Stampin' Up sent me last month!  Another perk to being a Stampin' Up demonstrator is that you receive a card from the home office and an additional 15% off one item during your birthday month!  Got to love those discounts!!!

 

$99 Starter Kit!!!

Have you heard about the $99 Mini Starter Kit Promotion from Stampin' Up?  During the month of July you can join the Stampin' Up family as a demonstrator and get all of the benefits that I enjoy for only $99!  This kit contains over $180 worth of stamping products and business supplies!  You might wonder what the benefits are to becoming a Stampin' Up demonstrator.  Just a few of the perks are:

*  20% discount on every order

*  See and purchase new Stampin' Up products first

*  Subscription to the monthly Stampin' Success Magazine

*  Access to project ideas on the demonstrator website

*  Access to a community of Stampin' Up demonstrators

*  Invitation to exclusive Stampin' Up events

*  Incredible value of the starter kit

*  Ability to start your own business if desired

  

When you become a Stampin' Up demonstrator you can continue to enjoy your hobby at a discount or even start your own business ... it's all up to you! 

Stampin' Up's Statement of the Heart is:

"To love what we do and share what we love, as we help others enjoy creativity and worthwhile accomplishments . . . in this we make a difference!"

Contact me today for more information about joining my team! 

 

New In Colors!

It's a new Stampin' Up year with the release of the new 2011-2012 Stampin' Up Idea Book & Catalog.  Along with new stamp offerings are 5 new In Colors to create with!  I used My Digital Studio to introduce the new In Colors to you:



Speaking of My Digital Studio, Stampin' Up is offering a free template download:

For all the details, visit here.

Happy Independence Day!

This is my final 4th of July card using the Land of the Free stamp.  Once again I made a faux button with the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack and accented it with some Cherry Cobbler/White Baker's Twine.  I enjoyed challenging myself to make three different cards with the same stamp and some of the retiring punches.

Stamps:  Land of the Free

Ink:  Real Red, Pacific Point

Cardstock:  Naturals White, Real Red, Pacific Point

Accessories:  Cherry Cobbler/White Baker's Twine, Photo Corners Punch, Star Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack (Circle), Stampin' Dimensionals