Postage Due!

I am totally in love with this stamp set! Postage Due. It has a gorgeous larger stamp which works well as a background stamp, as well as few other postage-type accent stamps. Even though there are only four stamps, there are so many different things you can do with it. I used it at a meeting with my upline and was sooo glad I ordered it... Now I'm using it :)

For my card, I used the sketch in this week's Mojo Monday Challenge. It was a 'Round or Square' challenge, but I decided to go rectangle. Because since when do I follow rules ;) 

Tips & Tricks:

*Love the little polka dots? I'm using the new Polka Dot Parade DSP. So cute!
*I used the same stamp for the background as well as focal point on my card. I wanted to make sure the 'no. 3' was prominent - it's my favorite number ;)
*I did a lot of sponging on this card. I sponged the edges on the scallop square, on the focal panel as well as the emobssed Soft Suede mat. Sponging is a very cost-effective way to 'embellish' and 'vintage-ize' your cards.
*One thing I love about Stampin' Up! card stock is that it's dyed all the way through - no white core. It's also nice and thick. So to add a little something to my cards I can tease it with the Bone Folder and separate the layers. Another easy, cheap way of adding a little something extra to the card.

We'll be making this card at my Fast & Fabulous Monthly Card Class tomorrow. I hope the ladies love it! I still have a few spaces if you're interested, too. 'Til next time, keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!

A Lovely Nature Walk

My daughter Anna (who's 6) and I were flipping through the NEW 2012-2013 Stampin' Up! Catalogue. She loves stampin' and loves picking out new stamp sets. Of course a new stamp set with images of a necklace, lipstick and other girly things was the first one that caught her eye. Another stamp set that she loved was Nature Walk. Although it's not a new stamp set, it is one that has been on my wishlist for a while. I was waiting to see if it would retired before purchasing it and it didn't (YAY!). So I took the plunge and now it is part of my collection :) Anna was very pleased when she saw she it in 'our' studio ;)

Even though I'm not much of a bird girl, I love the image of the bird and the cage. I knew I wanted to feature these elements on the first project I made with the set. This week's Mojo Monday Challenge was the perfect sketch to feature them. I also loved the colors we were challenged to use at Dynamic Duos: So Saffron and Pool Party. This is what I ended up with:

Tips & Tricks:

*I love my little bee tag at the top of my card. It was easy to make with two circle punches and some Linen Thread. Making your own accessories is not only cost-effective, but it's fun, too!
*Love those Stampin' Write Markers! I used them to ink up my egg stamp in two different colors!
*I wanted my bird to be much bolder than the cage. To get the contrast I wanted, I used Crumb Cake ink for the cage and Early Espresso for the bird.
*For my first go, I didn't emboss the top So Saffron mat. But there was just something.... missing. So I embossed it with the Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder. It adds so much to the card, yet doesn't take away from my bird and cage images.

I'm not sure who I'm going to give this card to but I'm sure they're going to love it. And it will certainly be someone special :) 'Til next time, keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!

A Thank You to Our Vet

As I mentioned in a post last week, my family and I just got back from a two-week trip to Germany and the Czech Republic. We were visiting relatives and with the visit came a TON of chocolate for my two children. We have been a bit slow at unpacking and this past week-end our dog Nyla got into it. We thought most of it was gone, but she has a super nose and found some. For those who aren't dog lovers, chocolate, especially dark chocolate, is toxic to dogs. It was a lot of dark chocolate and she's a Jack Russell Terrier (the smaller the dog, the less they can eat without being affected).

She had already thrown up some of the chocolate (that's how we realized she ate it) but we quickly called our vet who was luckily still open on the Saturday. We had to feed our dog hydrogen peroxide (for wounds) to make her throw up. Then we had to give her an activated carbon solution to empty her system more and coat her intestines to prevent absorption of the theobromine (the compound in chocolate toxic to dogs). It was absolutely no fun for Nyla and heartwrenching for us. The vet gave us her home number, cell number and didn't charge us anything except for the carbon solution.  We always say that she's fantastic with the animals but has horrible people bedside manner ;) But she really loves the pets and it shows. So we gave her a heartfelt card (what else? lol!) and a gift cards to Starbucks.

I knew I wanted to use the D is for Dog stamp set (on the Retiring List so if you love it, make sure you get it before it's gone on May 31st). I also wanted to use this week's Mojo Monday Challenge. Usually with a quilted or checkered sketch, I'd use a whole bunch of different squares from DSP. But the D is for Dog stamp set have 3 images, perfectly sized for the 1-1/4" Square Punch.

Tips & Tricks:

*I alternated between using Stampin' Dimensionals under one square and not using them under the other. Love how this gives the card extra dimension.
*I used a neutral palette for this card: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede and Very Vanilla. I thought it reflected our dog's coloring and markings quite well.
*I love how Stampin' Up! Card Stock is dyed all the way through and nice and thick. When I tease the card stock it splits into layers and adds even more dimension to my card.
*Don't you love how it looks like the dog is actually wagging its tail? Sooo cute!!!

I hope our vet her little treat. We are so thankful she is always so willing to help us out when needed and I'm happy to report that our dog is fine! 'Til next time keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!

Saying Goodbye to the Butterfly

I'm back! See, told you I'd be back before 3 weeks this time ;) A few days ago, SU! released the list of stamp sets that are retiring. You can find them here: Retiring Stamps. I must say, they were pretty cutthroat this year and are retiring many, many stamp sets! But it was needed. Absolutely needed. There were SOOO many stamp sets in the cattie that have been around for a very long time and a change is definitely needed. Of course, there are a few stamp sets that I will miss. I've used one of them on my card for this week's Mojo Monday Challenge: Butterfly Prints.

The Flight of the Butterfly stamp set is also retiring so I wonder if that means that the Butterfly Punch is retiring? I sure hope not but if it does, I know that SU! will replace it with something EVEN better :) They always do!

Tips & Tricks:

*A good example of the something new and even better that SU! will replace retiring products with is the Summer Smoches Product Suite. It is available this month as a special promo, as well as in the new catalgoue June 1st.
*One thing I love about the Butterfly Punch is the fantastic 3D fluttering butterflies I can easily make with it. I've made other 3D punch art, but the butterflies are my faves.

*One product that will be available in the new catalogue (and as part of the Summer Smooches Suite) is the Daffodil Delight Seam Binding Ribbon. It is so rich in color and chic ~ LOVE it!
*Love this card and the DSP? Come use this stamp set and the gorgeous DSP and my Fast & Fabulous Monthly Card Class this Wednesday April 25th.

Hope you've enjoyed these gorgeous Butterfly Prints. 'Til next time, keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!

Packed for a Birthday

I wanted to make another card for my Man Class that I will be holding on April 20th. I'm looking forward to this class because masculine cards are so hard to come by. So many stamp sets are feminine and it's the type of cards my customers struggle with the most.

I used this week's Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge as inspiration for my card design. I did change it up a little and left only a little bit of the grey on the left side. But it's close :) I wanted to pack the Happy Birthday sentiment into this card, so I used the Delightful Dozen and Packed for Birthday stamps.

Tips & Tricks:

*Worried about coloring in stamps with a lot of line art? Spot color! Use those stamps and only color in a few images or certain elements on the stamp.
*I embossed the white strip of card stock with the Lattice Embossing Folder.
*Even though many of the Stampin' Up! stamps are feminine, you don't necessarily need big images on your masculine cards. The birthday stamp from Delightful Dozen is a perfect 'man' stamp. The cake just adds a bit of fun ;)

Hope you'll join me at my class! 'Til next time, keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!

Easter Wishes

This week's Mojo Monday Challenge was so lovely. I loved the idea of using two contrasting papers on the background. And the scalloped border. I have a Fast & Fabulous Card Class coming up on Wednesday March 28th and used this sketch for an Easter card.

I also won a new stamp set at a downline meeting last week ~ Heaven Blessed ~ and was super excited to use the image of the cute little girl hunting for eggs. For those who have little boys, there's an equally cute little boy image ;)

Tips & Tricks:

*I used the 2011-2012 Hostess DSP, Cheerful Treat, for my card. I know Easter is all about pastels and this DSP is a bit brighter than typical Easter colors, I think it still works :)
*I colored in the whole image of the little girl, but you could easily spot color a few key details such as the eggs, shoes and little girl's hair bow. Use our Stampin' Write Markers for a perfectly coordinated image.
*I love these Twitterpated Designer Buttons. They are so cute and work so well for a spring or Easter project.

Another quick post for tonight ~ exhausted from all the packing and decluttering. I'm very excited by our new house, but very tired from all this house stuff ;) 'Til next time, keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!

Bright Blossoms Mojo

Still busy busy decluttering and cleaning. We're having our house painted in 1.5 weeks and then we're listing it for sale at the beginning of April so my days seem to be flying by. I must say, having the kids home during March Break is rather inconvenient. It really cuts into my stampin' time ;)

I was able to finally use my new Bright Blossoms stamp set. It's part of the Summer Smooches Suite of products, a sneak peek of the new catalogue. The stamp set as well as coordinating DSP, ribbon and other items will be available to order April 1 - April 30th. Of course as a demonstrator, I have the opportunity to *preorder* these items! Only one of the reasons I love being a demo. Try it out during Sale-a-Bration. The Starter Kit is only $150 during this promotion, no tax or shipping! (Canada Only). Check out more info here.

I don't have the new DSP yet (was supposed to come today and it's not here?!?! lol!) so I used the Beyond the Garden DSP instead. I thought it worked well. For my sketch inspiration, I used this week's Mojo Monday layout. I did move the bow to the other side - it just didn't work for me :p But other than that, I left the layout intact :) I love the simplicity of this stamp set, you can do so much with it!


Tips & Tricks:

*Although I stamped my images from Bright Blossoms in one color, this stamp set lends itself well to doing multicolored images using Stampin' Write Markers.
*I used the 1/4" Daffodil Delight Grosgrain Ribbon for my card. I looked at using a Taffeta, but it was too wide (3/8") and too narrow (1/8"). I love all the different ribbon widths SU! let us choose from.
*The colors for my card were inspired by the DSP: Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango and Pacific Point.

Hope this card has gotten you excited for the new stamps coming soon! I'm hoping to have my DSP soon and will be back next time with that... 'til next time, keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!

Quasi-Telescoping Card

One of my good friends is having a baby very shortly. This week-end, another friend and I are hosting a baby shower for her so I needed to make a shower card for her. I combined two challenges for this card, the Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge as well as the Friday Mashup Challenge. The Mojo Monday Challenge was 'Round or Square' and the Friday Mashup Challenge asked us to make a project using the kissing technique and/or a round project. I didn't do the kissing technique on my card but I did make a quasi-telescoping round card. Why do I say it's quasi-telescoping? Well, one element of the card flips out from the bottom and one element flips out from the top.

I'll write a little something on the top scallop circle. I love the Baby Bundle stamp set for anything baby. It has greetings, onesies, teddies, booties, and more.

Tips & Tricks:

*Think that the Twitterpated DSP is for feminine cards only? Think again! I used it on this card and I think the Basic Grey pattern works very well!
*I love the clear Itty Bitty Buttons. I love threading them with super skinny strips of coordinating card stock even more. Instant color coordination!
*Can't figure out how to color in teeny details like the stroller polka dots? Stampin' Up!'s Stampin' Write Markers have two tips, a fine tip and a thicker brush-style tip.
*Don't forget to attach the circles that will be flipping out upside down. Because when they flip up, they will be right side up :)

I hope you've enjoyed this card and I hope my friend enjoys this card even more! 'Til next time, keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!

Spring Fever Mojo

When I saw this week's Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge, the sketch screamed "scrapbook page!!!!!!!!!!" to me. I've been on a bit of a scrapbooking kick, since I realized I had way too many photos of the kids printed out and ready to be scrapped. I also have a couple of scrapbooking classes to get ready for, so it was win-win.

My next scrap class is my Spring Fever Scrapbooking Class, so I pulled out the Spring Fever Simply Scrappin' Kit and started scrappin' away. My first take on the page was too 'busy'. I used all the DSPs in the kit and while very pretty, it was all definitely much too busy. So I sat down today and came up with this:

I didn't have any spring photos of my daughter, so fall photos they are :) But the Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight and Melon Mambo seem to work well with these fall photos. I also think I did pretty good with the sketch, making it into a scrap page - what do you think?

Tips & Tricks:

*I absolutely LOVE the Simply Scrappin' Kits. They make scrapbooking so easy, especially if you're a beginner. The Spring Fever kit is full of gorgeous, bright card stock, DSP, and adhesive elements/borders. Perfect for spring and Easter photos.
*Although I love the Lace Ribbon Border Punch on cards, I love it even more on scrap pages. It makes such a lovely page border or photo mat border. You can thread ribbon through it or tuck it underneath your photo mat - the possibilities are endless!
*I love doing stripes on my cards and pages, but lining them up can be tricky. The SU! Grid Paper has measurements on it and makes lining card and scrap page elements easy!

I can't wait for this Spring Fever Scrap class, the ladies will be leaving with 6 absolutely stunning pages! Hope you've enjoyed this page, 'til next time, keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!

A Manly, Romantic Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Although I realize that this may be hitting your inbox on February 15th, bear with me because I really love this card I made for my husband ;) My inspiration was this week's Mojo Monday sketch. I added a few details but it was my starting point.

I also knew that I wanted to use my Attic Boutique DSP. I hadn't used it yet and had to break open the package to use it today. It is gorgeous - LOVE IT! My colour scheme is based on the DSP.

I told my husband that I wanted my card to be manly but romantic. He said it was an oxymoron but he thinks I accomplished my mission. Some of the Attic Boutique DSP is very girly, some is more masculine or gender neutral. I purposely chose a pinkish red pattern for the top of my rosette.

Tips & Tricks:

*I love how the Adorning Accents Edgelits and Embosslits coordinate! Makes adding that little extra special touch easy.
*Can't get your Edgelit to stay in place? Use my Post-It trick!
*Not sure what colors to use on your card? Let the Designer Series Paper figure it out for you - SU! tells you what colors coordinate with all the DSPs.
*LOVE the rosette? It's so easy to make! Punch out six 1-3/4" Scallop Circles, sponge with a coordinating in (I used Soft Suede) and crumple the flowers (yes, you're going to have to crumple up the DSP ;) ). Adhere the six circles together with a small amount of adhesive between each circle and then put a brad through all of them. Pull the individual circles up from top circle to bottom - to give dimension - and arrange as desired.

I hope you've enjoyed this card as much as my hubby did. Do you think it was masculine enough? I know it's got a flower on it, but who says you can't give a man flowers ;)

'Til next time, keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!

A Creepy Crawly Thank You

When you see the card I made for this week's Mojo Monday Challenge, you may be thinking "Oh no! She's finally lost it!". But don't worry my stampin' friends, I know it's not Hallowe'en... even though this week's card uses the Hallowe'en Scaredy Cat stamp set as well as the Frightful Sight DSP.

Why the spidery card? I needed a 'thank you' for the kids who came to my daughter's 6th birthday party last week (where did the time go?!?!). I wanted an insect-y card because for the party because Little Ray's Reptiles came and showed us some really great insects, reptiles and amphibians. It was awesome! If you're in the Ottawa area, I highly suggest you have them do a birthday party for your child. It was worth every single penny. Isn't she cute all wrapped up in a python?

I did change up the Mojo Monday Sketch a little bit to include pennants from the Petite Pennants punch.I thought the spiders worked really nicely with the pennants. To make the card less 'Hallowe-eny' (because it is NOT a Hallowe'en card ;) ) I used the Calypso Coral Organdy Ribbon which you can earn FREE during Sale-a-Bration when you place an order of $60 or more. Still gorgeous, can't get enough of it!

Tips & Tricks:

*Because the Organdy Ribbon is translucent and 1/8" inch wide, it's great for wrapping around a card multiple times. Adds a unique look without being too 'heavy' looking.

*Not sure how to layer your Modern Label Punch? Try layering it on top of the Scalloped Oval Punch - fits perfectly in the center and just peeks over the sides. Super cute!
*SU!'s Basic Black Ink is waterproof and some people don't like using it because it stains their stamps. Here's a little tip... ink your stamp in a dark ink such as Chocolate Chip or Early Espresso and then ink it in black. Makes it much easier to clean off with the Stampin' Scrub.
*Love the Baker's Twine and love how it's now available in the 2011-2013 In Colors. Isn't it lovely how it coordinates with the Calypso Coral card stock and ribbon?

Hope the kids love their cards and hope you like it too! I think I made pretty good use of my Hallowe'en stamps in February, too! 'Til next time, keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!

Elementary Elegance

I love the name of this Sale-a-Bration stamp set. Elegance? Why it's Elementary! And this stamp set really is elegant. I thought it would work very well with this week's Mojo Monday sketch, as well. This week's challenge was Round or Square. How about rectangle? lol! I never could follow rules ;)

This card is a sample of one of the cards we'll be making at my Occasions Mini and Sale-a-Bration Kick-Off party this Friday. Love it? Why don't you come (if you're in the Ottawa area). As always, Stampin' Up! thinks of everything! See how the center image coordinates perfectly with the Curly Label punch? This makes it much easier to have a perfectly centered, perfectly stamped image. To add an extra dimension to my card, I raised the sentiment up on Stampin' Dimensionals.

Tips & Tricks: 

*I've once again used the Everyday Enchantment Sale-a-Bration DSP on my card. Isn't this just so different from some of the other patterns I've shown you on other cards?
*To make sure the 'Happy Birthday' sentiment really pops out, I sponged the edges of the curly label.
*Sometimes it's harder to ink and stamp larger stamps evenly. What I love about the vintage look is that things are supposed to look old and 'not perfect' so  it's okay if things aren't stamped perfectly.
*I've once again used the SAB Organdy Ribbon in Lucky Limeade. And once again, I love how I can see the DSP peeking through it.
*I didn't use the image of the bird found in the DSP, but the Elementary Elegance stamp set has a matching image in it. Oh SU!, how great are you at helping us coordinate our creations so well :)

I hope to see you at my SAB and Occasions Mini Kickoff if you're in the Ottawa area. 'Til next time, keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!

Sale-a-Bration... it's FINALLY here!!!

It's January 24, 2012. What does this mean? That Sale-a-Bration (SAB) starts TODAY! Yes, today! What does this mean? From January 24 to March 31 Stampin' Up! is offering:

*Customers: a FREE item from the Sale-a-Bration brochure for every $60 purchased (before tax and shipping). You can start shopping, 24/7, on my website :)

*Hostesses: A FREE, exclusive SU! tote in addition to regular hostess and SAB benefits when you host a workshop of $200 or more. When your workshop reaches $525, you'll get a FREE hostess bundle including the Fresh Vintage stamp set, Everyday Enchantment Ribbon & Brad Pack, and the Everyday Enchantment DSP (on pages 6-7 of the SAB Brochure).

*Demonstrators: Have you been thinking of joining SU!? Whether you just want the kit, you want to join for the discount or you want to give the business a go, this is THE TIME to join! The kit is only $150 (no tax or shipping) and includes over $385 in products! Not only that, you'll get a free package of DSP or a free Digi Download every month from February to December 2012! Get more info on joining here.

To celebrate the start of Sale-a-Bration and to make use of this week's fabulous Mojo Monday sketch, I made this thank you card for my wonderful roommate at Leadership, as well as for my monthly Fast & Fabulous class tomorrow.

Tips & Tricks:

*Love the DSP? So do I and every other demonstrator it seems! It's the gorgeous Everyday Enchanment paper in this year's SAB brochure. Love all the patterns and colors, especially the 'fan'-like pattern. It coordinates perfectly with the SAB Fresh Vintage stamp set.
*How about that ribbon? Because the organdy is slightly translucent, it lets some of the DSP behind it peek through. It's also got a shimmery look to it! In the SAB Ribbon and Brad Pack, you get a roll of Calypso Coral and Lucky Limeade Ribbon, as well as coordinating brads! Now *that* is a deal!

As you can see, now is the time to host your own stamping party or get the starter kit! Have any questions? Feel free to contact me anytime: stampingmonica@gmail.com. 'Til next time, keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!