Googly Ghouls Two-Tone Embossing

I'm back with the Googly Ghouls stamp set. Actually, today I wanted to show you one of the projects we will be making at the August Stamping Technique Club. If you haven't done heat embossing and you want to try it out, this is the class for you! You can also sign up for 6 consecutive classes and one of the months you'll enjoy a $40 shopping spree! I also have lots of other perks for club members. You can email me at stampingmonica@gmail.com if you have any questions. This is also the DSP that is featured with the Howl-o-ween Painter's Kit - A Starter Kit Special for August. Nearly $300 in product/materials for only $125 (tax and shipping included!). I hope you'll take a peek and think about being on my team :)

Onto my card. I used this week's Retro Sketches Challenge for my sketch inspiration. It's such a cute sketch and with the various cute images in Googly Ghouls it worked perfectly! I used my Large Oval Punch to punch out the mummy, witch and Frankenstein. Other than trimming a few little details off the sides, they fit well in the shape.

Tips & Tricks:

*Love the Howlstooth & Scaringbone DSP as well as the Striped Satin Ribbon? They are part of my September Accessory Test Drive. Try out these as well as some other great accessories before committing to the whole package! Be sure to order yours before September 7th.
*I used both Black as well as Tangerine Tango Embossing Powder to give Frankenstein black pants and an orange shirt. I love this two-toned look! Hope you'll join me to learn it :)
*I wanted to use a different shape for the 'Boo' greeting to make it stand out. The 1-inch Circle Punch framed the first 3 letters of this greeting perfectly.
*What can I say about the Spider Web Embossing Folder. Love. It ;) (I say that a lot, don't I!)

Thanks for stickin' with me while I post a bit less. It is a very busy time for me. We're going a bit nuts trying to get everything ready and the kids are definitely reacting to the stress. Still haven't packed up all my stampin' stuff because I need that release, escape. I did choose my shelving system for my new studio though and I'm super excited. It's the Ikea Expedit system.  I can't wait to get them set up, and the flexibility of the doors, drawers, filing trays :) I'll be getting it in white though. 'Til next time, keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Ghostly Ghouls
Ink: VersaMark
Paper: Basic Gray, Tangerine Tango, Very Vanilla, Howlstooth & Scaringbone DSP
Accessories: Large Oval Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, 1" Circle Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Big Shot, Spider Web Embossing Folder, Black Embossing Powder, Tangerine Tango Embossing Folder, Striped Satin Ribbon

Christmas and Hallowe'en - in July!

As Eastern Ontario roasts in this crazy heat wave, I've been playing with my new Holiday Mini Products. There are tonnes of awesome stamp sets as well as brand new accessories in this Mini. What's more, SU! has included more Framelits, Piercing Templates and Big Shot Dies. Awesome ~ it's like they're reading my mind ;)

So first we'll do Christmas. This card uses the new Ornament Keepsakes stamp set. I did use the 1-3/4" Circle Punch but for the ornament, but the Holiday Ornaments Framelits have been made to perfectly coordinate with all the ornaments. I say it all the time, but I love all the product coordination :)

I'm loving the Candlelight Christmas Specialty DSP. It has gorgeous colors (Real Red, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Lucky Limeade and others) as well as classic patterns. I was so excited to break into it and use it on this card! On Thursday July 19th, I'm doing my Christmas in July Class and I'm very excited for the ladies to do this card!

The second card I have for you today is a Hallowe'en card! The minute I saw the Googly Ghouls stamp set in the Mini, it screamed 'The kids will love it!' and 'What an awesome scrapbooking stamp set!'. What child doesn't love 'googly eyes'. Heck, *I* love googly eyes! The stamp set has images of a mummy, Frankenstein, a witch and two others. I did use the Retro Sketches #19 Challenge from last week for my card below.

Do you like the DSP? It's the new Howlstooth and Scaringbone DSP. It will be perfect for scrapbooking too! Love the colors ~ Tangerine Tango, Basic Grey and More Mustard. And what about the ribbon? It's satin, it's striped and it's gorgeous! I'm still trying to figure out a way to work it into my Christmas cards. I really wish SU! did this ribbon in a Very Vanilla and Cherry Cobbler or something else Christmas-y. But I'll find a way to make it work.

Hope you've enjoyed these little sneak peaks. Like I said before, how can you *not* like the googly eyes??? lol! Stay tuned for more info on my scrapbooking class. There's also a sweet Hallowe'en treat kit in the Mini that coordinates with this stamp set... Lots of project ideas floating around in my head ;)

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

Teacher's Gift Card Holder

It's that time of year again ~ the end of the school year! I can't believe it's June already, time flies. Soon I'll be knee deep in summer camps, blow-up swimming pools and sunscreen. But, in the meantime I have to focus on making sure that my kids' awesome teachers get a proper thank you.

I used the new DSP, Floral District, as well as the Itty Bitty Banners and Bright Blossoms stamp set. For the card sketch, I used this week's Retro Sketch. I was also inspired by a gift card holder I saw on a blog this week. But, for the life of me, I can't remember which blog it was!

Tips & Tricks:

*For my gift card holder, I scored at 1-1/2" and 6-1/2". To make sure the gift card stays put, I secured the inside flap with the Mini Silver Brads.
*Although the Itty Bitty Banners stamps coordinate with the Bitty Banners Framelits they're super cute on their own too. I love the wavy curves of the "thank you".
*I love the colors in the Floral District DSP. Rich Razzleberry, Baja Breeze, Old Olive and Daffodil Delight... can't go wrong!

*Sometimes the right image is just enough. Even though this flower vase from Bright Blossoms is small, I love it! And it's just right for this card.
*What do you think of the new Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon? I love the little extra effect the stitching adds :)

I hope the ladies who come to my New Catalog Event and BOGO Sale enjoy this make-and-take ~ yup, this is one of the projects they'll be making! I hope they love it :) 'Til next time, keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!

Bright Blossoms for Mother's Day

Another Mother's Day card coming today :) I made the spiral card last week for my MIL and I needed a card for my own mom too, of course. I was already planning on using the color combo in last week's Pals Paper Arts Challenge ~ Calypso Coral, Baja Breeze and So Saffron ~ but I wasn't sure what sketch to use. I was browsing a friend and downline's blog and came across the Retro Sketches Challenge. I loved this week's sketch so I flipped it and combined it with the color combination I was going to use.

I wanted to show off the color contrast as much as possible. As luck would have it, the Bright Blossoms stamp set (a 2012-2013 cattie sneak peek) has three larger flower images. I stamped and cut each of them out. I used Stampin' Dimensionals to adhere them to my card so that they popped out a bit. I love how it all turned out.

Tips & Tricks:

*I don't *love* cutting images out, I much prefer punches. But sometimes to get the effect I want, it's necessary. I always use my SU! Paper Snips to help me out ~ LOVE them.
*See how the 'Mom' is written in the three-color combination too? I used my Stampin' Write Markers for that. Love how I can stamp with them because they have the same ink in them as the ink pads.
*Yeah, the Seam Binding ribbon frays more easily than others. But I think that just adds to its charm. And you can't deny that the sheen it has is just gorgeous.
*I couldn't make a spiral card for one mom and not the other ;) So I used the smaller floral images from Bright Blossoms for the spiral inside this card.

I hope our moms love their cards! I've just received my new catalog preorder so I've got to run to play ~ after I get my son down for his nap. Be on the look out for more sneak peeks. 'Til then, keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!