One Last Day to Sale-a-Brate!

Well, I'm writing this on March 30th, but most of you will see this on March 31st: the last day of Sale-a-Bration. The LAST day! How did over two months go by so quickly? I think my favorite product from this year's SAB was the Everyday Enchantment DSP. This paper is SO gorgeous, I really hope it somehow, magically carries over into the new catalogue. But that is probably just a dream, so I'll use it one more time!

How adorable is this little purse? It's a new Big Shot die: the Petite Purse Bigz L Die. Although the DSP is only available 'til tomorrow, this new die will be available from April 1st to April 30th and then in the new catalogue.

The photo above gives you an idea of how big the purse is. The little note cards are 1-3/4" x 1-3/4". Aren't they cute? The little purse is also perfect for a couple of chocolates, a little pillow gift such as lip balm - the possibilities are endless!

Tips & Tricks:

*I love the SAB Everyday Enchantment Brads so much I used one on my purse on the 'tab'.
*The variety of patterns and colors in the Everyday Enchantment DSP is amazing! I decided to go with the Lucky Limeade, Pool Party and Soft Suede colors for this project.
*The Petite Purse die is so well designed ~ a couple of folds, a bit of Sticky Strip and it comes together easily. No fumbling with a tricky die.
*The purse die does come with a handle, but I decided to do something I've seen a few other demos do: I used the Scallop Ribbon Border Punch. Love it!
*Don't miss out on SAB 2012 ~ for every $60 you order you'll get a free SAB product. Check out my Online Store before it's too late!

Hope you have all enjoyed SAB 2012 as much as I have! But don't fret, in April we'll have more fun stuff for you of course ;) 'Til next time, keep letting stamps bring out  your creativity.

Two Days Left to Sale-a-Brate!!!

Say it isn't so! We only have two days left to get a free Sale-a-Bration item with every $60 in product we order! I always find the end of March so hard. I can't use my gorgeous Sale-a-Bration stamp sets, DSPs and accessories in classes anymore (of course I can for my own projects! ;) ) and my customers don't get a freebie with their orders. After two months, it's easy to get used to, lol!

So using this week's Freshly Made Sketch as inspiration, I made a card full of Sale-a-Bration inspiration. I used the Everyday Enchantment DSP as well as the Ribbon & Brad Pack. I also use the Fresh Vintage stamp set. You'll notice that on the bottom flag I used the Tiny Tags stamp set which isn't part of Sale-a-Bration. But I thought it worked for this card.

Tips & Tricks:
*Love what I did with the Fresh Vintage flower? The technique is called Emboss Resist. I embossed the flower with White Stampin' Embossing Powder and then sponged around it with Soft Suede Ink. The melted embossing powder 'resists' the ink. Don't you love how it just 'pops' out from the card?

*On its own, the Calypso Coral strip of card stock looked too plain so I embossed it with the Lattice Embossing Folder.
*Yes - you see correctly. I have made my own envelope from the Everyday Enchantment DSP using the new Simply Scored Diagonal Board. How awesome is it that we can make our own envelopes with four score lines???
*I have a thing for flagging these days, so I flagged all my DSP strips :) I used my Bone Folder to curl the edges.

It is going to be *so* hard to bid all these gorgeous products farewell on Saturday :( I know SU! always has gorgeous new things all ready for us to fall in love with, but this time, the DSP, the ribbon, the printed brads - yep, I'm in premature mourning. But don't you worry, I'll be back with more SAB goodies before it's over ;)

'Til then, keep using your SAB goodies and 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!

Quilting with Twitterpated DSP

When I started stamping, 4 years ago, I got my first package of DSP and was scared to use it. It was so pretty, I didn't want to use it 'wrong'. Then I got more DSP. And more. But I never wanted to use it! lol! How silly is that? I now tell my customers to not hoard their DSP and ribbon; they are very pretty but they're of no use to anyone if they are not being used.

So, now I crack open and use my DSP the minute I get it. I use it in my classes, private workshops, in my own projects. This also means I'm left with lots of scraps. For the Friday Mashup Challenge this week, we were asked to:
1) Make a project using the Quilting Technique; or
2) Make a project using something that has been forgotten (or sitting in our stash forever); or
3) Mash it up and create a quilted card with something that you've forgotten about.

I've used the Twitterpated DSP a lot so I had tonnes of scraps, perfect for 'quilting'. Even though the DSP has a lot of Blushing Bride colored patterns, I didn't want to do pink and focused on the Pear Pizzazz, Basic Grey and Baja Breeze.

For the 'forgotten' in my stash part of the challenge... I've used the Beautiful Butterflies die lots in the past and I love it, but it just hasn't been used lately. Same thing with my Vellum Paper. So I pulled them out and made my 3 layer butterfly.

Tips & Tricks:

*For my quilted scallop circle, I punched 1-1/4" squares out of the DSP and adhered them to a piece of card stock. Once they were all stuck on I ran it through the Scallop Circle Die. Then for a bit of extra texture, I ran the whole thing through the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder.
*I love how vellum looks overtop DSP - you just see a hint of it through the vellum. I quilted the middle butterfly too.
*The base of the butterfly is just Baja Breeze card stock embossed with the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder.
*I don't use the strips of adhesive jewels enough. I love how they 'bedazzle' my butterfly!
*Embossed Vellum is beautiful, but make sure you're using the Vellum Card Stock, not the Paper. The card stock is a bit thicker and holds up better.
*I don't often tie real bows, just cheater bows (knots). But the 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon is flexible enough to make tying a nice bow easy.

I'm not too sure who I made this card for yet. Though I think it may just be too beautiful to give away ;) 'Til next time, keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!

Happy 43rd!

My parents were married the First Day of Spring. I find that incredibly romantic, much more so than Valentine's Day or Christmas weddings. There's something about spring. Sun, warmer weather, flowers blooming, birds chirping, new beginnings. It's also really easy for me to remember that it's their anniversary ;)

To celebrate these 43 years of marriage I made them a card. I went for a simple look today, based on this week's Freshly Made Sketch. Instead of circles, as suggested in the sketch, I pulled out my Framelits and used the hearts. This is definitely a unique sketch and I love how fresh and clean the card turned out. I used the Attic Boutique DSP which is full of fresh, romantic colors and flowers.

I'll be seeing my parents tomorrow and I really hope they like this card. I'm not 100% sure where I got the idea to make a heart frame and run a ribbon through it. But I love how it turned out! 

Tips & Tricks:

*Anyone who has stamped with me knows how much I love my 3D punched shapes. I've used the butterflies a lot, but lately I've been loving the 3D hearts.

*Aren't Adhesive Pearls just so romantic? I think they add a classic touch to the card.
*When making a frame with the Framelits, cut out the larger shape first and only then cut the smaller heart out to make your frame. This will prevent the Framelits from slipping onto each other.
*I contemplated using the Pool Party Seam Binding Ribbon but it seemed a bit too wide for the heart frame. I used the Ruffled Ribbon instead and I think it was just the right size.
*Sometimes less is more. I could have embossed the Whisper White Card Stock, I could have added some more embellishments, but for this card, I wanted to keep it simple and *fresh*.

I'll let you know next time what my parents thought. 'Til then, 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!

The Open Sea with Summer Smooches

I finally got my Summer Smooches preorder on Thursday! In the preview, I thought it was the DSP was really girly with flowers and such. But there are polka dots, squiggles, blues, red ~ lots of masculine patterns! Since I have a "Man Class" coming up on Friday April 20th I dove right in and used the red polka dot pattern. More info is available on my Facebook Page.

I used my beloved The Open Sea stamp set for this first 'man card'. I haven't used this stamp set in much too long. Love the sketch? I do too! I used this week's Pals Paper Arts sketch for my card. I thought it was a perfect way to showcase the Summer Smooches DSP.

Tips & Tricks:

*I'm loving the flagging technique. I love showing my stampin' friends that they *don't* need every punch and can free-hand a few notches in their card stock. I curled the tips of the flag with my bone folder.

*I stamped my ship and greeting in Cherry Cobbler. But if you look closely, Cherry Cobbler doesn't match the DSP perfectly. Nor does the Real Red. Or Ridinghood Red. Is this a new 2012-2013 In Color?
*I find the Baker's Twine works so well with the nautical theme. I used the Early Espresso here.

If you're in the Ottawa Area, I hope to see you at my 'Man Class'. 'Til next time, keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!

Springtime Scrappin'

I took a break from packing, cleaning and decluttering to do some scrapbooking. I must tell you, scrappin' is SOOOO much more enjoyable! As if there was any doubt ;)

I used this week's Freshly Made Sketch as the inspiration for my page. The sketch was perfect a scrap page. I love the contrast of Melon Mambo with Basic Grey ~ isn't it awesome? So warm but so cool, all at the same time.

Do you recognize the ribbon? Probably not! It's the Daffodil Delight Seam Binding Ribbon. It is a Sneak Peak and available during the month of April. Isn't it *gorgeous*? I just love the richness of the color!

Tips & Tricks:

*New to scrapbooking? Don't fret, use Stampin' Up!'s Simply Scrappin' kits to get you started. They contain 12x12 textured card stock, DSP and coordinating adhesive elements. Doesn't get easier than that!
*Because I've used the card sketch for a scrap page, I wanted to make it a bit more interesting ;) So, I cut six 3x3 squares from the DSP in the Spring Fever Simply Scrappin' kit and used it for the rectangular element. I love the way it stands out but doesn't take over the layout.
*How cute is Mr. Bunny? He's from the Heaven Blessed stamp set. I won him ~ well the whole stamp set ~ at a recent meeting with my upline and picked the set out for my daughter. She LOVES him :)

I can't wait for my Spring Fever Scrapbooking Class next week. Two more layouts to do but I'm so glad the gals at Freshly Made Sketches helped me out with this one ;) '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!

A Fabulous Floret

Wow - this decluttering business is making me too busy to stamp! Not good ;) But I did have a fantastic private stampin' class yesterday and I wanted to share one of this month's workshop cards. My hostess and her guests loved them and my hostess was very excited to walk off with $70 in FREE SU! product! Doesn't get much better than that :)

I used the Everyday Enchantment DSP on two of my workshop cards, so I thought I'd go in a totally different direction with this card. Also with spring just around the corner ~ it's so warm this week, I can feel it! ~ I wanted to do something that felt 'spring-y'. What's more spring-like than a beautiful Rich Razzleberry flower?

I haven't used Rich Razzleberry in much too long and I especially love it when it's combined with Old Olive.

Tips & Tricks:

*Want a look that is a bit different than the traditional bow? Tie a knot in the 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon. It won't take away from your card but will add that little something extra you may need.
*I love the Flower Garden Embossing Folder. Actually ANY embossing folder, lol! But I wanted to show the ladies at my stampin' parties how much the texture adds to a card. This folder coordinates so well with the Fabulous Florets stamp set.
*As much as I love punches, sometimes it's nice to show new stampers that you don't *need* every single tool right away. I precut small strips of card stock and let the ladies flag and tease it apart to give it more dimension.

Another quick post! I'll be sure to show you my third stampin' class card later on this month. If you want to make this card and two other fabulous cards, you can join my Fast & Fabulous Class on March 28th or book your own private party! Hope to stamp with you soon and 'til next time, keep letting stamps bring out your creativity.

Baby, Baby, Baby Shower!!!

I know my blog posts have been few and far between lately. We've recently decided to sell our house and we're getting ready to list. I didn't realize how much stuff we'd accumulated in 10 years. It's ridiculous! The toys, the clothes, the stamping stuff! lol! It's total and utter insanity. So between decluttering and prepping for multiple workshops this month, my stampin' time is sadly limited.

I did get to play around with my stuff last week though. One of my good friends is having a baby at the end of a month so a mutual friend and I threw her a shower this past week-end. I got it into my head that I'd make decorations, favours and thank you cards so that my friend could properly thank all of her guests. Did everything turn out beautiful? Oh yeah! Especially the banner - it was such a hit my friend hung it in baby's room after the shower :) But was it a lot of work? OH YEAH! lol! Bare with me, there's quite a few pics :) But most of all, enjoy!

*The favours using the Baby Bundle stamp set and Everyday Elegance DSP. They were filled with chocolates which made our younger guests (it was a mom and me shower) very happy :) I made 28 of these. Lots and lots of Sticky Strip used on these ;)

*Pinwheels using Elementary Elegance DSP. I made four large pinwheels and six small pinwheels.

*Thank you cards using the baby from the retired Cuddles & Tickles stamp set. LOVE that stamp set! I made 20 cards for my friend.

*And finally, the banner. Baby's name will be Zander. I used the Beau Chateau DSP, the Perfect Pennants Big Shot Die and I embossed the letters with the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder. I LOVED the way it turned out!

I hope Baby Zander loves the banner above his crib - the colour works perfectly. I also hope these ideas inspired you a little bit when you have a party to throw. 'Til next time, keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!