Saturday, June 29, 2019

New Favorites

I rarely post on Saturdays, but I am excited about this one!!
As soon as I thumbed thru the new catalog (okay, okay, I browsed it online first...) I knew I had to have this great Silhouette Scenes stamp set! My mom actually purchased it first but that is perfectly fine with me! I love, love, love this couple with the umbrella!
And then I saw this stunning card by Corinne (it's a facebook link, but that's all I've got. If you know how to pin from fb, please let me know!!) and had to get the Very Versailles stamp to go with it!!
So when my order arrived, I assembled the stamp sets and made this!
Supplies:
Stamps: Silhouette Scenes, Very Versailles
Ink: Memento Black, Daffodil Delight, Blushing Bride, Flirty Flamingo, Rococo Rose
Paper: Whisper White, Blushing Bride card stocks

I didn't do her method at all actually- she has a video of how she made it on her fb page. But I had an idea in my head when I saw the card, which was before the video, so I tried my way and it worked great too!
I stamped the couple, stamped the leaves, stamped off once for the scripty words to be a bit more subtle. Then I sponged on Daffodil Delight, then the three shades of pink. Then I remembered I wanted a "moon" behind them, so I die cut a circle out of a post-it note and added more sponging, haha... Then I tore another post-it for the ground. Finally I edged it all in black ink and stuck it on a card base! BAM.
This is not a simple card, and this is really a messy card, but wow, I love it.
What do you think??

Friday, June 28, 2019

Floral Birthday

This one is probably my favorite card from my latest class. This is also a re-creation of a card I made a in March, and I had to update it for this class using brand new paper, which, by the way, is stunning.

This card really is so simple. I cut the beautiful DP to a card front size, and then cut the strips from the "left overs", it's just the reverse side. I die-cut the circle a head of time, and let them choose the word they wanted to die cut. That's all!
Supplies:
Stamps: Well Said
Ink: Blackberry Bliss
Paper: Whisper White & Blackberry Bliss card stock, Perennial Essence DP
Accessories: Big Shot, Well Written Dies, Circle Dies, Fine Tip Glue Pen

And here is a better picture of all the beautiful paper in this pack!

What do you think?? I think I'll probably have to buy more! 

And finally, here is the first design, and the second. Goodness I love the paper Stampin' Up! has been making lately!!

Thursday, June 27, 2019

Valentine Page!

Today I'm switching gears to a scrapbook page! Everything on this page is long retired, (except the die cuts) but that's what scrapbooking is for. The pictures are a year and a half old too, haha...

I got the layout idea from the Sketch Saturday blog, but since it was square I thought "page" instead of "card". Hooray for that! I need to scrap all the pictures that have already been printed!
Supplies:
Ink: Melon Mambo marker
Paper: Whisper White, Melon Mambo and Basic Black card stock, Pop of Pink DP (retired!)
Accessories: Big Shot, Well Written dies, Glue Dots, Artisan Embellishment Kit (sparkle button from 2015), Silver Metallic Cord (from 2004)

Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Northern Lights

I had a plan...and it so did not work, haha. So I tried this instead. This was my second try at the "galaxy background". Both tries were on Monday, haha. The first time I was hoping for fireworks, but I'll show you at the end why it didn't work out.

I still wanted to use the idea in my head, so I went with a starry sky instead. I used the sketch from The Paper Players for the layout. And I love this cute father and daughter image, watching the night sky.

Supplies:
Stamps: A Good Man, Little Twinkle
Ink: Real Red, Pacific Point, Flirty Flamingo, Coastal Cabana, Daffodil Delight, Memento Black, Versamark, Crumb Cake
Stampin' Blends: Light Basic Black, Light Pumpkin Pie, Dark Night of Navy, Bronze, Ivory, Color Lifter
Paper: Mint Macaron & Whisper White card stocks

I even stamped the inside to go with the outside!!

So, for my first attempt...
Since I was trying to do fireworks, I kept the colors bold- Real Red, Coastal Cabana, Pacific Point, Night of Navy. You just sponge it on your card stock, then sponge black ink around it for the "night sky". I then added these little flower centers from Colorful Seasons, embossed in white. But this is what I got....
I don't often throw something away but I sure don't know how else to use that, haha... what do you think? Have you tried any new techniques lately?

Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Paper Pumpkin Variation

I've been sending out thinking of you type cards a lot in recent months, so when I had a little extra stamping time, I decided to change up April's Paper Pumpkin kit and make some quick cards.

This card uses the latest Freshly Made Sketch... and the greeting is not as crooked IRL as it is here, haha...
Supplies:
Stamps: April 2019 Paper Pumpkin Kit
Ink: Flirty Flamingo, Mint Macaron, Gray Granite
Paper: Mint Macaron, Flirty Flamingo & Whisper White card stock, April 2019 Paper Pumpkin Kit
Accessories: April 2019 Paper Pumpkin Kit

And this card uses the latest Mojo Monday sketch!
Supplies:
Stamps: April 2019 Paper Pumpkin Kit
Ink: Flirty Flamingo
Paper: Flirty Flamingo Card stock, April 2019 Paper Pumpkin Kit
Accessories: April 2019 Paper Pumpkin Kit

Which one do you like better? I love that typed paper! The first card actually uses the printing inside the envelope that coordinates with the black and white printed paper!

And, as a sneak peek for the next Paper Pumpkin kit, it will coordinate with THREE of our brand new Stampin' suites!
- Come Sail Away
- Garden Lane and
- Woven Threads suites!
If you aren't already a subscriber, sign up by clicking on the Pumpkin button on my sidebar! It's so easy!

Monday, June 24, 2019

Beautiful Day

Happy Monday! That's right- I still have things to share with you!

Today's card might look familiar. I actually designed it for a class clear back at the beginning of March. I wanted to use a Sale-A-Bration stamp with this sweet Buffalo Check in a card class. But I wasn't able to schedule a class til June. I debated using the retired stamp set and then decided to show how you can create the same card, just swap out what you don't have with something you do have! See?
Supplies:
Stamps: Love What You Do, Buffalo Check
Ink: Rococo Rose
Paper: Very Vanilla & Early Espresso card stock
Accessories: Linen Thread, Big Shot, Circle Dies, Dimensionals

I like that I swapped the words and image from the original card. The updated card also uses a brand new In Color, Rococo Rose! I like this one a lot!

Friday, June 21, 2019

May Paper Pumpkin!

I got these cards put together in May actually, I just haven't had time to blog about it!

This is the beautiful May 2019 Paper Pumpkin kit, called Hugs from Shelli. It is easily one of my favorites. I love this style, even tho I'm not a huge fan of feathers... The tiny metal bird accents are so cute!



This kit sold out very quickly. So far I've only made the cards that were pre-designed but I have seen lots of ideas and I have ideas to create my own cards. 

Also, this kit and it's left over supplies coordinate beautifully with the brand new Bird Ballad suite, found on pages 90-92 in the new catalog!! You can use them together, or if you missed the Paper Pumpkin kit, you can create your own versions with the supplies in the catalog!

And if you don't want to miss out on the next Paper Pumpkin, sign up by the 10th of July using the button on my side bar! 

Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Great Guy Card

I told you I'd be back with some stamping, haha...!
Today's card was made at my last event, just in time for Father's Day cards! The DP retired at the beginning of June, but the coordinating stamps and dies did not. However, I don't have the coordinating stamps or dies... just the little embellishments. And those stuck around too! But we made the card anyway, and it was quick and cute and that makes it a hit! We borrowed words from another card kit that used the "A Good Man" stamp set, and tacked on the cute embellishment of choice (a car key or a wrench) and that was that!
Supplies:
Stamps: A Good Man
Ink: Memento Black
Paper: Crushed Curry, Basic Gray card stocks, Classic Garage DP (retired)
Accessories: Classic Garage Metal Elements, Glue Dot

Did you get Father's Day cards out this year? I only got my family to send some to my father-in-law. So I just want to remind you to never underestimate the power of a card in the mail. This card doesn't say anything about Father's Day - it could be a birthday or a thank you or whatever you need to say "I'm thinking about you..." with. Cards are magical!

Monday, June 17, 2019

Family Reunion Projects

So, the real reason I haven't been around blogging, or even stamping for that matter, is that I have spent 2019 planning for and prepping a family reunion. And since it was this weekend, I can finally show off my projects!
This side of the family is scattered, currently we have people in Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California and Hawaii, but we've had people all over the country, and many in other countries at different times. We've held a reunion in 1981, 1993, 1995 and 2009, so it was time. It was also in honor of what would be my grandmother's 100th birthday if she was still around. My parents coordinated the entire thing, so I was in charge of "entertainment".

Obviously, after all that time and distance, we were going to need a get-to-know-you activity. Most of us are introverts and are likely to sit quietly talking to one person, and it's likely that one person is going to be a parent or sibling they live with instead of another relative. I really wanted people to mingle, haha, so I came up with a variation of an ice breaker game that would guarantee we found out something new about each other. You're probably familiar with the game I've played many times on the first day of a new class, where you have to find someone with nail polish on or someone born the same month as you or someone who went to Disneyland over the summer...? That same idea, but customized so that you would find THESE relatives. I asked each person who MIGHT come to send me 3-5 facts about themselves. Initially I thought I'd pick the most unique fact, but then I decided to use as much as possible so that not only would we learn more about each other, but we were also more likely to discover something randomly in common with each other, and therefore be more inclined to have a conversation with someone "new". My son actually made the grid for me, and typed in the facts. It covered both sides of the paper, plus a few bonus questions. Also, we only included those ages 4 and up.
When it came time to play, I said it was totally fine to add names of the people you knew for sure- spouses, children, siblings, whatever, but that the point was to get everyone talking to each other. I didn't know how it would actually go, but it was so much fun to see that yes- almost everyone got up and talked to each other trying to fill in their sheet and actually get to know each other. I had a time limit of 30 minutes, which ended up perfect for one person, haha. Only one person filled the whole sheet AND got it right. I gave out a prize (candy bar) for that, and for completing one whole side, and I also got a lot of comments that it wasn't enough time, which was fine with me! It ended up a hit and highlight of the day, and I am glad of that.

Since we were focused on my grandmother, and on ancestors, we wanted to give people a chance to get to know the people they come from. I created a BINGO game for that. Our family is a little bit complicated, due to my grandmother being widowed twice, so I used three lines of genealogy for the BINGO boards. I also included my uncle and cousin that have passed away- otherwise they would have attended the reunion. Then instead of a traditional BINGO game, where, for example, I would have called out "B-1", I created some fact cards about each of these ancestors. I used their picture, their name, their birth and death years, and a few facts I could find or come up with on each of them. I created it all in my loved-but-long-retired MDS. Each BINGO board took almost an hour to create, so I stopped at 15. Not to mention the time it took researching all the facts...on 27 ancestors!
This was kind of geared more to the children, so I bought a bunch of small party favors as prizes, pencils, slinkys, jolly ranchers, stampers and even a few toy cars. This didn't get played a whole lot, but, I laminated it all and will keep it for Thanksgivings and future family gatherings when we need something to do, hahaha!

Finally, I continued my photo project, where we've been scanning in all the pictures that belonged to my grandmother (or of previous family events) and adding captions. Names, dates, locations, any other details we could come up with. Over the last year, I have gotten 758 photos scanned and captioned for my dad's family. 166 of them last week alone! They look like this now:

And then, in addition to all that, I found items to display, again with a focus on my grandmother. Everything on this table is her work- the toys, the pillow, the bags, she wrote the story in the magazine, and behind that is a little binder including letters and postcards she sent me, a few times she re-wrote songs for things she needed, and the last page was some tidbit memories from my dad and I. The front binder is pictures that were completed, that my aunt already had on scrapbook pages for people to thumb thru. And two quilts she made me below. As the day went on, my brother, my mom and my cousin added some quilts and a Raggedy Andy doll- all the boys got Andy, all the girls got Ann.
And this was a display of pictures of my grandmother and her husbands and their parents and families. My aunt added a picture later, but I didn't take pictures of these tables as the day went on... 
Anyway, THAT is where my brain has been for a while now.
It ended up going better than I expected and we had a wonderful turn out. We only missed 8 people! It was a fun day and we got such great feedback too. I think every person learned more than they expected (haha!) and everyone definitely got to know one another better and that was the whole point!

But maybe I'll get some stamping done soon and get back to my regular classes.... that would be fun too! hahaha!!

Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Summer Woods

Here is a set that I am so glad stuck around in the new catalog! I've used these trees so far for winter, fall, winter, spring and spring, so here's my first summer version! This is also for my upcoming class- great for a guy, (Father's Day is almost here!) or for anything else you might need. Personally, I used this greeting from the A Good Man set, and it still could be sent to pretty much anyone!

I started with the latest sketch from the Inspire.Create. blog, tho I kind of added a bit. I wanted to mat the main image with copper foil DP but I didn't have enough for a class, so a strip of foil has to work! I also heat embossed the trees- a technique I haven't shown in years!
Supplies:
Stamps: Winter Woods, A Good Man
Ink: Versamark, Old Olive, Cajun Craze
Paper: Old Olive & Very Vanilla card stock, Copper Foil DP
Accessories: Copper Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Stamping Sponge

However, heat embossed images, and foil paper can be pretty tricky to photograph, so let's try that again...
Hmm...still tricky. But trust me, it looks neat with the definition to the branches and the sponged on "leaves". And really, I love that these trees work for all seasons.

Tuesday, June 4, 2019

New Catalog!!

Happy New Catalog Day to you! A new catalog is always so exciting- new colors, new stamps, new accessories, new tools!

I got lots of stamping done yesterday in preparation for my upcoming classes, (yeay!! finally!!!) and I get to show off a couple of brand new catalog products for you today!

This is one of my favorite new sets in the catalog, altho, if we're honest here, there are maaany. These images, especially the ones with the children, look like actual photos of my husband and my own father. I know I can get a lot of use out of this set! For my class however, I am offering a few cards that will work for Father's Day (it's coming up- are you ready?) or a man's birthday, or really whoever. Since I don't know what image my customers will like the best, I thought I'd give them a choice of images and greetings. I have a few stamping friends that even when given choices, will still copy my card exactly, even if they might get more use out of a variation. So I made all three options! I also chose to color them in different ways, showing the versatility of our tools, but also giving them a chance to try something new, or stick with something easy if they'd prefer that! It doesn't matter how you like to color your images, we've got something you'll like. And I love that part!

So here is my full set- and it shows my favorite new In Color, Seaside Spray!
The set qualifies for the latest TGIF challenge which is to make a set! Handy! Also, it totally qualifies for the latest SUO Challenge to make something masculine!

For all three cards, I used the same sketch, found at the Sketch Saturday blog. The color combo came from a very old stamp kit, back when our DP was one sided, haha. But I love the shades of blue with the orange, (even if the kit I'm thinking of used More Mustard) and it's nice and masculine too.

This first card is the most simple. The image was stamped in that great new Seaside Spray, I really do love it!
Supplies:
Stamps: A Good Man
Ink: Pacific Point, Seaside Spray
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Pacific Point, Seaside Spray, Whisper White
Accessories: Dimensionals

This second card is colored with Watercolor Pencils and Blender Pens- one of the first techniques I learned with Stampin' Up! I used the slightest hint of Calypso Coral pencil for the skin and the Blender Pens didn't even make him look sunburned, haha! Also, I am pretty sure I know just who this card is going to...
Supplies:
Stamps: A Good Man
Ink: Pacific Point, Stazon Black
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Pacific Point, Seaside Spray, Whisper White
Accessories: Watercolor Pencils, Blender Pens, Dimensionals

And my final card is going to be a Father's Day card, even if I haven't figured out yet for whom...! I SO love this image!! I used the Stampin' Blends on this card, except the water. I don't have a light blue shade of Blends yet, so for this I used the Seaside Spray ink pad and a Blender Pen.
Supplies:
Stamps: A Good Man
Ink: Pacific Point, Memento Black, Seaside Spray, Bronze Stampin' Blends, Ivory Stampin' Blends, Dark Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Blends, Light Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Blends, Dark Night of Navy Stampin' Blends, Color Lifter Pen
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Pacific Point, Seaside Spray, Whisper White
Accessories: White Baker's Twine, Dimensionals

So! There's a new stamp set, and a new In Color. What do you think?
If you don't have a copy of the catalog yet, it is right there on my sidebar for your convenience! You can also contact me to get a hardcopy if you'd rather. There are SO many things I am looking forward to in the new catalog! Tell me your favorite! 

Saturday, June 1, 2019

We Create Basics Blog Hop

Hello! Here we are, already to June!
This is a good thing at my house- we definitely needed a break from school. Also our family reunion is later this month, and as soon as that is over I can focus on my business once again, haha! But today we have a blog hop for you!
We stuck with the most basic of colors this month. 
I was a little bit stumped at first and then I had a plan. Happily- it turned out just as nicely as it was in my head! While the colors stayed basic and simple, the card did not. 
All of these items are carrying over to the brand new catalog which is released in just a few days! I love new products, but I also love things sticking around, haha! 
Supplies:
Stamps: Well Said
Ink: Memento Black
Paper: Whisper White & Basic Black card stock
Accessories: Basic Pearls, Well Written framelits, Circle dies, Tin Tile embossing folder, Big Shot

What do you think of our simple color combo?
Hop on over to see how Cheryl made it work, then hop on thru and leave us your thoughts! It's a quick hop around back to me, and everyone loves feedback!
Happy June!
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