Bright, retiring flowers!

My blogger friend Susan posted a sketch challenge last week and sketches are my favorite kind of inspiration and challenge too! So of course I played along and I featured all retiring product! Don't miss out on your chance to get these fun stamp sets or simple ribbon!
And how do you like how I made my two patterns of paper? Its just one sheet, but half was stamped with a greeting and half with a flower.

Supplies:
Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Upsy Daisy
Ink: Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight
Paper: Melon Mambo, Whisper White & Daffodil Delight card stocks
Accessories: White grosgrain ribbon

Original Note Cards

THIS is exactly what I have been looking for! I need a quick way to do notes and this looked perfect!
I had an order arrive just before I dove into the dvd project and I hadn't managed to toss the packing paper yet! yeay!! (talk about a silver lining...I'm cheering for clutter??)
So today I really needed to send some notes off and I threw these together. here's what I created.......

I chose not to monogram the notes but to use stamps instead. I figured that with the crumpled paper, a nice dose of Smooch Spritz would be the perfect touch. I punched out the bird shape and the Decorative Label Punch shapes and laid them on the note cards and sprayed away...but the bird was really hard to notice. I stamped in the less-spritzed areas, and where I laid the punched pieces. I don't know if you can really tell, LOL. Everything I used has either recently retired or is about to.

Supplies:
Stamps: Vintage Vogue (retiring), Faith in Nature (retiring), Fresh Vintage (retired)
Ink: Raspberry Ripple, Soft Suede, More Mustard, Wild Wasabi, Gumball Green, Island Indigo
Paper: packing paper from the Stampin' Up! orders!
Accessories: Log Cabin Smooch Spritz (retiring!), Decorative Label Punch, Bird Punch

Check it out and link back if you give it a try!!

Retiring In Colors!

This is another card from my class, and it features retiring In Colors! Every color you see here will be gone May 31, ...except of course the white. LOL! This card was inspired by the Mojo Monday sketch for this week, but I made it a collage panel instead of more CAS like the sketch. (see my staggered line of flowers? its there, I promise)

Supplies:
Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Concord Crush, Blushing Bride & Pear Pizazz markers
Paper: Pear Pizazz, Concord Crush, Whisper White card stocks
Accessories: Word Window Punch

You know what? I didn't think that greeting was crooked until I edited this picture....wow... LOL!

Retired & Pretty!

This card uses the Stamping 411 sketch #237. It is made of a whole lotta retired products. In fact only the ink, card stock and one stamp are current. Anyway, since I'm the crazy room mother in my son's class, I have information liiiike the teacher's birthday, which is this week! ha! Last year I happened to be helping in my daughter's class on her teacher's birthday and the room mother came in ready to celebrate! I am not quite that ambitious, nor can I quite afford what she put together, but I can certainly bring by a little treat and a card, and have the class sing to her, so that is what this is! She also says her favorite color is burgundy...and this paper pack had a lot of burgundy, not to mention this flower pattern is SO pretty! And then I had to pull out my retired Saffron ribbon...and a retired greeting made from a pretty script...! That's okay, I want to use up my stash and this is how that happens best!

and because I used Burgundy card stock, I had to put a layer on the inside and may as well decorate that too!

Supplies:
Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Warmest Regards (retired)
Ink: So Saffron, Bravo Burgundy
Paper: Bravo Burgundy, Very Vanilla card stocks, Parisian Summer DP (retired!)
Accessories: So Saffron twill ribbon (retired!)

I made a bow!!!

Seriously, when have you ever seen a bow on my work? That's because my bows always turn out totally wonky and weird. always. on shoes, little girl dresses, whatever, my bows do not work. Today's model is actually a looped ribbon with another bit of ribbon secured around the middle to make it look all purty. Yeay!
The card uses last week's Mojo Monday sketch and some autumny but kind of weird colors. lol!

Supplies:
Stamps: Four Frames, Vintage Vogue, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Peach Parfait, Lucky Limeade, Pool Party
Paper: Peach Parfait, Lucky Limeade, Pool Party, Whisper White card stocks
Accessories: Decorative Label Punch, Peach Parfait Ribbon

Pretty page!

I did it! I said I'd spend this week scrapbooking, so here it is, Wednesday, and I completed a whole page! LOL! I am seriously in love with this page actually!

Supplies:
Stamps: Strength & Hope, Vintage Vogue
Ink: So Saffron, Chocolate Chip marker
Paper: So Saffron, Baja Breeze card stocks
Accessories: Paper Daisies, Subtles Buttons, Linen Thread, Basic Pearls, Mini Glue Dots, Dimensionals

and a detail shot...

I used the butterfly from the Strength & Hope set, which is almost gone- you only have til the 30th to order it, AND donate $2 to the Breast Cancer Research Fund!

Also, for inspiration, I have a tale: I have been trying to clean out my office/craft space. In so doing, I decided it was probably time to go thru my boxes of Stampin' Success magazines...since I've been getting them since 2004. (the magazine Stampin' Up! demonstrators get every month with ideas, techniques and tips!) I literally went thru every issue from the first few years, keeping only pages of projects I would like to recreate. So this page is based on the scrapbook page on this cover:
(and yes, in the top corner it says November 2005!!!)


What have you made today?!

weird lighting

The card is actually certainly celery....but it doesn't look like it...LOL! I was trying a different color combination based off THIS card, and liked it so much I had to use it. Now its a birthday card, going to be mailed out Monday morning!

Supplies:
Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Upsy Daisy
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Certainly Celery, Always Artichoke
Paper: Certainly Celery, textured Daffodil Delight, Whisper White card stocks
Accessories: Brights Buttons, Mini Glue Dot

I am on my way to a card class and can feature those cards next week! Have a great weekend!

pretty things...

This page uses digital stamps and then digital brads in the center of the flowers! It is super simple but I like it a lot.

I have also been working on cards for Teacher Appreciation gifts. This simple and lovely card is a complete copy of a card on Splitcoaststampers, by "Shadow's Mom". The only difference is she used an antique brad and I had neutral buttons and pearls instead. I thought it was so pretty and very easy to do...

The square background is also her tip: just ink your clear blocks for your clear-mount stamps and voila! you have a unique background quick as that!

Supplies:
Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Crumb Cake, Elegant Eggplant
Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White
Accessories: Pearls, Neutral Buttons, Mini Glue Dots

Purples & reds...

Apparently I'm on a kick. Isn't it funny how we do that?

This first card uses a sketch from Stamping 411. I made it pretty simply and combines several stamp sets, which is not exactly normal for me.

Supplies:
Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Artistic Etchings, Priceless
Ink: Crumb Cake, Perfect Plum, Real Red
Paper: Perfect Plum, Crumb Cake, Real Red, Whisper White card stocks
Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, Red Taffeta Ribbon, Brights Buttons
This one is just sort of random.

Supplies:
Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral
Ink: Real Red, Basic Black
Paper: Perfect Plum, Whisper White card stocks
Accessories: Red Taffeta Ribbon

A twist!

Check this card out:

Funky and flowery....and the designer paper? Is from the Halloween package! hee hee! I was looking at Jen's SFYTT for February and wondering which current DP I might use...and found that package and thought, why not? *grin

Supplies:
Stamps: Vintage Vogue
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive & Whisper White card stocks, Wicked Fun DP
Accessories: Jumbo Brads, Black Grosgrain Ribbon

Dance Recital!

Here are the pages I showed at my workshop this past weekend. I made the second page a head of time and demonstrated page 1. I featured the Glimmer Paper from the mini, the Glimmer brads, and stamping on textured card stock.
The glitter polka dots are a little funky but I was mimicking the costume.

Supplies:
Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Just Perfect Alphabet
Ink: Basic Black, Real Red
Paper: Textured Whisper White, Real Red, Glimmer Paper
Accessories: Glimmer Brads Brights, Mat Pack, 1 3/8 inch circle punch

2011

I am one of those people who really enjoys setting new goals and making to-do lists. I welcome the new year (or the new school year, or whatever) to start fresh and assess my life and where I can improve. If you spend much time in the blog world, you'll know that a word for the year is a popular concept. I've thought about doing this for the last couple years and then this year came to a strong conclusion that my word would be TIME. And I decided to scrap it. I may put it on my wall to keep my focus, we'll see...

Two random good things about this layout- it is probably the first ME layout since I got married. I scrap just about everything, but nothing is about just ME. Also, I have my standard page layouts and then I play with sketches, but I've never been inspired by something to make a page out of it. This page? I copied the layout from a loading internet screen. hahaha!

 a little detail...Smooch spritz is more than a little unpredictable, but I still like it, lol!

Supplies:
Stamps: Sense of Time, Vintage Vogue, Taffy Alphabet - retired
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake
Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Log Cabin Smooch Spritz, Chocolate taffeta ribbon - retired

Rock & Roll

This is my favorite technique. It's fun, and I love the look. I have a class coming up where the ladies wanted to learn a few new things. I don't know if this one is new to them, but its easy and we're going to do it! *grin

All you do is pick two coordinating ink colors, ink your stamp just like normal with the paler shade, but then roll the edges in the darker color and voila~

a very pretty effect! Yeay!

And this particular card I left greeting-free, until I need to use it. Hence the empty space at the bottom.

Supplies: Stamps: Vintage Vogue Ink: Old Olive, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Whisper White card stocks

Double Challenge!

WHOO! I got to play with two challenges the same day they were both posted, and I LOVE the result!

The Cinema Challenge was to make a card based on Becoming Jane, and use flowers and pearls. First of all, LOVE the movie! Really. We actually saw it in theaters! Its a sad kind of movie but I love the music, the story, all of it. I can even put up with the ridiculous aging at the end -I like it that much! tee hee! Love Jane Austen, love that time period, love it. And I think this quote works nicely.

I also used Jen's SSFYTT for the design of the card and here is what I came up with....

Supplies:

Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Fifth Avenue Floral

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Paper: Pink Pirouette card stock (returning!), Bella Birds DP (retired)

Accessories: White Taffeta Ribbon, Pretties Kit

CAS Vintage...

It seems to me that Vintage usually means a lot of layers and embellishments. But for the Cinema Challenge this week, they asked for CAS- clean and simple.

I *had* to play along tho, since it was Sense & Sensibility, which may possibly be my very favorite movie! So, I chose some colors that I feel are part of the movie, chose my sweet new set, and a sentiment that also fits perfectly! ...and tried to keep it clean and simple! LOL!

Supplies: Stamps: Vintage Vogue Ink: Bordering Blue, Close to Cocoa Paper: Bordering Blue, Close to Cocoa, Whisper White card stocks Accessories: Scoring Blade, Dimensionals

I scored along the Cocoa paper, vertically, about every half inch. I thought it gave it an antique feel without adding much to the card. Love the movie, happy with the card! yeay!

Vintage Vogue

This is one of my favorite items in the whole Occasions Mini -this stamp set! I put this card together today, and I absolutely love it! This color combination is what I visualized when I saw the set.
Want to make a couple of these yourself? I've got a card class coming up you can attend! Or, you can order the supplies yourself! I'm putting an order in on the 5th if you want to save on shipping.... *grin*

Supplies:

Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink: Perfect Plum

Paper: Perfect Plum, Certainly Celery, Whisper White card stocks

Accessories: White Organza Ribbon, Silver Brads, Jumbo Brads, Mat Pack, Dimensionals

Scrap Class #3

Here is the last of the pages I've made at these scrapbook classes. These were the most detailed, and yet its still a "clean" layout. I found the design for page 1 (including a video!) HERE, but I did modify it to use the supplies I own, and colors that would fit anyone at a class. Its really a great design I can see myself using over and over. (I used their names for the title on page 1, but blurred them out)
AND we got to use clear stamps on this one! That was a fun new toy, for sure!

Supplies:
Stamps: Just Perfect Alphabet, Vintage Vogue-clear
Ink: Bashful Blue, Old Olive
Paper: Kraft, Bashful Blue, Ballet Blue & Whisper White card stocks
Accessories: Large Fancy Flower Punch, Fresh Favorite Buttons, Silver Brads, Mat Pack