My Swap

I spent several days trying to complete ten of these cards to mail out. I finally got them all out and they should be delivered today! That means I can share it with you now! haha...

I really wanted to use my cute chair dies, and I thought I might try a beachy scene. And I think I managed to pull it off.
So here's the closeup. I used one darker and one lighter blue Glitter Enamel Dot, and one of the pale yellow ones.

Supplies:
Stamps: Colorful Seasons
Ink: Dapper Denim
Paper: Thick White Card stock, Marina Mist, Crumb Cake card stocks, Wood Textures DP
Accessories: Glitter Enamel Dots, Big Shot, Seasonal Layers thinlit dies, Softly Falling embossing folder, Fine Tip Glue Pen

And here's a glance at all of them. Each "sand" piece turned out differently, (yes, I tried ink on one of them...) and each card got a different set of "bubbles'.

I LOVE the wood DP for the little wooden chair. I love the Glitter dots! And I love this new bundle!

Mixing Old & New!

This past week, my first-born went ahead and had yet another birthday. Funny how my own birthdays don't make me feel older, but his sure do...
He is such a great kid and I have been pleasantly surprised to find myself agreeing with more experienced mom's- teenagers are challenging, just like all phases, but teenagers are a lot of fun too! He's a hard worker when he needs to be, and he's willing to do pretty much anything as soon as he's asked. He is generally happy and pleasant, and he is a huge help to me.

He got some big-ticket items in the weeks leading up to his birthday so the day itself was kinda small. I wanted to make a point to make a card for him to read on his actual birthday. While he went to see the new Spiderman movie with my husband, my older daughter was on babysitting duty so I could get it done!
I used the latest TGIF Challenge, which was a sketch, thank goodness. I use retired DP and retired Washi Tape and retired dies, punch and embossing folder, but I used a brand-spanking new stamp, haha! The words came from my newest Paper Pumpkin kit, which arrived earlier the day I made the card! How's THAT for a mix? haha.... But the colors and patterns are all very "him", so of course I had to.

Supplies:
Stamps: July 2017 Paper Pumpkin
Ink: Calypso Coral
Paper: Soft Sky & Whisper White card stocks,
Accessories: Big Shot, Dimensionals, Banner Dies (retired), Lucky Stars Embossing Folder (retired), Wide Oval Punch (retired), Washi Tape (retired, forgot the name)

Cards In the Mail!

I really haven't had another chance to stamp since the blog hop but I DID find and set aside supplies for projects sooooooo I'm optimistic...? haha!
In the meantime here is the latest from the Cards In the Mail swap I participate in:

Blog Hop: Stepping up a wishing well!

Another month has flown by... and a third of the summer is already over! I haven't had time to stamp the last few weeks, but that's one of the things I like best about participating in our blog hop- I have to stamp! *grin.

This month I decided to play with my newest set. This is from my second new catalog order, haha! I am a sucker for old and beautiful things like this well. I also enjoy coloring so that makes it a perfect stamp for me. Not only that, but it has words for several occasions, making it useful and versatile! I used the latest sketch from Freshly Made Sketches for the card layout. I kept both cards very similar, and literally just stepped up some details.
First, I have a very simple card. I stamped the image and colored only the flowers.

Supplies:

Stamps: Bright Wishes

Ink: Archival Black, Rich Razzleberry

Paper: Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Crumb Cake & Very Vanilla card stocks

Accessories: Watercolor Pencils, Dimensionals

My stepped up version has an embossed background using the Brick Wall folder. I thought it went well with the stone well. Then I added a strip of wood DP, It is pretty hard to tell, so I added a bonus picture below, haha. And I water-colored the entire image, and it is on Shimmery White card stock, which I read is a good one to watercolor on! And it worked well with minimal buckling so I'm calling that a success!

Supplies:

Stamps: Bright Wishes

Ink: Archival Black, Rich Razzleberry

Paper: Old Olive & Rich Razzleberry card stocks, Shimmery White, Wood Textures DP

Accessories: Watercolor Pencils, Aquapainter, Big Shot, Brick Wall embossing folder, Dimensionals

And that promised close up of the wood grain paper strip

That's it for me today. Hop along to Cheryl's blog, and all the way thru and see what every one else has created for your stampy inspiration!

I really AM hoping to stamp more in the coming weeks. I really wanted to have a class scheduled by now... we'll just have to see how things go. But in the meantime, I hope YOU get some time to stamp and create!

Swirly Summer!

Last summer when the new catalog was released, I ordered the Swirly Bird stamp set and coordinating dies. I saw tons of ideas everywhere online and this is one I really wanted to make. Annnnd then, ya know, life. ha... So this past week I made it!!!
I don't have a greeting assigned to this card, but I like the bold colors and the fun design!

Supplies:
Stamps: Swirly Bird
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Crushed Curry, Real Red, Pacific Point
Paper: Pacific Point, Whisper White card stocks
Accessories: Big Shot, Swirly Scribbles Dies

What do you think? My favorite part is that I got to stamp! haha!

In Color Birthday

I think I got to stamp three days in a row last week! That is super exciting for me!

Today I am going to share this card that I think turned out really pretty. I got to use a current Freshly Made sketch (what?!) and brand new In Colors. This one is going on my display board, and it might end up in a very soon upcoming class!

Supplies:
Stamps: Number of Years
Ink: Lemon Lime Twist, Fresh Fig
Paper: Fresh Fig, Whisper White, Lemon Lime Twist card stock
Accessories: Pearls, staple

News!

Not only was a brand new catalog released yesterday, there are a few exciting promotions you'll want to know about!

First of all, this is a GREAT time to host a workshop! This month only, you can earn an additional $35 in hostess dollars, if your workshop totals $350 or more! Let me know if you're ready to schedule a workshop! You can do a live workshop at your house (or mine), you can do a catalog workshop, or you can place an order of $350 yourself if your wish list is long enough! (I know mine is...!!!)

Second, you've seen lots of Paper Pumpkin posts shared on my blog. You can also check my Pinterest board HERE. There are still several kits and refills available to order, but only subscribers can get them! Well, until June 10, first time subscribers can get 25% off the first three months of their subscription! Just click on the pumpkin on my sidebar to join!

Let me know if you need any help getting the most out of these promotions!

Blog Hop: Stepping Up with New Products!!

June has arrived and summer vacation is definitely underway at my house! It has also warmed up significantly, so I guess that means summer is here!

Today is a big day for Stampin' Up! A new catalog is released at noon today! Unless you have a demonstrator who has already delivered a paper copy to you... *wink.

Being a demonstrator means we get a chance to pre-order some items. Usually I do order a few things to have a little head start, and today's post definitely shows that! I have new In Colors (one of them anyway), new stamps, new dies, new paper and even a new ribbon! This is a super cute bundle- the stamps and the dies, and the paper that was designed to work with the set too! There is SO much potential with this set and I can't wait to show you even more of it!

So for today, I have a simple card first. I like it. It was pretty quick to make, the longest part was stamping off to get the paler pink flowers!

Supplies:
Stamps: Colorful Seasons
Ink: Berry Burst, Crumb Cake
Paper: Berry Burst & Whisper White card stock, Color Theory DP

And my stepped up version! I changed up the background color. I didn't stamp anything beyond the greeting. I die cut the branches and the flowers! And I added the cute ribbon too.

Supplies:
Stamps: Colorful Seasons
Ink: Berry Burst, Crumb Cake
Paper: Old Olive, Crumb Cake, Berry Burst & Powder Pink card stock, Color Theory DP
Accessories: Old Olive Mini Chevron Ribbon, Dimensionals

What do you think?

...I promise the cards are the same size, the angle of the picture is just weird, haha.
My card sketch is based on THIS sketch from TGIF Challenges, a week or two ago.

Anyway, we have a lot of stampy inspiration lined up for you today, so be sure and hop all the way thru! And leave us your thoughts- we all appreciate comments on our work!

May's Paper Pumpkin

So, to be perfectly honest, after April's kit being possibly the very best Paper Pumpkin EVER, I was a little bit let down by the May kit when I first opened it.
However, I try hard to make these kits work for me and my life so after thinking about a minute I realized, hahaha....my husband's birthday was coming up and he once told the kids that donuts are his "weakness". Well, I can sure find a use for this kit!

I decided to let the kids personalize their donut cards one evening a head of time. My daughter stamped extra sprinkles onto the pink, and my son stamped some of the words inside his card.

And then my son and I ran to buy him his favorite donuts at 715 on a Saturday morning for a surprise!

Honestly, I can see this being used in scrapbook pages, because that kinda means that eating donuts around here is kind of a big deal, haha. But I think it would also be a cute card to include with a little gift of donuts. You could get a snack pack as a teacher thank you, or go grab a favorite donut for a friend's birthday! Don't worry, this kit won't end up shelved at my house!

If you didn't get this kit, sign up with Paper Pumpkin today, by clicking on the pumpkin icon on my side bar. Then you can order this and any other available past kits and refills! They're so much fun!

Check out the whole set with the little how-to video:

Cards In The Mail!

Happy Monday to you! Yesterday was Mother's Day and this is who I spent it with:

*those cards were made entirely on their own, using my retired supplies!

Today I have a post FULL of inspiration to get you going this week! These fabulous cards are form my Cards In The Mail swap with other Stampin' Up! demonstrators. I love getting these in the mail! Credit has been given to each creator.

(and I'll tell you a little secret... I got something else delivered: a big box from UPS on Friday that I cannot wait to play with...!!!)

 Above is closed, and below is pulled open!

April's Paper Pumpkin!

A third post for this month and it's only the 11th! Yeay!!

I took some time yesterday to make the cards in the latest Paper Pumpkin kit. WOW. This is my favorite kit. hands down! And it was super popular! The refill kit was sold out in FOUR HOURS. Yes, that means that if you missed this kit, you definitely missed out. However, read on for some tips on re-creating similar projects!

*and as a side note, this was absolutely not a 30 minute project box. This is a watercolored project, which obviously includes drying time. Life distractions included, it took me four shifts to complete all twelve cards. And that's another difference from the 30 minute kits- this one included 12 cards! I would also note that the only un-included supplies were me wanting thinner strips of black stripe DP. Everything you need is included!

First of all, LOOK how pretty!!!

Eight of the card designs included a pre-embossed piece of watercolor paper. The kit included four mini watercolor pencils, and a watercolor brush. For some, I just scribbled the pencil across the whole thing. For others, I just added color inside each section. And then the last four were free-handed watercoloring, which added a fun punch of color.

 The stamps use a great mixed font, and the little ink drips are a very cool touch.

If you do have this kit and haven't yet assembled it, you should know that the black stripe "DP" is actually a sticker. I used adhesive to attach more than one before making that realization. *grin

There are two shades of green leaf stickers, and then the 3D plastic flowers are a really fun addition to the black and white cards.

Honestly, the hardest part was choosing what greeting to use!! Seriously, that took a ridiculous amount of time, haha! 

Some cards have the striped Washi tape, some don't, and really that was because I "lost" it on my table and forgot all about adding it!

You can see how thick the 3D flowers are. I do think this means they can't just be stuck in the mail, so be aware of that.

I almost forgot to show the cute, coordinating envelopes!

And after making all 12 cards, I have this much left from this kit! Plenty of glue dots for future projects, a little DP, more than half that roll of Washi tape, watercolor pencils, brush, and as always the stamps and ink! For $19.95, that cannot be beat! 

So. How would I recreate these for later?
Start by ordering

• Watercolor Paper
• Watercolor Pencils 
• Archival Black ink 
• a black Washi Tape
• Basic Black card stock

We don't sell a watercolor brush, but we do have Aquapainters and Blender Pens! And that leaves you all set to do the freehand style!
If you want embossed images to color in, you'll want to order Clear Embossing Powder, a Versamark ink pad, and a Heat Tool and you can try any "line" stamp sets!
Need some suggestions?

• Flower Shop
• Marquee Messages 
• Birthday Blooms
• Vintage Leaves

Or just any time you could color in the stamped image! It's a fun, easy way to color in your images and make absolutely beautiful cards!

Catalog preview!

Did you know the new catalog is going to be released in less than a month?! June 1st as a matter of fact! My regular customers should have a new catalog arrive in their mailbox in the next couple weeks...! (let me know if it doesn't arrive!!)

But during the month of May, Stampin' Up! is offering two sneaky peeky bundles that you can order from the new catalog! Want to see??

I spy new stamps!
I spy new In Colors!
I spy new DP!
AND
I even spy new stickers!!

These are the bundle options:

Bundle #1: Eastern Palace Starter Bundle $60.50

Bundle #2: Eastern Palace Premier Bundle $103.50

And if you notice, both bundles include a free gift! That is the benefit of ordering these bundles now- getting the whole coordinating suite, AND the free card bases. That, and the fun of getting new products before the catalog is even released!

Contact me if you want to order either bundle, or any other stamping supplies! You can also do an online order at any time, and if your total is less than $150, you may use Hostess Code 3VGDEX2G to combine shipping costs.