Sale-A-Bration!!

is ending! Tomorrow (Sunday) is THE last day of Sale-A-Bration 2019! I definitely did not get to play with my Sale-A-Bration freebies enough! I really didn't- its been a busy, crazy few months a my house, haha! So yesterday I took some time and put together some new cards- which need mailed out SOON!

This one has been in my head for quite a while. I love this sentiment from the Part of My Story stamp set. It was the first thing I loved from this year's selection -this exact sentiment. Then they released this paper with the second round in February, and this sheet of paper looks straight out of a story book- they were meant to go together! I found a sketch that fit, at Global Design Project, annnd then I cut the DP the wrong direction... but I made it work anyway, ha!
What do you think? This one even qualifies for #simplestamping

Supplies:
Stamps: Part of My Story (SAB), Painted Seasons (SAB)
Ink: Early Espresso, Lemon Lime Twist, Call Me Clover marker (on the leaves on the sentiment panel)
Paper: Whisper White card stock, Painted Seasons DP (SAB)
Accessories: Dimensionals


Since I still had a little time, I really wanted to focus on the Painted Seasons stamp set. I tried a few inks on these pretty flowers. This stamp set is our new "DistINKtive" style, which means that it is cut in such a way to add depth and shadow to the image, which is really cool. But some inks don't show up very boldly, and for this, I wanted something bold. I loooved the way this Gorgeous Grape turned out and stopped there! Then I was trying to decide how to make the latest Inky Friends sketch work best...should I fussy cut the flowers..? But as I was looking over my DP choices, I remembered one of my favorite cards ever, from probably 10 years ago, back when our DP was one sided, haha. I had stamped some blue flowers on to some white washed, worn wood looking paper. Well look what I found in the Wood Textures DP pack?! YEAY! I like the purple flowers at least as much as those old blue ones!
Next I thought it would be cool to die cut the white greeting panel and let the Grape card stock show thru. Well it IS a good idea, but maybe not with a complicated, detailed word like this one, ha. And I didn't realize that til the bits were in the trash...and I work in the kitchen so there was no way I was even going to try to look for them. rats. Again, I made it work anyway. I stamped the rest of the greeting and decided I really love this card, even with its "birthday" flaw, haha.

Supplies:
Stamps: Painted Seasons (SAB), Well Said
Ink: Gorgeous Grape, Granny Apple Green
Paper: Gorgeous Grape & Whisper White card stock, Wood Textures DP
Accessories: Big Shot, Well Written Framelits

*I stand corrected...the blue flowers on distressed wood was 12 years ago. yikes! haha!

March 2007

Mixing old with new...

This is not a great picture, but it was a fun card to put together, so I'm sharing it. Also, the story behind it.

A friend from elementary school that I've connected with on facebook is going thru a very difficult year. Last night she posted asking if there was anyone who might send her son a birthday card since she couldn't be with him later this week and it's going to be a lousy day for him. I have never met him, but his mother is very proud of him and posts various accomplishments and good things he does. He's a few months older than my own son, and he's into tinkering and machines and building things that work, and he just recently got his drivers license. I went looking for a car stamp I owned, which is retired, and pulled out this great "guy" paper from the new Occasions Mini. I used the latest sketch from the TGIF Challenge blog and this is what I made for him!

Supplies:
Stamps; Beautiful Ride, Gorgeous Grunge
Ink: Memento Black, Gray Granite, Crushed Curry, Dark Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Blends, Dark & Light Basic Black Stampin' Blends
Paper: Crushed Curry, Basic Black & Very Vanilla card stock, Classic Garage DP

The picture is lousy because I shouldn't have used the Crushed Curry card stock for the background as well as the card, and also because the photo was taken about 7am before I rushed out the door and stuck it in the mail! BUT. I think it will be something fun for him to get in the mail for his birthday anyway! And that is exactly why we do what we do!

Beautiful Birthday Card

Happy Monday! I am determined to have a very productive week! (should I knock on wood? ha....) Watch me go!

I'm starting it off sharing this pretty card I made last week. This will definitely be part of my upcoming card class and I used a sketch and a challenge to create it! The layout comes from the Just Add Ink blog, and the designers seemed to all use a circle element, and it worked well for my card too so there you go. And since I planned to use the Well Said bundle, this card worked perfectly for the What Will You Stamp challenge!

Supplies:
Stamps: Well Said
Ink: Fresh Fig
Paper: Floral Romance DP, Sahara Sand & Fresh Fig card stocks
Accessories: Fresh Fig Sheer Ribbon, Well Written Framelits, Circle dies, Big Shot

Hopefully I'll have a date for my upcoming class set this week! Do you want to come? You should!

Home To Roost

Well, hooray for Friday, ha... It's been mostly good but a crazy week around here. I had hoped to start working on a class plan for March, since we're well in to it now, and I guess today was the day!

I knew I wanted to play with this rooster, and I wanted to use the Buffalo Check. I wasn't sure what else, so I ended up trying a few things and colors and ideas and then put them both together. You should know- this rooster and the greetings are part of a cute set you can get FREE with a qualifying order during Sale-A-Bration, which ends March 31! Don't miss out!


This is the one we'll make at my next class:

Supplies:
Stamps: Home To Roost, Buffalo Check
Ink: Real Red, Early Espresso
Paper: Very Vanilla & Early Espresso card stock
Accessories: Linen Thread, Big Shot, Circle Dies, Dimensionals, Glue Dots

And this is the one with the other pieces, haha. I'll still show this, sometimes you want a bolder background, and it nicely shows that either sentiment fits in the circle. Also, I did different things with the thread.

Supplies:
Stamps:  Home To Roost, Buffalo Check
Ink: Early Espresso
Paper: Very Vanilla & Real Red card stock
Accessories: Linen Thread, Big Shot, Circle Dies, Dimensionals, Glue Dots

Maybe one of these days very soon I'll get to color this rooster in, but I like him like this too!

One more cactus!

A week ago I posted that I bought my mom this Flowering Desert stamp set and I was trying to make her a birthday card with it. Well it took three tries but this is the card I finally gave her!

Supplies:
Stamps: Flowering Desert
Ink: Tranquil Tide, Mossy Meadow, Old Olive, Lemon Lime Twist, Berry Burst, Fresh Fig, So Saffron
Paper: Berry Burst, Whisper White

And using only one stamp set, a few inks and even just a little card stock definitely makes this a #simplestamping card, haha, but it doesn't look too simple!

So here's something to note... four of these colors are only around another couple of months! When the catalog ends, we'll say goodbye to Tranquil Tide, Lemon Lime Twist, Berry Burst and Fresh Fig! (also Powder Pink, but that didn't fit on this card, haha) Sale-A-Bration is a great time to stock up on these before they're gone for good! Let me know if you need help placing an order, and earning FREE Sale-A-Bration items!
You can see all of the FREE Sale-A-Bration items HERE. Don't miss it- Sale-A-Bration ends March 31!

We Create Subtles Collection Blog Hop

It's already March?! I mean, that's okay, its my birthday month, haha, but wow, another year is flying by! But a new month means a new blog hop, so here we go!

Today our hop is featuring Stampin' Up!'s Subtles color collection. I picked four shades: Mint Macaron, Pear Pizazz, Calypso Coral, and So Saffron! I think the card counts as simple stamping again, because I only used paper, ink and one kind of ribbon.

Yesterday I shared a card with this new set from the Occasions Mini, and here's another one I tried out. I'm really happy with how this one came together. I like the shading on the stamps and I like how easy it was to create a little desert scene! 

Supplies:

Stamps: Flowering Desert

Ink: Calypso Coral, Pear Pizazz, Mint Macaron & So Saffron

Paper: So Saffron & Whisper White card stocks

Accessories: Calypso Coral Ombre Ribbon

Hopefully you know it's still Sale-A-Bration time, through the end of March! If you wanted, you could order the supplies needed to make this card, and you'd qualify for a FREE Sale-A-Bration item! I'll be playing with a few more of those sets in the coming weeks too! You can see all of our great Sale-A-Bration products by clicking HERE. You can place an order while you're there and play with your new supplies in just a few days! 

And now you can hop on over to Cheryl's blog and see what she's made to inspire you today! 

Then continue on thru the hop and leave us your thoughts! We all love comments! I hope you get some time to create too! And maybe it will be spring at your house soon!

A cool cactus

My mom is from Arizona. We left in 1985, but if you ask her where she's from, she'll tell you she's from Arizona, and then tell you where she currently lives, haha. As soon as I saw this set, I knew she was going to have to get it. And then I realized I could do one thing better- and I bought it for her birthday! But then! I needed to make her a birthday card with it, right? haha....

For this card, I used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches, and the color scheme from Inky Friends. It also qualifies for the SUO Challenge this week to feature the Occasions (or Sale-A-Bration) Mini! So that's fun! haha.... And this, cute, simple card is what I made first:

Supplies:
Stamps: Flowering Desert
Ink: Old Olive, Bermuda Bay, Pool Party, Memento Black
Paper: Pool Party, Whisper White

However, it didn't say "mom's birthday" to me. So I had to keep playing. And now you'll just have to come back some other days,and see what else I did!

Rainbow!

So, this is how I store my current ink pads. I keep the box standing up just like that most of the time, but if I need to take my inks somewhere I just turn it on its side and stick it in the car! 

The other day, the box was knocked over, so I used my catalog to make sure all the inks I own were picked up, so some of them ended up in the exact color order shown in the catalog (as far as I own them...I don't have a complete collection). Later, I noticed this stack of colors 

and how happy and bright they all looked together. I know it's been very snowy and cold all over lately, and my house is definitely part of that winter dreariness. So of course I decided I had to make a background out of that exact color combination! 

Here's what I did- including my sweet Sale-A-Bration greeting set. 

Supplies:

Stamps: Wishing You Well, Part of My Story

Ink: Flirty Flamingo, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Pacific Point, Gorgeous Grape

Paper: Whisper White, Bermuda Bay

Accessories: Calypso Coral ombre ribbon, Circle Dies, Big Shot 

I even know exactly who to send this to! 

Don't you think this would really brighten someone's day? What are you crafting to send out? 

Sale-A-Bration 2019

I know, I know, we're about 6 weeks in, but today, we're going to discuss Sale-A-Bration!

If you're new around here, Sale-A-Bration is the best promotion of the Stampin' Up! year! During Sale-A-Bration, every time you spend $50 (before tax and shipping) you get to choose an exclusive stamp set or other product for FREE! I've got the brochure linked right at the top of my sidebar, if you don't have your own copy.
For a $50 purchase, you can pick between 7 new stamp sets, a card kit, a ribbon set (backordered already!) and a pack of beautiful butterfly DP!
For a $100 purchase, you can select a stamp set, or a set of dies that coordinate with the Tea Together set in the Occasions Mini!

And! Did you know that in addition to the Sale-A-Bration mini there were three more items released last week? Here they are!

All Adorned stamp set is available with $50 order - before tax & shipping.

 Country Floral Embossing Folder is available with $50 order - before tax & shipping.

 Painted Seasons Bundle is available with $100 order - before tax & shipping.

What are your favorites? Which one are you getting next??

Cling Stamps!

In my {intended to be} monthly newsletter, I said I'd share a video about the new Cling stamps.
In the new Occasions Mini, and the new Sale-A-Bration Mini you'll only find Cling or Photopolymer stamp options. Cling look just like the Clear Mount we've had for a while, but they're much more tacky. That is a good thing!! But because of the increase in tackiness, there's a bit of "getting used to" you'll want to be aware of. So here is that video to help you out:



While I was looking for that video, I decided to share a video about the latest Paper Pumpkin kit!
At the moment, we can't order it as a "past kit" but often they are made available after all the subscribers orders have been filled. Past kits are only available to subscribers, so if you love it, sign up! You can find Past Kits HERE.
I also want to make sure you know that the March kit is the 6th Birthday of Paper Pumpkin and so a bonus FREE set will be included in every kit! You're not going to want to miss this! Signing up is easy- just click the pumpkin button on my side bar and sign up. You can skip a month any time you want, you can pre-pay for a period of time (and earn Sale-A-Bration freebies right now toooo!!!)
 

Retired Valentines!

Are you still making Valentine's cards- maybe a little something with dinner?! haha...
Well I finally got something made for my kiddos. I started by searching for a sketch. I picked the latest from TGIF Challenges.
Then I had to rummage thru all my retired supplies! Really, the only thing current on these three cards is the Whisper White card stock and the ink pads. And then I decided to make them all pretty much identical! The sentiments come from the same Paper Pumpkin kit, and the glitter paper came from the same pack, so that made it come together quickly!

Supplies:
Stamps: Old Paper Pumpkin kit
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Mint Macaron, Rich Razzleberry
Paper: Whisper White card stock, Glimmer Paper Asst (retired)
Accessories: Big Shot, Dimensionals, unlabeled SU! Ribbon (retired), Sweetheart Punch (retired) Heart Dies (retired)

What are your Valentine's traditions? At our house, the kids wake up to a card and some candy at their seat at the table.

(and someone got a bonus gift to keep the peace of sharing....)

I got beautiful roses delivered yesterday morning!

My husband and I hardly ever go out on Valentine's Day, but often a different day the same week. We've done nice dinners as a family, and heart themed dinners, and personally I love having our hot artichoke dip with toasted baguette slices as part of our Valentine's meal. This year I'm making our peanut butter cup (bars) but cutting them out with heart cutters and topping them with some fun Valentine sprinkles. hee hee. It's all about the little things! I might also do some cake mix sugar cookies (smaller batch!) for decorating later...

Send A Card!

Last night I read that yesterday was Send A Card To a Friend Day! I know, I know, we have sooo many tiny, obscure things to "celebrate", but you already know this one is important to me, haha. Did you know you were supposed to send cards yesterday? Did you send any?? I didn't mail anything yesterday but I did mail a card recently that I haven't shared here yet.

I used an old Paper Pumpkin kit (July 2017) to create this variation of the designed card. The stamping came out a little wonky but it worked out. 

Supplies:
Stamps: July 2017 Paper Pumpkin Kit
Ink: Tranquil Tide, Powder Pink
Paper: Powder Pink, Whisper White
Accessories: July 2017 Paper Pumpkin Kit

And, since it's a new month, I totaled up my paper crafting so far and have mailed more than half as many cards as I have made this year, and that is a win in my book!