Another Pass at Wings of Friendship

I wanted to take another crack at a card using the Wings of Friendship Level 2 Hostess Set, especially since the upcoming Hostess specials for September are FABULOUS! I'll get to that in a minute, first the card...


Similar to the previous card, I used Bashful Blue and Very Vanilla Cardstock. I also sent some Kraft card stock through the Big Shot to emboss with Stampin' Up!™ Backgrounds 1 Texture Plates. I used Old Olive and Regal Rose Stampin' Write Markers for the bird and her branch. I also used the Regal Rose for the flower as well. I stamped all the images onto Very Vanilla card stock and then cut them out. The sentiment was stamped using the Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad.

For the ribbon, I cut a small slit in the fold of the card so that I could pass the ribbon through the card to the inside to adhere it to the card. I tied small pieces of natural hemp twine around the Brocade Blue grosgrain ribbon to gather it at a few key sections. It just adds a bit of fun texture.

So, how many of you scrolled down past the card instructions to get to the news about the upcoming hostess special?

Most of you will soon be receiving your Holiday Mini. It will also be available for viewing online online at http://www.charityl.stampinup.net/. Now that we've transitioned back to one catalog per year, each of the mini catalogs will include additional hostess sets which you can earn. Also starting in September, every hostess is eligible for the following great deal:

Host a workshop totaling $250 or more and choose any one item from the 2009 Holiday Mini Catalog for only $10! This offer excludes hostess sets (you earn those for free) and My Digital Studio but includes all stamp other stamp sets, Sizzix dies, accessories, papers, etc. Yes, I said this promotion includes Sizzix dies that will be available in the new Holiday Mini, and the new dies are really fun! To be eligible, it must be a "workshop" order. This means you need to either host a workshop in your home or pass the catalog around for a catalog show. This promotion will begin in September and go through November. It's soccer season so I only have a limited number of show dates available so book your fall workshop early so you can take advantage of this wonderful promotion!

God Bless & Happy Stamping

My CASE of Page 114 of the Idea Book & Catalog

I was very pleased to see that Season of Friendship made the big jump from a mini catalog to the Idea Book and Catalog. I really like this set and I like the card design that was presented on page 114 with the stamp set so I decided to CASE the card.





For this card, I chose to layer Whisper White, Bravo Burgundy and Elegant Eggplant card stock. I stamped the tree onto the Whisper White using Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin Pad. The flowers are stamped with Pretty in Pink, So Saffron and Perfect Plum Classic Stampin' Pads. I cut them out and adhered them to the branches with dimensionals. I attached the Whisper White cardstock to the Bravo Burgundy piece and then tied the Pretty in Pink grosgrain ribbon around the pieces before adhering to the Elegant Eggplant card.




On the inside, I used the thank you phrase from Full of Life for the sentiment, stamped using Perfect Plum Classic Stampin' Pad. I wrapped some additional ribbon around the Whisper White card stock and then adhered to the inside of the card. I finished it off with three additional flowers.

This design can easily be updated to be appropriate for the season at hand- switch the color pallette to Pumpkin Pie, More Mustard, and Very Vanilla and then use the leaf stamp to create a lovely fall card. For winter, use the snowflake and use a color pallette consisting of Whisper White, Brocade Blue and Ballet Blue. Never feel like you have to recreate a card exactly as you see it. Mix it up and make it your own!

God Bless and Happy Stamping!

Pick A Petal Fun

Another one of my favorite stamp sets is Pick A Petal (page 120 of the Idea Book & Catalog, $29.95). I love the versatility of this stamp set, I've seen it used for many things besides flowers. I've even used it to make the cutest little turkeys last Thanksgiving. But, this post is not a turkey, but a flower. I wanted to put my own spin on the card shown on page 120 with the stamp set and here is the result.




The card is made with Crushed Curry, Very Vanilla and Old Olive card stock. The large flower was created by using Melon Mambo and Crushed Curry Stampin' Pads. I used the flower centers from Pick a Petal to make the center with the Crushed Curry and then I used one of the smaller centers to stamp the Melon Mambo around it to create the flower. I also used Crushed Curry to stamp one of the smaller flowers as well as the Bermuda Bay to create a second flower. The sentiment is from Flight of the Butterfly. The smaller flowers also each have a small Old Olive flower attached to the center using a Very Vanilla brad. I punched the Old Olive flowers with the Trio Flower punch. The large flower has a Circle Designer Brad in the center. All the flowers are attached to the card using dimensionals. I finished the card with an Old Olive 1/2" library clip.

God Bless & Happy Stamping!

Happy Birthday Tessa!

Today I do not have a stamping post, but I do have a birthday cake post! I just finished Tessa's birthday cake and had to share it with you.

Tomorrow Tessa will be 5 years old! Although we will have a party for her in September so she can invite school friends, we are having small party with family and our godsons this afternoon.



She's been waiting for months to turn 5 so that she can climb the 32 foot rock wall at the YMCA. She's been watching her sisters and I climb for the last several months, so she has been counting the days until she can climb. Today is the day! We are headed to the rock wall to climb and then after, we'll have burgers and hot dogs, and of course, birthday cake.

Usually I only make theme cakes for their parties with all their friends, but since she is climbing the rock wall for the first time, we decided to make a rock wall cake.

Here is one picture of Tessa with her cake. I made the wall out of chocolate rice krispy treats and M&Ms for hand holds. I did the colors of the routes that are marked on the wall- blue, orange, red and green. I surrounded the wall with crushed cookies to look like the shredded tires they use for the soft landing. The little climber is sculpted using modeling chocolate. The climbing ropes are also made of modeling chocolate. My friend Shawna is a cake baker/decorator and made the suggestion that I make my own modeling chocolate and it worked wonders! The frosting is simple homemade butter cream frosting. We used orange for the sentiment and on the bottom because orange is her favorite color. She's climbing the blue route because that is the first route she wants to try this afternoon.

God Bless, Happy Stamping and Happy Baking!

A Few of My Favorite Things

Don't you love... the fall? "It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address. " - You've Got Mail, 1998


One of my favorite movies is You've Got Mail, and I love this line, probably because it absolutely speaks to me. I honestly love to buy school supplies, not sure why, but I love shopping for them. I must say that browsing the new Idea Book and Catalog for Stampin' Up!™ also gives me the same thrill. So, instead of newly sharpened pencils, I'd send you a bouquet of newly released In Color markers.


I think these markers are one of my favorite new products in the current Idea Book and Catalog. I enjoy using markers for applying color to my stamps to allow me to get multiple colors in my image. However, until this catalog, this was not easy to accomplish if you wanted to use the In Colors. So when these markers were revealed, I was very excited.


One of my favorite movies, one of my favorite new products.


God Bless and Happy Stamping!

Friend to Friend

The last two weeks have been full of brown, UPS brown that is, which means Stampin' Up!™ product! Last week, my new All in the Family stamp arrived- my bonus for $300 in sales each month for three months followed by my order of designer series papers for our journal project during the August 21 technique workshop. This week, I was blessed with another order of paper (which had been on back order) and today, another package with more bonus product for me. Another reward for my sales in the last quarter- 2-way glue sticks and Filigree Brads. I love receiving Stampin' Up! product, but I especially love FREE product.

Now on to today's project- the Friend to Friend card. This card features our new In Colors- Rich Razzleberry and Melon Mambo. It also highlights some great die cuts and and the Modern Label Punch. First I cut two butterflies using the Stampin' Up! Beautiful Butterflies die cut, one in Whisper White and a second smaller one in Melon Mambo. Using Rich Razzleberry Classic Stampin' Pad I brushed ink on the Whisper White butterfly and then stamped the swirl from Wings of Friendship stamp set onto the Melon Mambo butterfly. I used snail at the middle of the Melon Mambo butterfly and then attached it to the Whisper White. I then tied a 1/4" Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon around to be the antennae/body. I then used my Stampin' Up! Top Note die and cut one top note from Kraft card stock. I adhered the layered butterflies to the Top Note and then tied a piece of white grosgrain ribbon around the top note before attaching to the card front. The card base is Rich Razzleberry. To finish the card, I used Rich Razzleberry Classic Stampin' Pad to stamp "Friend to Friend" from Teeny Tiny Wishes on the Whisper White Card Stock and then punched it out with the Modern Label Punch.

I hope you come back soon for more ideas, inspiration and stamping news!

God Bless and Happy Stamping!

Ready for Kindergarten

Here is a card sample inspired by Tessa, who is preparing for kindergarten in the fall. Using the All in the Family and Schoolbook Serif Alphabet, I created this card sample with Tessa's upcoming first day of kindergarten as my inspiration.

The little girl and the cat are stamped using the All in the Family set (didn't I say you'd be seeing a lot of this set?). I stamped the cat and letter C using Whisper White Craft Stampin' Pad onto black card stock and then framed the card stock with Real Red. For the base of the card, I used Soft Suede and then added a smaller square of Crushed Curry with a layer of Tea Party Designer Series Paper on the bottom. I separated the Crushed Curry and Tea Party Designer Series Paper with 1/4" Very Vanilla ribbon. The little girl's clothes and features were colored using the watercolor pencils.

It is likely that this card sample or a similar project will make a repeat debut the first week of September when it will be slipped into the back pack of a little girl off to her first day of kindergarten. Hopefully the tear stains will be kept to a minimum. Her two older sisters are beyond mom getting them off to school on the first day, but they still appreciate a little surprise in their back pack. Don't worry, I have something cute in mind for the older ones as well. And, of course Mr. Liam will have something special for his very first day of preschool. Check back the first week of September for more.

God Bless and Happy Stamping!

Projects from Mini Convention

On Sunday, I went to a Mini-Convention for all of us demonstrators who were unable to attend the Stampin' Up!™ convention in Salt Lake City. It was a great time and we got to make three wonderful projects. I always enjoy myself when I stamp and I especially enjoy myself when I'm stamping with other like minded ladies.

We did three Make & Takes, all using the Big Shot. Project #1 used the Stampin' Up! Bitty Box and Envelope Die. This die is really fun. It makes the cutest little box, it's like a mini pizza box. Another great die for easy party favors and simple handmade gifts. To go along with this box, we made three corresponding note cards using Cottage Wall Designer Series paper (and corresponding cardstock) and the Lovely Letters Alphabet stamp set. The note cards fit into the cute little envelopes we cut using the same die for the box. I think this project is perfect for teacher's gifts and party favors.

For project #2, snow was in the forecast. We made a great 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 inch scrapbook page perfect for winter weather photos. For this project, we used the new printed window sheets, Snowfall, and shimmer paint that will be available in the upcoming holiday mini. If you'd like a copy of the holiday mini, email me and I'll get one sent out to you when they are available later this month. These cute window sheets and shimmer paint are just the tip of the iceberg for this holiday mini, so don't miss your chance to see some of these items. Items in the holiday mini will be available to order on September 1. We also used the new snowflake punch currently available in the Idea Book and Catalog. Are you wondering where the Big Shot came in on this project? Think "snow." We used the Stampin' Up! Alphabet Simple Letters die to cut out the letters for the word snow on the bottom of the page. Our reindeer friend is Dasher from the current Idea Book and Catalog.

This scrapbook page features "non-traditional" colors for winter, but it works really well and is a nice departure from the typical winter colors.

Our third and final Make & Take was another box using the Big Shot. Using Nouveau Chic designer series paper we cut out a matchbox with the Stampin' Up! Matchbox die. We also made a corresponding tag using the same die and Great Friend stamp set.

If you like any of these projects, consider hosting a show. All hostesses are eligible to receive free merchandise and they always get a little something extra from me. Or, if you like the idea of joining a bunch of like minded folks to spend the afternoon making some great stamping projects and sharing some great and wonderful food, consider signing up to become a demonstrator. Until August 31st, you can sign up to become a demonstrator for only $85. For $85 you get a mini starter kit. A perfect way to start your business whether you already have lots of supplies or just want to get a taste of Stampin' Up! before you dive in. Email me if you want to know more about becoming a demonstrator or hosting a show.

God Bless and Happy Stamping!

Swap Card- Happy Couple

In lieu of the annual Stampin' Up!™ Convention in Salt Lake City, I attended a "mini-convention" with a number of other local area stampers. We made a few make & takes, created some great color charts, and traded swaps. I thought I'd share my SWAP card front. I CASED this card after I saw a few on Splitcoast which were originally attributed to the following, http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/792464. I thought it was a cute idea and would be great as a card to let your spouse know you are thinking of them. It of course, also works well as an anniversary card or even an I'm sorry card (think kiss and make up! LOL).

For this card, you will need:

Stamps

• All in the Family
• Teeny Tiny Wishes
• Cheep Talk

Classic Stampin' Pads

• Real Red
• Soft Suede
• Basic Black

Card Stock & Designer Series Papers

• Very Vanilla
• Not Quite Navy
• Kraft
• Blush Blossom
• Bella Bleu Designer Series Paper

Tools/Accessories

• Modern Label Punch
• Watercolor Pencils
• Snail
• Stampin' Dimensionals

As an FYI, the All in the Family stamp set is a stamp I earned for FREE! Yes, you are reading that correctly, FREE! This was a special demonstrator only promotion based on sales performance. If we consistently met a specified sales level for three months in a row, we earned a free stamp set. I've been eyeing the All in the Family set for a long time. I think it is just adorable and also very versatile. You'll definitely be seeing more projects with this stamp set.

If you'd like to learn more about how you can earn free stamp sets, email me and we can talk more about becoming a demonstrator or hosting a show.

God Bless and Happy Stamping!

Blog Neglect

YIKES! I've been neglecting my blog! I have 10+ cards ready for their close up and post, but have neglected getting photos taken. And now, I have time, but I'm not sure where my camera is! I guess I'll have to get the four kids looking for the camera. Too bad my dog is a lab and not a blood hound.

For all my Stampin' Junkies, the annual Stampin' Up!™ convention is in full swing in Salt Lake City, and I'm unfortunately faced with "stalking" it via my lap top here at home. LOL Lots of great posts on some blogs and message boards including a few spoilers for upcoming products and things available only to demos. I wish I could be there, but instead, I have the next best thing coming. On Sunday, I will be participating in a mini-convention with some of the folks returning form convention. We'll get to see lots of SWAPs, ideas, Make and Takes, etc. Assuming I find the camera, I'll take pictures to post.

I need to find that camera and posting here won't find it any sooner! I hope to be back soon with some new posts and ideas! Until then...

Happy Stamping and God Bless!