November Class and Specials

I have been a bad, bad blogger! Time is just flying by! I am really looking forward to our upcoming class on November 21st (Friday). Doesn't everyone need Birthday and/or Christmas cards every now and then? Here are the card choices for the class (envelopes are included):

The cost is $10 for 10. That's a totally good deal--it pretty much only covers the cost of the supplies. But, since that is what I charged at Super Saturday I thought it would be fair to charge the same amount for the class. Because of the cheap price, I'm not doing bring-a-friend discounts this time.

However, if you bring a new friend, you can take home a free stamp! I have some super-cute retired stamps that were created especially to fit in the Stampin' Up scalloped circle punch (but look adorable on their own as well)--you can pick from what I've got, and it's yours!

And let me tell you about this month's Rub-On Special. Buy $20 in Stampin' Up product and buy as many sets of rub-on's as you would like at 20% off! These are found on pgs. 178-179 in the catalog, and there are an additional 2 sets in the Holiday Mini catalog. Instead of $10.95, you pay only $8.76 for a 2-sheet pack. If you don't own a lot of stamps but enjoy making cards or creating scrapbook pages, rub-ons are fantastic!

Upcoming Class Projects

For my October stamp class we will be doing mini boxes of cards and Halloween tins. The class will be October 17th (a Friday) and you can come at either 10am or 7pm. The cost is $5 for the boxes of cards and $2.50 for the tins. Please RSVP by Saturday so that I can have enough supplies for everyone (if you forget, contact me. I may have enough for you!)

I'm Still a Slacker!

I am too busy having fun with my family! My brother was just here for a week and now my mom is here. I'm so lucky. It's nice having a "buddy" to hang out with every day.

Here is a card that was inspired by Karen Giron at "The Sweetest Thing"--every time I read that title I start singing the U2 song. I loved her card and had to try it. Here is my version:

I've got to make more of these in the future. I gave mine away already : ).

Supplies: Bella Rose DSP, Tangerine Tango & Baja Breeze CS, Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, Baja Breeze, and Real Red ink (I used Stampin' Write markers along with an ink pad to get the multicolor leaves).

Back in Town and Back to Business!

My DD and I just got back from a little visit to St. Louis. I've started a tradition of rotating through my kids and taking one along each time I go. I love the one on one time that it gives me with each of them, in addition to being easier and less expensive. So, I plan on posting much more often now. I have been so busy creating that I have plenty to share.

This is another of the cards that I created for an auction at church. I came across this stamp at a local craft store and just HAD to have it. I love that "curly" tree so much! This was my first time experimenting with my Stampin' Write markers. I would LOVE to have all of these someday, but for now I will pick up a few here and there as I go. They are only $3.25 a piece and come in nearly every Stampin' Up color.

For this card, I inked the upper part of my stamp with my Chocolate Chip ink pad. I used a moist q-tip to remove it from the areas I wanted a different color. I used my Real Red and Really Rust markers to color in other areas of the stamp. Then I "huffed" breath on the stamp to make sure all of the ink was good and moist, and stamped.

Paper: Bella Rose DSP, Tangerine Tango CS, Baja Breeze CS, (the orange polka dot strip was something I found in my old craft stash)
Ribbon: Baja Breeze

This card was inspired by one of Stampin' Up's Artisan Award winners, Robin Desko. Here is a pic of her beautiful card:

I decided to change the dimensions because I was giving this card as part of a gift set and wanted to be able to include an envelope (standard size). I also have left my scalloped circle punch at a friend's house, so I had to tweak the idea to fit my own supplies. Here is what I came up with:

I used Chocolate Chip cardstock as my card base. I used the new Scalloped Edge punch to create the Whisper White border at the bottom. I paper peirced along where the Chocolate Chip and Whisper White meet. I used the "Flight of the Butterfly" set with a sentiment from "Best Yet" (this is a Level 1 hostess set--you could earn it for free!). I used the Kiwi Kiss paper from the Bella Rose DSP, along with Baja Breeze and Kiwi Kiss cardstock. Some Baja Breeze cardstock finished the whole thing off!

I'm a bad, bad poster

I've had tons of cute project to share sitting around for a week now--I've just been too lazy to post them! I think I'll start off by sharing this super cool "free standing pop-up card" that I learned how to make from a tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers. You can find the instructions here. When I became a Stampin-Up demonstrator, I added a lot of birthdays to my calendar. I love having cards on hand all of the time to give to neighbors and friends when it's their special day. This one went to the mom of my kids' best buds.

I totally love this card. I'm not sure how well it would mail because of the bulky parts, but I plan on doing more of these for my local friends and neighbors.

I used Tangerine Tango cardstock as the base of the card and covered it with Kiwi Kiss DSP. I used Baja Breeze (still my favorite color) for the tag part of the card. I layered whisper white cardstock on top of that and stamped "Upsy Daisy" in Kiwi Kiss along with one of the butterflies from "Flight of the Butterfly" in Baja Breeze. I embossed the butterfly with clear embossing powder. The sentiment is also from the "Upsy Daisy" set. I stamped it in Riding Hood Red. I used my circle punches to create the pull at the top of the card and tied some Kiwi Kiss Ribbon onto the jumbo eyelet. For the front, I added two buttons from the Button Bouquet--first I ran some orange thread through the holes (the thread was just something I found in my craft stash).

Give it a try! It's worth the effort!

Season of Friendship

I just looooved this stamp set as soon as I saw it. It is in the new Holiday Mini catalog and will be available Oct. 1st. For those of you coming to my bags class on the 19th, I'll have a mini catalog for you! This stamp set includes the tree, flower, leaves, snowflakes, a bird, and the sentiment. Just wait until you see the project they did in the catalog using this set--it's incredible.
For this card, I started with a Kraft CS base. I used Baja Breeze for the background (my new favorite color). I stamped the tree in Versamark ink on Kraft cardstock. I added a strip of Kiwi Kiss DSP and stamped the sentiment in Baja Breeze on Pink Pirouette CS. I did the flowers about three different ways before I settled on one. I stamped them in Pink Pirouette ink on Whisper White cardstock an cut them out (punching them out with a circle punch looks really cute too). I added some rhinestone accents, silver brads, and Baja Breeze ribbon. I can't wait to play some more with this set--so versatile!

Summer Home Inspired Birthday Card

I really love the color combo of the Summer Home Simply Scrappin' Kit. That color combo was my inspiration for this birthday card. I used the same (almost) layout as I did in my Christmas card a few posts ago (sorry, I tried to create a link for you, but it's being stupid). I will be offering both cards as Stamp-a-Stack classes at church. Easy to make and easy to duplicate! As always, it's hard to see the dimensions of the card in the photo. the cupcake icing and the little present circle are popped up on dimensionals.

Papers: Kiwi Kiss DSP, Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze, and Whisper White CS. Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White Craft, Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip Ribbon: Chocolate Chip

Kwerner Blog Color Challenge

I had "one of those days" today. Nothing seemed to go quite right. To give an example, I backed out of the driveway today and broke the mirror off of my husband's car. That was bad enough, but when my DD came home from school she brought me a bunch of pieces of broken red plastic. Turns out I busted my tail light too! I was grumpy before that, and the day continued to not be the best I've ever had.

I decided that I needed some down time tonight. So, I sat down to stamp. It really helps to focus on something else for a while and relax and create. Kristina Werner listed another color challenge today and I was excited to give it a try. This is one of those cards that came out of the blue--I didn't really have any idea what I was going to do when I started. It was fun. I really like it, especially the cheerfulness of the colors (just what I needed today!)

I used "Birds Galore" by Inkadinkadoo and the sentiment and corner flourishes are from Papertrey Ink. I stamped the bird image on Kiwi Kiss with Whisper White craft ink. I sponged some Regal Rose chalk on the flowers and bird. I added some Rose Red chalk to the bird's belly. I did faux stitching around the Kiwi Kiss layer. I popped the bird up on dimensionals and added some sticky rhinestones.

Here's to tomorrow!

Bows in Baja Breeze and Kiwi Kiss

I've run out of cute things to put in my girls' hair lately--our hair do-dads have slowly dwindled down to a small collection. Wouldn't ya know it, SU ribbon makes fabulous bows! And the Button Bouquet buttons top them off perfectly. Now I need to get all of the colors. My DD wore a cute little autumn outfit today that would have looked great with a Tangerine Tango bow!
To make the bows fuller, I made two three loop bows and stacked them on top of each other. I learned how to make bows just by reading tutorials online. If you have girls and you haven't tried it, give it a whirl! SU ribbon is fabulous, and their rolls are so generous that you can make bows like these with plenty left over for you paper crafting : ).

A Little Christmas in August!

I know it's still summer (and thank goodness it is--we sure waited long enough for it to arrive!) but I wanted to ink up this beautiful "Snow Swirled" set that I got from the new catalog. I'll be offering a class in November to stamp a set of 10.
The first time I saw this set I immediately thought of placing rhinestones in the centers of the snowflakes. I used Chocolate chip cardstock and ribbon, Kiwi Kiss CS, and Riding Hood Red CS. The paper at the top is from the new Holiday Treasures DSP (sooooo gorgeous!). I stamped a snowflake in the lower right corner of the Kiwi Kiss layer using Versamark ink. The tree and sentiment are stamped using Whisper White craft ink.

Like a Kid in a Candy Store!

Last night I was lucky enough to get to craft at my friend Ana's house. She works for CK Media and is a big crafter, so she is a girl after my own heart. She is also totally hilarious. She's great. She also gets free product sent to her from every paper crafting manufacturer imaginable, so being creative in her craft room was a total blast. There was so much to choose from it almost made it impossible to make a decision. I think the gals got a good laugh over watching me change my mind 20 times just to make one card. Since I wasn't stamping or using my usual products I was a little out of my element.

Here is my creation:

The paper, the chipboard, and most of the rub-ons are from "Laundry Line" by My Minds Eye. The papers were gorgeous and glittery--I just couldn't resist them! It was fun. Now I have to hang on to this card for a little bit until I'll feel ready to part with it!

Two Challenge Combo

This card was inspired by Kristina's color challenge:

And Taylor's Cupcake Challenge sketch:
I just got the Say it With Scallops stamp set today and immediately thought of using the flowers on this stamp as the "pop" of color on this card. This was a quick one, I really like the way it turned out, especially because I never would have used this color combo all on my own:
I embossed the basic gray layer in clear embossing powder with a stamp from Hero Arts. I popped the center square up on dimensionals, which you can't see in the photo. Then I added some "gems" from my local craft store. Voila!

Upcoming Classes

Here is the schedule of upcoming craft classes I’ll be doing at my house. It’s fun and a great way to great social outlet. You can come during the day (10:00) and bring your kids, or, if you prefer a little time away from the kids, you can come in the evening (7:00) on the dates listed (if you can't make it, I'll assemble the project for you). I cut all of the paper ahead of time, so you just stamp and assemble. I will also provide copies of the instructions for you to keep.

August 29th (Friday)--FREEBIE--I will demonstrate two different stamping techniques, then you choose your favorite and give it a try (on a card that you will be able to keep). Also, Stampin' Up has just released a brand spankin' new catalog full of new stamps, ribbon (several sets are discounted for the premier), papers, punches--it's a great catalog! They also have added a line of vinyl home decor based off of their beautiful stamp designs, and the BIG SHOT die cutting machine. I would love to have you here even if you aren't interested in the catalog! I am hoping to create a group of women who love being creative together more than anything!

September 26th (Friday)--Gift Bags--Did you know that you can make custom gift bags from two 12 x 12 sheets of paper? I took one to a baby shower and it was a big hit (picture below and on my blog)--and you can do it too! It’s easy to make custom bags for birthdays, baby showers, or Christmas. I will take you step by step through the process, then you take your bag home to use for your own gift-giving! I will have a variety of paper and ribbon available for you to choose from.

October—Box of Mini Cards—Create a beautiful box full of matching cards with envelopes. These are perfect for giving as little appreciation gifts to friends, family, teachers, etc. Or keep it for yourself—the cards are the perfect size for a quick thank you or to attach to a present.

Hope to see you there!

Taylor's Cupcake Challenge

I thought Taylor's cupcake Friday card was so cute this week. I loved the sketch and decided to try it out as I was playing with all of my new SU goodies from the awesome new catalog. Here is the sketch she gave us to work with:I just got the new "Flight of the Butterfly" set on Friday. I couldn't wait to ink it up! And the new "In Colors" are so bold and bright that they seemed perfect to pair with the butterflies. Here's what I came up with:
I embossed the butterfly and flower images with clear embossing powder. I popped the butterfly wings up on dimensionals. The little flower in the center is from the same set. I used the "Sweet Celebrations" set to create the words around the flower (using white craft ink). I also paper peirced the brown and orange layers around the flower. The brown polka dot paper is from the brand new "Bella Rose" DSP. Thanks for the challenge Taylor! It was fun!

Custom Made Gift Bag

I had a baby shower to go to the other day and no wrap or bag to put the gift in, so I decided to make my own bag following the tutorial posted here at the "Inking Addicts" blog. It was so fun! I went through my stash of old scrapbook paper and found the perfect thing to use. This paper is covered in the word "daughter" in every language imaginable. I decided to fold over the top and added a cardstock flap. Then I used my Crop-a-Dial to punch holes for the ribbon and added some jumbo eyelets. Chocolate Chip ribbon finished off the whole project.

Did you notice the cupcake bouquet in the background? I helped plan two baby showers this week and made a cupcake bouquet for each one. Both moms used brown as one of their colors--paired with light green for one mom and light blue for the other. I was excited to have the chance to try making the bouquet ever since I had seen it demonstrated at a church enrichement night. Here's a closer picture of the bouquet:
I painted the pot and stamped it with brown craft ink (I don't know what brand) and Whisper White Craft ink. The stamp set was one of the $1 sets from Michaels. I love the little baby face and teddy bear!

Stampin's not just for Cards!

I have been re-doing the decor in my living room this last week, changing the accent color from brick red to lime green. I had this framed piece for quite a few years that used a lot of red and sage green and I wanted to change it up to match the new room. I'm really happy with the results!

I should have taken a "before" picture. I replaced the old background paper with Chocolate Chip and Kiwi Kiss colored DSP from the Bella Rose DSP pack. Then I used the "Priceless" stamp set and Close to Cocoa ink to stamp the corners. I added some prima flowers with brads in the centers (I had to cut the prongs off). For the other corners I embossed the butterfly from the "Dreams Du Jour" stamp set. I also put some rhinestones on, but I haven't decided if I like them yet. What do you think? Here are some detail shots:

Gift Card Holder

I made this gift card holder the other day for my friend Kari, who is expecting TWINS! I so love the paper with the little airplanes and cars on it--too cute!

Here is the inside of the card:

The dimensions I ended up with were 3 1/2 x 3 1/2. I used Night of Navy cardstock, Bella Rose DSP (the green with white dots), and white taffeta ribbon. I also used some Doodlebug rub-ons to put her name on the front and the card amount on the inside.

This week is her baby shower (and another for my neighbor, Stacey). I'm excited to do a cupcake bouquet for each of the showers. I've seen it done, but this will be my first try. I've painted and stamped a pot to use too, so I'll post on here afterwards so you can see how it turns out!

Kristina Werner Color Challenge

This one was a fun one, although I didn't start out thinking it would be! Here are the colors we had to work with--a stretch from what I would normally choose.

It all came together for me when I remembered the Thickers that I bought at Hobby Lobby last week. I decided to emboss the butterflies from the new Dreams Du Jour set (available August 11th) to bring in the other colors.
Cardstock: Basic Black, Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red, Summer Sun Ribbon: Pumpkin Pie Striped Grosgrain Stamps: Short and Sweet, Dreams Du Jour Ink: Whisper White Craft, Basic Black

Set From the Brand New Catalog!

The new catalog is totally amazing and starts August 11th--I can't wait! I'll be having a free make-and-take/catalog unveiling celebration here at my house. It'll be lots of fun. Here is a card I made with one of the sets I was able to pre-order. It's called "Dreams Du Jour" and it is such a beautiful set. I chose to use the "chalkboard" technique on this card. I stamped the image in white craft ink on Chocolate Chip cardstock and then rubbed chalks onto the white ink to create the color.

I did the butterflies and the central image with this same technique. Then I covered each with a coating of Crystal Effects to give them some shine. I added a little sticky rhinestone in the center. Do you like the scalloped edge? It was made using the brand new scalloped edge punch from the new catalog (it is fabulous and super quick!)

The card background is made using the brand new In Colors and Bella Rose DSP. Cardstock: Tangerine Tango, Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Pacific Point DSP: Bella Rose Ribbon: White taffeta

Yay For Twins!

My great friend Kari is expecting twins. Here's her shower announcement--hope she likes it! Love ya, Kari!

SU Convention Fun

I was able to spend the morning yesterday up at convention with my upline and former roomie Dannie. It was so fun. I cannot believe the number of people. And everyone was as excited about the new catalog as I was. We had a great time looking at it--I have a list of everything I want to order when August 11th arrives! Here are a few things I want to get that are new:

*Scalloped square punch

*Stamp set that coordinates with the scalloped square punch

*1 1/4 inch grosgrain ribbon

*Filligree brads

*Button boquet (a collection of cute buttons in the new In Colors)

*DSP--the new papers are absolutely gorgeous!

*Vanilla Hodge Podge Hardware

*Mini Library Clips

You are all going to love the new catalog! The first thing we did was go to the Momento Mall. We got to check out with THE Kristina Werner. It was fun seeing her in person. She's super talented and her blog is awesome. I got this camera case. The colors and everything come from one of the new Designer Papers:

Isn't it cute? They also had a matching supply tote. But, I resisted!

After Momento Mall we sat down to swap cards and check out the new catalog. Then we browsed the display boards. Here are some of the beautiful things on display:

Then we took off and hit some craft stores. We went to 5 different stores by the time the day was over! In the afternoon we got to tour the Stampin' Up facilty. Throughout the building there were some beautiful projects on display, many of which I have seen in past publications:

Sorry it's sideways! I'm too lazy to edit it right now!

Do you see the frogs in the boquet? Sooooo Cute!

There is a little museum in the facility that shows some history of the company. Then it has rooms that showcase the uses of the products. Great home decor ideas! This one was done with the Dots are Hot stamp set. I've gotta try it!

And this:

And this:

It was a great day! I am inspired! I hope you feel it too!

Faux Metal--So Cool!

I tried the faux metal technique that was demonstrated on SU!s demonstrator website. It was so fun! This was my first try at embossing--I just got my heat tool and embossing powder this morning.

My color combo was inspired by the new Simply Sent kit "Flower Power" which will be available in the new catalog coming out August 11th. This stamp set will be in it too. It's called "Dreams Du Jour" and I love, love, love it!

Cardstock: Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Perfect Plum, Kiwi Kiss DSP: Bella Rose

I would love to teach you how to create this faux metal effect. Just contact me!

Sympathy Card

This is a sympathy card that I made to send off to someone. I actually have never done a sympathy card before. I was excited to use my new "Birds Galore" set by Inkadinkado. I LOVE it. It is a stamp set that I had seen used and just HAD to have it! I'm so glad I got it because it is so versatile in it's uses.
My favorite stamping product lately is the Versamark pad. Sooooo awesome! I used the Versamark pad along with a background stamp to create the flowered background on the card. I love that the Versamark pad can create this "tone on tone" look. It saves me from having to have ink in every single color!
For the main image, I stamped it three times. Twice in Close to Cocoa, and once in PTI's Spring Moss. I cut out several of the Spring Moss leaves and adhered them to the image. I cut the bird out and popped him up on dimensionals.
Cardstock: Kraft, Aqua Mist, Close to Cocoa, Whisper White Paper: PTI's Everyday Blessings Ink: Close to Cocoa, Spring Moss Ribbon: PTI's Spring Moss satin ribbon Stamps: Birds Galore (Inkadinkado) and PTI's Mixed Messages

I Think I May Have Found My Mojo!

I have just been so busy this summer and have really let my passion for stamping slide. I think sometimes that is a good thing though, then I can start again with renewed enthusiasm. The brand-spanking-new Stampin Up catalog is coming out August 11th, and demonstrators are allowed to pre-order certain items. I'm totally excited to be meeting my upline and old roomie, Dannie, up at Convention next Wednesday! Yay! We'll get to spend some time together, shop, go out to eat--what could be better? Even though I'm not an actual attendee at Convention, I will still be swapping a tiny bit. Here is the card I made with all of my new goodies!

All of these items will be available in the new catalog, along with many, many more! I can't wait!

Cardstock: Close to Cocoa, Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White DSP: Bella Rose (the rose at the top of the card is cut from this paper and covered in Crystal Effects and Dazzling Diamonds glitter) Ribbon: Chocolate Chip grosgrain Stamps: Heard From the Heart Punches: 3/4" Circle punch