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