Encre, papier, ciseaux

Fresh Vintage Hi

*featuring the retiring three-way flower punch and Cutting kit*

 

This card was copied from a cute sample I spotted in an issue of the Stampin' Success magazine (a monthly magazine offered by SU! to demonstrators). The stamp set and papers are from the already retired SAB selection, but the card does showcases the soon-to-be-retired three-way punch, so I thought I'd share.

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Fresh Vintage
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Soft Suede
Designer paper: Everyday Enchantment
Inks: Pool Party, Lucky Limeade, Soft Suede
Accessories: Everyday Enchantment brad and ribbon, Distressing tool (Cutting Kit),
Pearl Basic Jewels, Soft Suede Marker, Spritzer tool, Vanilla envelope,
Three-way punch, Sponge

 

À la Warhol

*featuring retiring Happiest Birthday Wishes (hostess) set, paper piercer and mat pack*

 

Today I am sharing a card we made at my April Club meeting. It showcases the Summer Smooches DSP and its matching stamp set, Bright Blossoms. I showed my club members the Andy Warhol technique, which works perfectly with this modern and colorful suite of products.

Those products are all coming back in the new catalogue, so if you didn't purchase them in April, you can do so starting June 1st. The set used for the sentiment is retiring, though. This image comes from the Happiest Birthday Wishes hostess set. Grab it while you can!

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Bright Blossoms, Voeux multiples (Happiest Birthday Wishes)
Cardstock: Lucky Limeade, Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Rich Razzleberry
Designer paper: Summer Smooch
Inks: Versamark
Accessories: Scallop Edge punch, Daffodil Delight seam binding, paper piercer and mat pack,
Brights Designer buttons, Circle punch, Scallop Circle punch, embossing powders (Melon Mambo,
Tango Tangerine, Navy), White envelope

 

Fabric Butterfly

*featuring retiring Flight of the Butterfly set, Finial Press embossing folder, Basic Grey satin ribbon, adhesive sheets, fine glitter, Pear Pizzazz*

 

I made this card a while ago, while the Occasions mini was still running. I just couldn't get happy about this one so it never got posted, but one thing I learned over the years is that my favorite cards are not necessarily other people's favorite, and the ones I'd rather push to the back of the pile might appeal to others. I should note that the Twitterpated DSP, the Edgelits and embossing folder will all be making a comeback in the upcoming catalogue, so if you like those items, you'll be able to purchase them again starting June 1st.

The original idea behind this card was to use a Bigz die to create a fabric-covered shape, and that's how the butterfly was born. I used a piece of Big Shot adhesive sheet to glue a square of fabric over a square of chipboard and then I ran everything through the Big Shot using the Butterfly die. I then added pleated satin ribbon in the center and pearls on each side.

To create the background, I cut and embossed the side of the patterned paper using the Edgelits and matching embossing folder, then added tiny pink rhinestones that were sold in the die-cut flower kit in the Occasions mini. I then layered a piece of Baja Breeze cardstock dry embossed with the Finial Press embossing folder and glued a piece of adhesive sheet that was die-cut with the Lattice die on it and covered it with fine Celery glitter. I used the big pink rhinestones to decorate the lattice.

On the left edge, I layered two ribbons (Baja Breeze stitched grosgrain and Basic Grey satin) on top of a piece of white waffle paper, then added more pink rhinestones.

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Sur les ailes d'un papillon
Cardstock: Pear Pizzazz, Baja Breeze
Designer paper: Twitterpated
Inks: Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz
Accessories: Fine celery glitter, Adhesive sheets, Lattice die, White envelope,
Basic Grey satin ribbon, Baja Breeze stitched grosgrain ribbon, White waffle paper,
Pink rhinestones, Twitterpated Designer fabric, Chipboard, Butterfly die,
Blushing Bride pleated satin ribbon, Edgelits and embossing folder

 

Ornate Blossoms Trishutter

*featuring retiring Notably Ornate set, satin ribbon, rhinestone brads, Ovals die and Berry Blossoms DSP*

One of the projects we made at my last Club meeting was a trishutter card. I used one of my favorite paper pack from the current catalogue, Berry Blossoms DSP. I think the color combo is just yummy! And they are all colors that are staying for another year, so if you want to stock up on this paper before it retires, we'll still carry the cardstock and accessories to go with it.

The trishutter card is really easy, especially now that we carry the Simply Scored to help with the scoring. I found a template for it on my upline Marlayne's blog.

 

Tip: Print the template to keep as a reference. Create your card base, then take the measurements of each panel on your card base, then write them on the template to keep as a future reference so you do not have to measure every single time. You'll notice that some of the blocks are the same size, so I used numbers on the template as a reference to know which measurements went in which block.

 

The oval sentiment from the Notably Ornate set fit in the Designer Frames embossing folder perfectly, so I paired them together on the front of the card. As a reminder, you can use the Ovals die to die-cut your cardstock before embossing it, for a perfect match. (And a second reminder, this die is retiring in a week, so get it while you can!) The "happy birthday" wishes comes from the Little Princess set. A clear rhinestone brad was added underneath to decorate and fill in the empty space.

I used white satin ribbon on the left edge to lighten the card and glued the handcut bird with Dimensionals over it. The journaling block from the set was exactly the right width to fit in the middle panel and a great way to add a little bit of writing inside the card.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Notably Ornate, Petite princesse (Little Princess)
Cardstock: Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White
Designer paper: Berry Blossoms
Inks: Wisteria Wonder, Early Espresso, Calypso Coral
Accessories: Clear rhinestone brad, White satin ribbon, Wide Oval punch, Ovals die,
Designer Frames embossing folder, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

A Little Peek: Colorful Pinwheels

*featuring retiring Under the Big Top DSP, Crimper and Merry Medley On Board chipboard*

 

Today's card features a mix of old and new. I received one of the new catalogue hostess set which happens to include a pinwheel image and it reminded me of one of the papers from the Under the Big Top DSP pack, so I thought it would be nice to pair them together. I also remembered the Merry Medley chipboard pack which I still have a lot of pieces left from, so I picked a chipboard tag for the main block, traced it on Whisper White cardstock and handcut it. Then, I stamped and colored my images before gluing it on the chipboard tag.

The image from the set is actually just one pinwheel with the sentiment underneath. So I stamped the image once inking it with the Basic Black pad, washed it, dried it thoroughly (this part is really important if you don't want a ghost image on your cardstock), then inked the pinwheel image with a black marker, omitting the sentiment and, using my Stamp-a-Ma-Jig, I added the second and third pinwheels. I used markers to color the images for a bold look that matched the papers.

To mirror the sketch, I used the Scallop Ribbon punch to mat my striped paper, but I ran the punched pieces through the crimper to add texture and dimension before gluing them in place with sticky strip (which holds better on the crimped texture). I like the interest it adds to this straightforward piece.

I didn't want to take away from the main image and patterned paper, so I kept the background simple by using white cardstock and running it through the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder.

Finally, I looked at ribbons to thread on the tag. I started with Daffodil Delight grosgrain ribbon, which will be retiring, but it was getting lost on the yellow stripes, so I decided to use red ribbon instead. The red gingham ribbon is from SU! but it has been retired for a few years now. I still have a few inches left to spare on my roll and I thought it matched the fun, flirty look of the card, so I went for it.

The original sketch had a button on the tag, but I couldn't make it work - it just looked too crowded, so I migrated the button to the bottom of my card instead, and threaded with a tiny piece of black cardstock.

 

 

 

 

Inspiration: Try Stamping on Tuesday sketch #67

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Quelle chance (hostess)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise
Designer paper: Under the Big Top
Inks: Basic Black
Accessories: White envelope, Markers, Scallop Ribbon punch, Crimper,
Merry Medley On Board chipboard, Red gingham ribbon,
Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Brights Designer button

 

Through the Windowpane

*featuring retiring Clearly for You set, Paisley Petals DSP, satin ribbon, On Board Merry Medley chipboard, Craft ink, 3/8 brads, Windowpanes, Ticket Corner punch*

 

This card is a mish mash of retiring products. I wanted to use one of the windowpanes so I looked through my stamps and selected Clearly for You to go with it. Then I looked through my papers for something suitable to go with that set and picked the Paisley Petals papers.

The main image was copied from a project we did at Leadership a couple of years ago. It was an insert for a necklace, but it works perfectly for a card, too. The background was stamped and sponged and although it is hard to tell in the picture, some of the details were highlighted with Champagne Mist shimmer paint. The little sentiment on the punched tag is a peek of an upcoming hostess set in the new catalogue.

The tag behind the windowpane is a chipboard tag from the Merry Medley On Board chipboard set. I covered it with Marina Mist Craft ink and then stamped an image from the same set in Not Quite Navy, then embossed those images with clear powder, and threaded the tag with satin ribbon.

The windowpane was held in place with Vanilla seam binding and I added 3/8 brads on each side. I used the retiring Ticket Corner punch on the Designer paper and added brads in each corner. The bottom of the burgundy paper was stitched using needlework floss. The background paper was embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots folder and I inked the edges of all of the papers and cardstock with River Rock ink.

Finally, I made a matching envelope out of a sheet of Designer paper from the same pack.

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Clearly for You, Quelle chance (hostess)
Cardstock: Marina Mist, Very Vanilla
Designer paper: Paisley Prints
Inks: Marina Mist, Not Quite Navy, River Rock, Basic Black
Accessories: Jewelry Tag punch, Pearls basic jewels, sponge, Champagne Mist shimmer paint,
Windowpane, 3/8 brads, Regals brads, embroidery floss (DMC), paper piercer and piercing mat,
Victoria lace trim, River Rock marker, Envelope template, Perfect Polka Dot embossing folder,
Certainly Celery satin ribbon, Very Vanilla seam binding, Ticket Corner punch,
Merry Medley On Board chipboard

 

Oh Chute!

This card is a fun one, because it moves! (Which you can't unfortunately tell from the picture.) I used the spinner card principle, but instead of making a track, I just punched a hole and the bunny gently sways from side to side when you move the card, as if he was being gently carried by the wind.

I kept the whole thing relatively simple. I used some cloud paper for the background and stamped my sentiment directly on it. I cut some grass from a piece of green patterned paper using the Grass CutUp die and added a piece of Wisteria Wonder ruffled ribbon. The parachute was covered with a bit of Stickles to add shimmer.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Oh Chute (The Cat's Pajamas)
Cardstock: Bazzill (coral, green), Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Concord Crush
Designer paper: Echo Park
Accessories: Grass CutUp die, Wisteria Wonder ribbon, Stickles,
markers, pennies, Dimensionals, white envelope

 

Wicked Cool Wishes

*Featuring the retiring Frightful Sight DSP, satin ribbon, rhinestone brad, Pinking Hearts border punch, Pear Pizzazz seam binding*

 

I am sharing another out of season card today, but knowing that Wicked Cool wasn't retired, I got it with hostess benefits on my latest order and I wanted to ink it up. I also have the retired Frightful Sight papers that I wanted to put to good use, hence the card you see today.

While this card uses retiring papers and ribbon, it also showcases some new products! If you look at my sentiment at the bottom, it was white-embossed on Rich Razzleberry cardstock using the new Bitty Banners set and cut using the matching Framelits. I can already tell this is a new item I am going to get a lot of mileage out of. I held the sentiment in place with a purple rhinestone brad.

The main panel was also created using two new Framelits from the Apothecary Frames set. I added white brads on the bottom label and I handstitched the outside of the top one using black embroidery thread. I then added the hat image from the Wicked Cool set, embossed in black and colored with markers.

The whole design was inspired by the iSpy sketch #16 and to mimick the rounded panel, I used the largest Framelits from the Apothecary Frames set and I slipped the paper in so that only the top part would be under the cutting edge of the Framelits. That allowed me to cut only the top part of the part and not the bottom. I then stamped the cobwebs and embossed them with white powder so that they would pop up on the paper, and I added Dazzling Details to make them sparkly.

I used the adorable boots from the stamp set, embossed them in black, colored the striped socks with markers and added them to the card, then I hid the seam with a strip of Brushed Silver cardstock punched with the retiring Pinking Hearts border punch.

As a last minute addition, I grabbed one of the hat pins sold in the previous minicatalogue, tied a piece of Pear Pizzazz seam binding on top and added a Cajun Craze button from the Regals kit held in place with black embroidery thread. A matching envelope was made out of Designer paper using the Simply Scored and Diagonal plate.

 

 

 

Inspiration: iSpy sketch #16

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Wicked Cool, Bannières Bitty (Bitty Banners)
Cardstock: Going Grey, Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, Brushed Silver
Designer paper: Frightful Sight
Inks: Versamark
Big Shot: Apothecary Frames Framelits, Bitty Banners Framelits
Accessories: Embossing powder (White, Black), Rhinestones, Black embroidery thread (DMC),
Dazzling Details, Markers, Stampin' Dimensionals, Pinking Hearts border punch,
Simply Scored and Diagonal plate, Rhinestone brad, Neutrals brads, Pear Pizzazz seam binding,
Hat pin, Regals Designer buttons, Rich Razzleberry satin ribbon

 

June Tour de Freaks - And it's gone, going, gone!

 

Psst... If you are reading this post on the 19th, please note that we are getting the tour ready and testing the links to make sure everything is working. The official tour begins on the 20th, so if you cannot make the whole round tonight, hang in there with us!

   

Welcome to our June Tour de Freaks! This tour is brought to you by the Control Freaks Stampers members and if you have been following the tour, you should have gotten to my blog by clicking on the link provided by Gretchen Barron on her blog. If you are just starting out, make sure to visit all twelve blogs that are part of the tour today by following the links provided at the bottom of each post. Our theme this month is the retirement list! With the end of the catalogue fast approaching, it's a great opportunity to showcase the wonderful items that will be taking their final bow in the upcoming weeks.

So without further ado, here are the fun projects I would like to share with you this month!

 

 

My first project: Trendy Trees Trifold

Retiring items: Trendy Trees set, You're a Gem set, Peach Passion, Pear Pizzazz, Blushing Bride, satin ribbon, Pinking Hearts border punch

Technique: The card is a Cami Trifold (you can find a tutorial for it on Splitcoast Stampers, in the Resources section). The tree image was covered with Dazzling Diamonds glitter. To do so, I stamped and punched the image, then I punched the same form out of a Big Shot adhesive sheet, glued it over the image, peeled the backing off and added the glitter.

 

 

 

Color Combo: Pear Pizzazz + Pool Party + Peach Passion +
So Saffron + Blushing Bride

 

Supplies
Stamps: Trendy Trees, Mon trésor (You're a Gem)
Cardstock: Peach Passion, So Saffron, Whisper White
Designer paper: Blushing Bride, Pool Party
Inks: Pool Party, Pear Pizzazz, Peach Passion
Punches: Modern Label, Circles, Scallop Circle, PInking Hearts border
Accessories: Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Big Shot adhesive sheets, Rhnestones,
Certainly Celery satin ribbon

 

 

 

My second project: Live Passionately

Retiring items: Notably Ornate set, Ornate Blossom stamp, Inspired by Nature set, Berry Blossoms DSP, Satin ribbon, Rhinestone brads, Stampin' Pastels, Eyelet Border punch

Technique: Poppin' Pastels, baker's twine lolly flower

Tip: The leaves of the flower were made with the center part of the Lattice die.

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Inspired by Nature, Ornate Blossom, Notably Ornate
Cardstock: Whisper White, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limade, Early Espresso
Designer paper: Berry Blossoms
Inks: Early Espresso, Wisteria Wonder, Concord Crush
Accessories: 3 in. and 3-1/2 in. Circle dies, Clear rhinestone brads, Stampin' Pastels,
Certainly Celery satin ribbon, In Color polka dot brads, Wisteria Wonder baker's twine,
Circle punch, Big Shot adhesive sheet, Lattice die, Eyelet Border punch, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Designer Frames embossing folder, Ovals die, Wide Oval punch, Marker, Large pearls

 

 

My third project: Five Things I {Heart}

Retiring items: Just Eat Cake DSP, Adhesive sheets, Fine glitter, Varsity Numbers, Calendar Alphabet & Numbers set, Timeless Type alphabet dies, Empire Alphabet (Upper and Lower) sets, Simple Numbers die, Poppy Parade, Blushing Bride

Technique: I used a die to cut the adhesive sheet and then covered the sticky die-cut I created with fine glitter.

Tip: Use the peekaboo frames die on a scrapbook page to hide pictures or journaling.

 

  

 

Supplies
Stamps: Varsity Numbers, Number It, Calendar Alphabet & Numbers, Circle Circus,
Empire Alphabet Upper and Lower
Cardstock: So Saffron, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White, Blushing Bride, Basic Black, Peach Passion
Designer paper: Just Eat Cake
Inks: Wild Wasabi, So Saffron, Poppy Parade, Baja Breeze, Peach Parfait
Big Shot: Peekaboo Frames die, Tasteful Trims die, Timeless Type Alphabet dies,
Scallop Squares die, 3-1/2 in. Circle die, Simple Numbers die
Accessories: Adhesive sheet, fine gold glitter, Poppy Parade ribbon, Circle punch, Markers,
Stamp-a-Ma-Jig, Corner Rounder punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Blossom punch, Chipboard

 

 

 

My fourth project: Hope Your Birthday Rocks!

Retiring items: Grunge Rock set, On Your Birthday set, Confetti White cardstock

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Grunge Rock, Pour ton anniversaire (On Your Birthday)
Cardstock: Confetti White
Inks: Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Lucky Limeade, Pacific Point, Tempting Turquoise
Accessories: Lucky Limeade baker's twine, Rhinestones

 

 

And now onto your next step on the tour, with Patty Bennett's wonderful creations!

 

Wisteria Bird

*Featuring the retiring Notably Ornate and Thank You Kindly sets*

I needed some thank you gifts, so I bought chocolate and made some packaging for it. I looked through my stash of papers and found those, which were a really nice match to our Wisteria Wonder cardstock. It just so happened that I had a Pewter-embossed frame from the Notably Ornate set that I hadn't used for another project lying on my desk, so it inspired the design.

I will miss that set when it retires!

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Déco noble (Notably ornate), Tous mes remerciements (Thank You Kindly)
Cardstock: Wisteria Wonder, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip
Patterned paper: All that Scraps
Punches: Designer Label, Scallop Trim, Large Oval, Scallop Oval, Jewelry Tag
Accessories: Pearls, Wisteria Wonder ribbon, Wisteria Wonder baker's twine, buttons,
Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware, Stampin' Dimensionals, Pewter embossing powder

 

Halloween at the Office

I made this page a couple of weeks ago when I printed a new batch of pictures. These pictures were taken at the office one year when the people from my department all decided at the last minute that we would dress up for Halloween. It was decided during the week, so we didn't have much time to get ready. I looked through my wardrobe to find ideas and found that I still had my sister's medieval dress with me.

The page was inspired by a Page Map sketch and came together pretty quickly because I used coordonated papers and some Halloween chipboard I had (the stars, the heart on the owl and the banners). The "boo," "eek," and the witch are black glittery foam stickers from Making Memories. The sparkly letters, silver sparkly stars and smaller silver letters are also Making Memories stickers.

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Patterned papers: Bo Bunny
Stickers: Making Memories
Clear Crackled Paint: Ranger
Marker: Stampin' Up! (Basic Black)
Ribbon: Basic Grey
Chipboard: Bo Bunny
Stamps: Calendar Alphabet & Numbers
Ink: Stampin' Up! (Cajun Craze)
Eyelets: Unknown

 

A Treat for my Sweet!

*featuring the retiring Poppy Parade cardstock and ink*

This project was inspired by a sample shown in the Stampin' Success (the monthly magazine demonstrators receive). Most of the supplies on it are from the Occasions mini and are not available anymore, but if you have purchased those items, it can give you an idea on how to use them.

The cute pocket was die-cut with a Bigz die, and I added a doily die-cut at the top, then a piece of pleated satin ribbon and a sentiment from the P.S. Je t'aime set.

The colors are Poppy Parade and Coral Calypso. Don't they look great together? Poppy Parade will be leaving at the end of the month, so don't forget to stock up on cardstock before it leaves.

As you can see, I used one of our Framelits to create an opening at the front of the envelope, before assembling it. I glued a piece of window sheet inside to keep the candy contained but visible.

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: P.S. Je t'aime
Cardstock: Poppy Parade, Very Vanilla, Calypso Coral
Ink: Poppy Parade
Accessories: Paper Doily die, Mini pocket die, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Blushing Bride pleated satin ribbon, Window sheet, Framelits dies

 

Retirement List 2012: A Retrospective

Are you really sure you don't need any of those retiring sets? Really, really sure?

  

Trendy Trees

  

  

Many Mustaches

 

  

 

Grunge Rock / Extreme Elements

  

  

 Serene Snowflakes

 

  

Alphabets (Spencerian, Empire, Sweet Shoppe, ...)

 

  

 Ornate Blossom

 

  

Contempo Christmas

 

  

Something for Christmas

 

 

Holiday Happiness

  

  

Simple Snowflake and Snowflake punch

  

  

Tiny Teacup

  

  

Snowflakes dies 

 

 

Le chapiteau

 

  

Vintage Vogue

 

 

 Backgrounds
(Medallion, Dot Dot Dot, A to Z, Simple Stripes)

 

 

  

Florious & Free

 

 

Welcome Christmas

 

 

2011-2012 Hostess Sets

 

 

 

All in the Family

 

 

Notably Ornate

 

 

Funky Four

 

 

Inspired by Nature

 

 

Big Shot dies
(Movers & Shakers, Letterpress plates, Leaves, alphabets,
Finial Press folder, Texturz plates)

 

 

 

Tree Trimmings

 

 

Flight of the Butterfly

 

 

Tote-ally Tess

 

 

Oval All

 

 

Fox & Friends

 

 

I [Heart] Hearts

 

 

Haunting Hill

 

Winter Post

 

 

Bouquet of Sunshine

*Featuring retiring hostess set Array of Sunshine, DSP Pocketful of Posies, Subtles glimmer brads, rhinestone brads, Poppy Parade*

I had big plans of sharing lots of samples made with retiring sets with you this month, but it seems like time is running away from me lately. When I finally had a few minutes to spare, I grabbed one of my favorite retiring hostess set and made this card, inspired by the iSpy sketch #14.

I will admit: I sometimes feel like there's been way too many flowers in my SU! career, but once in a while, a new flower set will still catch my eye... I immediately spotted this one (Array of Sunshine) in the new catalogue when it came out because its Art Deco flair appealed to me. I paired them with the Pocketful of Posies Designer papers and the "mother" stamp from the now retired Êtres chers (which was sold in the Occasions mini). I stamped, handcut and layered the flowers and greenery to create a bouquet, then I added Dazzling Details on parts of the designs. LOVE the sparkly touch! I used purple glimmer brads in the center of the Razzleberry flowers. (Note that the glimmer brads are NOT ALL retiring, but the Subtles pack is.) I also added a Daffodil Delight button (from the Brights pack) in the center of the main flower. To get depth on that flower, I rock 'n rolled the stamp in More Mustard ink before stamping it, and I also stamped the center part in More Mustard, to get a multicolor flower.

The sentiment was stamped in Craft ink (which is retiring, so get it while you can!) on vellum and embossed with clear powder. I added a punched flower (from the Bitty punch pack) with a pearl in the center over the flower stemming from the word. Two strips of patterned paper were added underneath and each strip was held in place with something different: two rhinestone brads (retiring), a button brad from the Vintage trinkets pack, and a clear bitty button.

Don't forget that you can stamp your patterned paper to get a different look! Here, I added a red flower multiple times over the Poppy Parade paper. And finally, when I added my panel to the card base, I decided to glue it off-center to create an asymetrical look. I like the finishing touch it gives the card!

The envelope was created with a sheet of patterned paper and the Diagonal plate (Simply Scored). Great way to put all that paper you have hoarded collected throughout the years to good use!

Hope this card inspires you to let your own creativity bloom!

   

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Array of Sunshine, Êtres chers
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, Vellum
Designer papers: Pocketful of Posies
Inks: Rich Razzleberry, More Mustard, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzazz,
Old Olive, Poppy Parade, Baja Breeze
Accessories: Simply Scored and Diagonal plate, Glimmerb brads, Dazzling Details,
Vintage trinkets, Bitty button, Rhinestone brads, Bitty punch, Pearls, Brights button,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Clear embossing powder

 

Magical Day

This card was inspired by TCP challenge #209: M is for.... Magic! I hadn't inked my Presto! set yet, so I pulled it out and paired it with some leftover papers I had from a scrapbook page (which I will share later) on my work desk. 

I really like how this one turned out. And to think those papers are from a Halloween collection! If you forego the owls and other creepy-crawlies, the paper can work for a generic theme like a birthday. I really like the mix of Bashful Blue and Cajun Craze. Not colours I would have thought to pair, but they work!

I had to create my own handwritten and handstamped sentiment because I didn't have what I wanted already available. It translates to "Hope you have a magical day!" I used a sparkly gel pen to add detailing on the papers (pennant string, etc.).

 

 

 

 
Color Combo: Bashful Blue + Cajun Craze + Basic Grey + Basic Black

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Presto (The Cat's Pajamas), Calendar Alphabet & Numbers (SU!)
Cardstock: Dusty Durango
Patterned paper: Bo Bunny
Inks: Basic Black, Cajun Craze
Accessories: Eyelets, blue gingham ribbon, sparkly gel pen, markers, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Circle punches, decorative scissors, brads

 

Hola, Hombre!

*featuring the retiring set Voeux multiples (hostess)*

This card was inspired by TCP challenge #208. The colors (red + gold + lime green) just begged to be paired with Hola Tequila. The design was inspired by a PaperCrafts sketch, which I used once to make a card I can't share yet because I submitted it for publication and a second time on this card.

The sentiment comes from the Voeux multiples hostess set, which will be retired at the end of the month. I stamped it in Versamark and embossed it with black powder to make it stand out.

I used Stickles on the sand and on some of the polka dots on the red paper, and on the border dots. I added hand-stitches using needework floss around my red and green patterned papers, and added brads on the green stitching as well.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Hola Tequila (The Cat's Pajamas), Voeux multiples (SU!)
Patterned papers: October Afternoon, Bo Bunny
Inks: Tuxedo Black (Memento), VersaMark, Cherry Cobbler, Lucky Limeade (SU!)
Accessories: Needlework floss (DMC), brads, Stickles, markers, black embossing powder,
white envelope, Circle punches, Brights glimmer brad, button, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

Three Times Thanks!

*featuring the retiring sets Funky Four, With All My Heart and Flight of the Butterfly*

I needed some thank you cards, so I pulled out the beautiful hostess DSP pack and made three different card designs using the Funky Four, With All my Heart and Flight of the Butterfly sets. The sentiment is from the Curly Cute set, which will be staying.

The mushrooms are all part of a same image, so I used markers to color them in different hues. I then matted the images using the Scallop Ribbon punch, added a rhinestone on one of the mushrooms, tied a piece of Bashful Blue grosgrain ribbon (also retiring) and added my punched sentiment with dimensionals.

The second card is very similar, except that I stamped the flower from the Funky Four set repeatedly in four different colours, then added matching brads in the center.

For the third card, I stamped the butterfly and punched it out with the matching punch (which is retiring). I then stamped and punched the flower from the With All my Heart set (Concord Crush ink on Wisteria Wonder cardstock), matted the flower with a circle punched with the 2-1/2 in. Circle punch and added rhinestones between the petals. I added some Dazzling Details on the wings of the butterfly to finish it off.

I made matching envelopes using the Simply Scored and the Diagonal plate, then punched a piece of paper with the Curly Label punch to add the name of the person on the envelope.

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Flight of the Butterfly, With All my Heart, Jolies pensées (Curly Cute), Funky Four
Cardstock: Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White, Bashful Blue
Designer paper: Hostess DSP pack
Punches: Flower, Large Oval, 2-1/2 Circle, Scallop Ribbon, Butterfly
Accessories: Markers, Rhinestones, ribbons (Bashful Blue satin and grosgrain),
Stampin' Dimensionals, Brads, Simply Scored and Diagonal Plate, Dazzling Details

 

Cute Spooks

Can a Halloween card be cute? 'Cos I think this one is! It makes me smile every time I look at it. It was another try for publication from last year that I forgot to post (hence the out of season post).

The crackled vellum piece was a lucky accident. I had die-cut a piece of vellum using the Top Note die, then I ran it though the Big Shot again using a Houndstooth embossing folder and when I pulled it out of the folder, the vellum started to crack and break! Although I initially thought, "Oh, no...", I then realized that it looked kind of cool and Halloween-y so I decided to go ahead and use it that way!

For the background, I punched a border with the Pinking Hearts punch and added some Champagne glass glitter on a strip of Sticky Strip along the edge of the Rich Razzleberry Designer paper.

The skull and journaling die-cuts were both from a Halloween die-cut set, and I simply added a stamped sentiment on the journaling spot, in Basic Grey ink.

 

 

 

  Color Combo: Peach Passion + Rich Razzleberry + Basic Grey + White

 

Supplies
Stamps: Cosmo Cricket
Designer paper: Brights Designer paper pack (Rich Razzleberry)
Cardstock: Basic Grey, vellum, Bazzill
Accessories: Champagne glass glitter, Houndstooth embossing folder,
Pinking Hearts border punch, Top note die, Halloween die-cuts (Making Memories)

 

Memento Mall

*featuring the retiring Craft inks and rhinestone brads*

This project slept as a project to be finished at the bottom of a craft keeper for a couple of years, probably, before I got around to assembling it. I had pulled the pictures and papers one weekend that I was scrapbooking and started working on the page before I ran out of time, put the supplies away and... pretty much never got around to finishing it! I stumbled unto it when I put some order in my stash of patterned papers.

The pictures were taken at Memento Mall at the Orlando Leadership in 2009, hence the cute stuffed flamingo (I really should have gotten one!). The flower in the top corner is from the retired Pretties kit. I was dyed with ink and I covered the edges with Crystal Effects and then fine red glitter. I wished we would have carried the red Dazzling Details back then, it would have made my job a whole lot easier!! On top of the flower, I used a round piece of chipboard from an old alphabet set. I covered the circle letter with patterned paper and cut the center off with an exacto knife. I then added white embossing powder on the letter itself and placed it back in the chipboard piece. The other letters were all covered with Craft ink (Real Red and Tempting Turquoise) and embossing powder (clear and Iridescent Ice). The brackets were covered with Basic Black Craft ink.

I used some old sticky cuts for the flowers, which I covered with fine glitter in matching colors. I added a crochet flower with a rhinestone brad in the center and handwrote my journaling with a black marker.

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Cardstock: Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise
Inks: Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Basic Black
Designer paper: Pink Flamingo
Accessories: Crochet flower, rhinestone brad, fine glitter, Sweet sticky cuts,
Chipboard letters, Pretties kit (flower), Crystal Effects,
Embossing powder (Clear, Iridescent Ice)

 

Fresh and Sparkly Medallion

*featuring the retiring Medallion background stamp, You're a Gem stamp set, mini library clips, In Color glimmer brads, three-way flower punch, Pear Pizzazz, Blushing Bride, Peach Passion, white square envelopes*

I will admit - I am sad to see the Medallion go. This stamp was a winner - everything we stamped with it was automatically stunning and elegant. I couldn't resist including it on a project for my Simply Scored III class, on an adorable card holder.

We stamped the Medallion in Versamark and embossed it with Iridescent Ice powder, then repeated the same step on a scrap of Pool Party cardstock and punched the center with the 2-3/8 Scallop Circle punch. We then layered a flower made from the three-step flower punch in the center, held in place with a Blushing Bride glimmer brad. The bottom was decorated with a strip of Peach Passion Designer paper (it used to be available as a hostess benefit, but I spotted it in the Clearance Rack) and a piece of pleated satin ribbon.

I had an extra set to demo the project at the class that I hadn't fully assembled, so I decided to turn it into a card afterwards. I used the same pieces, but rotated the design to the side and added a Modern Label punched block with my sentiment (from the retiring You're a Gem set) at the bottom. 

 

Please note: You can find an updated list of the retiring accessories HERE to see what is still available.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Medallion, Mon trésor (You're a Gem)
Cardstock: Blushing Bride, So Saffron, Pear Pizzazz
Designer paper: Peac Passion DSP
Inks: Versamark, Blushing Bride
Accessories: Three-way Flower punch, In Color glimmer brads, 2-3/8 Scallop punch,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Blushing Bride pleated satin ribbon, Corner Rounder punch,
Modern Label punch, Iridescent Ice embossing powder, Rhinestones, white square envelope

 

Queens of Art

*featuring retiring Spencerian Alphabet (Upper and Lower) and Grunge Rock sets, three-way flower punch, adhesive sheets*

This is a page I presented at a home workshop two weeks ago. The guests are avid scrapbookers and I wanted to show them ideas on how to use the fabric on their pages. One flower is a pompom flower, the second one was made with a fabric yoyo and the Tasteful Trims die and the third one uses the retiring adhesive sheets.

That was a fun page to make. The picture is a team picture we took when we all attended the Quebec City Regionals a few years ago (hence the title, which is my team's name).

The papers, fabrics and buttons all come from the Twitterpated line, from the Occasions mini. You'll notice I used the Lattice die at the bottom of the page, decorated the center with buttons and recycled the center pieces to make the leaves on my top flower! Neat, huh?

The title was stamped using the Spencerian Alphabet Upper and Lower sets. So sad to see this one go so fast! Such a beautiful alpha set... I also used the Grunge Rock to add a crown in the center of the title and the "No. 1" at the right of the picture. I rolled the Very Vintage wheel on the side of the cardstock and added two rows of stitching using my unmounted In Stitches wheel as well.

Happy National Scrapbooking Month!

 

 

Inspiration: April Page Map Sketch

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Very Vintage wheel, In Stitches wheel, Spencerian Alphabet Upper,
Spencerian Alphabet Lower
Cardstock: Pear Pizzazz
Designer paper: Twitterpated
Inks: Island Indigo, Pear Pizzazz, Versamark
Big Shot: Framelits, Edgelits, embossing folder, Lattice, Circles die
Accessories: Twitterpated buttons, marker, Twitterpated fabrics, Brights buttons,
Silver embossing powder, Circle punch, Summer Smooches brad, three-way flower punch,
adhesive sheets

 

Inspired Sympathies

*featuring the retiring set Inspired by Nature, twill ribbon, rhinestone brads and 3/16 brads*

This card was inspired by the Create with Mary and Connie color challenge and the Freshly Made sketch #32. I used the soon-to-be-retired Inspired by Nature set. This is one of those sets that make creating a classy card quick and easy. You don't need to do much with it, it already looks great on its own, but then you can use it for a ton of techniques: markers, color-resist, Watercolor pencils on rubber, misting, etc.

Here, I embossed the flowers with clear powder on First Edition DSP and sponged around the embossing using my Peach Passion ink and a bit of Pumpkin Pie ink as well to intensify the color around the flowers.

The sentiment was created with the Petite Pairs set, punched with a circle set, accented with an orange rhinestone brad and matted with the Curly Label punch. I added a piece of twill at the bottom to lighten the card a bit, and matching Vanilla brads on the main panel. I'll miss those brads - they were a great size.

I then created a matching envelope out of a piece of matching paper, using the Diagonal plate and the SImply Scored.

 

Did you know... that the Pewter embossing powder is still available? It was carried over from the Holidays minicatalogue, and I still love to use it all the time!

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Inspiré de la nature (Inspired by Nature), Quelques lignes (Petite Pairs)
Cardstock: Sahara Sand, Night of Navy, Peach Passion
Designer paper: First Edition
Inks: Sahara Sand, Peach Passion, Pumpkin Pie, Versamark
Accessories: Rhinestone brad, Circle punches, Curly Label punch, Simply Scored and Diagonal plate, daubers, embossing powders (Clear and Pewter), brads, twill