Encre, papier, ciseaux

Spooky the Crow

There's a friendly competition going on at the office where the different teams in the Accounting department are decorating the office to see which team can do the best job. It's too bad that my team is swamped right, trying to produce the financial statements on time. We still wanted to do a little something so we headed to the Dollar Store a couple of weeks ago during lunch time to try and see what we could find. I gathered a couple of items that I thought I could make something out of, but my most interesting find what the velvet and feather crows that they had.

Remember the fabulous 3D crow that a SU! Concept Artist had dressed in last year's minicatalogue? Well, you might not remember about him, but I never forgot about that idea. I thought it looked so darn beautiful! Obviously, I wasn't the only stamper who liked that idea because I kept seeing crows pop up on blogs, but I was not finding any crows that were to my liking in my area. You can only imagine how excited I got when I spotted this beautiful crow, and at such an affordable price, too! I told my colleagues I was planning on dressing him up and I could see the look of confusion on their faces...

You should have seen their faces when they saw the finished crow the next day. They couldn't believe it was the same bird we had purchased the previous day!

In all fairness, most of the work had been done for me since I copied a great deal straight from the catalogue, but there was still a bit of fidgeting involved, especially due to the fact that Mr. Crow's head is turned a bit. The collar was what took up the most time. I couldn't get it to sit right and kept making adjustments. The hat, on the other hand, took litterally five minutes to do and worked out perfectly on the very first try. I particularly like the pompon at the top.

For the pedestal, I simply decorated a Decor Element cube with patterned paper and created a base out of chipboard using the Scallop Square Clear Bigz die. I added one of the sticky die-cuts from the Pick Your Poison line from last year, and stamped two words from the Spooky Bingo Bits on it repeatedly to create a pattern. The crow's feet had metal wire coming out of it (might to be used to stick the crow on your lawn, I believe), so I cut those out as close to the plastic as I could using pliers and then I used my glue gun to glue the crow to the pedestal.

 

 

 

 

 

 Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Spooky Bingo Bits, Douce douzaine (Delightful Dozen)
Designer ppaper: Pick a Poison, First Edition
Ink: Basic Grey, Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Black rhinestones, Neutrals Designer button, Pewter embossing powder,
Pick a Poison die-cuts, Champagne glimmer paper, Circle punches, Scallop Square Bigz die,
Chipboard, Black lace, Mini jingle bells, Little Labels punch pack, Log Cabin Smooch Spray,
Simply Scored, Linen thread, Glue gun, Crow, Decor Element Cube

 

In Color Pouches

Another thing I included in my team's goodie bags were those cute pocket cards, made with the Little Pouch die and the Big Shot and featuring the 2011-2013 In Colors. They were quick to put together, but I think they turned out so cute! I used the Designer paper from the paper stack and added matching polka dot brads on the flap. I tied baker's twine and inserted a piece of cardstock with the corners rounded up.

Easy-peasy!

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Cardstock: Coral Calypso, Wisteria Wonder
Designer paper: 2011-2013 In Color Designer paper stack
Accessories: In Color polka dot brads, In Color baker's twine,
Little Pouch die, Corner Rounder punch

How to Make Chevrons / Comment créer un motif de chevrons

Some of you asked me how I made the chevron pattern on my Tour de Freaks card, so I thought I would share the pictures I took at the Regionals to show you how it's done.

Voici les étapes à suivre pour créer un motif de chevrons sur un projet.

 

1. Cut a strip of patterned paper or cardstock the width you want your chevron pattern to be. Notch the end of the strip like you would if you were making a banner using the Square punch. Then, move the Square punch slightly to the left and punch the "arrow" shaped created.

Coupez une bande de papier à motifs ou de papier cartonné de la largeur désirée pour vos chevrons. Utilisez la perforatrice Carré en angle pour créer une fente au bas de votre bande de papier, comme lorsque vous créez une bannière. Puis, déplacez la perforatrice Carré vers la gauche et poinçonnez à nouveau pour créer une forme de flèche.

2. Punch your strip repeatedly to create a series of "arrows" (of equal size). Glue those down on a second piece of cardstock or patterned paper, side by side, to create a zigzag pattern.

Perforez votre bande à plusieurs reprises pour créer une série de flèches (toutes de la même taille). Collez ces morceaux en place les unes à côté des autres sur une seconde bande de papier cartonné ou à motifs.

 

3. Create a second zigzag border with another colour of cardstock or patterned paper.

Créez un second motif de zigzag en perforant une autre couleur de papier cartonné ou à motifs.

 

4. Cut off excess paper outside of the chevron pattern using either your paper snips or the Square punch again.

Éliminez l'excédent de papier à l'extérieur du motif de chevrons à l'aide de vos cisailles à papier ou de la perforatrice Carré.

 

SU!'s finished sample

Exemple de Stampin' Up!

 

My sample

Mon échantillon

 

More info about this card and the supplies used can be found HERE.

Vous trouverez de l'information au sujet de cette carte de même que la liste des fournitures utilisées ICI.

Regionals Gift Bags

Last week, SU! was in town for a Regional training event. I was lucky enough to have more than half the team present that day. The team members are spreaded in various areas across Quebec, so it was a real treat to have everyone together that day. I wanted to hand out a little something to all of the members that were present to thank them for being there and taking the time to invest into their business, so I made those little treat bags and filled them with candy. They were a hit!

We all had dinner together after the event and I was reminded once again about everything great that SU! has introduced into my life. Creativity, leadership, friendships, traveling... If I was to leave SU!, I would be giving up so much more than my rebate on products!!! If you have ever thought about maybe signing up and giving being a demonstrator a try, you really should, if only to take a chance and see if it could be a great fit for you. You could be surprised at everything it could bring into your life! Oh, and by the way, a bunch of us are heading to Convention next summer to celebrate SU!'s 25th anniversary! The celebrations are going to be out of this world, so if you sign up now, you could join us - and book a few events until then to pay for your trip! Just think about it...

 

 

Queens of Art team (Dames en art)

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Etruscan Elegance wheel, Quelques lignes (Petite Pairs), Delicate Doilies
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Shimmery White, Certainly Celery, Always Artichoke
Designer paper: Patio Party
Inks: Raspberry Ripple, Certainly Celery. VersaMark
Accessories: Iridescent Ice embossing powder, Circle punch, Large Oval punch, Scallop Oval punch,
Stampin' Dimensionals, clips, Scallop Edge border punch,
Raspberry Ripple satin ribbon, kraft paper bags

 

Little Elf

This is a card that I entered for a publication call earlier this year that did not make it. I still think it's cute and I wanted to share it with you guys.

I added glitter glue to the colored image, and I used Sticky Strip to add clear chunky glitter on each side of the red patterned paper. Said paper already had winter words written on it inside vanilla inserts, so I stamped my Christmas sentiment on a scrap of Vanilla cardstock and added it to the card.

The main image was cut in a circle using my old Coluzzle template and I added our now retired Riding Hood Red pleated satin ribbon around the edge. A bit of Lucky Limeade baker's twine and a button finish the card off.

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Jolis mots, Lily Candy Elf (Pink Cat Studio)
Cardstock: Garden Green, Very Vanilla
Patterned papers: Cosmo Cricket
Ink: Basic Black, Tea Stain
Accessories: Sponge daubers, Clear chunky glitter, Lucky Limeade baker's twine,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Button, Markers, Red Riding Hood pleated satin ribbon,
Circle cutter, Stickles, Vanilla envelope

 

October Tour de Freaks - My Man

 

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 October 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 our Freaky friend Justin Krieger on his 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 For the Men in Our Lives! Here goes... 

 

 

My first project: Hand-Made Chevrons

A masculine touch: When making masculine cards, I try to incorporate graphic patterns, like chevrons and stripes. I select darker colours (Basic Grey, Midnight Muse and Summer Starfruit in this example) and I select no-frills embellishments (buttons, metal ornements, etc.).

This card was inspired by a technique that was shown at the Quebec City Regionals this month: how to make your own chevron pattern using a Square punch.

 

  

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Douce douzaine (Delighful Dozen)
Cardstock: Basic Grey
Designer paper:  2012-2014 In Color Designer Paper Stack
Inks: Basic Grey
Accessories: 1-1/4 Square punch, Midnight Muse ribbon,
Regals Designer buttons, Vintage Trinkets

 

 

My second project: Falling For You

A masculine touch: Nature stamps are a great fit for masculine cards. Distressing (I spritzed my background with the Spritzer tool in this example). Woodgrain (Woodgrain embossing folder in example). Crumpling.

Did you know... Although you can't use the Framelits from the Apothecary Accents set to die-cut the tag image from the Everything Eleanor set, you can layer the die-cut piece over the stamped one (which I handcut).

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Gently Falling, Everything Eleanor, Pensées empathiques
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Bravo Burgundy, Crumb Cake, More Mustard, Old Olive
Designer paper: Brights Designer paper stack
Inks: Bravo Burgundy, More Mustard, Old Olive
Big Shot: Apothecary Accents Framelits, Woodgrain embossing folder
Accessories: Regals brads, Vintage Trinkets, Lucky Limeade baker's twine

   

 

And now onto your next step on the tour, to view our Freaky Mama Lisa Martz's projects!

 

 

A Spook-tacular Project

Today I am sharing the printer's tray that was offered from SU! as a recruiting incentive. I was so hoping I could find a new recruit while the promotion was offered because I totally fell in love with that beautiful printer's tray when SU! showed it. The tray itself AND the designed project we were getting with it. I have to admit I am easily swayed by Halloween stuff...

I put together the project a few weeks ago and I am sharing it in case you'd like to see it up close, although I basically did the project as is and only changed the picture to reflect one of my own (showing pictures of some of my downline members at one of our meetings, acting silly with the mustaches I had made). I didn't really stray from the instructions, as I really liked the overall project.

The finished tray is now hanging in my office at work. I was already considering bringing it before my colleagues decided to issue an Halloween decoration challenge between teams. So far, I have put up the tray, a crow (which I have yet to share pics of with you) and I made "wood planks" out of a cardboard box to put up on my office window. I also plan on taking pictures of that. It's a cute, quick and really inexpensive way to decorate. The kind of ideas we love finding on Pinterest...



All supplies Stampin' Up!

It'll get better

If you guys have ever seen Kimberly Van Diepen's projects, you'll guess right away that this card was copied from her work. It is so obviously her signature style! I fell in love with her version of this card as soon as I saw it on her blog and just had to make my own French version of it. I changed the pink to blue and the wheel, but the rest is pretty close to her original. I also used a Bashful Blue marker to highlight one of the words on the sentiment block.

Have you gotten some tulle yet? If not, you definitely should consider getting some. I love, love it! It's fluffy, light, easy to use and injects personality into a project. No matter how big your ribbon stash (come on, 'fess up, as crafters, we all have an impressive one!), the tulle ribbon gives a completely different look. You can tie it in a bow like I did here, use it as a scallop or gathered border or make a tulle rose like I shared a few days ago.

Make sure to get some before it's gone...

Oh, and one more thing: the new foam pads are absolutely amazing when inking wheels. They give such a crisp result that I could never get with the wheels before. Just look at how clean the design looks below on the Crumb Cake cardstock...

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Du fond du coeur, Etruscan Elegance wheel
Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Crumb Cake
Ink: Early Espresso
Accessories: Sponge daubers, Early Espresso tulle ribbon, Vintage Trinkets, Subtles buttons,
Bashful Blue marker, Crumb Cake envelope, Spritzer Tool

Heart-Felt Wishes

The inspiration behind this card was the new felt ornaments we have in the Holidays mini. I thought I would simply use a longer sentiment (from the More Merry Messages set) to pair with it so that the focus would remain on the felt accent.

The card background was stamped with the Star Tree stamp. I then layered a piece of Gumball Green Core'dinations cardstock that was embossed with the Lacy Brocade embossing folder, sanded and die-cut with the Window Frames Framelits. I created a border out of Shimmery White cardstock, embossed with the Delicate Details embossing folder.

The sentiment was stamped in Versamark on Midnight Muse cardstock and embossed with Gumball Green embossing powder. I love how the colored embossing powder pops on dark cardstock! I then created a frame out of Silver glimmer paper using two dies from the Tags Collection Framelits and I added a pierced frame all the way around using the piercing template. I faux stitched the piercing using the white gel pen and added rhinestones in the corners. Then, I created two tabs with Cherry Cobbler polka dot ribbon and white taffeta ribbon (a great way to use small ribbon scraps, BTW) and I glued the felt ornament in place using liquid Tombow glue.

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Star Tree, Voeux nombreux et joyeux (More Merry Messages)
Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, Shimmery White, Midnight Muse, Gumball Green Core'dinations
Inks: VersaMark, Cherry Cobbler
Big Shot: Window Frames Framelits, Tags Collection Framelits, Lacy Brocade embossing folder,
Delicate Details embossing folder
Accessories: Silver glimmer paper, Felt Ornament, Cherry Cobbler scallop polka dot ribbon,
White taffeta ribbon, White gel pen, Piercing template and paper piercer,
Gumball Green embossing powder, Rhinestone basic jewels, Sanding System

 

A Cutesy Swap

My downline and I organized a swap between ourselves while we were at Regionals. I decided to use the Snow Festival Printed Tags and matching Designer paper to make mine.

The sentiment, which comes from the beautiful Greetings of the Season set, was embossed with Silver powder. I threaded a Cherry Cobbler button with a scrap of Silver glimmer paper and added it at the top of the tag. A piece of white wool trim was tied in a bow at the bottom.

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Voeux indémodables (Greetings of the Season)
Cardstock: Gumball Green
Designer paper: Snow Festival
Ink: VersaMark
Accessories: White wool trim, Regals Designer button, Silver glimmer paper,
Silver embossing powder, Snow Festival Printed Tags, Stampin' Dimensionals

Woolen Rose

Here's a different kind of rosette made with the Sticky Rounds from the seasonal mini. This time, I simply rolled some Cherry Cobbler wool trim on it and added a Copper button threaded with linen thread in the center. Then, I stamped two leaves from the Wonderfall set on Crumb Cake cardstock that was die-cut using the matching Autumn Accents die and I inked the edges with a sponge dauber and Soft Suede ink.

To create the background, I used Designer papers from the Natural Composition Specialty series. The back piece was simply inked around edges using Soft Suede ink and a sponge, but the second piece was completely covered with Island Indigo ink applied with a sponge. I then added gold in the center of the flowers using the Gold marker from the seasonal catalogue.

TIP: It is interesting to note that the Gold and Silver markers will hold on an embossed surface! The papers from the Natural Composition pack already have designs on them that are clear-embossed and I was able to color over that clear-embossing with the gold marker without it smearing. FYI!

The sentiment comes from the Wacky Wishes hostess set, which I love because the fonts are so different from anything we've ever had before. The sentiments are really versatile, too. Here, I used the "Best Wishes" one. I added a Island Indigo polka dot brad and inked the edges of the Daffodil Delight strip, too. The papers were then glued on a 4-1/4 x 4-1/4 Gumball Green card base.

TIP: By using a smaller square base, I am able to let the leaves hang off the side of the card and still have room to slide the card in a regular envelope. A cool trick!

Color Combo: Gumball Green + Island Indigo + Daffodil Delight + Cherry Cobbler

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Wonderfall, Faites vos voeux! (Wacky Wishes)
Cardstock: Gumball Green, Crumb Cake
Designer paper: Natural Composition
Ink: Gumball Green, Island Indigo, Soft Suede
Accessories: Crumb Cake envelope, Autumn Accents die, sponge, dauber,
In Color polka dot brad, Sticky Rounds, Cherry Cobbler wool trim, Gold Marker

Storytime

Last week's TCP challenge was a great sketch, which inspired the card I am sharing with you.

Lots to take care of today before the weekend is over, so I'll let the picture speaks for itself.

Supplies
Stamps: Quality Time (TCP), Élégance élémentaire (SU!)
Casrdstock: Summer Starfruit, Very Vanilla
Designer papers: My Mind's Eye
Inks: Midnight Muse, Basic Black
Accessories: October Afternoon rub-ons (Trift Shoppe Borders), Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware (SU!),
Markers, Envelope, Buttons (Autumn Leaves), Midnight Muse satin ribbon (SU!),
Baja Breeze seam binding (SU!), brads (SU!), Scallop Ribbon punch (SU!),
Gold Liquid Pearl (Ranger), Stampin' Dimensionals (SU!)

Gingerbread Man

Have you taken a good look at the new hostess sentiment set from the seasonal catalogue (Mixed Medley)? It's small, it's cute - and it's surprisingly useful! I've already used it more than I even thought I would, and you can see it on the card I am sharing with you today. I used both the snowflake frame and Christmas sentiment, which I layered with Dimensionals. The frames match the new Scallop Circle punch we carry in the seasonal mini.

The adorable gingerbread man comes from the Scentsational Season set, and I of course embossed it with the Sugar & Spice scented powder so that it would smell yummy! Then, I used the matching Framelits to cut it out. I hope we keep getting more of those! They are awesome and I don't really want to cut anything by hand anymore.

Note: The Peppermint Sticks scented embossing powder had to be discontinued by SU! because the product was not working properly (the powder wasn't holding the scent once embossed). The Sugar & Spice one works wonderfully, though, and so do the other scented powders in the annual catalogues. If you do have the Peppermint Sticks powder already, you can still use it to do regular clear embossing, but just be aware that the scent will probably disappear as you melt the powder.

I embellished the background paper by adding fine Champagne glitter all around the edges using Tombow mono glue.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Scentsational Season, Pot-Pourri (Mixed Medley - hostess)
Cardstock: Bravo Burgundy, Very Vanilla
Patterned papers: Simple Stories
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Bravo Burgundy, Soft Suede
Accessories: Holiday Collection Framelits, buttons, red gigham ribbon, Champagne fine glitter,
Sugar & Spice scented embossing powder, Circle punch, Scallop Circle punch,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Vanilla envelope

 

Birthday Pumpkin

I made this card for a friend who'll be celebrating a milestone birthday this week. I hope it'll brighten her day. I paired the Orchard Harvest papers with the Button Buddies set. I was first planning on using a button in lieu of the pumpkin, but once I stamped it, I thought it looked too cute with the seams to hide completely, so I added a smaller flower button on it instead. The image was die-cut using the smaller Framelits from the Window Frames collection.

The image was then matted with the smallest of the Delicate Doilies (die). The background mat was created using a bigger Window Frames Framelits and a circle die-cut out of Early Espresso Core'dinations cardstock that was then embossed with the Houndstooth embossing folder and sanded to reveal the lighter core. The birthday sentiment comes from the Up Up & Away stamp set. I embossed it with the Early Espresso Stampin' Emboss powder. I finished the card off with Island Indigo ribbon and linen thread, plus three brads from the Regals collection.



 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Button Buddies, Up Up & Away
Cardstock: Island Indigo, More Mustard
Designer paper: Orchard Harvest
Inks: Versamark
Accessories: Markers, Early Espresso Stampin' Emboss powder, Regals brads,
Window Frames Framelits dies, Vanilla envelope, Island Indigo ribbon, Linen thread,
Delicate Doilies die, Regals Designer button, Houndstooth embossing folder, 3-1/2 Circle die

Tweet Leaves

Did you know the Tweet Leaves stamp matches the maple leaf from the Bigz die? Even though the stamp image is outlined in the catalogue, I think it's easy to miss.

The leaf is an image I got to stamp at Maggie's retreat. We had two images, so I used the first one on the Make 'n Take project as planned, but I designed a different card to use the second leaf. I used the beautiful Orchard Harvest Designer paper to complement the leaf. I used the "Congratulations" sentiment (embossed in Pewter powder) from the Delightful Dozen set as this card was meant for someone from my downline who just promoted to a new title.

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Tweet Leaves, Douce douzaine (Delightful Dozen)
Cardstock: More Mustard, Whisper White
Designer paper: Harvest Orchard
Inks: More Mustard, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Versamark
Accessories: Regals Design button, Island Indigo ribbon, Pewter powder,
Autumn Accents Bigz die, sponge daubers, distressing tool, Stampin' Dimensionals

Perfect Poinsettias

We sometimes focus so heavily on the seasonal catalogues that we forget the wonderful Holidays set available in the annual catalogue! This beautiful set is one of them. It's called Christmas Blessings and it looks wonderful whether it's been embossed or watercolored. In this case, I chose to go the watercoloring route, although I do like how the border looks simply stamped with a colored ink at the bottom, even if it has not been colored.

I pulled out the Adorning Accents Edgelits and embossing folders on this one again. The main image was stamped and embossed with Pewter powder on watercolor paper before being die-cut using the Window Frames Framelits. I added the sentiment in Always Artichoke and two vintage faceted buttons. A piece of matching seam binding was also tied around the card.

Always Artichoke, Bravo Burgundy and Certainly Celery is one of my favorite Christmas combos for cards with a vintage edge. It's a nice departure from the usual Old Olive-Real Red combo. Hope you like it, too!

 

Color Combo: Always Artichoke + Certainly Celery + Bravo Burgundy

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Souhaits gracieux (Christmas Blessings)
Cardstock: Certainly Celery, Always Artichoke, Bravo Burgundy
Ink: Always Artichoke, Bravo Burgundy
Accessories: Vanilla envelope, Adorning Accents embossing folder and Edgelits,
Vintage faceted buttons, Window Frames Framelits, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Blending pen, Pewter embossing folder, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Artichoke seam binding

Christmas Rose

When I saw the Jumbo Sticky Rounds in the seasonal catalogue, I immediately got curious about what a flower would look like made out of tulle. It took me a while before I had time to commit that idea to paper, but this is how the rose turned out. Isn't it gorgeous? I made a Christmas card, but I think it could look equally fantastic on a wedding or anniversary card.

The sentiment comes from the More Merry Messages stamp set and was embossed with Early Espresso powder. The sentiment was then die-cut using a Window Frames Framelits die and framed with a row of piercing, using the piercing template as a guide. I then filled in the space at right using a cute stamp from the Make a Mitten stamp set.

The patterned papers are from the Candlelight Christmas Designer paper. The top paper was die-cut with the Scallop Edgelits from the Adorning Accents Edgelits and embossed with the matching folder. I then added a narrow strip of Champagne glimmer paper on top of the scallops for an elegant touch of shimmer.

A vintage brad and pearls were added to the tulle flower to finish it off.

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Voeux nombreux et joyeux (More Merry Messages), Make a Mitten
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Early Espresso Core'dinations
Designer paper: Candlelight Christmas
Ink: Early Espresso, Real Red
Accessories: Early Espresso embossing powder, Jumbo Sticky Rounds, Vanilla envelope,
Circle Coluzzle, Champagne glimmer paper, Adorning Accents Edgelits,
Adorning Accents embossing folder, Window Frames Framelits, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Piercing template, Markers, Cherry Cobbler tulle, Pearl basic jewels, Vintage brads

Birthday Rose

This card was born out of "leftover" pieces from the team training day. I showed the girls the Window Frames Framelits and how to use the Jumbo Sticky Rounds to create rosettes or flowers.

The flower was made using Calypso Coral ruffled ribbon and I added a matching polka dot brad in the center. The Gumball Green cardstock was embossed with the lovely Lacy Brocade embossing folder and die-cut with the biggest Framelits. The fun-font sentiment is from the Curly Cute set and I added a Gumball Green dahlia at right and faux stitching at left.

 

Color Combo: Gumball Green + Calypso Coral + River Rock + Wisteria Wonder

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Jolies pensées (Curly Cute), Merveilles du monde (World Wonder)
Cardstock: River Rock, Gumball Green, Wisteria Wonder
Ink: Midnight Muse
Accessories: Vanilla envelope, In Color Dahlia, Paper Piercer and template, Marker,
Calypso Coral ribbon, In Color polka dot brad, Jumbo Sticky Rounds, Lacy Brocade embossing folder, Window Frames Framelits, Neutral brads, Fancy Fan embossing folder

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Another sweet, fast card made with paper scraps. The main image was stamped on a retired Love Note die-cut SU! used to carry and the sentiment is from the Quelque chose à fêter hostess set we had a few minicatalogues ago, which is still one of my favorite sentiment sets. I tied a piece of Chocholate Chip grosgrain ribbon and a piece of Clear tinsel fiber. This is also from an older Holidays mini, but I only got a roll of tinsel once it got on the Clearance rack. I wish I had gotten it while it was current to show customers because it is a really fun fiber, and looks much better than the catalogue suggested. The cute embellishment is a fabric brad from the Sweet Stitches pack.

Hopefully, this can inspire you to use your scraps and "older" supplies as well. There's still something cute to be made out of it!

Stampin' Up! Suplies
Stamps: Quelque chose à fêter (SU!), Rain Snow Shine (The Greeting Farm)
Cardstock: Taken with Teal
Designer paper: Love Ya
Inks: Regal Rose, Basic Black
Accessories: Sweet Stitches fabric brad, Love Notes die, Clear tinsel,
Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, long thin envelope

Birthday Cookies

This is one of the cards that came about when I was playing with my Happy Me Simply Scrappin' kit  scraps. I hadn't inked this stamped in a long while, so I thought I'd pair it with the fun colors of this kit. The sentiment was stamped in a frame from the Four Frames set and punched with the matching Decorative Label punch. I then added the doily and flourish from the Kindness matters set underneath. I kept the rest of the design simple to keep the focus on the colored image.

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Cookie Girl (Whiff of Joy), Four Frames (SU!), Kindness Matters (SU!)
Cardstock: Groovy Guava, Mellow Moss, Whisper White
Simply Scrappin' Kit: Happy Me
nks: Basic Black, Soft Sky, Purely Pomegranate, Mellow Moss
Accessories: Pool Party baker's twine, Mellow Moss taffeta ribbon,
button, white envelope, sponge, markers, Stampin' Dimensionals, Pearls,
Mellow Moss gingham ribbon, washi tape, Nestabilities die

Happy Boo to You!

A few weeks ago, I was a guest speaker at my friend Maggie's team event. She had generously prepared a Make 'n Take package for me so that I could take part in the stamping fun while I was there. There were quite a few projects to be made, and since I am a slow stamper, I ran out of time to do them all. I didn't rush either, knowing that I had most of what I needed to make those cards at home. Only problem is, I didn't photograph the projects, thinking I had them memorized, but when came time to do the Halloween one, all I could remember was that there were some bats from the Googly Ghouls on the main panel... Not very useful.

Oh, well, I simply decided to move on to Plan B: lay all of the supplies down on the table in front of me and come up with something using the pieces available. This is what came out of it. All I added to the original kit was a scrap of Basic Black cardstock to mat the Designer paper with.

Seriously, how cute are those googly eyes? The stamped images look completely different once they've been added on them. I die-cut the main panel using a Framelits die from the Apothecary Accents set and layered a piece of Champagne glimmer paper (wonderful for both Halloween and Christmas) die-cut with another die from the same set. The background paper is from the beautiful Howlstooth and Scaringbone DSP pack.

The card base was stamped with the Netting background stamp, and I added a piece of cotton ribbon decorated with a copper button (love those - they're a great neutral shade that goes with everything). Get those items while you can before the seasonal catalogue retires!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Googly Ghouls, Netting
Cardstock: Basic Grey, Very Vanilla, Basic Black
Designer paper: Scaringbone and Howlstooth
Ink: Basic Black, Basic grey
Accessories: Champagne glimmer paper, Copper button, Cotton ribbon,
pinking shears, Apothecary Accents Framelits dies, Stampin' Dimensionals,
Piercing template and paper piercer, Neutrals brads, Googly eyes

 

Sweet Sympathies

So have you looked at the Halloween section of the seasonal catalogue this year? I mean, really looked? I know that you guys that don't do Halloween go through that section of the catalogue faster than if it was on fire and it's too bad because it includes a few items that can definitely be used outside of the Halloween realm all year long.

One of those items is the gorgeous Etruscan Elegance wheel. Raise your hand if you had noticed that wheel before... Yeah, that's what I thought. I'm telling you, it is gorgeous! And if you have started to invest into our new foam ink pads, you'll notice that inking wheels with them is a dream! I have never had such crisp wheeled images before.

Here, I used the Etruscan Elegance wheel to make a sympathy card. Those are so hard to design. You want them to be elegant and understated, complex enough that it shows the person receiving it that you've put time and thought into it, yet not so complicated that it overpowers the thought behind the card. Plus, often times, when you need a sympathy card, you need it fast, so I make sure to always have a few on hand.

The sentiment comes from the Love & Sympathy set, a great staple for your collection. I embossed it with Pewter powder on Bravo Burgundy cardstock, then die-cut it with the Window Frames Framelits, then added piercing all around the die-cut using the matching piercing template.

In the back, I used a piece of Baja Breeze paper from the Twitterpated DSP pack over which I added a piece of cotton ribbon (sold in the seasonal catalogue). Fun detail: if you zoom in on the card, you'll notice I dry-embossed the ribbon with the Chevron folder. I can't take the credit for this wonderful idea: I had no idea we could do this until I spotted an embossed piece of ribbon on a card by none others than the lovely Angie Tieman! (Click on the link to see the card.) Isn't it so clever? Then I added a beautiful Copper button threaded with Baja Breeze seam binding on top.

The envelope was stamped with the flowers from the Love & Sympathy set and I added pearls to the wheeled image.



Color Combo: River Rock + Bravo Burgundy + Baja Breeze





Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: ênsées empathiques (Love & Sympathy), Etruscan Elegance wheel
Cardstock: River Rock, Bravo Burgundy
Designer paper: Twitterpated
Ink: Versamark, Bravo Burgundy, Baja Breeze
Accessories: Copper button, Baja Breeze seam binding, Cotton ribbon,
Pearls, Vanilla envelope, Pewter embossing powder, Window Frames Framelits,
Stampin' Dimensionals, Piercing template, Paper Piercer

Christmas Night

I didn't really need one more tree set, but this one really appealed to me, so after resisting it during the pre-order, I went back and added it to another order later on.

I am happy to report that the star stamp from the set is a perfect match to the star Framelits found in the Holiday Collection set. Just thought I'd share...

I'm still in love with the wool trim as well. It was one of the items from the seasonal catalogue I got really excited about as soon as I opened the catalogue. I love everything that adds texture to a card and I knew this would be awesome for winter and Christmas card. It hasn't seem to be popular with fellow demos and customers so far (judging from the fact that I haven't seen it on a lot of projects), but hopefully, if I keep on using it on my projects, maybe you'll see why I think it makes a fun addition to a project!

The color combo came from the Color Coach - a great tool to explore new color options and step out of the box!

Color combo: More Mustard + Elegant Eggplant + Garden Green

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Roi des forêts (Evergreen)
Cardstock: More Mustard, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White
Ink: Garden Green, More Mustard, Versamark
Big Shot: Delicate Designs embossing folders, Large Scallop Edgelits,
Bitty Banners Framelits, Holiday Collection Framelits
Accessories: Gold brads, Gumball Green Wool Trim, Gold embossing powder,
Stampin' Dimensionals, White envelope



Starry Tree

This cute star tree is my favorite single stamp (Star Tree) from the new catalogue. As soon as I saw it, I thought it would look incredibly gorgeous stamped on white cardstock and embossed in gold. Wouldn't you agree that it looks oh-so-elegant?

The sentiment, which comes from the Curly Cute set, was embossed in gold on a strip of vellum cardstock so that it wouldn't hide the tree completely. The little stars that were added on top of and around the tree were die-cut out of Brushed Gold cardstock using the star Framelits from the Holiday Collection set (seasonal catalogue).

The background papers are unfortunately retired. They are called Christmas Cocoa and are from a past minicatalogue. I went through most of that paper pack in just a few months and I have been hoarding the beautiful velvet-flocked paper ever since. Since there's no point in hoarding, I used some of the last few scraps to put together this card, which I like so much that I'm thinking of putting together a new version. What do you think?

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Star Tree, Jolies pensées (Curly Cute)
Cardstock: Soft Suede, Brushed Gold, Whisper White, Vellum
Designer paper: Cocoa Christmas
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: Holiday Collection Framelits, Gold embossing powder, White envelope,
Gold brads, Stampin' Dimensionals, Ovals die

Birthday Monkey Business

One of the SS kits I pulled out during my paper-scrap crafting session was the old Happy Me hostess kit. I paired it with an old hostess set called Âge et sagesse that I still love to pull out once in a while to make birthday card.

There's not much to say about this card, as I mostly just combined the scraps I had left from the kit. I did use the new Large Scallops Edgelits along with one of the embossing folders from the Delicate Designs set. Did you know that Edgelits die fit BOTH embossing folders included in the Delicate Designs set? I had figured it went with the lace, but had not noticed it matched the "snowflake"-like design as well until I received my new tools. Thought I'd pass this info along...

The lace border was spritzed with my own Smooch Spritz mix (alcohol with White Frost shimmer paint).

TIP: I still have some brads in retired colors, some of which I am not really fond of, so I transformed a couple of them in white brads by dipping the brad in Versamark and covering it with white powder. I melted the powder (using tweezers to use it - very important!) and then I dipped the brad in powder again while it was hot to add a second coat.

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Âge et sagesse
Cardstock: Groovy Guava, Whisper White
Simply Stampin' Kit: Happy Me
Inks: Basic Black
Accessories: Markers, buttons, brad, Purely Pomegranate polka dot ribbon,
Delicate Designs embossing folder, Large Scallops Edgelits die,
Simply Scored and Diagonal Plate