Some VSN Fun

It's Virtual Stamp Night over at Splitcoaststampers this weekend. There's still time to play! Here are some of my challenge submissions.

I have all the recipe details, and more challenge submissions, in my Splitcoaststampers gallery.

Thanks for stopping by and find some time to play!

Holiday Mini Products are Still Available

There is a list of items from the 2009 Holiday mini catalog that have been carried over for the rest of the main catalog season. See below.

Item #	Description	Price
116794	Ornament punch	$15.95
116806	Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint	$5.95
116854	Frost White Shimmer Paint	$5.95
116807	Platinum Shimmer Paint	$5.95
116829	Décor Elements Blocks	$9.95
116824	Stampin' Up! Textured Impressions Folder Petals-A-Plenty	$7.95
116821	Stampin' Up! Holiday Windows Magnetic Movers & Shapers	$29.95
116819	Stampin' Up! Table Setting Bigz XL die	$42.95
116820	Stampin' Up! Embosslits Merry die	$11.95
116823	Stampin' Up! Sizzlits Merry Details die	$5.50
116822	Stampin' Up! O Christmas Tree Pop-Up Bigz XL die	$42.95
118140	Stampin' Up! Tree Decorations Sizzlits die	$5.50
118108	My Digital Studio	$79.95
116519	Charming stamp set	$19.95

In addition, the Sweetheart stamp set and coordinating Heart Treat cups will continue to be available through July and will also be in the new Idea Book & Catalog!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Birthday, Stampin' Addicts!

Stampin' Addicts celebrated is first anniversary this past weekend. They hosted a birthday blog hop, and there stamping challenges all week. Enter to win a chance at a Stampin' Up Bear and other Convention swag.

Stampin' Addicts is a stamping community, where you can chat and share. It is "Positively Creative! Positively Stampin' Up!", and it's free! Use this link to join so they I know I sent ya!

So I created a birthday card for Stampin' Addicts.

This is a pinwheel card using the Sending Love Specialty DSP. I used the Priceless swirls for the background and a handmade tag for the sentiment to give the illusion of wind.

Stamps: Pricless, Warmest Regards; Paper: Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla, Sending Love Specialty DSP; Ink: Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip; Accessories: Small tag punch, Pretty in Pink corduroy button, Linen thread.

Thanks for stopping by! See you online!! :)

Final Binghamton Swaps

Hubby was gone the last day of prepping before the shoebox swap. My daughter hadn't been feeling well, so I took the previous night off to lay down with her, and then I was pressed for time. While prepping frantically on Friday, Daughter decided to draw mountains on my Whisper White cardstock. *Sigh* But, we managed. Here's what I finally came up with.

For my demo quality card, I wanted to use the Sweetheart stamp set while using non-Valentine type colors. I am liking Bermuda Bay with Kraft, and there are lots of fun colors in the Welcome Neighbor patterned paper pack from the Sale-a-bration brochure. It is real easy to line up the stem of the flower with the heart when using the clear mount stamps. The punched out heart is mounted on a punched heart of kraft cardstock for stability and popped up with a Dimensional.

Stamps: Sweetheart; Paper: Soft Suede, Kraft, Whisper White, Welcome Neighbor DSP (SAB), Thoroughly Modern DSP; Ink: Soft Suede, Old Olive, Bermuda Bay; Accessories: Tag punch, Small tag punch, Full heart punch, Silver eyelets, Soft Suede polka dot grosgrain ribbon, Dimensional.

I really struggled with my shoebox project, but I like the way it came out - lots of little details.

I used a Texturz plate and Big Shot to add texture to the Kraft accent, and you can see I punched an oval in the front of the card to see the sentiment inside the card.

I popped up the house punch out in the center of the sentiment. Thanks to my club member Annie for the idea to use this sentiment!

And here you can see the details on the main image, using Good Neighbors stamp set from Sale-a-bration. I stamped the houses on three different colors of cardstock, stamped the tree, and stamped again on Old Olive cardstock and popped it up. I used the Welcome Neighbor patterned paper pack from Sale-a-bration to create the sky and grass. The combination of Good Neighbors stamps and Welcome Neighbor DSP are so fun! The grass was sponged on the edges for more depth, and grass at the bottom of the trees was drawn in with a marker. The main image is accented with the Scallop Trim Border punch, also from Sale-a-bration.

Stamps: Good Neighbors, Sweet Season; Paper: Soft Suede, Not Quite Navy, Kraft, Old Olive, Bashful Blue, Very Vanilla, Welcome Neighbor DSP; Ink: Not Quite Navy, Soft Suede, Old Olive, Old Olive marker; Accessories: Sponge, Wide oval punch, Small oval punch, Scallop trim border punch, Background I texturz plate, Big Shot, Soft Suede polka dot grosgrain ribbon, Dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by!

Talk is Cheep

Been stamping another one-of-a-kind birthday card for a stampin' friend. One-of-a-kind's are my favorite... personalized for the recipient, interesting to create something new and original, and... if it's hard, you never have to make it again! :)

For my bubbly, little bit off-the-wall friend, some happy cartoon birds and bright color. I used the paper tole technique to give the bird on the right some dimension. Texture was added to the Old Olive cardstock with a Texturz plate and the Big Shot.

Stamps: Cheep Talk; Paper: Old Olive, Bermuda Bay, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Bashful Blue; Ink: Bermuda Bay, Soft Suede, Old Olive marker; Accessories: Sponge, Soft Suede polka dot ribbon, Backgrounds I Texturz plate, Big Shot.

Thanks for stopping by!

Fabric Confessions

I have enjoyed sewing on my cards for a while now. But I have sworn since I was young that I would not become a sewer like my mom. This was partially due to the amount of time I have spent waiting outside fabric stores as a kid. Much to my dismay, I have been very attracted to the idea of using the Big Shot to create fabric projects.

I am currently in two Big Shot fabric sample swaps, and I will share those projects with you soon. I have to tell you, it is exciting to try a similar but different craft. I had so much fun designing projects with fabric! Sewing just seemed like something I couldn't do: can't thread a needle, my husband has to thread my bobbin for me, many times my sewing machine has just ended in knots. But let me tell you, I did it! What a sense of accomplishment when I pulled off the projects, concept to completion!

I have already shared using the Big Shot to cut felt with the Build-a-Bear felt board. We also created a snowflake card in our Big Shot club, using the Snowflake #2 die and glitter felt.

But what about cotton fabric? And what do you do with it, once you cut out a shape? One answer to those questions would be the canvas bag we made at the Big Shot club.

Using fall colored patterned cotton fabric, we ironed on Heat 'n Bond to the wrong side of the fabric. We then ran the fabric through the Big Shot to create our leaves and ironed the leaves onto the canvas bag. Super easy and quick! Keep in mind, you would want to use steel-ruled dies such as the Sizzix Originals or Bigz dies, to cut through a variety of materials including fabric. There is a list of all the different types of materials these dies cut through.

I have more projects in the works.... stay tuned.

Thanks for stopping by!

Delving into the Fabric World with the Big Shot

At the Stampin' Up Leadership Conference recently, all attendees received a quilt square sample created with the Big Shot. Wow, what a cool idea!

The instructions and pattern can be found here. I have been working on other Big Shot projects using fabric. I will share some of those with you on Monday.

Does the idea of using the Big Shot to create fabric projects excite you like it does me? Give me a call! We will be using the Big Shot with "alternate" materials at the Big Shot Club in March; drop-ins are welcome! And we can schedule a fabric-themed workshop for you and your fabric-loving friends.

Thanks for stopping by!

Ribbon Share

Satin ribbon in all ten (10) colors - YUM!

Want some? Receive 2.5 yards of each color for $17.74. Local customers only; shipping is extra.

Thanks for stopping by!

Belated Birthday

I was late with a birthday card, but in my defense, I didn't know about the birthday until after the fact. I had fun taking the Sending Love Specialty DSP and creating a non-Valentine type project with it. I love how this paper vintages!! And... this is the first card that DH said, "Wow!"

I sponged the main image, the patterned paper, and the Pretty in Pink cardstock below it with Creamy Caramel ink. And of course you have to add stitching and a button to complete the theme!

Stamps: Puns from the Past; Paper: Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Sending Love Specialty DSP; Ink: Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel; Accessories: Small oval punch, Large oval punch, Eyelet border punch, Button, Linen thread, Pretty in Pink satin ribbon, Sponge, Sewing machine.

Thanks for stopping by!

More Binghamton Swaps

Slowly I have been getting ready for this weekend. Since I am a technique junkie, I love to join the technique swap - I chose the Reflection technique.

This one is actually pretty quick and easy. Stamp your main image. Stamp again on acetate, flip over to mirror the image and rub the acetate image onto your cardstock. I actually did this twice to make it a little darker. Then sponge on a horizon, reflection in a lake, what have you...

Back in my archives, I have another sample of the reflection technique.

This is a page from the scrapbook calendar I made for my mom a couple Christmases ago. Here I had made a lake by sponging on blue ink and then spreading Crystal Effects on it to make the water glossy.

I am stepping a little out of my comfort zone by joining the recipe swap.

I chose one of my favorite weird recipes, "most unusual and delicious" Pretzel Salad. I then chose images and patterned paper to match the recipe. The strawberry image was stamped. I tried clear embossing powder and crystal effects, but the image wasn't as crisp, so I left it alone. The pretzel is a digi stamp from Busy Beauties Boutique. Since I have an ink jet printer, I can't easily watercolor the image. I have heard you can heat set the ink, but that didn't really work for me. So I used oil crayons and baby oil (or gamasol) to blend and color the pretzel.

I also added dimension by taking a toothpick and adding White Frost Shimmer Paint for the salt.

Stamps: Tart & Tangy, Like Beer & Pretzels by Busy Beauties Boutique; Paper: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Summer Picnic DSP; Ink: Real Red, Old Olive markers, Versamark; Accessories: Oil crayons, Baby oil, Toothpick, Frost White Shimmer Paint, Clear embossing powder, Circle punches, Scallop circle punch.

Thanks for stopping by!

Been Goofing Off...

I realized I didn't have a post ready to go this morning. I'm late! I haven't crafted in days, because we were too busy having fun.

We were cross-country skiing at Garnet Hill in the Adirondacks. We had a blast! Little Missy loved to ride in the pulk, and she was very comfortable running around the lodge, sitting by the fire reading her books, drinking hot chocolate (well, the hot chocolate part was Mama)... There was ice skating too, but they didn't have skates her size. She didn't want to leave!

Thanks for stopping by! More crafting to share tomorrow.

More Club Projects

Here are some more of the projects we made at club last week. I wasn't sure if I was going to use some of these for the upcoming Binghamton Shoebox Swap. So I thought I would post them to force myself to come up with some new material. I work best under pressure! :)

This is the new Sweetheart stamp set. I was disappointed that the full heart punch, which coordinates with this set, did not reach the stamped heart for punching. It works fine for square pieces of cardstock, such as I used for the heart lollipop. But since I had to, in my stubbornness, stamp the heart flower on one piece of cardstock, I used my craft knife to cut out the heart.

The Pretty in Pink piece is embossed with the Big Shot texturz plate.

Stamps: Sweetheart, Pretty Petals BG; Paper: Chocolate Chip, Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive, Very Vanilla; Ink: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Rose Red; Accessories: Scallop trim border punch, Backgrounds I texturz plate, Big Shot, Heart treat cup, M&M's.

This card is a combination of several cute things I have seen done with this stamp, Chocolate Bunny. It is a single stamp, available in the Occasions mini for $7.95. Super cute and affordable!

We embossed the bunny with chocolate embossing powder for a quite yummy smell! First ink the stamp with Versamark and ink more with Chocolate Chip Classic ink, stamp image and sprinkle on chocolate embossing powder and heat. The powder is made by mixing a ratio of 1:1.5 of sugar-free hot chocolate mix and clear embossing powder. Fun!

Stamps: Chocolate Bunny, All Holidays; Paper: Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla, Bashful Blue DSP; Ink: Versamark, Chocolate Chip; Clear embossing powder, Sugar-free hot chocolate mix, Curly label punch, Trio flower punch, Brad, Little Leaves die, Perfect Details texturz plate, Big Shot, Bashful Blue taffeta ribbon.

Would you like to make some projects like these with like-minded ladies? Join us for the next club in April!

Thanks for stopping by!

ATC For The Binghamton SBS

There is another shoebox swap coming up on Feb 20th in Binghamton. I can't wait!! I am slowly in the progress of making my swaps, of which I signed up for too many!!

This is my ATC swap card - another sample with retro coffee lady. I really do love her! I used a couple different techniques on this card to make it special. The background is made using the shaving cream technique and Creamy Caramel reinker. Reminds me of a nice foamy latte! I then used coffee grounds to turn the ATC into a shaker card.

Stamps: Sip by Sip; Paper: Close to Cocoa, Bordering Blue, Very Vanilla, Close to Cocoa DSP, Bella Bleu DSP, Acetate sheet; Ink: Chocolate Chip, Brocade Blue marker, Real Red marker, Creamy Caramel reinker; Accessories: 1-3/4" Circle punch, 1-1/4" Circle punch, Scallop Circle punch, MS Border punch, Sponge, Background I Texturz plate, Big Shot, Shaving cream, Coffee grounds, Foam tape.

I thought I would also share my other prototype.

Rather than a shaker card, this ATC uses paper tole. Retro lady is stamped repeatedly, cut out, and popped up. Primary features like her head and hand are stamped yet again and popped up.

I like both ATCs, but DH voted for the first. So there you have it.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamp Club Projects

These paper treat cones are great for when you are having a dinner party or even a child's birthday party - just hang a little treat on the back of each person's chair. And this cone is a great way to showcase the pretty Sending Love Specialty paper.

We used the Eastern Blooms stamp set to create the flower and embellished it with a Pretty in Pink corduroy button and Real Red satin ribbon. The cone is held together with Sticky Strip, and then filled with confetti and Hershey's kisses - sure to please any guest! The cone pattern can be found here.

Here's a close-up of the flower embellishment.

This is my shoebox project from the Raleigh Shoebox Swap this past weekend. We had a lot of fun meeting new friends at Andi's house! I then slightly altered this design for stamp club. It features the Good Neighbors stamp set from Sale-a-bration. A cool little trick I found to create the grass - punch with the scallop edge punch, then slide the cardstock so the scallops are offset and punch again. Much easier than scissors! :)

Stamps: Good Neighbors, Warm Words; Paper: Soft Suede, Kraft, Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Thoroughly Modern DSP; Ink: Bermuda Bay, Rose Red, Soft Suede, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip marker; Accessories: Small Oval punch, Large Oval punch, Scallop Edge punch, Backgrounds I Texturz Plate, Big Shot, Dew Drops, Glue dots.

Thanks for stopping by!

Another Matryoshka

I took the My Matryoshka stamp set out for another whirl. I tried to get more shading going on in this watercoloring than last time.

I am just amazed at how fine the details are on this stamp set (as evident on my imperfect coloring job).

It was easiest to color the darker shaded areas with the fine tip of the Stampin' Write markers, and then use the Aquapainter to pull the color to the lighter shaded areas.

And if you have the patience, the watercolor paper is very forgiving. You can actually take color away by picking it up on the Aquapainter, and then wiping your Aquapainter tip off on a paper towel. Recently we had a discussion why they don't have a ink eraser. Well, there you go! :)

Stamps: My Matryoshka; Paper: Old Olive, So Saffron, Brocade Blue, Real Red, Basic Gray, Watercolor paper, Patterns Pack DSP, Patterns Pack II DSP; Ink: Black Stazon, Old Olive, So Saffron, Brocade Blue, Real Red Stampin' Write markers; Accessories: Scallop Trim Border punch, Silver brads, Aquapainter, Neutrals Watercolor Crayons.

Thanks for stopping by!

Celebrating Sale-A-Bration

Good Monday, Everyone! One of the great things about being an SU demo is that I have access to a lot of ideas shared by other demostrators. Here is a card CASED from the SU demo website (demonstrator Jennifer Brown).

This card uses the Sale-a-bration set Good Neighbors, as well as the Scallop Trim Border punch, either of which you can earn for FREE with a $50 order. I love the color combo on this one!

Supplies: Stamps: Good Neighbors; Paper: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Dusty Durango, Very Vanilla, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP; Ink: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Dusty Durango; Accessories: Scallop Trim Border punch, Scallop Circle punch, 1-3/8" Circle punch, Dusty Durango 1/2" grograin ribbon, Linen thread, Button Latte.

Thanks for stopping by!

Playing With New Stamps

We got home from vacation this evening, and let me tell you, driving past Washington was no picnic! What did I do as soon as I got home? Search the mail for my new stamps! I had to play a little bit before heading for bed.

This new set is called Chemistry by There She Goes. Geeky stamps - I love it!! I created this quick ATC for the challenge on the There She Goes blog and also for the ColourQ challenge. I used the Spring Fling DSP to simulate bubbles while "cooking" the chemistry experiment.

Stamps: Chemistry by There She Goes; Paper: Old Olive, Melon Mambo, Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla, Spring Fling DSP; Ink: Basic Black, Old Olive, So Saffron, Melon Mambo, Baja Breeze; Accessories: Aquapainter, Neutrals Watercolor Crayons, Small Oval punch, Ticket Corner punch.

Thanks for stopping by!

Another Sample from the Sale-a-Bration Blog Hop

I got another idea for the set I used in my latest blog hop, Things I Love, that I wanted to try. Most likely, any set that works for a waterfall card would also work for a viewmaster card. So I got to work on a birthday card for my niece.

I used the tutorial for a viewmaster card from Splitcoaststampers. When you rotate the wheel, it says, "Chocolate, shopping, shoes, but most of all YOU!" You can see all the stamp images on my Sale-a-bration blog hop post; check out the waterfall card. For interest, I created a distressed notebook page out of Very Vanilla cardstock - perfect for my niece since she is taking some college classes. The notebook lines were drawn in with a ruler and a Brocade Blue Stampin' Write marker. I punched the notebook holes with my Bind-It-All, and then distressed and sponged the edges.

Remember, this set is available as your free Sale-a-bration set with a $50 purchase. You can order online now if you would like to earn this set for yourself!

Stamps: Things I Love; Paper: Bermuda Bay, Rose Red, Kraft, Very Vanilla, Thoroughly Modern DSP; Ink: Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Rose Red, Brocade Blue marker; Accessories: Circle punches, Brad, Coluzzle, Sponge, Bind-It-All, Dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cumberland Island

Here are a few pictures from our travels to Cumberland Island, Georgia. You can only get to the island by boat, and there are no cars on the island (except for the Park Service, but that doesn't count).

The wild horses of Cumberland Island. We could almost touch them... I think they were looking for a hand-out.

We were able to pet an armadillo!

The oak tree-lined dirt roads, complete with Spanish Moss, are so peaceful! I would love a vacation home here, just getting around by bike!

Little Missy had a big day!

Thanks for stopping by!

Another Brick in the Wall...

I made another card using the Brick Wall tutorial. I totally love this technique, since it plays to my love for distressing or vintaging. It's a little time-consuming, but definitely worth it. I would love to use it for a swap, but I don't think I could sponge that many bricks!

I stamped the clock from Sense of Time on Night & Day Designer Series Paper. Cut the paper horizontally every 1/2" and vertically every 1", alternating each row by a 1/2". Each edge of each brick was sponged with Creamy Caramel ink. The sentiment cut out was made with the Matchbox die.

Stamps: Sense of Time, Sincere Salutations; Paper: Kraft, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Night & Day DSP; Ink: Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel; Accessories: Sponge, Chocolate Chip ribbon, Matchbox die, Big Shot.

Thanks for stopping by!

Okefenokee Swamp

Some photos from our day canoeing on the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia. We told Janneke not to lean into the water or the alligators will eat you. It took her a while to get over the fact that we weren't going to touch them or catch them.

According to Janneke, this is a Mama and a Baby.

Sorry for not having human subjects in the pictures. Obviously the animals didn't let us interact with them, and they are much more beautiful than we are!

Thanks for stopping by!