Stampin' Addicts Summer Mini Blog Hop

Welcome to the Stampin' Addicts Summer Mini Blog Hop! Grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and enjoy a sneak peek of the Summer mini catalog, releasing on May 1.

If you have been following the blog hop in order, you have just come from Jennifer's blog featuring the single stamp set Sail Away. Didn't she do an amazing job with a single stamp?

I totally love travel stamp sets and coordinated accessories, and this mini has some beautiful options! Today I will share some projects using the stamp set Travel Log. Road trip! First, a bon voyage card.

This card served double-duty, as it was also my card for Paula's Summer mini card swap over at Stampin' Addicts. I created my own suitcase by rounding the corners and embossing with the Square Lattice embossing folder. The Bon Voyage sentiment was printed with My Digital Studio. Although faint, I used an embossing plate to texturize the background as well.

Stamps: Travel Log; Paper: Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Nautical Expedition DSP; Ink: Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Not Quite Navy; Accessories: Early Espresso baker's twine, Eyelet, Word Window punch, Small Oval punch, Large Oval punch, Corner Rounder punch, My Digital Studio sentiment (Bradley Hand ITC), Circle Scissors Plus, 3-1/2" Circle die, Square Lattice embossing folder, Perfect Details Texturz Plate, Big Shot, Sewing machine, Thread.

Travel Log is a perfect scrapbooking stamp set. Here is a page of the weekend trip we took to Ducktown, TN for hubby's 100-mile mountain bike race.

We looked around the Ocoee River, site of the 1996 Olympics canoe, kayak, and slalom events, while we waited for him to finish. You can see DH didn't feel so peppy when he was done. Little Missy is gonna drive tired Papa back home. :)

Stamps: Travel Log; Paper: Pacific Point, Not Quite Navy, Sahara Sand, Melon Mambo, Very Vanilla, Nautical Expedition DSP; Ink: Early Espresso, Not Quite Navy, Sahara Sand, Melon Mambo, Versamark; Accessories: Clear embossing powder, Early Espresso baker's twine, Scallop Square punch, Tasteful Trim, Big Shot.

And hopefully this project isn't too much of a stretch. This set seems to lend itself to masculine color palettes, but I wanted to create a more feminine and colorful travel journal.

I kept the front free of bulky accessories, while still adding layers. I used "supporting" stamps in this set to create tabs and a cute border on the inside page.

Stamps: Travel Log; Paper: Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Wild Wasabi, Very Vanilla, Beyond the Garden DSP; Ink: Tangerine Tango, Wild Wasabi, Melon Mambo, Stampin' Write markers; Accessories: Scallop Trim punch, Curly Label punch, Decorative Label punch, On Board chipboard sheets, Bind-It-All.

If you aren't yet a member of Stampin' Addicts, you can sign up here. Make sure you check out the next stop to see what Cheryl put together using the Best Dad Ever. She's made some amazing projects.









The complete blog hop listing:
1. Holly P (hollylogic): Blossom Bouquet triple layer punch
2. Holly K (catrules): Hello Blossoms
3. Allison (alliohran): Nautical Expedition DSP
4. Carmen: The Open Sea
5. Sarah (willsygirl): Pretty Postage
6. Jennifer (SunfowerStamper): Sail Away
7. Heidi (hlw966): Travel Log
8. Cheryl (lovetostampandscrap): Best Dad Ever
9. Adriana (escape2stamp): Proud Peacock
10. Debra (WebDeb): On the Grow
11. Rhonda (rhondag): Sunny Fun
12. Sara (lilyinkpad): Summer Splash
13. Tanya (tanya27): Recess
14. Yapha: Builder Wheels
15. [intentionally left blank]
16. Lisa (genesis): Fabulous Florets
17. Barbara (cre8tivestamper): Beyond the Garden DSP
18. Betty (kittystamp): Embossing Powders
19. Cindy (CindyE): Flower Garden embossing folder
20. Twila (tjdstampsalot): Touch of Kindness
21. Mickey (MickeyRoberts): Happy Greetings
22. Kim (s1itcher46): Strength and Hope

Thanks for stopping by!

3-D Thursday: VIA Travel Pouch

Have you seen these Via pouches, packets of Starbucks instant coffee to go? I am a huge coffee lover, if you didn't know. I consider Starbucks to be liquid gold, so I always think that it is the perfect gift.

To dress it up a bit, consider packaging it in a travel pouch. Sometimes it is all about the packaging, and this little pouch comes together so easily!

Here is the inside of the pouch, complete with a little pocket for sugar.

And a close-up of the staple stamp set of any coffee or tea drinker, Morning Cup.

This template is part of the discounted past Paper Crafters Sampler issues available in the Paper Crafters Sampler Library, December 2010 issue. Please use code PCSHB.

Stamps: Morning Cup; Paper: Groovy Guava, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Afternoon Tea DSP; Ink: Black Stazon, Groovy Guava; Accessories: Aquapainter, Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Wide Oval punch, Scallop Trim edge punch, Button, Linen thread, Petal Cone die, Big Shot.

Thanks for stopping by!

Springtime Flowers

Morning Everyone, I wanted to make a special birthday card for a fellow stamper. Since it was a milestone birthday, it had to be a WOW card. I started with the Beautiful Life set (one of my favorite retired sets) and Mojo Monday layout #185 for the front.

And inside...

The beautiful pop-up flower box was designed by Brenda Quintana. She graciously provided a tutorial here. This card is a great candidate for the Splitcoaststampers' Creative Crew catalog focus challenge this month, punches. This card certainly used a few!

Stamps: Beautiful Life, Woodgrain BG; Paper: Certainly Celery, Barely Banana, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Garden Green, Daffodil Delight, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Poppy Parade, Regal Rose, Rich Razzleberry, Concord Crush, Marina Mist, Very Vanilla, retired Certainly Celery and So Saffron DSP; Ink: Old Olive, Soft Suede, So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Poppy Parade, Regal Rose, Rich Razzleberry, Concord Crush, Marina Mist; Accessories: Sponges, Apricot Appeal grosgrain ribbon, Brads, Eyelet Border punch, Various punches for flowers, Coluzzle, Scallop Circle #2 die, Tasteful Trim die, Square Lattice embossing folder, Big Shot, Sewing machine, Thread.

Thanks for stopping by!

PCS Avian Art Blog Hop

Hi Everyone, Welcome to the Paper Crafters Sampler blop hop. This month's issue is titled Avian Art, and this birdbath template is included in the issue.

If you are following the hop, you have arrived from Lisa's blog. Wasn't her version of the birdbath fabulous? Here is what I came up with.

Mom came over and helped me make the fabric bird a while back. He is a perfect addition to the birdbath.

I stamped grass with the Inspired by Nature set on the pedestal before assembling. I also created a morning glory vine by gluing Little Leaves die-cuts and adding Itty Bitty punch pack flowers with pearl jewel centers.

If you would like to sign up for this month's issue and get a copy of this template, go to Paper Crafters Sampler. Next along our little hop is our fearless leader, Melanie. OMGosh, you are going to love her interpretation! Enjoy the trip!

Stamps: Inspired by Nature; Paper: Crumb Cake, Marina Mist, Old Olive, Greenhouse Gala DSP; Ink: Old Olive, Marina Mist; Accessories: Sponge, Deck the Halls fabric, Buttons, Embroidery floss, Itty Bitty punch pack, Pearl Jewels, Little Leaves die, Big Shot.

Thanks for stopping by!

April Stamp Club Projects

Here are the projects we made at the April Stamp Club meeting. First I wanted to highlight the Plane & Simple stamp set with a Father's Day card. I really love making masculine cards.

My new favorite thing is making clouds with the Build A Cupcake punch. We sponged behind the plane with Bashful Blue ink and a scallop circle mask and also highlighted the cloud punch-out with more sponging. This card uses Inkspirations sketch #65.

Stamps: Plane & Simple, Sanded BG; Paper: Early Espresso, Bravo Burgundy, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Botanical Gazette DSP, First Edition DSP; Ink: Early Espresso, Bashful Blue; Accessories: Brad, Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, Linen thread, Build A Cupcake punch, Scallop Trim edge punch, Scallop Circle punch, 3" Circle die, Petal Cone die, Big Shot.

We hadn't used Nature Walk yet, so I turned to the Splitcoaststampers' Creative Crew color combo challenge this month to pull this one together. This also used Mojo Monday #186 layout.

We watercolored the butterfly with both Pacific Point and Not Quite Navy and sanded the tulip-embossed design on the DSP to get it to stand out a bit more.

**TIP - I learned NOT to leave water in my aquapainter over a long period of time. It got clogged! :( I am currently trying to declog it with vinegar, which is sort of working. Don't make my mistake, and dry out your aquapainter after use.

Stamps: Nature Walk; Paper: Not Quite Navy, Sahara Sand, Pacific Point, Very Vanilla, First Edition DSP, Botanical Gazette DSP; Ink: Black Stazon, Not Quite Navy, Pacific Point, Sahara Sand, Not Quite Navy marker; Accessories: Very Vanilla grosgrain ribbon, Aquapainter, Sanding block, Scallop circle punch, 1-3/8" Circle punch, Tasteful Trim die, Framed Tulips embossing folder, Big Shot.

And we made a little Easter or Mother's Day basket with the Petal Cone die and Easter Blossoms stamp set. After cutting two petal cone die-cuts, fold each die-cut in half, and lining up your top "petal" score line, score at 2" and cut at 2-3/4". We added 1-1/2" square pieces in the bottom of the box for extra stability.

Stamps: Easter Blossoms; Paper: Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz, Springtime Vintage DSP; Ink: Baja Breeze; Accessories: Vintage Flower Adornment, Baja Breeze seam binding, Crop-o-dile, Little Leaves die, Petal Cone die, Big Shot.

A bonus project, I reworked the carrot box from the previous stamp club into a carrot pouch using the Petal Cone die-cuts I had left over.

Stamps: Something to Celebrate; Paper: Peach Parfait, Pear Pizzazz, Very Vanilla; Ink: Early Espresso, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White Craft, Pumpkin Pie marker; Accessories: Petal Cone die, Big Shot.

Don't forget that the Occasions mini items, highlighted in the projects here, are only available until April 30.

Thanks for stopping by!

3-D Thursday: Glamour Girl Dress Box

Good Morning, Peeps! I know, it's Friday. I've been a sickie all week, the sun's been hiding, and it hasn't felt much like a vacation week. They are predicting more rain for Easter weekend. Boo!

First some housekeeping, it is week 16 of Scrappy Friday/Project 52, and I've created 18 pages. Nothing too amazing, although I am pressing ahead to get my 2010 album done so I can print by the end of May (hint, hint... scrapbooking month... selected MDS printed material on sale). I print one album for my daughter and one for my father-in-law, who doesn't get to see Little Missy much. I sooo love that I can create a gift by just hitting the print button again (and handing DH the bill - LOL!).

I'll share a double-page layout with a neat background from Little Missy's party last year.

Lacking pirate stamps and images in My Digital Studio, I inserted the old map from Vintage Overlays instead. I aged it a bit by adding the Textured stamp brush and another Vintage Overlay, the one that looks like an old, folded piece of paper.

TIP: It is really hard to see the images in the Vintage Overlay set, so I created a MDS project called Vintage Overlay so I can easily look for what I want.

On these pages, I added pirate and Tinkerbell images by inserting photos of the stamp images from the party favor projects. That worked in a pinch. The treasure chest holding the gold coin booty is from the Pirate Party kit.

Now for Thursday's 3-D project, the Glamour Girl Dress box. This is a great idea for a bridal, prom, Mother's Day, tea or garden party, or other girlie gathering that you need some table favors.

I love to create these things! Anyone want to invite me to a girlie gathering, and I'll bring the favors? ;)

The template is part of the discounted past issues available in the Paper Crafters Sampler Library, May 2010 issue. Please use code PCSHB. I've got one more PCS template project to share next week, so keep an eye out for that.

Paper: Very Vanilla; Accessories: Very Vanilla satin ribbon, Vanilla Rosette, Pearl Jewels, Elegant Lines embossing folder, Tasteful Trim die, Big Shot.

Thanks for stopping by!

Basketball Mojo

Morning, All! There's a bright orange ball in the sky this morning. Not sure what it is. I am very confused!

First today, I'd like to thank Ruthie for awarding me the Stylish Blogger award. Check out her site; she's got some beautiful projects!

My niece is the family basketball star, so I created a popular basketball card for her, but I incorporated a Mojo Monday sketch to make it more fun. Don't pay attention that I spilled coffee on the cardstock midway through production. *eyeroll* Just another manic Monday...

The sketch -

I texturized the basketball with the Backgrounds I Texturz Plate and highlighted with Cajun Craze ink. The basketball ball court diagram was printed off the internet on Very Vanilla cardstock.

Stamps: Something to Celebrate; Paper: Early Espresso, Really Rust, Very Vanilla, Autumn Vine DSP; Ink: Early Espresso, Cajun Craze; Accessories: Sponge, Black Sharpie, Brads, Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, Backgrounds I Texturz Plates, 3-1/2" Circle die, Petal Cone die, Tasteful Trim die, Big Shot.

I'm off to go make more coffee. Thanks for stopping by!

Big Shot Club - Session #3

In the third session of the Big Shot club, we focus on creating with materials other than paper. There is a list of 55 materials that the Big Shot can cut through. First we created a fun little school card with cork.

Stamps: Greeting Card Kids; Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Newprint DSP, Summer Picnic DSP; Ink: So Saffron, Soft Suede, Blush Blossom, Riding Hood Red, Black Stazon; Accessories: Aquapainter, Pumpkin Pie grosgrain ribbon, Button, Linen thread, Corner Rounder punch, Coluzzle, Scallop Circle #2 die, Top Note die, Big Shot, Bind-It-All, Paper clip.

The second project was to make a custom refrigerator magnet. The possibilities are endless, but the project is designed to get them thinking.

Stamps: Good Neighbors; Paper: Whisper White, Welcome Neighbor DSP, Old Olive DSP, Certainly Celery DSP; Ink: More Mustard, Basic Gray, Old Olive, Sahara Sand, Real Red marker; Accessories: Sponges, Magnetic Sheet, Scallop Circle #2 die, Big Shot.

And of course, we had to make something with fabric.

This was my favorite. It has such a nice textile feel!

Here we ironed fabric onto cardstock (new to me!) using the Fabric Adhesive Roll. We then die-cut using the Fancy Favor Box die and assembled with Sticky Strip.

Cardstock: Bashful Blue; Accessories: Candy Cane Christmas fabric, Cherry Cobbler seam binding, Candy Cane buttons, Linen thread, Fancy Favor Box die, Big Shot, Sticky Strip.

There was a lot of needle and thread in this class, but my ladies didn't complain. That's my girls! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

SUOC17 Mother's Day

Welcome to another challenge from SU Only Challenges! Today we are making Mother's Day cards. I was under the weather yesterday, and my post is late. I went to lay down at 4pm yesterday, and never got back up. Sorry! And I've got to take Little J to an Easter egg hunt this morning. Rushing, rushing...

I finally broke down and purchased the Easter Blossoms set. Don't forget this set is only available through April 3o! And I love this Springtime Vintage paper. Why haven't I used it more? It reminds me of my maternal grandmother.

This card is based on this week's Mojo Monday.

A shot of my hurried watercoloring. And boy was my bow giving me trouble! Start to finish, 1-1/2 hours. What do you think?

Stamps: Easter Blossoms, Something to Celebrate; Paper: Rose Red, Crumb Cake, Baja Breese, Very Vanilla, Springtime Vintage DSP; Ink: Rose Red, Black Stazon, Early Espresso marker; Accessories: Aquapainter, Baja Breeze seam binding, 3" Circle die, Petal Cone die, Big Shot, Sewing machine, Thread.

Thanks for stopping by!

Little Missy's Birthday Weekend

This past weekend we celebrated Little Missy's birthday. It is always fun to create for her, and she really appreciates it.

The party invitation -

On the backside of the postcard invite, I used the preprinted invites from the Princess Party kit for the party details. This invite was a CASE of "Janet" on Stampin' Connection minus the glitter.

The engraved invitation details that princes and princesses should come in their best ball attire. We have a royal carriage ride and petting zoo planned. But since the royal birthday ball is taking place on a farm, princes and princesses should make a special fashion statement by wearing boots. :)

Stamps: Sincere Salutations; Paper: Pale Plum, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White; Ink: Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink; Accessories: Sponge, Wide Oval punch, Small Oval punch, Heart-to-Heart punch, Top Note die, Scribbles Swirls die, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Elegant Lines embossing folder, Big Shot.

The party favors -

Chocolate wands and purse favors from the Princess Party kit for the royal guests. And I created a messanger bag for the prince in attendance.

Decorations -

I made this pumpkin carriage table center, originally created by Dana Kathleen Mosley.

Paper: Whisper White, Old Olive, Brushed Gold; Accessories: 5/16" brads, Large Oval punch, Scallop Trim punch, Manhattan Flower embossing folder, Big Shot.

Crown cupcake toppers come from the Princess Party kit, and the wrappers use various DSP and the Perfect Setting die.

The Princess and her Carriage -

My next challenge is to make some thank you cards out of the left over pieces of the Princess Party kit. I'll share when I figure it out.

Thanks for stopping by!

Scrappy Friday: Magic Kingdom

Welcome to another episode of Project 52. Progress to date: It's week 15, and 15 pages have been created. Haha, I'm on a roll!

I haven't been posting every page I make, just in case you are checking my counting. I plan to post ones that I'm really pleased with or ones with a special little trick I can share.

I spent a ton of time on these Disney-themed pages, but I am pretty happy with them. I easily spent greater than 6 hours on 3 pages - yikes! My daughter insisted on meeting all these characters at the Magic Kingdom, and this was the bulk of our day, but her smile could use some work!

Fun technique here - I used Summertime Splendor background, and also Vintage Overlays as well, to create shaded and patterned edges.

MDS Elements: Stamps: Simple Friendship, Petal Pizzazz, Vintage Overlays, Baroque Motifs, Cheep Talk, For All You Do; Papers: Summertime Splendor; Inks: Garden Green, Wild Wasabi, Daffodil Delight, Concord Crush, Certainly Celery.

This page gave me an excuse for a couple MDS downloads, and I am super happy with the Cupcake punch clouds, which I filled with Botanical Gazette paper to vintage them up. Fun!

MDS Elements: Stamps: Big Bold Birthday, Sweet Summer, Notes, Torn Edges; Papers: Botanical Gazette; Inks: Soft Suede, So Saffron, Riding Hood Red; Accessories: Cupcake punch.

Don't forget, in May, National Scrapbooking Month, Stampin' Up will be offering 30% off selected scrapbooking products, including selected professional print products for My Digital Studio.
So get those MDS photo books designed, completed, and ready to print in May!

Thanks for stopping by!

Garden Lantern

Morning Everyone! I wanted to show you another garden lantern that I made. This one is themed for a backyard with flowering trees and springtime birds.

I used pre-printed vellum and a battery-operated tealight inside.

Here is a close-up of the bird and flowering branch details.

The template is available at the Paper Crafters Sampler Library. Please use code PCSHB.

Stamps: Nature Walk; Paper: Pear Pizzazz, Very Vanilla, Botanical Gazette DSP, Taste of Textiles Specialty DSP; Ink: Sahara Sand; Accessories: Sponge, Scallop Trim Border punch, Trio Flower punch, Marina Mist satin ribbon, Pearl Jewels, Little Leaves die, Big Shot.

Thanks for stopping by!