Gobble, Gobble

This is the third card we made last night at my Downline Meeting/Opportunity Night! I'm happy to welcome two new members to my team: Stephanie (and Doug) and Nancy! I'm so glad they took advantage of the extras Stampin' Up! is offering with the Starter Kit. It makes it an even better deal, and I'm loving the In Colours!

If you're interested in getting the Starter Kit with a bonus of the 6 In Colour ink pads and an assorted In Colour card stock pack, you only have a couple hours left! The Mini Starter Kit offer (6 ink pads, one stamp set - up to $38.95, one neutral card stock & one assorted card stock for $105 + PST) also expires at 11:59 today! If you'd like to join my team, just click here, and click "start your own business" at the bottom under my Event Calendar. My recruiter pass word is: gold star

Anyway, back to the card... I used the In Colour Stampin' Write Markers to colour the turkey part of the Gobble, Gobble stamp (available in the Holiday Mini Catalogue tomorrow). I stamped it onto Whisper White, then punched him out with the 1 3/4" circle punch. I stamped the sentiment part of the Gobble, Gobble stamp with Soft Suede, and punched it with the Modern Label punch. This is layered on the cut out from the Movers & Shapers label die. The DSP is also in the Holiday Mini... it's called Autumn Meadows.

Butterfly CASE

So I was blog-hopping, and saw Stampin' With Di's Colour Challenge, and then I saw this card by Jan and had to CASE (copy and stamp everything) it. It was perfect for the colour challenge (Bashful Blue, Tempting Turquoise, Certainly Celery, Old Olive and Whisper White), and I loved the embossing folder with the butterfly stamp. I coloured the centres of the flowers (just like Jan) and added some Dazzling Diamonds glitter. I stamped the solid butterfly (from Flight of the Butterfly) with Bashful Blue above the embossed area, and stamped the dotty butterfly with Tempting Turquoise onto vellum Cardstock. I punched it out with the Butterfly Punch, and used a mini glue dot to stick the centre of the butterfly together. I added some Certainly Celery flowers (from the same stamp set) to make sure I used all the colours.

It's hard to see the embossing in this photo (maybe if you click it to see it bigger), but it looks great in person!

Happy Halloween!

The challenge this week at Pals Paper Arts blog was a Theme challenge... and the theme is Halloween! Perfect timing, since I'm hosting a Downline Meeting/Opportunity night tomorrow, and I promised a Halloween card with new Holiday Mini Catalogue products. This is one of the cards we'll be making (we're doing a Thanksgiving and Christmas card too) and it uses Night & Day Specialty Paper, and a new stamp set called Twick or Tweet. I also used my favourite sentiment stamp set (Teeny Tiny Wishes) and the Modern Label punch. The Texture Jumbo Wheel adds the perfect backdrop to the card base.

If you're in the London, ON area, and you'd like to come to my Opportunity Night, please e-mail today... I have a couple spots left!

Sketch #71

I've got a 2 page, multi-photo, 8.5x11 sketch for you this week... easily adapted to 12x12 though.


and my layout:If you create something based on this sketch, I'd love to see it! Link me up in the comments...

Back to Basics - Stamps, Ink & Paper

To be honest, I love using just stamps, inks and papers on most of my cards (and scrapbook layouts). I will sometimes use a few small embellishments to add a little pop, and I often use punches or the Big Shot to add some interest, but if you look at most of my cards, they are mostly created with these basic supplies.

Shelli's Challenge this month is to go back to basics, and create using these essentials, so I tried to go without using even punches or the Big Shot and came up with these cards.

This card uses a new set from the upcoming Holiday Mini (available next week)! It's called Gifts of the Earth, and it's a beautiful set for Watercolouring. I added some visual interest by tearing and distressing the edges of the cardstock layers.

supplies (all SU!): Stamps (Gifts of the Earth); Inks (StazOn Jet Black, Soft Suede, Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, Sahara Sand, , Old Olive); Cardstock (Soft Suede, Dusty Durango, Old Olive, Watercolour Paper); Aqua Painter

This card uses Masking and Reverse Masking to add some interest to the focal image. First I stamped the flower image from Le Jardin Botanique with Rich Razzleberry ink on Very Vanilla cardstock. Then I stamped it again on a post-it note and cut it out. I placed the mask over the stamped flower. I used a post-it note and a craft knife to create a rectangle reverse mask to frame the flower. I sponged inside the rectangle with Old Olive ink. I then used the quote stamp from the stamp set and Soft Suede ink (stamped off on scratch paper) to stamp over the sponging. I removed my masks, distressed and inked the edges of my focal image and set it aside.

One thing I love about Stampin' Up! cardstock is that you can crumple it up and roll it around to break up some of the fibers, then peel it apart. You get two pieces of distressed, suede-like cardstock. I did this with some Rich Razzleberry cardstock, then rubbed the inkpad over top to catch the wrinkles and add more interest. This was layered over Kraft cardstock stamped with the leaf image from Le Jardin Botanique. I stamped the oval piece with Old Olive ink on Old Olive cardstock, and hand-cut around it. It was mounted over the focal image with Stampin' Dimensionals.

I hope I've shown that limiting yourself to stamps, inks and paper doesn't mean your cards will be boring!

Greetings Earthling - Birthday Cards for Kids

This is Card #3 in my Birthday Cards for Kids class (Sunday, Sept 13th@ 7:00pm). Aliens can be coloured to suit the earthling who may be the recipient... I love this fun little set!

The images are stamped on Vellum Cardstock with StazOn Jet Black ink, then coloured with Stampin' Write Markers (Bold Brights and In Colours) and Blender Pens. I then created the planet surface with a Blender Pen with ink on a rectangle of Whisper White cardstock the same size as the vellum. I attached the vellum to the white cardstock with silver brads and stamped the greeting onto a scrap of Whisper White and hand-cut it out. The Green Galore cardstock piece was torn, then put throught the Paper Crimper for a little extra texture.

Stamps: Greetings Earthling (item # 113810 - $28.95)

Magical Wishes ('Birthday Cards for Kids' Class)

This card is Morgan's favourite right now... and can you blame her? A birthday pony with wings in her favourite colours! This card is part of my upcoming class (Birthday Cards for Kids - Sunday Sept 13th)... we'll make five birthday cards appropriate for boys and girls of different ages. I'm featuring several new sets from the Growing Up section of the catalogue (spend $45.00 on stamps from this section during August and receive a free pack of Designer Buttons) and we'll watercolour using a few different products. We'll also make a box to put the cards in (this would make a great gift). All this for only $15.00! My e-mail is in the sidebar if you're in the London, ON area and would like to take the class.

supplies (all SU!): Stamps (Pony Party); Inks (StazOn Jet Black, Lovely Lilac); Bold Bright Watercolour Crayons; cardstock (Naturals White, Watercolour, Lovely Lilac, Pixie Pink, Vellum Cardstock); Thoroughly Modern DSP; Colour Spritzer & Lovely Lilac Stampin' Write marker; Punches (Word Window, Modern Label Punch); Blender Pen

Sketch #70 (and a peek at the new SU! Shimmer Paint)

I have a 12x12 multi-photo sketch today... lots of white space on this one!

I was multi-tasking last night, so I made a card using items from the upcoming Holiday Mini Catalogue (available September 1st):

I used the new Petals-a-Plenty Embossing Folder (looks like poinsettias), a new stamp set (Delightful Decorations) that has a co-ordinating punch, and the new Frost White Shimmer paint (more like an ink than a paint).

I applied the shimmer paint to my stamps with a Sponge Dauber after I inked the stamp with Old Olive or Ruby Red ink, and it adds a very cool shimmer effect, but keeps the colour of the ink I used. For the green ornament with the snowflake, I applied the shimmer paint to the stamp without adding any colour first.

If you'd like to make this card (and two others--a Halloween card and a Thanksgiving card) and try out these and other new products from the Holiday Mini, come to my Downline Meeting/Opportunity Night - Sunday Aug 30th @ 7:00pm. It's free! My e-mail is in the sidebar for more details.

check out Tracy's blog for some blog candy!

Upsy Daisy Canvas

Some of you may remember my Always Bird canvas, made with the medium Always Bird from the Decor Elements catalogue.

I still love it, but the medium Always bird retired this past June, so of course that gave me a reason to try a new vinyl art piece! This time, I chose the Old Olive Upsy Daisy image and painted my canvas a vanilla colour before adding streaks of green and purple (and a little silver) paint. After letting the paint dry I put a couple catalogues inside the frame under the canvas so I had something to push against, and rubbed on the flowers. Easy peasy, and I LOVE how it turned out! I did cut apart a few of the flowers so I could layer them a little more. I'd love to see how you've used Decor Elements, either on your walls or to create art!

Greenhouse Garden

This is the second card we did in my Two-Step Stamping Technique Class this weekend. I love this stamp set, and may have decided to do Two-Step Stamping this month just so I could get it... I don't really need any more flower sets, but this is so pretty I couldn't resist.

I also used the Delicate Dots Jumbo wheel on the Small Notecards (these are so quick and easy to use... pre-cut and scored, and they come with envelopes) to add some interest. I used the Scallops #2 die for the Big Shot to cut out the scallop circle from Melon Mambo cardstock, and the Circle Scissors Plus to cut the circles we stamped. I just love this colour combination--Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie and Melon Mambo!

Sketch #69

This week I have a card sketch for you! Feel free to adapt it for a layout if you'd like...


And here's my card:

This is a sneak peek at one of the cards in my next class: Birthday Cards for Kids (or the young @ heart) - Sunday Sept 13th @ 7:00pm - $15.00. I will have other sentiments available at the class... this would make a wonderful 'welcome baby' card, but I've done it as a birthday card for a baby/toddler. We'll be making five cards appropriate for boys and girls of different ages, and a box to put them in.

supplies (all SU!): Stamps (Teddy & Train, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Pony Party); Cardstock (Naturals White, Watercolour Paper, Apricot Appeal, Green Galore, Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue); Inks (VersaMark, StazOn Jet Black, Soft Suede, Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery, Bermuda Bay, Sahara Sand); Aqua Painter

August Technique Class!

The August Technique is Two-Step Stamping so get those Stamp-a-ma-jigs warmed up! This is one of the cards we'll be making in the class... I'll show the other one next week. I used Trendy Trees, Thoroughly Modern DSP, the Modern Label punch and four of the new In Colours, along with my favourite... Kraft cardstock.

In my Technique Classes, we make a technique reference card (instructions on one side, samples on the back) and two greeting cards made with the technique. This class is free for my Stamp Club members, and for first-time attendees. You can also attend the class with a $25.00 order or a $5.00 supply fee. Please RSVP (e-mail in sidebar) at least 24 hours before the class you'd like to attend:

Friday August 14th @ 7:00pm

Sunday August 16th @ 7:00pm

My House

You can see my full class schedule on my website!

Full of Life

This card took a while to make... lots of hand-cutting! I cut the card base (Crushed Curry) out using the new Scallop Square die for the Big Shot... that part was easy! I stamped all the images from the new Leaf Lines stamp set onto Naturals White cardstock, and used my blender pen and inks (Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Soft Suede & Dusty Durango) to colour them in. Then I hand-cut around all the images, glued and/or popped them up with Dimensionals and added my sentiment! I like the way it turned out, but it's definitely not a card I'd want to make often.

Fancy Folds Card #4

Here's card #4 from my Fancy Folds Class. This card is a variation on a Gate Fold card. You can see a better view of the way it's folded in the bottom photo. I used some Thoroughly Modern Designer Series paper, the Pocket Silhouettes stamp set, and the sentiment (from Teeny Tiny Wishes) is inside the card. I really like Chocolate Chip with Bermuda Bay and just a pop of Melon Mambo!

supplies (all SU!): Stamps (Pocket Silhouettes, Matchbox Messages, Teeny Tiny Wishes); Cardstock (Chocolate Chip, Bermuda Bay, Naturals White); Inks (Soft Suede, Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo); Thoroughly Modern DSP

Fancy Folds - Card #3

This is the third card in my Fancy Folds class... it's a "Spring Card". I used Medallion again, this time I did the Versamark/Stampin' Pastels for a soft look. I love the way the half pearl from the Pretties kit looked in the middle of my last card, so I did it again for this one! I also love Teeny Tiny Wishes combined with the Word Window and Modern Label punches... I've been using these on a lot of cards lately!

supplies (all SU!): Stamps (Medallion, Teeny Tiny Wishes); Inks (VersaMark, Soft Suede); Cardstock (Naturals White, Chocolate Chip, Almost Amethyst); Chocolate Chip Patterns DSP; Half pearl (Pretties Kit); Stampin' Pastels

Sketch #68

Here's a two-photo, 12x12 sketch for you this week:


and my layout (adapted to 8.5x11):

This layout is a peek at the August Kit @ BYOM... Cherry Arte, Jenni Bowlin and Jillibean Soup... oh my!

Pop Up Thoughts

This is card #2 in my Fancy Folds Class. The bottom photo shows the way it will look to fit in the envelope. You pull the ribbon tab at the top, and it slides open to sit as shown in this photo below. I masked the flower before stamping the leaves to make it look like they are behind the flower. This set is Kind & Caring Thoughts, a beautiful Level 3 Hostess set with images, sentiments and verses for the inside (I love a good All in One set like this)!

Supplies (all SU!): Stamps (Kind & Caring Thoughts); Inks (Certainly Celery, Soft Suede, Old Olive, Cameo Coral, Ruby Red); Cardstock (Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Whisper White, Pretty in Pink; White Taffeta Ribbon

Greenhouse Friend

Another one of the stamp sets that jumped out and said "buy me!" from the new catalogue was Greenhouse Garden. I'll be using this stamp set for my August Technique class (Friday, August 14th and Sunday August 16th @ 7:00pm) to show Two-Step Stamping. This isn't the card we'll me making, but I wanted to play with the set. I thought that the Stamp-a-ma-jig would be essential for this set, but it looks okay without it too! I also used the Texture Jumbo Wheel to create the background on the Certainly Celery and the Very Vanilla cardstock.

supplies (all SU!): Stamps (Greenhouse Garden, Teeny Tiny Wishes); Inks (Soft Suede, Certainly Celery, Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry); Cardstock (Certainly Celery, Very Vanilla, Natural Ivory, Kraft); Modern Label Punch