Monday, March 31, 2014

Last Day for Sale-A-Bration: Twisty Treats

Today is your last chance to take advantage of Stampin' Up!'s biggest sales event of the year.  At midnight tonight MDT, it's all over for another 10 months.  And of course I have one more Sale-A-Bration project to share with you today, this time featuring the Twisty Treats Kit:

Colors: Bermuda Bay.  Stamps: Yippee-Skippee.  Punch: Small Heart.  Accessories: Silver 1/8" Ribbon and Twisty Treats Kit, Silver Glimmer Paper.
This is another Pinspiration.  I saw that Leonie Schroder had made some simple boxes to go in the bottom of the Twisty Treat bags and thought it was a brilliant way to use these bags. The bags themselves are just so darn cute, but add a solid color behind them and those polka dots just pop!

Don't miss out on this adorable kit.  It comes with the bags, tags and twist ties to give 12 treats away.  And it is only available for free (with a $50 purchase) during Sale-A-Bration.  Tick-Tock. Go shopping now!

Friday, March 28, 2014

Sale-A-Bration: When Skies are Gray

Another look at a Sale-A-Bration exclusive stamp set today.  This time it's See Ya Later.  I have seen a lot of cute things made with this stamp set, (just go look on Pinterest) but the stamp I really wanted to get inky says: "You Make Me Happy When Skies are Gray."  I used to sing "You are my Sunshine" to my oldest when he was a tiny baby and it always made him smile which always made me smile.  Such good memories now that he is a surly tween.

Here's what I made:

Colors: Smoky Slate, Daffodil Delight and Whisper White.  Stamps: See Ya Later (SAB exclusive). Big Shot: Decorative Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (SAB exclusive), Banner Framelits.  Punches: 1-3/8" Circle, Cupcake Builder (Clouds), Banner Punch (SAB), XL Oval and Decorative Label. Accessories: Rhinestones, Whisper White 1/8" Taffeta. 
This is another Pinterest inspiration.  (Making it a pinspiration, right?)  This time the original card was by Eileen LaFevre.  I loved how she used the largest of the Banner Framelits to make the card base and the cupcake punch for the clouds.  So cute.  So I just kind of ran with it from there.

I've seen several cards that have used the banner punch to make sun rays.  I have been singing the praises of this little punch since the beginning of Sale-A-Bration.  You can get this punch free through Sale-A-Bration, or it will be available in the next catalog. (But why not get it free while you still can, right?) 

And I can't count the number of times I've used the Decorative Dots Textured Impression Embossing Folder.  This is only available during Sale-A-Bration.  And I will miss having it as a current product.

Don't forget, Sale-A-Bration ends on Monday, March 31 at midnight MDT.  So don't miss out on your chance to get this stamp set or the embossing folder before it's too late.  Click the Shop Now button and get busy!

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Sale-A-Bration: Petal Parade

Sale-A-Bration is nearly over!  I can't believe it has just flown by.  Don't miss out on your chance to get free products just for purchasing items off your wish list.  But the biggest sales event of the year ends March 31.  So what are you waiting for? (Hopefully to see today's project).

I haven't shown a lot of Sale-A-Bration specific projects here in the past month or so but I have three more to show you between now and the end of the month.  Today's features one of the stamp sets and the coordinating Designer Series Paper:

Colors: Crumb Cake, Pool Party, Pistachio Pudding, Crisp Cantaloupe, Whisper White.  Stamps: Petal Parade (SAB Exclusive) and Simply Sketched. Big Shot: On Film Framelit.   Punches: Pansy & Petite Petals, Oval and Scallop Oval.  Accessories: Sweet Sorbet Designer Series Paper, Naturals 5/8" Chevron Ribbon, & Rhinestone Jewels.
This card was inspired by one I saw on Pinterest by Amy Storrie.  I did change mine up with the addition of the On Film Framelit and the oval punches, but if you saw ours next to each other, you can definitely tell I was inspired by her creation.

So now, what are you waiting for?  Click on the Shop Now Button and buy a few things off your wish list and get your free items, TODAY!

Monday, March 24, 2014

Make a Wish Hexagon Card

I finally had a chance to play with the Hexagon Hive Thinlits Die from the Occasions Mini Catalog.  At first I balked a little bit wondering if it was worth purchasing.  But I was hooked after one card:


Colors: Smoky Slate, Daffodil Delight, and Whisper White.  Stamps: Sweet Essentials.  Big Shot: Hexagon Hive Thinlits Die. Accessories: Watercolor Wonder Designer Series Paper and Rhinestone Jewels.
To make this card, I actually cut the Hexagon Hive Thinlit three times: one in each color.  I adhered the white base over the Designer Series Paper first and then used the punched out pieces from the Daffodil Delight and Smokey Slate to cover the solid pieces that were left on the white, popping some of them up on Dimensionals to give it a little more, well, dimension.  Finally, I added the random rhinestones which I think give the card that extra special touch.

One tip to using this (and other) Thinlet die: place a piece of waxed paper between the die and your card stock before you run it through the Big Shot.  The waxed paper keeps the thin pieces from getting stuck in the die and will save you a lot of wasted ruined cuts.  Consider yourself warned.

Friday, March 21, 2014

Freshly Made Sketches #128

I'll admit, I had this card sitting on my desk when I pulled up this weeks challenge from The Freshly Made Sketches blog.  It was almost too perfect.  This sketch by Rita Wright (fellow Stamp Crew Review stamper) is a go to card layout for me. 

So here is my interpretation of this sketch:

Colors: Strawberry Slush, Basic Black, Whisper White and Pink Pirouette.  Stamps: Sketched Birthday.  Punches: 1-1/4" Circle and 1-3/4" Scallop Circle.   Accessories: 2013-2015 In Color Designer Series Paper Stack, Basic Black 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Dazzling Details.
I love bright pink and black together.  I'm not really a girly, girl.  But these colors just pop.  And I've had a lot of fun playing with the Sketched Birthday set recently.  It's a little hard to tell from the picture, but after I colored the cupcake, I added a layer of Dazzling Details to the frosting.  And now I want a cupcake!

Thursday, March 20, 2014

The Paper Players Challenge #187

Remember when I said I needed to squeeze in an extra post this week because of the challenges I've been trying out?  Here is another one. This time it was The Paper Players Challenge to make a clean and simple Spring card.  Very fitting for the first day of Spring!

And here is the card I made:

Colors: Whisper White, Crisp Cantaloupe, Basic Black, Soft Sky, Coral Calypso, So Saffron, Pistachio Pudding, Pear Pizzazz and Sahara Sand.  Stamps: So Very Grateful.  Big Shot: Bitty Banner Framelits.  Accessories: Simply Scored, Many Marvelous Markers, Gold Sequin Trim, and Crystal Effects.
This one the second stamp set on my list from the Occasions Catalog.  I love these flowers (even though my customers don't like to color much). The one thing you cannot tell from this picture is that after I colored all the flowers and then outlined them in Sahara Sand, I covered them in Crystal Effects.  That is one of my favorite techniques.  It gives them dimension and shine.

And not only did I decorate the front of this card, I also did the inside:

No Crystal Effects on the inside but I did outline everything in Sahara Sand to give it a little depth.

Here's another look at the whole card:

I'll still be back tomorrow with a closer look at a project from my Birthday Bash Class so be sure to check back in then.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

The Friday Mashup Challenge #151

I'm kind of on a roll with the challenge thing.  If I keep this up, I'm going to have to post more than three times a week.  Today, it's The Friday Mashup Challenge:

The Friday Mashup usually combines the sketch with an additional challenge.  This week it was to make something with a rainbow on it.  The first thing I thought of was the Watercolor Wonder Designer Series Paper, even before I noticed that someone else had used it as well.  Here's my creation:
Colors: Crisp Cantaloupe, Whisper White, Gumball Green, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Island Indigo.  Stamps: Starburst Sayings.  Big Shot: Polka Dot Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Starburst Framelits, Circles #2 Die.  Punches: Banner.  Accessories: Watercolor Wonder Designer Series Paper, Gold Sequin Trim. 

Sunday, March 16, 2014

The Stamp Crew Review Blog Hop: The Open Seas Edition

Welcome to another edition of The Stamp Review Crew.  Today we are featuring what has become my go-to stamp for masculine cards: The Open Seas.  I loved this set when it was first in the seasonal catalog a few years back and was so happy that they continued it into the big catalog.

Today, I am just featuring one card that I made with this set.  And it is nothing too out-of-the-box either.  I wanted to have more to show you but this week did not go as planned:

Colors: Soft Suede & Ivory.  Stamps: The Open Sea, Label Love, World Map, & Perfect Pennants.  Big Shot: Circle Card Thinlits Die,  Circle Framelits.  Punch: Artisan Label and 2-1/2 Circle.  Accessories : Naturals Ivory Card Stock, Gold Baker's Twine.
Just a couple things to point out about this card. I just used the Circle Thinlits Die that way it was intended to be used.  To stamp the backgrounds, I cut a piece of copy paper with the die and used just the flip-flop circle part as a mask. I added a birthday greeting because this card is for my birthday class coming up this weekend.  And I thought that stripped pennant shape added just the right accent.

And the knot.  I don't know if you can tell, but I used the twine to tie a Josephine Knot out of the twine to give it a more nautical look.  There are lots of tutorials on how to tie one of these knots online.  (I will say that for someone who is just at titch dyslexic, it was a bit of a challenge to figure out all the over unders, etc. but I got it down so anyone can.) 

Now you can proceed through the rest of the hop and enjoy all the rest of the fabulous ideas that The Stamp Review Crew has to offer with this set.  You can use the buttons below to navigate forward or backward, or check out the list of all blog hop participants below.  Don't forget to leave a little blog love (comment) and subscribe to my blog or Facebook page to catch all my posts here.

http://ritascreations.blogspot.com/2014/03/stamp-review-crew-open-sea-edition.html

http://www.peoniesandpaperchains.com/2014/03/stamp-review-crew-the-open-sea.html

  1. Heidi Baks  runningwscissorsstamper.blogspot.com
  2. Cindy Beach stampspaperandink.typepad.com/
  3. Tanya Boser   tinkerin-in-ink.blogspot.com
  4. Mike Funke    stampin-style.typepad.com/
  5. Shana Gaff   stressfreestamping.blogspot.com
  6. Holly Krautkremer  rubberredneck.typepad.com
  7. Yapha Mason   yaphamason.com
  8. Mary Rindal   maryrindal.com/ 
  9. Dawn Tidd   tiddbitsfromdawn.typepad.com
  10. Lisa Young   addinkandstamp.blogspot.com/
  11. Kerry Willard Bray  kerrywillardbray.com
  12. Paula Wright  paulastamps.blogspot.com/
  13. Rita Wright  ritascreations.blogspot.com/
  14. Jill Coleman  jillstamps.com/
  15. Betty Traciak  kittystamps.blogspot.com


Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Unscripted Sketches Challenge #247

Remember last week when I said I wanted to play in more challenges?  Well here's another one for you.  This time it's Unscripted Sketches. My friend and fellow Stampin' Addict Adriana Benitez is on the design team over there and they always have great sketches.  I just never (before) have gotten around to playing.  Here's the sketch:
Sketch247
And here is the card I made:
Colors: Bermuda Bay, Basic Gray, Whisper White, Raspberry Ripple, Summer Starfruit, Gumball Green, Crisp Cantaloupe.  Stamps: Sketched Birthday and Yipppee-Skippee.  Big Shot: Decorative Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  Accessories: Blender Pens, Gumball Green Stitched Satin Ribbon, Birthday Basics Designer Series Paper.
You can see, I flipped the sketch and used the ribbon in the place of a title at the edge of the color block section.  This is such a versatile sketch too.  It would make a great scrapbook page.

This is also a card for my annual Birthday Bash Stampin' Buffet coming up on March 21&22.  It's the one time a year that my class is only about birthdays. Hope to see you there!

Sunday, March 9, 2014

The Stamp Review Crew: Happy Congratulations Bonus Edition

The Stamp Review Crew is sneaking in a little bonus hop this month featuring the Happy Congratulations stamp set from the Occasions Catalog and this is stop #1!

This was one of the first sets I purchased from the Occasions Catalog for sentimental reasons.  Just last summer, my aunt and uncle threw a party at the old family home in St. George, Utah.  They asked me to make the invitations for the party and wanted a Chinese Lantern motif for them and the party because my Great Grandparents used to decorate the house for parties with them.  Unfortunately, Stampin' Up! didn't have such a set then.  But at least I have the set now to make a scrapbook page from the party with it:

Colors: Basic Gray, Wild Wasabi, Real Red and Pacific Point.  Stamps: Happy Congratulations, Sketched Birthday and Remember This and That Rotary Stamp.  Punches: Decorative Label and XL Oval.  Accessories: White Baker's Twine.
My other project to share with you today is a card we made at my stamp club last week.  To me, this stamp set needs bold, bright colors and a Stamp-A-Majig.

Colors: Whisper White, Gumball Green, Pacific Point, Real Red and Daffodil Delight.  Stamps: Happy Congratulations.  Big Shot: Square Lattice Textured Impression Embossing Folder.  Accessories: Basic Metal Buttons and White Baker's Twine.
I hope you've enjoyed my projects made with this set and all the projects on the hop today.  To follow along, click the links below.  And be sure to come back next Monday for another edition of the Stamp Review Crew.
http://stampin-style.typepad.com/stampin-style/2014/03/src-happy-congratulations.html

maryrindal.com

  1. Paula Wright  paulastamps.blogspot.com/
  2. Mike Funke    stampin-style.typepad.com/
  3. Nancy Smith  iguanastamp.wordpress.com/
  4. Adriana Benitez  escape2stamp.com
  5. Tanya Boser   tinkerin-in-ink.blogspot.com
  6. Heidi Baks  runningwscissorsstamper.blogspot.com
  7. Mary Rindal   maryrindal.com/
  8. Kerry Willard Bray  kerrywillardbray.com

Friday, March 7, 2014

Stampin' Addicts Hidden Treasures Blog Hop: Hip Hip Hooray Card Kit

http://www.stampinaddicts.com/forums/general-stampin-talk/9483-hidden-treasure-blog-hop-march-7-9-a.html
Welcome to stop #5 on the Stampin' Addicts Hidden Treasure Blog Hop.  What exactly are Hidden Treasures?  They are all the fabulous stamps, kits and tools Stampin' Up! has been releasing between catalogs that don't show up in any catalogs but are available to order online or directly from your Stampin' Up! demonstrator.  If you are hoping in order than you've arrived from Twila's Stamp and Little Longer and her look at the fabulous Envelope Punch Board.  That thing is so versatile.  Love it!  If this is your first stop, don't worry because we are all linked together in a loop so you won't miss a thing. If you get lost along the way or you want to chat it up, head on over to Stampin' Addicts.

Just a month or so ago, Stampin' Up! gave us a new card kit called Hip Hip Hooray (item #134998).  It's such a fun kit.  And it's a great deal.  You get everything you need to make 20 cards for $19.95 including three stamps, card bases, embellishments, dimensionals, etc.  It would also make a great gift. Here's a look at the kit:
Of course this kit is designed to make quick and easy cards.  The kit even comes with pictures of the cards you can make.  Here are just a few I made with it:
All items from the Hip Hip Hooray Card Kit
But it wouldn't be a Stampin' Addict Blog Hop if I didn't take what came in the kit and do something else with it, now would it?  The cards that come in the kit are 3-1/2" by 5".  So here, I took pieces from the kit and made a regular-size (4-1/4" by 5-1/2"):

All items from the Hip Hip Hooray Card Kit except for Coral Calypso and Basic Gray Card Stock
And of course, we need a little treat box, right?  Here is how I turned one of the cards from the kit into a box.  I just scored it 3/4" on each side and 3/4" from the existing score line in the middle.  Then I used Scallop Border Punch to add a little interest to the box:
All items from the Hip Hip Hooray Card Kit except the Scalloped Border Punch
I hope you have enjoyed this look at the Hip Hip Hooray Card Kit and that you've added it to your wish list.  Next stop on the hop is Stamp and Scrap with Mary and her look at Dude, You're Welcome.

Mary Rindal

Twila Davis

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Getting back to my "Jobby!"


Around here, we lovingly refer to my Stampin' Up! business as my "Jobby."  It's not really just a hobby, but it definitely more than just a job too.  However, for the past several months, a lot of energy that I previously spent on my jobby has instead been spent on politics.  I've been a district co-captain for a citizen initiative here in Utah to change the way candidates for office get elected.  I don't want to turn this into a political discussion because who wants to mix stamping with politics?  One is beautiful, and one just plain isn't.  All that is really important to know is that is winding down as a compromise makes it's way through the State Legislature and I can start to feel my life going back to what it was before.


This whole thing was kind of a test for me to see if I was ready to give up my jobby and go back to the career I left shortly after my first son came along.  The answer actually surprised me.  I really, really missed being creative and spending time making beautiful things.  I ♥ my jobby and I am so excited to get back to it on a more regular basis!

And to kick that off, I am actually going to play along in the Fab Friday Challenge for this week.  It's been a goal of mine to play in more challenges but I just never seem to get around to it.  Well, fortunately, a project I made for stamp club last week fits perfectly with this color challenge:

Colors: Bermuda Bay, Strawberry Slush, Basic Black, Whisper White and Crushed Curry.  Stamps: Starburst Sayings.  Big Shot: Starburst Framelits.  Punch: Banner and Envelope Punch Board. Accessories: Kaleidoscope Designer Series Paper.




The basic directions for this box were found on Pinterest but when I went back to find the right person to credit, I found a million of these boxes in many different sizes.  For this box,  I started with an 8" square paper and then using the punched and scored on each side at 3" and 5".  (Instead of lining up the box with the previous score line when you rotate the paper, each side was scored at 3" and 5".)  And to hold the box shut, I made a belly band and used the Starburst Sayings Stamp Set and Framelit bundle to make the tag for the front.  And I just can't stop using that banner punch to make little accent pieces.  Everyone needs this punch!

Here is a side view of the box too:

Hopefully I will have lots of new things to show you over the next several weeks.  Come back Friday to see another Stampin' Addict Blog Hop featuring the Hidden Treasures Stampin' Up! has given us over the past several months (items not featured in any catalog).  And then next Monday is a bonus edition of The Stamp Review Crew featuring Happy Congratulations from the Occasions Catalog.  See you back here then!

Sunday, March 2, 2014

The Stamp Review Crew: Fabulous Florets Edition

http://stampreviewcrew.blogspot.com/
Welcome to The Stamp Review Crew Blog Hop: Fabulous Florets Edition. I know I've come up with an idea or two for this set from all the fabulous ideas shared and I hope you have too.  However, I have a confession to make, I don't own this stamp set. (I feel like I'm the only person on the planet who doesn't). So today I'm showing you a couple of projects I've made with My Digital Studio and the Fabulous Florets Digital Download.

First up, a scrapbook page featuring this stamp set and two of my fabulous best friends (that's me in the middle with Sabrina on the left and Vicki on the right).  Here I used the line art flowers to make a background for my page:
Colors: Coral Calypso, Smoky Slate, and Whisper White.  Digital Stamps: Fabulous Florets and Friendly Words.  Digital Punches: Labels Collection and Scallop Border.  Digital Accessories: Stitching.

And one more; this time a quick card.  And when I say quick, I mean it took me less than five minutes to whip this together.  (And sorry the edges are kind of hard to make out.  I love the clean look of a white background but it doesn't always show up the best on my blog):
Colors: Whisper White, Primrose Petal, Summer Starfruit, and Midnight Muse.  Digital Stamps: Fabulous Florets.  Digital Punches: Flag.

I hope have enjoyed this look at the digital version of Fabulous Florets.  Leave me a comment below and if you'd like to follow my blog on a regular basis, please become follower either here or on Facebook.  Now click on the buttons below to continue on your way for more amazing ideas.
Rita Wright
http://www.peoniesandpaperchains.com/2014/03/stamp-review-crew-fabulous-florets.html
Kerry Willard Bray