200 Followers!

Wow!  I just realized there are now 200 of you out there in cyberspace following my little blog!  That  absolutely blows be away...that there would be that many people interested in what I create.  Kinda humbling...and it makes me even more determined to do a better job of posting regularly.  I owe it to all of you, so I hereby pledge to make my blog worthy of your time and attention.  The good news is that I am nearing the end of my crazy schedule of holiday classes and workshops.  Hopefully within the next couple of weeks, in the midst of the chaos of preparing for Christmas, I will get some time to just stamp for fun...I miss that!  I SO can't wait for my pre-order for the Occasions Mini...I have so many ideas for how to put the fabulous new products to use!  But more on that later...today I have a really simple Christmas card for you.  This is one we are doing at my LAST Stamp-A-Stack of the season this coming Sunday...

CAS Holiday card using the Easy Events stamp set

I told you it was simple!  I know its not really my style, but I needed something that would come together quickly and this one really does.  The only thing that takes any time at all is colouring in the image with old olive and real red markers.  The rest is quick and easy.  I'm not sure why I didn't photograph the inside of this one...there is a little more colouring inside and a festive sentiment.  I'm also not sure why the photo is so dark...something didn't work properly, apparently!  One little tip I have for you is that whenever I have stamps that have both an image and a sentiment on them, I cut the sentiment off so that I can use them separately without having to use markers to ink only a portion of the stamp.  In this example, I cut the sentiment off, stamped the image without the sentiment first and then stamped the sentiment afterwards.  It allowed me to space the image and sentiment out more than if I had left the stamp intact.  This trick works really well with clear mount stamps, as it is very easy to put the stamp back together again if you ever desire.  I have found that doing this really adds to the versatility of my stamps. 

Ok...I am off to bed...tired out after a day of teaching high school and a monthly class tonight as well as prepping for another class tomorrow evening!  Have a great week, everybody!

CASE-ing myself!

I have another monthly club meeting tomorrow and as I sat down to prep for it I was fresh out of MOJO!  So, I began looking through my collection of samples from past classes.  I found this card and got busy changing it up to use for my class.  Since I had some leftovers from the Christmas Lane Simply Scrappin' kits I used for my Mini Album class this afternoon, I used some of the DSP to makover my original design.  Here is what I came up with:

Holiday card using DSP from Christmas Lane Simply Scrapping Kit and Pennant Parade stamp set

Detail of 3D tree.

Inside detail.  Sentiments are from the Many Merry Messages set (which is on for 50% off till the 30th!!)

I have to say that I like my CASE'd version better than the original one!  I kept many of the same elements but added the 3D tree and the little jingle bell to the front.  I also popped up and framed the sentiment on the inside.  The colour scheme is based on the DSP:  cherry cobbler, early espresso and lucky limeade.  I like the freshness of these colours together.  I hope my club members like it too!

Deja Vu...

You may experience  a little Deja Vu when you see the card  I have for you tonight.  It is a variation on a card I did a couple of weeks ago for a Stamp-A-Stack a customer was hosting.  I used the same layout and switched up the colour scheme and stamp set for my Christmas Club this month.  See what you think...

Elegant Holiday card featuring Bright Hope stamp set and Mocha Morning DSP

Isn't it amazing how you can take one card design and transform it by simply changing up the colours and stamp set?  The original version of this can be seen HERE.  Neither card uses traditional Christmas colours...this one  uses basic gray, basic black, whisper white and cherry cobbler.  The flocked Mocha Morning DSP is just so yummy; rich and elegant...love it!! 
See how easy it is to take an existing design and make it new?  If you are one who finds it  difficult to be creative and come up with original designs on your own, try taking something you've seen and switching it up to make it your own.  It is a great way too spark your creativity and find your own stamping style.  Before long you'll be designing up a storm and wondering who this incredibly creative person is!  Give it a try the next time you sit down to stamp!

A Quickie...

Tonight's post will be brief...I am waaaaay too tired to make much sense at the moment, but I wanted to get something up for you all.  This is a card I designed for my Christmas club this month.  This is our last meeting...we've been doing Christmas cards since August(!)...and I wanted to do something kind of fun and playful.  This is what I came up with:

Holiday card using Jolly Bingo Bits stamp set and Frostwood Lodge DSP.

I have had the Jolly Bingo Bits set since last year and have to say it has really been sadly neglected.  I decided to actually put together the stamps (yes, there were many that had yet to be mounted!!) and use 'em!  This card is the result.  The bingo images are popped up with dimensionals and the background is embossed with the square lattice folder.  I drew my colour scheme from the DSP...very warm and traditional.  I chose the scalloped ribbon because I liked the way the scallops worked with the postage stamp punch mats for each image.  The little jingle bells and bakers twine bow add a bit of fun and whimsy.  I sure hope my club members like it...punching all those little postage stamps for their kits took a while!!  Later this week I'll try to post the other projects we're doing...in the meantime happy stamping...and don't forget to check out the deals in the Online Extravaganza!!

Online Extravaganza

There are some terrific deals to be had in my online store, including two 24-hour-only deals featuring two fabulous new products:  Simply Scored and Sweet Pressed Cookie stamps!  Head on over to my online store and check it out...but hurry...these are limited time offers!

Texture Overload

Well, here it is Friday already...and more than half-way through November!  How the heck does that happen??  Time just seems to disappear on me these days.  The card I have for you today is one I made more than a week ago and just haven't had time to post till now.  It uses a bunch of odds and ends I had laying on my stamping table that were begging to be made into a card.

Holiday card using Holly Berry Bouquet DSP with sentiment from Bright Hopes.

This card has a ton of texture.  Starting with the embossed polka dots on the card base and then the vintage wallpaper embossed top note die cut.  I added a strip of the glittery polka-dotted paper from the Holly Berry Bouquet pack and topped it with a bit of real red satin ribbon.  The rosette was also made with paper from the same pack and topped off with an ornament punched out of red glimmer paper.  I added a little vanilla bow and the sentiment from Bright Hopes that I hand-cut.  Not much stamping on this card, but I still quite like the result!

Happy Birthday to my Hubby...

Today is my husband's 41st birthday and to celebrate I created a special card that I knew he would love.  With the "help" of my 4 1/2 year old this is what we came up with:

Angry Birds card for my 41-year-old husband

Inside view

So, I mentioned this is for my FORTY-ONE year old husband, right?  He is completely addicted to this game, as is my son, so we knew this  would be the perfect design for him.  The front of the card was inspired by a card I found online HERE.  The inside I came up with myself.  I kind of liked the idea of the piggy hiding beneath the plate of cupcakes...very Angry Birds-esque.  The entire card was created using Stampin' Up punches, cardstock and inks.  There was also a fair bit of trimming of punch shapes involved.  It was a wee bit labour-intensive, but worth the effort...my hubby loved the result!  Inside the card I hid an iTunes gift card...the perfect gift for the man in my life! 
Before I get a zillion requests for instructions, let me say that I am working on putting together a tutorial for these little guys...I'm just swamped with classes and holiday preparations right now.  I likely won't have time to get to it until I am off for the holidays between Christmas and New Year's.  Hopefully you can wait till then, if not perhaps you can figure it out from the photo...if you get stuck let me know and I'll try to help when I can.
In the meantime, I am off to a grown-up dinner out with my hubby at a new restaurant here in Cambridge...can't wait!

Z-fold Joy

Well, my Christmas class schedule is in full swing!  Last night I ran a Stamp-A-Stack in Dundas for a fun group of scrapbooking friends.  We did 12 cards and had lots of laughs!  Here is one of the cards I designed for that class...

Elegant holiday card using The Sounding Joy, Bright Hopes and Christmas Greetings stamp sets.

Open view.

I have to say I was really happy with the way this one turned out.  I was going for something that would come together fairly quickly and easily but that would still provide the WOW factor.  I turned, once again to that gorgeous Mocha Morning DSP for inspiration, added richness with the cherry cobbler seam binding ribbon and an antique brad and viola...quick and easy Christmas card!
Today is all about the gift tags...I have my class tomorrow night and need to prep 120 tags this afternoon!  I hope your Sunday is a little less busy than mine will be!

Faux Tile Pines and Poinsettias

Tonight my Stamps-a-Latte group meets and we're going to learn two techniques.  I already posted about one here.  The second one is not exactly new, but it sure is a whole lot easier with the launch of the new Simply Scored. 

Holiday card using the Pines and Poinsettias set with sentiment from Contempo Christmas

Faux tile has been around for ages, but I rarely used it because I had a hard time getting my score lines exactly even.  No more.  It is SO easy with the Simply Scored!  I plan to use this technique a whole lot more now.  I love the vintage look it adds to this card.  Another simple, yet often neglected technique this card uses is crimping.  I added dimension and texture to the patterned eyelet border by running it through my crimper.  A fast and easy way to add visual interest to any project.  Another layer of interest is the lightly stamped and sponged card base.  I'm not sure it shows in the photo, but I lightly stamped the scroll image from the Pines and Poinsettias set all over the card base in crumb cake ink, stamped off once.  I then sponged the edges to distress it ever-so-slightly to provide a suitable background for the vintage look I was going for. 
Once again, I am amazed at how much this whole suite has grown on me in the months since I first laid eyes on it at convention.  It just goes to show you that there is not substitute for hands-on experience!

Variation on a theme...

...that's what today's card is.  After making the card I posted yesterday I decided to try  different layout using many of the same elements.  This is what I came up with...

Holiday card using Bright Hopes stamp set.

Inside view...look familiar??

So this time, instead of using the rock and roll technique, I used my markers to be more precise as to where I was using the darker shade.  I inked the stamp with my pool party ink pad and then used my island indigo marker to colour the parts I wanted darker.  I also heat embossed the entire focal image using iridescent ice which gives it a ton of sparkle.  I used many of the same elements as I did on yesterday's card, but instead of rhinestones I used the silver mini brads...love those little guys!  Now my dilemma is which card I like best!  I'd love to hear what you all think!

Rock 'n' Roll Hopes

Today's post is one I designed for a Stamp-A-Stack I am doing on Saturday evening.  I wanted something elegant yet clean and so I turned to the Bright Hopes set from the Holiday Mini.  I love this year's in-colours, especially pool party and island indigo, so I decided to combine them using the rock and roll technique.  This simple, yet effective technique is a quick and easy way to get a multi-coloured image...have a look...

Holiday card using the Bright Hopes set from the Holiday Mini

Inside view

I am trying to use a lot of whisper white these days...here's a funny story why...

A couple of weeks ago I was in the midst of prepping for three large Stamp-A-Stacks in a short period of time.  I ran short of some cardstock and needed to place an expedited order to get it here in time.  I was at school (I'm a teacher by day) and was rushing to get my order in by 9:00 am MT so that it would ship that day.  I was distracted and rushed and when I went to enter a quantity of 2 packages of whisper white cardstock I neglected to delete the default quantity of 1.  That meant that when I entered 2 packages it actually registered 12!!  Being too rushed to notice I submitted my order and was rather surprised when my package arrived two days later with a whole lot of whisper white cardstock in it!  So...anybody need any whisper white cardstock???

I do have to say, I am liking the white-on-white background look.  I actually did a variation on this card that I'll post for you tomorrow.  In the meantime I am off to Kindermusik with my son!

Scenic Embossed Season

This week is a busy one!  I have my Stamps-A-Latte club on Thursday, Stamp-A-Stacks on Friday and Saturday and my Gift Tags class next Monday!  Talk about a lot of cutting to do!  Not to mention designing some of the projects!  My Stamps-A-Latte Ladies like to learn techniques, so this month we are doing two.  Today's project uses multi-coloured embossing and I love the way it turned out.  Check it out...

Holiday card using the Scenic Season set and multi-coloured embossing technique

Inside view with image from the Christmas Lodge set.

Isn't that a cool effect???  I used gold, pewter, silver and iridescent ice embossing powder on the trees...I'm not sure if all the variations in colour show up in the photo.  In looks pretty cool in real life.  I kept the rest of the card clean and simple to highlight the image.  The sentiment and the inside of the card are stamped in soft suede.  I used a bit of quilted satin ribbon in cherry cobbler and a neutrals glimmer brad to finish it off.   I sure hope my club ladies like this one as much as I do!

Christmas Collage

Today's post is one I stamped just for fun!!  Today is the first day in a VERY long time that I've been able to just create for the sake of creating and not with a particular class or event in mind.  This card isn't one I would do in a class...a wee bit too fussy for that...but I sure do like it! 

Vintage-y Christmas Card using Christmas Collage background stamp, Winter Post and sentiment from Bells and Boughs sets.

Inside of view using sentiment from Many Merry Messages and image from Bells and Boughs.

So, whaddya think of the colour scheme?  Not exactly your traditional red and green Christmas card...but I have to say I really like it!  I was inspired by a card by Linda Creech that I saw on our demonstrator forum.  Linda's card also used soft colours and pewter embossing powder...such a great combination!  The colours I used were blushing bride, baja breeze, crumb cake and sahara sand (card base).  The background image was embossed using the pewter embossing powder (sure hope THAT stuff carries over when this mini is done!), as was the deer image from the Winter Post set.  The rest of the images on the inside and the sentiment on the front were stamped in crumb cake.  I finished it off with yet another package-tied ribbon treatment (I seem to be on a roll with that lately!) using very vanilla seam binding ribbon and an antique brad.  I am really pleased with the way this turned out...who would have thought such non-traditional colours would combine to create such a beautiful holiday card?!?

Its Digital Scrapbooking Day!

Stampin' Up! is celebrating Digital Scrapbooking Day from Nov. 4 -7th.  This event is designed to highlight some of the fantastic projects you can create using My Digital Studio.  Check out the Event page at MyDigitalStudio.net to learn how you can access FREE digital content during this special event.  Hurry...the event ends Monday, November 7th!

Now on to today's post.  This is another card I designed for my Christmas Club last month.  It uses my favourite set from the Holiday Mini, Christmas Lodge, and makes use of the coordinating DSP called Frostwood Lodge.  See what you think:

Rustic Christmas card using the Christmas Lodge stamp set and Frostwood Lodge DSP from the Holiday Mini

Inside of card using sentiment from Christmas Lodge.

I have to say that this is one of my favourite Christmas cards that I've created this year.  I really love the images in this stamp set but have found it a challenge to use them effectively because they are quite large.  I saw a card online where someone had stamped on the birch-bark-patterned DSP and a light bulb went off.  The result was the focal image on this card.  I added the quilted satin ribbon for richness and embossed the background for additional texture.  I absolutely love the  way Stampin' Up's products all coordinate.  It makes it so easy to put together a cohesive project with very little effort.  The products in the Frostwood Lodge Suite are a perfect example of this (and my  current favorites!)

Pines and Poinsettias for Christmas

I am off on our annual Arts Retreat at school but I was on the ball enough to pre-schedule this post...are you impressed???  Given my posting track record the past couple of months, I sure am!
Today's card is one I designed for my Christmas Club last month.  It uses a set that I initially wasn't crazy about but that has grown on me as I've started to use it.  The same goes for the coordinating DSP...didn't like it much at first but now really quite enjoy creating with it.  Its funny how that happens, no?  Anyhow, here's the card:

Christmas card featuring the Pines and Poinsettias stamp set and Holly Berry Bouquet DSP.

Inside of card with sentiment from Petite pairs

Kinda pretty, huh?  I have to admit I was dead wrong about the use of wild wasabi for Christmas.  It just works so well in this paper I almost don't notice that its a colour I really don't care for!  I really love the glittery polka dotted paper in this pack...so fun and festive!  The real red satin ribbon adds just the right amount of richness to balance out the bling and keep things elegant.  The mini jingle bell adds just a touch of whimsy...can you tell I'm loving those things??  All in all a card design I will certainly use again and one my club members liked too!

New Month...new Promotion!

Now that the Halloween hoopla is over its time to gear up for the next big holiday which, for us Canadians, is Christmas!  Stampin' Up is giving an early Christmas gift to all who host a $450 or more workshop in the month of November in the form of an extra $45 in FREE product on top of the already terrific hostess benefits.  That means $115 in FREE STUFF for a workshop with $450 in sales...that could be the Big Shot you've always wanted for only $5!!  The best part is that there is no shipping or handling charged on hostess benefits, so its an even BETTER deal!  If you haven't already done so, call or email your favourite demonstrator to schedule your workshop and start planning your shopping spree!
Continuing in a gift-giving theme, today's project is a collection of gift tags for my upcoming Gift Tags class.  Check these out...

Assortment of gift tags for my upcoming class.

More tags for my upcoming class

I really like making tags...they are so quick and easy and add so much to even the simplest of gifts.  These are the ones we'll be doing on Monday, November 14th at my Holiday Gift Tags class.  Details are under the Upcoming Events tab if you are interested in joining us.  If not, I hope these little projects have inspired you to pull out your scraps and start creating some tags of your own!