A La Cards

Easter Elegance

2012-03-18T08:14:00.000-04:00

Today is the day my band is performing with a community youth band in Austria. It was lots of work to get ready for this performance but it will be worth it for the memories the kids will take away from it. Today I have a pretty Easter card that I CASE'd from fellow demonstrator Karen Barber. Have a look...

Pretty Easter card featuring sentiment from the Delightful Dozen set.

Nice, huh? Karen is one talented lady! The leaves were punched in wild wasabi with the bird builder punch. The flowers are in pink pirouette and pretty in pink and are punched with the Itty Bitty punch pack flower. The little scalloped border at the bottom is the dotted scalloped ribbon in pretty in pink. The sentiment is stamped in wisteria wonder. The embossing on the card base was done with the finial press folder.
A simple yet pretty card for spring!

More Cuteness!

2012-03-16T08:22:00.001-04:00

We're still in Austria but today I have an oh-so-adorable Easter project for you. This is another design that I CASE'd from fellow Canadian demonstrator Mariejosee Gagnon...it was just too sweet to pass up!

Chubby bunny easel card with sentiment from the Delightful Dozen set

Isn't she just so sweet?!? Such a chubby little thing. Here's a quick rundown of the punches used to create her:
Body - scalloped circle die - Big Shot
Feet - XL oval (white), small (retired) oval in pink, Itty Bitty circles for toes
Ears - XL oval (white), large oval (pink)
Paws - 1 1/4" circle (white) small (current) oval in pink
Cheeks - 1" circle
Nose - small heart
Eyes - owl builder - largest circle in white, med. circle in black

As with yesterday's card, all punched shapes need to be sponged before assembly. Use crumb cake on the white pieces and pretty in pink on the pink ones. I drew on the teeth with a basic grey marker and added freckles with a crumb cake maker. The highlights in the eyes were added with a white gel pen.

Some Easter cutness...

2012-03-14T09:52:00.002-04:00

Here's another bit of inspiration for you while I'm traipsing around Europe. When I saw this card design by Lori Heilig on our demonstrator forum I knew I just had to recreate it for one of my monthly clubs. This month's theme was punch art and this little bunny was just too cute to pass up!

Easter card featuring the wood grain background stamp and sentiment from the Everybunny set.

Inside view

Cute, huh? My club members LOVED it! The only part they didn't love so much was all the sponging they had to do to give the bunny dimension...but the end result was SO worth the effort. Here is a rundown of the various punches I used:
Front:
Body - 1 3/4" circle
Feet - Large Oval (white), retired Small Oval (pink pirouette)
Tail - Boho Blossoms, Itty Bitty flower
Inside:
Head - Ornament, trimmed
Cheeks - 1/2" circle
Nose - heart from owl builder
Eyes - smallest circle from owl builder

To construct the card, stamp the woodgrain on a crumb cake card base using soft suede ink. Punch a hole in the card front using the 1 3/4" circle. Sponge all white punched shapes in sahara sand and the pink ones in pretty in pink. Assemble the front first and then the inside. Draw on toes, whiskers and eyebrows using a basic grey maker. The sentiment is stamped in lucky limeade and punched out with the large oval and then layered on a modern label in the same green. SO cute!

Soft and Simple for Easter

2012-03-12T08:24:00.001-04:00

While I'm in Europe, have a few Easter projects to get you in a Spring state of mind. Today's post is a card I designed for a private class I did a couple of weeks ago. I chose colours from the subtles family...very Easter-ly...

Easter card featuring the Fresh Vintage SAB set and sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes

Lots of texture here...I used the finial press embossing folder on the card base and then the perfect polka dots on the bashful blue panel. The colour scheme I used included bashful blue, pretty in pink and certainly celery...soft and spring-like. For the inside I chose a sentiment from the Pursuit of Happiness set. I also stamped the same medallion from the front along the right edge on the inside, though it doesn't show up all that well in the photo.

I'll have more Easter-themed projects over the next few days...and hopefully an update or two from our trip! in the meantime...live in the sunshine and enjoy your week!

...and finally...one for the boys!

2012-03-11T09:51:00.000-04:00

The final card in my buffet line-up is one for the boys. I always struggle to create simple masculine cards. I tend to find myself sponging and distressing like crazy in an attempt "man-up" my designs. For this one I think I finally managed to create something that doesn't take an hour to create! Have a look...

Boy-card suitable for a masculine birthday or Father's Day.

Inside view.

No sponging in sight! I have to say I'm pretty proud of myself with this one. It is, by far, one of the the most CAS guy-cards I've ever done. I also like how the boat pops out of the wave (yay dimensionals!).
So there you have it...the six design options for my Card Buffet. If you haven't already done so, be sure to register by next Friday...hope to see you on the 25th!
Now, on an unrelated front, I have had a few people asking where in Austria I'll be travelling with my music kids. We fly into Vienna, spending 3 days there, and then head to Salzburg for two. We are performing in a little town just outside of Innsbruck called Zirl. It is my dad's hometown and I am, quite literally, related to half the town! We are performing with their community youth band, under the direction of my second cousin. My kids are really pumped, as am I. It will be a whirlwind tour, but one I have longed to do since first visiting Austria years ago. There is so much music history in that country...every musician should visit there at least once! I can't wait to show my students Beethoven's piano and Mozart's childhood violin, not to mention the homes where those legendary men lived and worked. The fact that I'll get to see some of my family while we're there is an added bonus. So, for now, auf wiedersehen...bis spater!

Gettin' Funky

2012-03-10T06:54:00.001-05:00

The fifth option for my upcoming Card Buffet is kinda funky. I really like this card...its my favourite in the bunch! I love the colour combo, drawn from the Cheerful Treat hostess DSP, and the layout, inspired by an old Mojo Monday sketch. Have a look...

Bold and funky card suitable for Mother's Day, a birthday or just a thinking of you.

Gotta love that blossom punch! Can you tell I'm in love with it? I love the shape...it makes creating beautiful flowers so quick and easy.
Just a reminder that registration for my Card Buffet closes on Friday, March 16th. Be sure to email to reserve your spot and let me know which designs you'd like to create, as well as how many of each.
Enjoy your weekend!

Europe, here we come!

2012-03-09T06:55:00.000-05:00

Today's post will be a quick one. In just two short days I'll be heading off to Europe with 19 teenagers in tow! I am taking several of my music students from school for a 10-day performing tour in Austria and Germany. To say I have one or two things to get done before we leave is an understatement! So, here is today's card...number four in my Card Buffet line-up.

Card Buffet option #4 suitable for a wedding, annversary or even birthday

I am going to do my best to pre-post a few samples for you while I am away as well as post once or twice about our adventures. If I don't have time, have a great March Break, everyone!

Spring Card Buffet Preview #3

2012-03-07T09:28:00.001-05:00

With Easter just a month away I thought it suitable to offer an Easter card as part of my buffet line-up. I fell in love with the Everybunny stamp set when I first saw it in the catalogue last July, but waited to purchase it until closer to the Easter season. I inked it up for the first time when I designed this card...

Cute card suitable for Easter or a new baby featuring the Everybunny stamp set.

I just love that little bunny...isn't he the sweetest? The best part is that he's just-hatched, so he'll not only work for Easter but also to welcome a new baby. Although the image was begging to be watercoloured, I reminded myself that this design needed to be one that could be put together quickly and easily and so I just coloured the bunny's little scarf and added a bit of pink to his nose and ears with my markers. You can bet I'll be using this image again this Easter!
Guests at the Card Buffet will be able to customize their cards, so if someone would rather this be a welcome baby card they can easily switch out the sentiments to meet their needs. For more details about this upcoming class please visit my website.

Spring Card Buffet Preview #2

2012-03-06T09:19:00.002-05:00

Today's sample is one I CASE'd from a fellow demonstrator who posted her work on our demonstrator forum. I can't recall exactly whose work this is, but I sure do like it! It is so clean and simple yet striking...have a look...

CAS birthday card suitable for just about anyone!

For this card I turned to the Sweet Shop DSP in the Occasions Mini. I love the colours in that paper and thought they'd be perfect for a gender-neutral card. I love the little punch-art presents and the sentiment from the Perfect Punches set is...well...perfect!
So, have I convinced you to join us for the Spring Card Buffet yet? If so be sure to register by March 10th, as I am heading to Austria for March Break (with 19 teenagers in tow!) and won't be able to accept new registrations while I'm away.

Spring Card Buffet Preview

2012-03-05T09:09:00.000-05:00

All this week I am going to feature the projects I've designed for my Spring Card Buffet coming up at the end of the month. I am really excited about this new class format and want to show you the fun and versatile designs I've come up with. The first is a pretty card featuring one of my favourite new stamp sets...

Pretty, feminine card suitable for a birthday, Mother's Day or just a simple Hello

I think what I like most about this card is the colour scheme. The soft suede provides such a strong contrast to the rich, poppy parade. I also really like the way the DSP works so well with the images from two different stamp sets. The antique brad, as always, provides the perfect finishing touch and the filigree design works well with the stamped images. Gotta love the antique brads...I think I've gone through at least 3 dozen packages of them!

Loving my new Diagonal Plate!

2012-03-04T21:09:00.000-05:00

I had a chance this afternoon to break open my brand new Simply Scored diagonal plate (SSDP). This nifty addition to the Simply Scored line makes it SO easy to make diagonal score lines on just about any project. I plan to feature it at my team meeting this month and so I spent some time creating the make-n-takes using the SSDP. Here is what I came up with...

Centre-step Easter card and matching envelope made easy with my Simply Scored Diagonal Plate. I used the Mixed Bunch and Delightful Dozen stamp sets.

Ok, so I went a little nuts with the scoring! The centre panel on this card was scored every 1/4" in both directions...but isn't the result fabulous?!? I added a little sponging to bring out the score lines even more...it reminds me a little of wicker...not sure why. I also created an envelope for this card using the same DSP from the Sale-a-bration catalogue. The SSDP comes with instructions for making standard envelope sizes; however my finished card measures 5 1/2" square, so it took a bit of experimenting to figure out the envelope. I'm happy to say I made it work...if you want to replicate an envelope this size you'll need a 10" square piece of patterned paper and then score all four sides at 4 1/8". Follow the rest of the instructions on the insert provided with the SSDP and you're on your way to creating beautiful coordinating envelopes for your creations. Because I wanted to have a spot to address the envelope, I added a little label to the front and another on the back for the return address. I hope my team enjoys playing with this new tool as much as I did...guess I'll find out tomorrow night!

Another one for Dad

2012-03-01T20:04:00.000-05:00

Happy March Everyone!! Spring is only a few weeks away...yippee! With the new month, Stampin' Up is offering a brand new product!

This great addition to the Simply Scored line makes it SO easy to created your own boxes, envelopes and more...plus it includes instructions for making standard-sized envelopes. You'll never have to buy envelopes again! Mine just arrived and I can't wait to play with it! Stay tuned to see what I come up with...

I know Father's Day is a few months away yet, but I have been on a bit of a masculine-themed roll lately. I like using darker colours and getting grungy with lots of sponging and distressing. Have a look and you'll see what I mean...

Father's day card featuring the Tool Shed background stamp and sentiment from the Delightful Dozen set.

I pulled out all the distressing stops on this one! I opened my as-yet-untouched blue distress ink from the Distressing Essentials kit and did lots of crumpling, tearing and general abusing of my cardstock. I used a wee bit of Well Worn DSP for the bits of woodgrain in the corners and for the blue banner. I added a bit of interest to my sentiment panel with my piercer (though I would have LOVED to add a bit of ribbon...didn't think the boys would appreciate a pretty little bow!)
Nothing like taking out your stress on an innocent piece of cardstock!

CASE of a CASE!

2012-02-28T08:13:00.000-05:00

Today's card is one that I CASE'd from my upline, who CASE'd it from Wendy Weixler, a very talented demonstrator from the southern US. I love the layout and CAS design and just had to replicate it for my one of my monthly groups. Check it out...

Cheeky Thank you card featuring the Rue des Fleurs stamp set.

Inside view

I love the cheekiness of this card...so much fun! I also love that it is so simple! The stamped image really pops and I think the pleated satin ribbon peeking out from behind the sentiment panel is reminiscent of frilly underthings peeking out from under a hemline (or above cleavage!). I really love this card...so much that I think I will be using this design to send to all of my parent volunteers at school...they'll get a kick out of it!

Ready for spring

2012-02-27T08:03:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you had a great weekend. Inspired by a sunny afternoon yesterday, today's card holds the promise of warmer weather and the colours of summer. I designed it for one of my monthly groups in the hope that they would be as ready for a hit of summer colour as I am. Have a look...

Bright and cheerful card featuring the Mixed Bunch stamp set with sentiment from Tiny Tags.

Inside view

Isn't this just a happy card? It reminds me a little of a vinyl picnic tablecloth or a beach towel. I love those daisies and the colours just make me smile. After the drabness of winter I am so ready for some colour and the combination of melon mambo, tempting turquoise and lucky limeade fit the bill! This is one of those cards that is really easy to put together...it really just uses stamps, ink and paper and then I added a glimmer brad and some baker's twine to finish it off. The highlight of this card, though is that blossom...made super simple with the Mixed Bunch stamp set and coordinating blossom punch...I SO love that duo! I foresee many more blossom-filled cards in my future!

...and Something for Mom!

2012-02-26T11:41:00.000-05:00

I didn't want the moms among us to feel left out so after designing the Father's Day card I posted yesterday I decided to do one for Mother's Day as well. For this one I pulled out another of my favourite IBC sets: Field Flowers (I know, just about every set is my favourite!). I also drew on an oldie but goodie...Inspired by Nature...have a look:

Something for Mom featuring the Field Flowers and Inspired by Nature stamp sets with sentiment from Family Reunion.

Inside view with sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ok, so I'm hoping you all noticed the distinct lack of ANY embellishments on this card!! If you've been following this blog for a while you likely know that I LOVE embellies...ribbon, buttons, brads...they all make me smile and no card is complete with out at least one of the above. So when I create something that DOESN'T use any of the above it is a momentous event. So, why did I leave this card so darned naked? I was thinking of my own mom when designing it. She is not a girlie girl by any stretch...how many 69-year-old women do you know who own their own chainsaw?!? Ribbon and buttons just don't suit her style, so I opted for the naked look. She is, however, an avid gardener and living in Northern Ontario she often incorporates the natural wildflowers native to the area in her gardens. The images on this card remind me of a snapshot of her acres (and I'm not exaggerating) of gardens. So, here is what I did to create this simple mom-worthy card...
Starting with a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of very vanilla cardstock, I stamped the grass image from the Inspired by Nature set in pear pizzazz ink. I stamped it a couple of times to fill the space. I then stamped the stems from Field Flowers in garden green ink right over top of the grass. I stamped the solid flowers in perfect plum and then the line flowers in elegant eggplant...gotta love two-step-stamping! I added the solid centres in more mustard for contrast. I then sponged the edges of the stamped cardstock using pear pizzazz, going heavier along the bottom edge and lighter along the top. To add a little interest I used my paper piercer and mat pack to add the detail in the top left and bottom right corners before adhering the whole thing to a pear pizzazz card base. For the sentiment, I stamped the "To my" from the Family Reunion set in pear pizzazz on some scrap very vanilla cardstock and then the "Mom" in elegant eggplant. I punched it out with my large oval punch and layered it on a scalloped oval in elegant eggplant. It is adhered to the card with dimensionals.
For the inside I stamped the stem and blossom images again, but stamped them off first to give the more faded image. I omitted the more mustard centres to keep it looking muted and soft. The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes and is stamped in elegant eggplant on very vanilla and then punched out with the word window.
A simple card made quick and easy thanks to SU's Two-Step-Stamping ingenuity. Sure hope my mom likes it!

Something for dad

2012-02-24T19:02:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it is nice to CASE oneself. Today's card is a masculine version of the card I posted yesterday. It uses DSP instead of fabric and is decidedly more manly...

Masculine card for Father's Day featuring the tried-and-true Lovely as a Tree stamp set as well as leaves from French Foliage and sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes

I don't know what it is about the Lovely as a Tree set...but it is one that I seem to gravitate to whenever I have to do a masculine card. Its not like I don't have other masculine sets but there is something about the images in that particular set that I really love. I hope it never retires!
For this card I used DSP from two different packs: Petals and Paisley and Well Worn. I distressed the DSP and inked the edges with soft suede ink and then adhered them to an always artichoke card base that I embossed with my houndstooth embossing folder. I stamped the image on very vanilla cardstock using soft suede ink and then sponged on always artichoke and marina mist ink for the grass and sky using my daubers. Such a quick and easy way to add colour! I again distressed the edges and then sponged them lightly with soft suede. I stamped the sentiment on a scrap of very vanilla, punched it out with my decorative label punch and then adhered it along the bottom left edge of the focal image. I wrapped a piece of linen thread around the stamped layer and then adhered it to the card base using dimensionals. The final touch was two leaves from the French Foliage set that I stamped in bravo burgundy (I think that's the first time I've used that ink pad!!) and always artichoke and then fussy cut out. I adhered them to the back of an always artichoke button that I had threaded with more linen thread and then stuck the whole thing to my card.
I had originally intended for this card to be part of my Card Buffet line-up, but after putting it all together, decided it was a wee bit too involved for that particular event. It may just end up in another class though!
Speaking of my card buffet, check out the samples under the Events tab at the top of the page to see the six designs available at that event. In the meantime, have a great weekend...and happy stampin'!

More Fabric Fun

2012-02-23T18:08:00.000-05:00

Today's post is based on a layout shown by Shelley Gardiner (Stampin' Up's co-founder and CEO) during one of her presentations at last year's convention. Shelley's version used Spice Cake fabric and was fall-themed but I decided to give this birthday card more of a spring-feel. See what you think...

Birthday card featuring Twitterpated designer fabric and the Perfectly Penned stamp set.

Inside view with sentiment from the Blessings from Heaven set.

Whaddya think? I designed this card for my team meeting last month. If you'll recall we were looking at ways to incorporate fabric into our projects and this one is a REALLY way easy to add a pop of colour and texture. Here is what I did:
Starting with a piece of confetti white cardstock I spritzed it with blushing bride Smooch (from the Occasions Mini). This is by far my favourite Smooch colour yet! So quick and easy to use and such a great effect! Setting that aside to dry, I stamped the sentiment in island indigo on a piece of scrap confetti white cardstock and then tore it out, attempting the keep the image relatively centred. I then sponged the torn edges using both blushing bride and island indigo ink. Going back to my spritzed cardstock, I distressed the edges using the tool from my cutter kit. I then cut a 3" square of Big Shot Multi-Purpose adhesive sheet. That stuff is the BEST adhesive for adhering fabric to your projects. Easy to use and in-expensive too! I adhered one side of the double-sided sheet to the centre of the card and then peeled off the backing to reveal the very sticky adhesive. I then tore strips of Twitterpated fabric and layered them over the adhesive, again attempting to centre them somewhat. I layered the stamped sentiment overtop using Tombow multi-purpose liquid glue. The last touch was one of the big designer buttons I picked up from the Clearance Rack and threaded with a bit of island indigo ruffled ribbon.
On the inside of the card I wanted to incorporate the fabric somehow and so I tied a narrow strip into a knot and added it as a detail in the upper left corner. The sentiment, one of my favourites, is from the Blessings from Heaven set in the main catalogue and is stamped in island indigo on confetti white cardstock.
Another quick and easy card using our fabulous fabric...have you ordered yours yet?

Mixed Bunch Birthday

2012-02-20T10:11:00.000-05:00

Even though this winter hasn't really been typical for this part of Southern Ontario (little snow and more above zero days than below) I am done with it. I am ready for spring; for green grass and new leaves and soft spring flowers. Today's card is one that embraces everything I love about my favourite season...bright, cheerful colours and, of course, blossoms!

Cheerful birthday card featuring the Mixed Bunch stamp set and coordinating blossom punch.

Inside view

I have to say that one of my favourite new products from the current Occasions Mini is the Mixed punch stamp set and coordinating blossom punch. I love the shape of the blossom and the way it layers so beautifully. For this card I pulled DSP from two different packs: Flirtatious and Twitterpated. I wanted two different patterns featuring daffodil delight...after all, what says spring like daffodils?!? I cut the DSP into narrow strips and layered them on a mat of pool party cardstock. I then cut a strip of whisper white cardstock on both long sides with my new Edgelit die. I then ran each side through the Big Shot with the scalloped Adorning Accents embossing folder, being sure to offset the scallops. I stamped the sentiment (from the Bring on the Cake set) using island indigo ink and then layered the whole thing on top of the DSP panel. To stamp the flower, I first inked my stamp using daffodil delight ink and then rolled the edges in pool party (Rock and Roll technique). I stamped the image on whisper white and then punched it out using my blossom punch. I punched two more blossom shapes from daffodil delight and pool party cardstock and layered them behind the stamped flower. To get the petals to curl I simply used the end of my bone folder to curl them up. The button in the middle is threaded with a bit of pool party baker's twine. It is one of the big designer buttons that retired last year. I bought a bunch when they were on the Clearance Rack a while back because I love them!! Just one adds such a statement to any project.
For the inside of the card I stamped the flower image again and added the label (from the P.S. I Love You set) and sentiment from Bring on the Cake.
Such a bright and cheerful card...can't wait to see my garden filled with the same bright cheerfulness!

Fun with Fabric

2012-02-18T15:31:00.000-05:00

Some of the members of my Tri-City Stampers team were asking for ideas as to how to use Stampin' Up's designer fabrics on their projects. I decided to incorporate fabric in this month's make-n-takes for our team meeting. This is the first card we made, using the Flirtatious fabric, which is available during Sale-a-bration for FREE!

CAS card featuring Flirtatious designer fabric and sentiment from the Sincere Saluations set

Flower detail

This is the perfect workshop card, which was another reason I chose it for my team meeting. It is one that comes together quickly and easily and whose sentiment can be swapped out for just about anything. It also uses several of my favourite tools to create: the Big Shot to cut out the flowers and the Simply Scored to add the scoring detail at the bottom. I also used my Stamp-a-ma-Jig to place the sentiment, as the Sincere Salutations set is only available in wood mount. To get the flower to pop off the card I used a large 2 3/8" scalloped circle that I punched from whisper white cardstock and then crumpled and smoothed out again. I layered the flower on top and added the brad to hold it all together. The stiffness of the cardstock allows the flower to have more shape and dimension.
I love this fabric and have several other projects to show you over the next little while that use fabric to add texture and colour...stay tuned!

R is for Retire

2012-02-17T18:18:00.000-05:00

...boy do I wish that applied to me! Sadly I still have another 14 years to go before I can enjoy the freedom retirement brings. Lucky for a colleague of mine, freedom is her reality. She recently retired after more than 30 years at our school. She is an institution there and her absence is already being felt! It is only fitting that I create a special card to honour someone who has done so much to enrich the life of the countless students who have walked the halls of our high school. This is the card I designed for her...

Retirement card featuring the Broadsheet and Occasions Alphabet stamp sets .

Inside detail with stamped images from the Vintage Vogue stamp set

I have to say I quite like this colour combo. I took it from the Attic Boutique DSP: pool party, daffodil delight and soft suede. It is hard to tell in the photo, but I heat embossed the R using a long-retired embossing powder called Gold Glory. I sure wish SU would bring that one back...it works perfectly with soft suede for an aged, vintage look. I created the 3D flowers by punching them out with my boho blossoms punch and then burnishing them with my stylus on the foam mat from my mat pack. They curl right up, making them easy to layer for pretty three dimensional flowers. This card took a while to put together but was worth the effort. I know my colleague appreciated the details I added and it was fun creating a fussy card after all the CAS ones I've been doing lately!
This is the Family Day long weekend here in Ontario and I am SO excited to have nothing planned at all. I have an intro to My Digital Studio class tonight and then I have the whole weekend to stamp and spend with my family. I can't wait!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T18:59:00.000-05:00

I hope you are feeling loved today. We are keeping it pretty low-key around here. Max had his pre-school Valentine's party and had a blast! He came home with lots of loot, so he was happy. My darling hubby surprised me with beautiful roses when I got home from work this afternoon. I know there are many out there that think Valentine's Day is over-rated and all about the commercial hype, but I have to say it is the ONLY day of the year I get flowers, so I'm loving it! So, to wish you all a happy heart day, here is my LAST Valentine's project of the year...

Valentine's card featuring the Take it to Heart and Outlined Occasions stamp sets.

Inside view with sentiment from the P.S. I Love You set

This card is loosely based on a Mojo Monday sketch from a week or two ago. It was inspired by a card I saw on our demonstrator forum. It really was simple to put together, despite all the layers. I enjoyed playing with different patterns and textures to create interest...and I FINALLY got to use my new Hearts Framelits! Too bad my need for die-cut hearts will be considerably less now that Valentine's day is behind us! Ah well, there's always next year!
I hope you've had a great day...I can't wait to show you some of the other projects I've been working on! See you tomorrow!

Super Simple Valentine's Card

2012-02-12T10:19:00.000-05:00

Well, it's two days till V-day...are you prepared? My son is SO excited about his Valentine's party at pre-school...he's been counting down for two weeks already! We've got his Valentines all made for his classmates and he's decided which red shirt he is going to wear. Honestly, he's more excited about this than he was for Christmas! Ah to be four-and-a-half again!
Today's card is a quick and easy one I created quite a while back. The best part is that I stamped it all in two easy steps, thanks to the ability to mount multiple clear-mount stamps on the same block. Have a look...

Simple Valentine featuring the P.S. I Love You Stamp Set

Told you it was simple! I stamped all of the basic gray images at once by mounting them all on a single block and then stamped the two different red images individually. Talk about quick and easy! All that stamping took less than two minutes! I then added a few little accents with the red glimmer paper and some little silver mini brads. The whole thing is mounted with dimensionals on a cardbase that I ran through my perfect polka dots embossing folder. So quick and easy, but still effective.
Hope your weekend is going well...and that you find some time to stamp!

Fur-ever Love

2012-02-10T20:28:00.000-05:00

TGIF!! What a week this has been! The first week of a new semester at school is always hectic and this one has been no different. I'm left with almost no voice and am completely exhausted. My bathtub is calling my name, but first I wanted to show you this cute card I designed for my techniques class last night.


Cute Valentine's Card featuring the Friends Furever and P.S. I Love You Stamp sets.

This card may look simple, but it sure took us a while to make last night! Starting with the background, we sponged layers of ink from the lightest to darkest shade on whisper white cardstock. The colours we used were pretty in pink, real red and cherry cobbler. Then we "inked" our circle stamp with bleach and stamped randomly all over. The ink instantly disappeared revealing the white cardstock underneath. Then we stamped with real red ink using the line-art heart image. The result was the sort of whimsical DSP-looking background. We then set to watercolouring the focal image using watercolour crayons and blender pens. I really love using the crayons to colour and need to do more of it! For the sentiment, we used a portion of one of the sentiments from P.S. I Love You for the "Love You" and part of one of the sentiments from Furever Friends for the "fur-ever" part. The result was a cute sentiment, perfectly suited to this card.
This is going to be my son's Valentine for my parents...they'll love it!
Now I'm off to that bath I mentioned...have a great weekend everyone!

X-O-Lent Treats

2012-02-08T21:00:00.000-05:00

Today's post is a Valentine's treat holder I designed for my monthly techniques group that meets tomorrow night. It uses the bleaching technique...have a look:

Valentine's treat holder featuring the P.S. I Love You stamp set

Top view

Now that I've told you this uses the bleaching technique, I realize that you can't see much of the bleaching in this photo! You can make out parts of a two bleached hearts along the left side of the label. To create this project I stamped two different heart images using bleach instead of ink on real red cardstock and then heat set it with my heat tool. I then stamped the circle of hearts and another line-art heart using real red and cherry cobbler ink respectively. The result is a collage effect that gives interest to the plain cardstock. To add further interest, I ran the whole die cut through my crimper after I stamped it but before I folded the score lines. I then assembled the box and added the die cut labels and little red bow. I filled a small cello bag (item 103104) with red and white jelly beans, tied off the top with some baker's twine and added a little tag. This little bundle of treats will find its way to someone special next Tuesday. As my son says...only 6 more sleeps till Valentine's Day!

Another Sale-a-bration Make-n-Take

2012-02-06T20:40:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I showed the first of the two make-n-takes the guests at my Sale-a-bration Open House made on Saturday. Today I have the second card for you. My goal in creating this card was to show that the fabulous Everyday Enchantment DSP is SUPER versatile. It is obviously perfect for gorgeously feminine and vintage looks; however I wanted to demonstrate that it can also be used for more masculine designs as well. Have a look and you'll see what I mean:

Card using the Sprinkled Expressions, Extreme Elements and Good Grid stamp sets.

Inside view with sentiment from the Workshop Words stamp set.

Whaddya think? Not so girlie, huh? I love the more geometric patterns in this paper as much as the floral prints. This card is perfect for just about anyone...including the men in your life. The sentiment on the inside is from a stamp set we received at convention last summer called Workshop Words. It is a great set for us demonstrators as it has all sorts of sentiments we frequently use like "thanks for your order" and "thanks for being such a great hostess". This one is to congratulate team members on their achievements...which is how I will be using this card in the future! As for the colour scheme on this card, I drew it from the paper itself: pool party, lucky limeade, poppy parade and soft suede.
I hope this example shows all those of you who are "not into the vintage thing" that this year's SAB DSP is super versatile and has something for everyone.

A Sale-a-Bration Open House

2012-02-05T10:08:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I held my annual Sale-a-bration Open House. It was a great success and think all who attended had a good time. We had games, prizes, special offers and, of course, make-n-takes! Here is one of the cards my guests made...

Simple any-occasion card using the Elementary Elegance SAB stamp set.

Now, I thought it only appropriate that we make projects that feature SAB products for this event, so I designed my make-n-takes to use LOTS of stuff that is available for FREE during Sale-a-bration. This card uses the Everyday Elegance DSP, the Elementary Elegance stamp set, poppy parade cardstock and the Everyday Enchantment ribbon and brads. I don't think I could have gotten more SAB product on this card if I tried! I kept the layout simple but did get to use my Simply Scored to add the detail along the left side and my Mat Pack and Piercer to add the detail in the upper right. My guests seemed to enjoy this simple project and everyone who attended made one.
Now, I need to take care of a little business...I must announce the winner of my door prize draw! My impartial judge (my 4-year-old) drew the winner last night after everyone had left. And the winner is...

Chris Light

Congratulation, Chris! I will make arrangements to get your prize to you this week. Wondering what was in Chris's bag of goodies? Here is a list:

an On Board Journal
a package of Fresh Cut note cards
a roll of satin ribbon
a package of big designer buttons
a package of felt flowers
a glue stick
a sanding block
the Packed for Mom a la Carte stamp from the Occasions Mini

Not a bad haul, huh? Don't you wish you'd made it to my open house? If you missed it, don't fret...I'll be holding another BIG event when the new catalogue comes out in June. Mark Saturday, June 2nd on your calendar...you'll be glad you did! Now...off to prep for this week's classes!

Elegant Valentine

2012-02-02T19:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Groundhog Day! There was no sun in Cambridge today, so here's to an early spring! Mind you, we haven't really had winter yet, so I'm not complaining, but an early spring sure would be nice! I miss my flowers!
Speaking of flowers, today's post is one I designed for my Big Shot club meeting last week. As I mentioned yesterday, we were focusing on the new Framelits and Edgelits from the Occasions Mini. It turns out that this card also works for this week's challenge at Pals Paper Arts which is to use any shade of red in your design. Well, this card certainly fits the bill! Have a look...

Elegant Valentine for PPA128 using the Fresh Vintage SAB stamp set and sentiment from P.S I Love You

Inside view with sentiment from Word Play

I have to say I really like this card! The best part of it is that it could easily be changed for just about any occasion (including Christmas!) by simply changing up the sentiment. Since we are in the season of love I decided to make it a Valentine's card. Now this one used my Big Shot to the max...I embossed the card base with the Elegant Bouquet folder. I cut AND embossed the label with my Framelits dies (more on that later) and I used my Edgelits and Adorning Accents folder to add the decorative white detail on the front and the inside of the card. Talk about getting the most from my favourite tool!
Now, I'm sure you're all wondering how the heck I embossed the frame around the label. SO easy, I tell you! Here's the sandwich (from bottom up): multi-purpose platform on tab 1, cutting plate, framelit die with knife side DOWN (against the cutting plate), cardstock, Texturz Silicone rubber, Texturz Impressions pad. After you run this sandwich through your Big Shot, use the next size larger Framelit to cut out the embossed frame as usual. Now, if you want to frame a stamped image as I did, you'll need to stamp first and then emboss the frame. It is a bit tricky getting your stamped image centred when you have to put the cardstock on top of the die...just hold it up to the light and you'll see the stamped image through the cardstock. Then just be very careful laying it down on the cutting plate. My club members really liked this slick little trick! I so love finding new uses for things!
I don't know if I'll have time to post tomorrow...I have to get ready for my Sale-a-bration Open House on Saturday! I SO love this time of year!

Gnomeo, Gnomeo...

2012-02-01T14:30:00.000-05:00

I absolutely adore the new Gnome, Sweet Gnome set in the Occasions Mini. Coupled with the Gnomenclature sentiments, it is just too darned cute! The best of all is that I earned it for free through a demo incentive Stampin' Up was running in the fall! Today's card is a Valentine I designed for my Big Shot club which met for the first time last week. Our focus this month was on the new Framelits and Adorning Accents. Have a look...

Valentine card using the Gnome, Sweet Gnome and Gnomenclature stamp sets

Focal image detail

Inside view

Isn't he the sweetest?? This is actually going to be my hubby's Valentine's card. We have a bit of a history with garden gnomes from when we were first married. He will totally get the significance of this card...and hopefully smile!
Now on with the the nitty gritty details. To create the frame, I nested two framelits inside eachother and then cut the chocolate chip cardstock. The result is a perfect frame every time...SO easy! I popped the frame up with dimensionals, as you can see in the detail photo above. Then I wanted my little gnome to look like he was stepping out of the frame, so I popped him up with TWO layers of dimensionals...again, you can see that in the photo. I then added the glimmer heart that I popped up with a single dimensional on the part that overlapped the frame and a glue dot on the part that overlapped the gnome's hand. This way it has dimension but doesn't look like it is floating above his hand! The rest of the card is pretty straightforward. I diecut the little hearts using my Fashionable Hearts embosslit, adhering the larger ones flat and the smaller ones with a trimmed dimensional. I added some interest at the bottom of the card with the hearts Adorning Accents folder and then wrapped some island indigo baker's twine around it. The sentiment was hand-cut into a banner and adhered with glue dots. On the inside, I repeated the embossing along the bottom and added a couple more hearts and the sentiment, which is from Teeny Tiny Wishes.
I have to say I really like this card...and so did my club members! I can't wait to do more with this adorable stamp set!
On another note, there is exciting news from Stampin' Up! Starting today and for the entire month of February, SU is offering a FREE 30-day trial of My Digital Studio (MDS) Express, our digital scrapbooking software. This is a fantastic opportunity to take this fabulous program for a test-drive before investing in purchasing it. You can access the free download by clicking the SHOP NOW button on my business website. Download it today and get creating...you have absolutely NOTHING to lose! Once you've downloaded the software, sign up for my FREE Introduction to My Digital Studio class on Friday, February 17th at 7:00 pm. Just bring along your laptop with MDS installed and I'll show you the basics of how to navigate this powerful and versatile software. Click the Upcoming Classes and Events tab at the top of this page for further details.

MIA

2012-01-30T10:34:00.000-05:00

I honestly don't know how time gets away from me I can't believe its been nearly a week since I last posted! I've certainly been busy in the interim and have lots of great projects to show you. Today I'll start with a card I designed for one of my monthly groups who met last week. It is a card that could be a Valentine or easily be altered for a birthday or even Mother's Day (which is what one of my club ladies did!) just by switching out the sentiment. See what you think:

Valentine for a friend using the P.S I Love You and Take it to Heart stamp sets from the Occasions Mini as well as a sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes

Inside view

Now I have to say that this is another CASE of a card I saw on our demonstrator forum. The original designer (whose name escapes me) used the I [Heart] Hearts stamp set, which I don't own, so I had to get creative in switching up the design to work with what I had on-hand. The original card also used the new Hearts Framelits which are on their way, but haven't arrived in my stamp corner yet. So, instead, I used a heart from the Take it to Heart set (which I received for free during an SU incentive campaign last fall) and punched it out with my full heart punch. It doesn't quite fit the punch...it left a border around the image, but I rather like it! I then die-cut the little hearts using my Fashionable Hearts embosslit die. The background of the focal image is a stamp from the P.S I Love You set...have to say I'm using that set a lot this Valentine's day! I always enjoy the challenge of redesigning a card to work with product I have on-hand...try it the next time you see something you love but think you can't make because you are missing some of the elements in your stash. Just find ways to make it work with what you have. As for the rest of the card, the colour scheme is pulled from the Everyday Enchantment DSP: calypso coral, lucky limeade, pool party, poppy parade and soft suede. Both the DSP and the little flower brad are available for free during Sale-a-bration...so get shopping and choose which freebies you'd like!

An In-Colour Valentine

2012-01-25T19:57:00.000-05:00

Whew...what a busy 24 hours! My workshop last night was terrific with my host earning a ton of free product and some super Sale-a-bration extras including a great reusable tote bag and a bundle of three SAB-exclusive products: Fresh Vintage stamp set, Everyday Elegance DSP and the ribbon and brad pack. Then it was home to unpack and repack for my monthly group at school. After teaching all day today and then teaching my stamping class I rushed home to dinner and then out again to my son's first class of the new semester of Kindermusik! Now I'm ready to drop...bath and bed are in my immediate future...but first I wanted to post a fun Valentine's card that I designed for my monthly group that met today. It uses three of my favourite in-colours: lucky limeade, island indigo and pool party...not exactly traditional Valentine colours...check it out:

CAS Valentine (based on a layout by a fellow demonstrator on our online forum) using the Sweet Cake stamp set.

Inside view with sentiment from the P.S. I Love You stamp set.

One of the things I like most about this card is the colour scheme. The island indigo, pool party and lucky limeade are all made using cardstock I received for FREE from the Sale-a-bration catalogue! Nothing better than free stuff! I used river rock for the card base, which is a colour I rarely use, but it works really well with the blues and green...so well that I fully intend to use this colour scheme again! This card came together really quickly at my class today...and my ladies loved it! It is the perfect Valentine to give to the man in your life.
Now I am off to have a nice hot bath and get into my jammies...have a great evening and happy stamping!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

2012-01-24T09:03:00.000-05:00

Nope...its not Christmas...or back to school for that matter (have I ever mentioned how much we teachers HATE those Staples commercials?). It is SALE-A-BRATION!! For the next 10 weeks Stampin' Up is offering a ton of fantastic promotions. What's all the excitment about? FREE STUFF that's what! There are three ways you can earn free product:

I am so excited about this year's edition of Sale-a-bration! There are so many fabulous products that I can't wait to get my hands on! I've been showcasing a few products over the past month or so, but look forward to more great projects using products from the SAB catty.
Tonight I have my first SAB workshop...on the first day of the promotion, no less! I'll post photos of the projects tomorrow...it promises to be a fun evening. Call or email today to book your SAB event and start your wishlist. I'll do my best to help you earn everything on it!

Vintage Birthday

2012-01-20T19:17:00.000-05:00

One of my stampin' buddies recently celebrated a milestone birthday. I won't say which one, but it is the same one I celebrated last June! In honour of her birthday I created this vintage birthday card for her...after all, she is a classic!

Birthday card for a stampin' pal using the Forever Young stamp set and sentiment from Word Play.

One of my favourite parts of this card is the background. I'm not sure it is visible in this photo, but I created an embossed background on the black card base by randomly scoring a grid using my Simply Scored. It was SO quick and easy to do and adds an interesting backdrop for the rest of the card. Try it...you'll be glad you did!
I used lots of other details to add to the vintage feel, including a strip of Timeless Portrait designer fabric, an antique brad and some black velour ribbon that is long-retired. I wanted the sentiment to kind of float on the card so I heat embossed it with pewter embossing powder and then fussy-cut it out before popping it up against the black decorative label (which I embossed using the houndstooth folder).
On another note, there are just FOUR more days until the start of Sale-a-bration!! Are you excited??? I sure am...and I have a workshop booked on the very first day to share my excitement with a whole lot of new stampers. I can't wait! This weekend is all about making my list for my very large order that is going in first thing on Tuesday morning! Happy shopping and have a great weekend!

The January Blahs

2012-01-18T21:16:00.000-05:00

I definitely have a case of the mid-winter blues. I just feel lousy and haven't had much interest or motivation to do much of anything...including stamp! I have to say that has never happened to me before...stamping is usually the way I snap out of the blues. In any case, I had to start planning for some upcoming classes and workshops, so I got onto our demonstrator forum in search of inspiration. Boy, did I sure find it! There are so many talented stampers out there!! Today's card is one I CASE'd from a card by a fellow demonstrator; unfortunately I didn't save the post and can't give credit where it is due. Just know that this layout is not my original idea. Have a look...

Valentine's card using the P.S. I Love You stamp set from the Occasions Mini

Inside view with image and sentiment from the Sprinkled Expressions stamp set from the SAB Catalogue.

This card is so simple, yet effective. I used the Scalloped Heart of Hearts embosslit to cut the grey hearts and then punched several different papers and stamped images using my full heart punch. The punched shape fits perfectly inside the scalloped heart die cut. For a little texture I added an embossed border using one of the folders in the Adorning Accents set. The image and sentiment on the inside are both from one of the stamp sets that is available for FREE with a $60 order during Sale-a-bration. Only 6 more days till the start of Stampin' Up's biggest (and BEST) promotion of the year...are you ready? If not, start making your wishlist and choosing which items from the SAB catalogue you want for free! Then book your workshop and get even MORE free stuff as a hostess! Hurry...Sale-a-bration only runs till the end of March...after that those amazing, SAB-exclusive products will be gone for good!

Amour for the Monkey

2012-01-15T19:54:00.000-05:00

I was asked to be a guest designer for this week's challenge over at A La Card Monkey. The sketch is a simple one which allows for lots of creativity and plenty of room for interpretation. Since my week was SOOO busy last week, I found myself throwing this card together after work on Friday, rushing to meet my deadline! The result is not my favourite card ever, but it is a nice, understated Valentine that would be perfect for just about anyone.

Vintage-inspired Valentine's card for this week's A La Card Monkey challenge.

Inside view

Ok, I used a bunch of different stamp sets for this card. I pulled one or more images from each of the following sets: French Foliage, Creative Elements, Artistic Etchings, and Take it to Heart. My colour scheme was simple: Poppy Parade, Soft Suede and Very Vanilla. I did manage to take my new Edgelits for a test drive, using the scalloped die to cut the bottom edge of my DSP layer. I have to say they are as easy to use as the new Framelits...and they're a snap! If you haven't already ordered yours, you'll want to do so soon...you'll wonder how you ever lived without them!
Now for other news...as some of you are aware, my master bathroom has been under renovation for more than a year and a half. What started as a simple shower project turned into an almost complete remodel. It has been a huge source of stress waiting for it to finally get done (yes, my husband was doing this project himself!). Well, I am thrilled to say that my bathroom is DONE!!!! My son is having a bath in there as I type this post...and when he's done it is SO my turn! I am going to have the longest bath in history...I may not get out until I have to go to work tomorrow morning! If you don't hear from me over the next couple of days...you'll know where I am...

Another Hectic week in the books...

2012-01-13T18:40:00.000-05:00

TGIF!! This week has been SOOOO long! I hate the first week back to work after a vacation...it is always a shock to the system and this week was extra-busy with my team meeting on Monday night, a parent meeting and an open house at school on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Whew... I have worked some long hours this week! So I'll say it again...THANK GOD ITS FRIDAY!! (In fact, tonight at dinner while saying grace I did...thank God, that is).
So...tonight I have the final card from my One-Sheet-Wonder class. Today is the deadline to register and there is still room, so call or email to reserve your spot if you haven't already done so. And now, without further ado, here is the card...

Card #6 in my One-Sheet-Wonder series using Fresh Vintage stamp set and sentiment from Occasions Alphabet.

I saved my favourite card for last. I'm not sure why, but something about this one appeals to me. It is really simple to put together...I actually CASE'd myself for a shoebox swap I did at our last team meeting, so it must be easy!
I've been so busy this week I forgot to mention that I am a guest designer for this weeks challenge over at A La Card Monkey. I will post my card for you tomorrow but you can get a sneak peek by checking out the challenge later tonight. I also found out that I was one of the Artist Picks over at Hand Stamped Sentiments for last week's challenge...

for THIS CARD. If you get a chance this weekend, why not try an online challenge? They are fun and a great way to ignite your creativity. Have a great weekend, everybody....TGIF!!

Spotlight on Fresh Vintage

2012-01-11T18:01:00.000-05:00

How is it Wednesday already? The week has flown by, as is typical of my first week back after the holidays. Today I have two cards for you. The first is a card I designed for one of my monthly groups and features a tried and true technique: spotlighting. I again used the Everyday Enchantment DSP from the Sale-a-bration catalogue...see what you think:

Thank you card using the Fresh Vintage stamp set and Everyday Enchantment DSP from the upcoming Sale-a-bration catalogue.

Inside view featuring sentiment from the Pursuit of Happiness stamp set.

I used a couple of techniques on this card. The first is spotlighting where I highlighted a portion of an image stamped in a neutral colour by stamping in colour. The second is distressing where I tore my cardstock and sponged using crumb cake and soft suede ink to give it an aged, vintage look. As for the rest of the card, it is pretty straightforward. I stamped the floral image in crumb cake ink on very vanilla cardstock, making sure I had one image fairly well-centred. I punched the bottom edge with my eyelet border punch and then distressed all the edged with the tool in my cutter kit. I tore the upper left and bottom right corners and then sponged as mentioned above. I adhered this piece to a piece of Everyday Enchantment DSP. To do the spotlight, I simply inked my stamp with markers, stamped it on a scrap of vanilla cardstock and then punched it out with my 1 3/4" circle punch. I adhered it to the background using dimensionals, ensuring that the images lined up. I added the lace trim and an antique brad as well as the little jewelry tags before adhering the whole cardfront to a crumb cake card base.
For the inside I stamped the floral image, after first stamping off, in the lower right corner of a piece of vanilla cardstock. I stamped the sentiment over top of the floral image in soft suede ink. I adhered the vanilla cardstock inside the card.
The second card I have for you tonight is the next in my One-Sheet-Wonder set. It is a simple thinking-of-you card...

One-Sheet-Wonder card #5 using the Elementary Elegance SAB stamp set.

The deadline to register for this class is Friday, so be sure to call or email to confirm your spot before then! Till next time...have a great week...and happy stamping!

H is for Happy

2012-01-08T19:44:00.000-05:00

I bet you've been wondering where I've been all weekend! I've been up to my eyeballs in junk! I've been busy purging my house of stuff...we have too much of it! I got rid of bins of my son's baby clothes (yay for having a new nephew who is growing out of his newborn clothes), sorted out toys, setting aside some for said nephew and others to donate. This was a tough one for my son as he had trouble letting go of some treasured baby toys, but when I explained that Baby Ben (his cousin) needed them he was a bit more receptive to "donating" them. Anyhow, I didn't do any stamping this weekend, but I do have the next card in my One-Sheet-Wonder class series for you. Today's is another birthday card because...well, today is my mom's 69th birthday! Its hard to celebrate when one's parents live 4 hours away but we did chat on the phone and she had a great day with my Dad and some good friends. So, here is a birthday card in honour of my mom...

Birthday card using a sentiment from the Occasions Alphabet set.

Now I have to issue a correction...for days now I've been calling this DSP Everyday Elegance when, in fact, it is called Everyday Enchantment!! Guess I should have my SAB catalogue out when I type these blog posts! My apologies for the misnomer and any confusion I may have caused!
I do like this layout...it is quite different from anything I've ever done, but I think I'll be using it again! Don't you just love to CASE yourself?? Just a reminder that the date for this class has changed to Friday, January 20th at 7:00 pm...register by the this Friday.
Tomorrow I am back to work...I can't believe how quickly my two weeks have flown...of course it didn't help that I was sick for most of it! Ah well, time to go earn some money to cover all those Christmas bills that are filling my mailbox!

For a Friend

2012-01-06T18:58:00.000-05:00

Today's card is the third in my One-Sheet-Wonder collection. Just a reminder that the date for this class has changed from Sunday, January 15th to Friday, January 20th...if you haven't already done so please register by Monday, January 16th so I can be sure to have enough supplies on hand. Now...on to the card! Check it out:

One-Sheet-Wonder card #3 using a the Fresh Vintage SAB set and sentiment from the Occasions Alphabet set

Once again, I'm not going to tell you too much about how I put this together because I'll be teaching it in my class, but you can likely figure it out! The DSP and brad are both Sale-a-bration items. I used crumb cake seam binding ribbon for the bow. The sentiment is stamped in poppy parade and is from the Occasions Alphabet set.
That's it for now...I'll be back tomorrow with another OSW card and another I made for a friend's birthday...till then, happy stamping!

Something for the Monkey...

2012-01-05T15:37:00.000-05:00

It truly has been ages since I've had time to participate in the A La Card Monkey challenge! I've just been SO busy these last few months with my Stampin' Up business and conducting holiday concerts for my day job as a high school music department head that I had absolutely no time to stamp for pleasure at all. Thankfully the past few days have been much quieter and I had a chance to just sit and play with some of the new products from the Occasions Mini. Today's card is one I designed using the this week's sketch:

Here is my version...


Sympathy card for Monkey89 using the new Bordering on Romance set and Twitterpated DSP from the Occasions Mini with sentiment from Petite Pairs.

I know the challenge was to do something "fresh" and what could be fresher than a new mini with brand new products, right? I just was dying to use this set and paper and a baby card just didn't seem appropriate. Anyhow, I really enjoyed watercolouring this one using my markers and blender pen...there's something so relaxing about colouring. The design of this card is a little different...but it is still 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" in total height, though, so it still fits in a standard envelope (no extra postage required!).

Yesterday I promised I would show you one of the cards from my One-Sheet-Wonder class each day this week, and I haven't forgotten! So, here is card #2:

OSW Card #2 - for BABY!

Ok, now this one IS a baby card! I love this colour combo for either a boy or a girl. In fact, it is the same one I used for my nephew's shower invitations and favours. Again, this uses the same sheet of DSP as yesterday's card...and the next 4 I'll show you! If you'd like to learn how to make this card and the other five as well as the pretty box to put them in check out my Upcoming Classes and Events page for details.

Happy New Mini!!

2012-01-04T14:55:00.001-05:00

The new Occasions Mini is here!!! I am SO excited about this mini...it is absolutely full of fabulous new products. I think I'm most excited about the new Framelits dies. Check them out:

Hearts Collection Framelits Dies 125599


Labels Collection Framelits Dies 125598

I honestly don't know how we lived without these dies for so long! I have the Labels Collection and I think I have used them on pretty much every project I've made since getting them! They are super easy to use and are such a nice change from the Top Note (not that I still don't LOVE that die too!).
Today's project is a perfect example of how these new dies can be used in different ways. I designed a series of cards for an upcoming One-Sheet Wonder class and then created a box to put them all in. Over the coming days I will post each card individually so that you can get a good look at them, but if you need a sneak peek, check out my Upcoming Events page HERE for a photo of the whole set. Today I am featuring a birthday card...have a look...

One-Sheet Wonder card #1...all of the cards use products that will be available for FREE during Sale-a-bration, beginning January 24th.

I'm not going to give a whole lot of detail as to how to create each of these cards until after my class on January 15th. Suffice to say I used a TON of Sale-a-bration product and my new Label Framelits! I will, after my class, post the cutting layout for the One-Sheet -Wonder and the box template on my Tutorials page for anyone who is interested. In the meantime, happy stamping...and enjoy the new Mini!

Last day to order from the Holiday Mini and Sale-a-bration Sneak Peek!

2012-01-03T11:49:00.000-05:00

Time to stop procrastinating! Today at 11:59pm the Holiday Mini expires to make way for the new Occasions Mini which goes live at midnight. If there are still items on your wishlist or things you loved this year that you want to have for your holiday crafting next year, you have just a few short hours to get your order in before they are gone for good.
As if the new Occasions Mini weren't exciting enough, we also have Sale-a-bration to look forward to! In just three weeks Stampin' Up's biggest (and best!) promotion of the year begins and today I have a sneak peek at some of the FREE product that will be available beginning January 24th. Have a look...

Birthday card using Elementary Elegance stamp set and Everyday Elegance DSP available for FREE during Sale-a-bration 2012.

Isn't that paper just gorgeous?? I love every page in the pack! I can't often say that about DSP packs, as there are usually one or two patterns I don't especially care for, but this truly is beautiful paper. The stamp set I used is called Elementary Elegance...love this one because it has both images and sentiments...always a hit. Notice the butterfly brad and pretty ribbon? Those are also FREE Sale-a-bration items! They come in a combo pack which includes 30 printed brads and two 10 yard spools of organdy ribbon...and it all coordinates with the paper and the stamp sets! Gotta love Stampin' Up's easy coordination...makes putting projects together a snap! The scalloped edge on the card was created using the new Edgelits dies from the Occasions Mini...they're an easy way to add elegance and detail to any card.
Can you tell I'm just a wee bit excited about this year's Sale-a-bration?? Just wait till you see tomorrow's post...

Time to start thinking about Valentines...

2012-01-02T10:21:00.000-05:00

Now that Christmas and New Year's are behind us it is time to get busy designing Valentines projects! Today's card is one I designed a while back for a class on watercolouring I am teaching at an upcoming weekend retreat run by my upline. Check it out...

Sweet Valentine's card using the Greeting Card Kids stamp set with sentiment from Delightful Dozen.

I kept the layout for this card fairly simple because the focus of the class is on watercolouring using different media. I did add a bit of bling with the silver glimmer paper to highlight the sentiment (have I mentioned how happy I was to see that it is carrying over when the Holiday Mini ends tomorrow??). I used rose red ink to stamp the sentiment, which is the same shade I used to colour the little girl's dress. The DSP I used is from the Flirtatious pack. I layered it on a piece of whisper white cardstock that I embossed using my perfect polka dots folder. The whole thing is layered on a pretty in pink card base. Easy and straightforward, leaving lots of time to watercolour!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T11:05:00.001-05:00

Well, here it is a brand new year and to celebrate Stampin' Up has some fantastic new products to start your crafting year off right. In just three short days the new Occasions Mini catalogue goes live, filled with tons of fabulous new goodies to tempt you: Framelits dies (nesting dies that cut several different sizes of the same shape), Edgelits dies (dies that create decorative edges on your cards), and a gorgeous large doily die. If dies are not your thing, there are plenty of new stamp sets, Designer Series Papers and embellishments to choose from (can we say pleated satin ribbon and scented embossing powders??). I really had a hard time controlling myself during the pre-order...I truly wanted one of everything in the mini!
Now let's not forget that when a new mini begins, we must say good-bye to the previous one. There are just three days left to order from the Holiday Mini, so if you adored those mini jingle bells as much as I did, you'll want to order your supply for next year's holiday crafting, as they will be gone after the 3rd. As with any mini, there are some items that are carrying over; to see the Carry-over flyer click HERE. (I have to say I did a little happy dance when I saw that the silver glimmer paper will be carrying over!)
Now on to today's post. Since we are celebrating the birth of a brand new year I thought it fitting to feature a birthday card. This one uses a ton of product from the upcoming mini and also works for this week's challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments.


Yummy birthday card for HSS# 99 using the Sweet Cake stamp set and Sweet Shop DSP from the Occasions Mini.

Now doesn't that look good enough to eat? The best part is that it SMELLS just as good! I used the new vanilla scented embossing powder on the icing of the cupcake to make this card smell absolutely scrumptious! WARNING (to all you new year's dieters out there)...this stuff smells good enough to eat...when you're heating the powder to melt it you'll want to take a bite! I used several new products on this card: Framelits die for the calypso coral label that I then embossed using the perfect polka dots folder, the Sweet Cake stamp set, which I stamped in pool party and again in soft suede and then paper-pieced together to get the multi-coloured image, and Sweet Shop DSP (gotta love those cupcakes!). There are also a couple of teasers from the Sale-a-bration catalogue, which starts January 24th. The brad and the 1/8" organdy ribbon are both available as part of the Everyday Enchantment Ribbon and Brad pack you can earn for FREE during Sale-a-bration! Conveniently, they both coordinate with many of the products in the mini...you'd think maybe Stampin' Up plans these things!
Honestly, the crafting possibilities in the new mini and the SAB catalogue are just endless...what a great way to start off a brand new year!

I'm Ba-ack...

2011-12-29T11:55:00.000-05:00

Well, here it is nearly the end of 2011 and I FINALLY am back in the photo-taking business. Thanks to a good repair job my camera is fully functional and ready for action. Since I've been away Christmas has come and gone in a whirlwind of family visits and big dinners. The dust has finally settled and I finally have time to catch my breath. As is always the case, when I finally give myself permission to relax a little, I get sick! In fact, my whole family is sick with a nasty cough and cold. My son has another ear infection to go along with the horrible cough, which is making the nights not overly restful in our house! The poor kid can't get a decent sleep because he is coughing his brains out! We're hoping he'll be able to nap a little during the day to make up for the lost sleep at night. This bug can move along any time now!
This morning I had a rather pleasant surprise in my inbox. It was an email from Pals Paper Arts that two of my designs had been chosen for their "Best Dressed for 2011" list!! I was chosen for July and September and I have to say I am absolutely thrilled and humbled. What a great way to start my day after a rather crummy night!
Now, on to a project...and isn't it about time?? This card is the first one I created when I received my Occasions Mini pre-order goodies. It is CAS and uses a bunch of new products...check it out:

CAS card using the new Apothecary Art stamp set from the upcoming Occasions Mini

I have to say I did a little happy dance when I saw the new Framelits dies in the Occasions Mini. Those of you who have received your copy will know what I am talking about, but for those of you who haven't, these dies are along the lines of Nestabilities dies, with several different sizes of the same-shaped die. They are perfect for layering and are easy to position to cut out images from the coordinating stamp sets. The Framelits set that I used on this card is the Labels Collection and it coordinates perfectly with the images in the Apothecary Art stamp set. This card, in fact, used my Big Shot to the max. I die cut the label after stamping the image on very vanilla in Staz-on ink. I also die cut a larger-sized label in baja breeze and ran it through again using the perfect polka dots embossing folder. The background is another piece of very vanilla that I also embossed using the vintage wallpaper folder. I watercoloured the flowers using my aquapainter and baja breeze ink pads. The finishing touch on this card is the gorgeous pleated satin ribbon, another new product from the upcoming mini. I LOVE this stuff...you're going to be seeing more of it in the coming weeks!

Boxing Day came early!

2011-12-15T09:13:00.000-05:00

Stampin' Up is making a lot of holiday dreams come true with some fantastic deals on the online Clearance Rack. Punches, dies, embellishments all at up to 80% off!! These deals are while supplies last only, so act fast to get your hands on these fantastic bargains! Click here to access my online store.

No Camera = No Photos

2011-12-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

So you've probably been wondering where the heck I've been for the past week. I am here, really busy, but still stamping. My pre-order for the new Occasions Mini and Sale-a-bration came and I had a chance to play for an hour or two. The problem is my camera isn't working! We are in the process of determining whether it is more economical to get it fixed or just buy a new one. The challenge is, with Christmas fast-approaching, Santa may be working on a new camera for me so....no photos for now! I've tried to let Santa know how urgent it is that I have a functioning camera, so maybe he'll make an early delivery. In the meantime, happy stamping! I'll have LOTS to share when I do finally regain the ability to take pictures!

NOT a Christmas Card!

2011-12-04T20:44:00.000-05:00

I am so over Christmas cards. I've been doing them since August and, quite frankly I am sick of them. I held my last Christmas card class of the year today and all I can say is bring on Valentine's Day! The card I have for you today is not a Christmas card. It is a thank you card I designed for a class I am teaching at an upcoming weekend retreat in January. The class is on watercolouring and so I chose one of my favourite hostess sets to colour: Faith in Nature. See what you think:

Thank you card using the Faith in Nature hostess set

Focal image detail

I just love this pear image. I don't know why but it just really appeals to me. I stamped it in versamark on watercolour paper and then heat embossed it in gold. I watercolored it using my aquapainter and ink pads. The rest of the card is pretty straightforward and uses more mustard, soft suede and crumb cake cardstock. I am so looking forward to playing with my preorder items from the upcoming Occasions Mini...there's nothing like new goodies to jump-start the ol' Mojo!

200 Followers!

2011-11-28T21:27:00.000-05:00

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!

2011-11-27T09:57:00.000-05:00

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...

2011-11-23T21:33:00.000-05:00

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...

2011-11-22T21:57:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-21T08:07:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-18T19:44:00.001-05:00

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...

2011-11-15T18:41:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-13T09:48:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-10T18:33:00.000-05:00

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...

2011-11-09T18:49:00.000-05:00

...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

2011-11-08T18:08:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-07T21:02:00.000-05:00

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

2011-11-06T19:19:00.000-05:00

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!

2011-11-05T10:59:00.000-04:00

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

2011-11-03T07:12:00.000-04:00

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!

2011-11-02T08:50:00.000-04:00

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!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T20:08:00.000-04:00

Well, the big night is finally here! My little guy has been SO excited to go trick-or-treating this year...a far cry from the kid who wouldn't even put on a costume last year! Yesterday afternoon was spent carving pumpkins...here is a photo of my DH's latest masterpiece: Lightening McQueen...

This year's CARS character: Lightening McQueen.

This evening, right after supper we suited up our little Mario and headed out to collect some loot.

Our little Mario...ready for Movember tomorrow!

Heading out to collect the goods.

We did just enough houses to fill his bucket with candy and still got home before dark...my kinda Halloween! He had fun and was thrilled when we let him "exchange" the candy he didn't like for Kit Kats from our stash! All in all a great night!

Speaking of great things...Stampin' Up has just announced an extension to the Free Big Shot promotion!! You now have until November 11th to purchase your starter kit and receive your free Big Shot or $125 in extra product. Don't miss out on this fabulous deal! Click on over to my website for more information or to order your kit. Be sure to stop by tomorrow to see what is new for the month of November...till then have a happy Halloween!

Another Quiet Sunday...

2011-10-30T10:11:00.000-04:00

...that's two in a row! I feel spoiled. Today marks the second Sunday in a row that I've been able to spend with my family. We are heading to church and then this afternoon its all about the pumpkin carving! Max is super excited about Halloween this year...a huge switch from the boy who wouldn't even put on a costume last year! Of course, it helps that his pre-school has been hyping Halloween since the beginning of October. He is dressing as Mario (appropriate since his life is all about Mario Galaxy for the Wii these days) and he sure looks cute in that big black mustache! I'll post photos of his big night on Tuesday.
In the meantime I have another project I designed for the mega-Stamp-A-Stack I did last weekend. See what you think...

Cute, vintage-inspired Christmas card using the Snow Much Fun set with sentiment from Petite Pairs

Inside view

Now, I am not generally a "cute" Christmas kinda gal. I love all things vintage and my home is decorated in a Victorian style during the holidays. But I have to say that this set has really grown on me. If I have to do a cutesy Christmas card this is my go-to choice. I was faced with a challenge on this card, in that I couldn't have 12 ladies all colouring their snowmen at the same time, so I had to design a card that didn't require colouring! I stamped the snowmen in early espresso on crumb cake cardstock...and I quite like the look! With a bit of distressing and some sponging one of the ladies commented that it almost looked like leather! The rest of the card is pretty straightforward. The colours I used are always artichoke and riding hood red. I used the snowburst embossing folder on the cardbase and added the little ribbon treatment with some of those cute little mini jingle bells to finish it off. The ladies at my SAS really like this card and I do too...I surprised even myself!

Bright Hopes for Christmas

2011-10-27T22:24:00.000-04:00

Tonight my Christmas Club meets and before they arrive I thought I'd do a quick post to show you one of the projects we'll be doing.

Holiday card using the Bright Hopes set from the Holiday mini

I also used this card for a Stamp-A-Stack I did for a large group of 12 ladies on Saturday. It is simple and comes together quite easily, yet is rather elegant...a perfect SAS project!
I'm not sure if you can tell in the photo, but I used the Fancy Fan letterpress plate to give my real red background a hint of texture. I embossed the tree image using the pewter embossing powder...it truly is my new go-to favourite for heat embossing. The cardbase is very vanilla which I preferred over whisper white as it adds a level of richness without the stark contrast that whisper white would give. For my SAS tonight I am actually using very vanilla ribbon instead of the old olive...I ran out of old olive after my big class on Saturday! It actually does look just as elegant with the vanilla satin ribbon. I hope my Christmas Club folks like this one as much as I do!

Finally...a family day!

2011-10-23T16:51:00.000-04:00

Today has been the BEST day! It is the first day in weeks that I have been able to spend entirely with my family. I got to sleep in until 10:00 (!!) am this morning and then we took our little guy to see The Backyardigans Live this afternoon. It was so good to just spend time together without feeling like I am on a deadline. This is what every Sunday should be like! I actually (almost) feel ready to go back to work on Monday.
Today's post is a card I designed for the Stamp-A-Stack I did on Wednesday. It was the only card that wasn't chosen ahead of time by the ladies. They requested a snowman card using traditional Christmas red and green. See what I came up with:

Holiday card using the Snow Much Fun set and Frostwood Lodge DSP

Inside of card with sentiment from Many Merry Messages

You know, when I first saw this snowman set in the new catty it really didn't do much for me. Perhaps it was because I was in the midst of planning swaps for convention during the heat of July, but whatever the reason I just wasn't all that excited about it. I am happy to say that I was DEAD WRONG about this set! It is just the cutest and all the many amazing designs I have seen featuring these images are just so inspiring! In designing this card I tried to keep it simple, knowing that my ladies would be doing three other designs in the same evening. In the interest of time, I avoided watercolouring the snowmen, though they would look even cuter with a little colour added. The early espresso baker's twine wrapped around the cardfront and tied in a bow with the tiny little jingle bell as the perfect finishing touch reminds me a little of a package wrapped up ready to go under the tree. I actually used this design as the inspiration for a card I designed for another SAS I did yesterday afternoon. I'll show you that one later this week. In the meantime I'm going to go spend some more quality time with my family!

Its Time...

2011-10-18T18:05:00.000-04:00

...for me to stop commenting on how fast time is flying by these days, I know; but really, where is the month going? Here it is the 18th and I'm still on the 4th in my head! It sometimes scares me just how fast our lives can pass by. This week is another busy one...and so I again have had little time to stamp; however I did whip up a cute little card last night for a stamp-a-stack I am teaching tomorrow evening. More on that later...for now I have a card I made a while back that my SAS hostess also requested we make tomorrow night. Have a look...

Holiday card using Letters to Santa DSP and the Tree Trimmings stamp set. The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes.

Inside of card using the sentiment from the Christmas Greetings stamp set.

I designed this card intending to use it for a techniques class on masking. I stamped the green ornament on the front of the card and then masked it while I stamped the red and brown ones. The result gives the illusion of depth. The rest of the card is fairly straightforward as it features some of the gorgeous patterns on the Letters to Santa DSP. I finished it off with a bit of old olive satin ribbon and a real red glimmer brad to add a bit of sparkle.
On a completely different note, I just wanted to remind everyone of my upcoming Mini Album class on Saturday, October 29th at 9:30 am. This little album makes a beautiful Christmas gift for just about anyone, but is especially appreciated by grandmas (my mom gets one with photos of my son ever year). There is still room remaining if you would like to join us. For further details click HERE.

A Walking Zombie...

2011-10-11T21:01:00.000-04:00

...that's what I am today! I am SOOOO tired after my crazy weekend at the Rockton Fair! It was really busy, but SO much fun! I met a ton of new people and introduced some who had never stamped before to this wonderful hobby of mine. It was a very tiring weekend too...a total of 40 hours at the fair will wear a person out and having to get up at 5:00 am this morning for band practice was NOT easy! Let's just say I will sleep VERY well tonight! I am excited to share some photos of my booth with you...check 'em out:

Here I am in my little booth...not looking too tired yet...this was taken after we set up on Friday!

My display samples

My class samples and sign up lists

My promo table. After Friday, I actually decided this wasn't getting enough attention and changed it to a Make-n-Take area instead...great call! Lots of folks stopped and stamped with me!

I can honestly say this event was terrific! As tired as I am, I had such fun and was thrilled to meet so many new people. I also got to reconnect with many people from my childhood, as I grew up just outside of Rockton, and ran into past teachers, principals, baby sitters and neighbours. What a fantastic event and a great way to spend such a gorgeous weekend!

Rockton Fair, here I come!

2011-10-07T14:02:00.000-04:00

Well, so much for doing a better job of keeping up with my posting this week! Between getting ready for my booth at the fair, teaching full time and dealing with my sick child (which included a trip to the emergency room on Wednesday night), I've had no time to sleep, never mind blog! So you'll all just have to come and visit my booth at the fair this weekend to check out what I've been up to! To hold you over till I come back up for air (whenever that may be), here is another project I created for my Gift Boxes for the Holidays class coming up in November:

Cute little box created using the matchbox die and some Pines and Poinsettias DSP.

Top view

This is part of a class in which we will be making 6 different gift boxes of varying sizes. I'll have samples for this class and all of my other holiday offerings on display at the fair. Plus if you sign up for a class at the fair, you'll be entered in a draw to win your class for free! For more information about my holiday classes click on the Upcoming Classes and Events tab at the top of this page.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving, all my Canadian readers...see you at the fair!

All Stamped out!

2011-10-02T21:16:00.000-04:00

I never thought I would ever say this, but I am truly stamped out! I have inked more rubber this weekend than I ever have in my life! My fingers actually hurt! It was a very productive weekend, though! I got a ton done in preparation for my booth at the Rockton Fair next weekend. I have lots to show you but I need to pace myself...I likely won't have much stamping time this week and DEFINITELY won't have any next weekend! So, for now, I have this cute little box to show you. It is really just one of our Kraft gift boxes from the Mini that I dressed up a little...see what you think:

Christmas gift box using a Kraft box from the Holiday Mini and Frostwood Lodge DSP as well as the Christmas Lodge stamp set.

EASY paper bow...I'm definitely making more of these this year!

Cute, huh? This was so quick and easy to do and that bow...a piece of Christmas cake! I used a tutorial from Splitcoast Stampers but changed it a bit. Instead of using a different brad to assemble each layer, I used one long one and added all the layers but the final loop in the middle to it. It made for less bulk and super-easy assembly. I also changed the width of the centre loop, increasing it to 1 1/4" so that it filled in the centre more. I LOVE this...my hubby and four-year-old were even impressed! Here's hoping the fairgoers will like it and sign up to take my class!

...ok...so what happend to the week???

2011-09-30T22:19:00.000-04:00

I think I have a problem. I seem to be losing long stretches of time. I could swear it was just Sunday night and now here it is Friday already! Not that I'm complaining...I love it when the work week flies by; but I am a little concerned over just how quickly time is passing these days. Tomorrow is October first, for goodness sake!! How the heck did that happen?? Tomorrow is also World Card-making Day and though I am not holding an event to mark the occasion, I will most certainly be busy making cards! I have exactly one week to get my booth ready for my debut at the Rockton World's Fair. Talk about a ton to get done! My To-Do list is literally a page and a half long!! Tomorrow is all about getting my display projects done, so the rubber will be burning in my house tomorrow! For now I have a cute little giftcard holder I created for a recent class. Check this out:

Giftcard holder featuring the Snow Much Fun set and the Top Note die.

Cute, huh? I love this Snow Much Fun set! That chubby little snowman is the cutest!! I designed this project for a class on watercolouring with aquapainters I did earlier in the month. My ladies loved it! This is certainly one of those lots-of-bang-for-not-much-effort projects. I used the top note die to cut the base, and was able to cut all the layers at once...gotta love the Big Shot! I used lots of new product too: Dazzling Details on the hat and buttons, a mini jingle bell as the pompom on the hat and the new snowburst embossing folder on the inside pocket to add some texture and interest to the inside of the card. The whole thing pivots on the brad that holds it together at the top. Such a simple design, yet so cute!
I am going to try really hard to be more consistent in my posting this next week, but I honestly can't make any promises. I have SO much to do to get ready for the fair I almost need to take the week off work to get it all done! I will try to keep you updated on my progress and post photos of projects as I complete them. In the meantime, enjoy the weekend!

What happened to the weekend???

2011-09-25T21:40:00.000-04:00

How is it Sunday night already?? I'm not sure how, but the weekend somehow escaped me. I had my Valley Girls Club meeting today and it went a wee bit long...they like to chat! Then I stopped by for a little auntie time with my new nephew on my way home and here it is, 9:30 pm! How can time go so fast on the weekend yet so slowly during the week? I am not ready for Monday yet! Since I have a ton to do before I can sleep tonight, this post will be a quick one. This card is one that I designed for my Christmas Club which is meeting this week on Thursday. We are focusing on the Sounding Joy set from the mini, since everyone loves it! See what you think...

Holiday card featuring the Sounding Joy set from the holiday mini.

I went with a cool colour scheme of marina mist, night of navy and whisper white on this card. I embossed a third of the background using the snowburst embossing folder, which is also in the mini and then die cut a snowflake using the snowflake #2 die. It is peeking out from behind the stamped focal image. I kept this one simple because we'll be making 12 cards on Thursday night and I don't want to be at it all night! I hope my club members enjoy this one! Right now I'm off to get ready for my Inky Paws class tomorrow after school. That is my monthly group of colleagues who meet to stamp after school in the staff room. It is a fun social time for us all!

A Stamping-filled day!

2011-09-24T17:02:00.001-04:00

Today I attend "Stampin' Sparks", a demonstrator event hosted by my upline, Jamilla Ivits. It was a jam-packed day that just flew by! We did so many projects I honestly can't even remember them all at the moment! Suffice to say it was well worth the registration fee. We got a TON of product included in our kits and did terrific projects that highlight many items from the Holiday Mini. My head is still spinning a little, but I did want to post the final card I designed for my club meeting tomorrow. For this one I used the Dasher A La Carte stamp. This little guy is very popular and perfect for holiday cards. I know several of my club members own this one too, so I knew it would be a good one to use. The layout for this card was inspired by one done by Mary Fish a while back.

CAS Holiday card using the Dasher stamp and greeting from the Snow Swirled set.

So I finally resorted to a more traditional Christmas colour scheme for this one. I knew my ladies wouldn't be satisfied if I did everything in non-traditional colours! I used cherry cobbler, brushed gold and whisper white for a clean, modern, yet classic look. I used my Petals-a-Plenty embossing folder on the strip of cherry cobbler cardstock to add a bit of texture. I stamped Dasher in versamark and then heat embossed him in gold. The sentiment is stamped right on the card base in cherry cobbler ink. I finally found a way to use all those gold brads I have in my stash! They contrast just enough with the brushed gold cardstock to stand out without drawing the eye away from the focal image. I also need to point out that yet again, I refrained from adding ribbon!!! My club ladies will love me because they hate messing around with ribbon...all three cards we are doing are 100% ribbon free! I can honestly say that this is the first time that has ever happened! I can't wait to see their reaction...I'll report back tomorrow night. Till then, enjoy your weekend!

Finally Friday!

2011-09-23T18:56:00.001-04:00

TGIF!!! What a long, busy week this has been! I am so thankful that Friday is finally here so that I can catch my breath for a minute or two. It is a rainy, gloomy day today and it just makes me want to curl up in my jammies and watch a video tonight...that is if I can stay awake long enough to make it to the end!
Tonight's card is the second one I designed for my club that is meeting on Sunday. It also happens to work for this week's technique challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments. Like yesterday's, it also uses the Snow Swirled stamp set, but is a completely different look.

Elegant Holiday card for HSS85 using the Snow Swirled stamp set and featuring Mocha Morning DSP.

For this card I again used a rather non-traditional colour scheme. I pulled my palette from the Mocha Morning DSP (LOVE IT!) and used soft suede, brushed gold and very vanilla cardstock. The tree is stamped in Versamark and then heat embossed in gold. Instead of ribbon I used some brushed gold cardstock cut using my Tasteful Trim die and my Big Shot (how did I ever get by without that die?!?) The sentiment, from Teeny Tiny Wishes, is stamped in soft suede, punched out with the word window and then layered on a decorative label in brushed gold. The pearls add just the right touch of elegance. So, have you noticed this is two cards in a row with NO RIBBON!!! I don't think that's ever happened in the history of this little blog! Could this be a trend? Stay tuned and find out!
Tomorrow I am off to Stampin' Sparks for the day. This is a demostrator event my upline is hosting. I am looking forward to some stamping fun with members of my team and some fellow demonstrators from the area. I'm sure I'll have lots to share when I get home! Happy Weekend, everyone!

FINALLY Stamping Again!

2011-09-22T21:51:00.000-04:00

Well, tonight I finally got down to my stamping corner and inked up some rubber. It sure felt good to be creative again! My life has just been WAY too hectic lately...it can't be healthy to not have time to stamp, can it? In any case, tonight I sat down to design the projects for one of my monthly clubs which is meeting this Sunday afternoon. They requested that I do Christmas cards using stamp sets and punches that they already own. Since they are relatively new stampers, that really limited my options, so this was a challenge! Knowing that the Snow Swirled set is in the stash of several of the ladies, I decided to focus my energy on that set. I designed two cards using it, but am only showing you one tonight...I have to save the other for tomorrow...who knows when I'll get to stamp again! So, here, without further excuses, is today's card:

CAS Holiday card using the Snow Swirled set.

Inside of card with sentiment from the Christmas Greetings set.

Could this get any simpler?? I tried to keep my embellishments to a minimum on this one, but couldn't resist adding those glimmer brads...they just add such a nice touch of sparkle! The colour combo is one of my new favourites and is inspired by the holiday decorations (yes, its true) that are popping up in stores about now. These bold, bright colours are just fabulous together and really pop against the white background. In case you're wondering, the colours are: rich razzleberry, marina mist and lucky limeade. On the inside of the card I punched the sentiment out with the 1 3/4" scalloped circle punch (one I know my club members own) and then notched every other scallop with my paper snips. I then punched a 1/16" hole in the un-notched scallops in an attempt to make the circle look a bit snowflake-ish. I think it works, especially with the snowflake images stamped behind it.
I hope my ladies like this card...they're pretty traditional green and red Christmas gals, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to show them something a little bit off the wall. Tomorrow I'll have my second Snow Swirled card for you...and best of all...its FRIDAY!

Oh my goodness...

2011-09-19T22:31:00.000-04:00

...it has been a long time since I posted!! I am SOOOO completely swamped...I have a To-Do list that is literally a full page long! The problem is, there is this new little person who is just irresistible! Here is what I was doing Sunday morning instead of prepping for my classes this week:


Me with my gorgeous little nephew Benjamin. (Could I be any paler?? That's what happens when you spend your summer stamping instead of sun bathing!)

...and here is a close-up of the little man himself:


Is this not the second cutest child ever? (My son, Max is, of course the cutest child who ever walked the earth...but Ben is a close second!)

As you can probably tell from the photos, Ben and his mommy are at home and are settling in quite nicely. It sure has been a hectic first week of his life, though! I promise to try really hard to post more consistently this week, but can't make any promises. Life is just crazy and I'm so busy prepping for classes and keeping my family going that I haven't had time to stamp anything new. Hang in there with me, though, this won't last forever!

Something old for someone new...

2011-09-15T20:59:00.000-04:00

Today's project is the invitation I designed for my new nephew's baby shower. We are throwing a party to celebrate his arrival and so that the whole family can meet him. I used stamps from two retired sets: Big on Spring and Blissful Bride. See what you think:


Baby shower invitation using Big on Spring and Blissful Bride sets (both retired)

So, along with the retired images, I used a bunch of new product as well. The colour scheme uses three of the new In-colours: island indigo, calypso coral and pool party (kinda makes you want to book a trip down south, doesn't it?). I used this same colour scheme for the Save the Date cards I did in July...you can see those HERE. I chose it because it was fairly gender-neutral. I figured if it was a girl I could play up the coral, but since Benjamin is all boy, I emphasized the island indigo. I had to keep this fairly CAS so that I could get them done in a hurry and get them in the mail. Young Benjamin decided to keep us all waiting for an extra week, so the shower is only a month away! I finished them all tonight and now need to get them in the mail!
My crazy week continues tomorrow with the arrival of my parents. They are coming to see the baby, but are staying with us, which means more chaos in my household...and less time to tackle my to-do list! Argh!

Crazy!

2011-09-14T21:40:00.000-04:00

What a week this has been..and its only Wednesday! First of all, let me announce that my new nephew arrived safe and sound on Monday night. His name is Benjamin Rudy Bruckner and we weighed in at a whopping NINE pounds!! He is one little bruiser...my poor SIL is completely done in! For you moms out there, think about this: his head circumference was 31 cm (that 12 inches for our US friends)!!! I've never seen such a perfectly round melon on a baby! Both mommy and baby are doing well and are heading home from the hospital tomorrow...which will make my life even busier!
Tonight I have a quick Thanksgiving card for you...have a look:

Thank you card using Day of Gratitude set.

Inside of card

This card is another one that used a bunch of odds and ends from my desk. I tend not to clean up very often, so there is usually a lot laying around. The weave is just a bunch of scrap strips I had and thought I'd try making use of. I don't have time to give you a how-to, so if you need instructions, send me an email and I'll help you out. Right now I'm being summoned by my four-year-old to come and sleep with him...AGAIN!! I'll try to post tomorrow, but don't know if I'll be home...things may be a little hit and miss for a while. I hope you'll hang in there with me!

Its Labour Day!

2011-09-12T21:28:00.000-04:00

I know, the holiday was last week, but my SIL is actually IN labour!!! As I type this, my brother' wife is working on bringing my new neice or nephew into the world! SOOOO exciting! We don't know whether its a boy or girl...they wouldn't even give us a hint on names, so the suspense is KILLING us!! She's well past 12 hours of labour at this point, so it should be soon (at least I hope so for her sake!).
Today's post will be a quickie. Yesterday I was working on items for the display for my booth at the Rockton Fair in October. Here is one of the things I came up with:

Bowl of paper pumpkins made using Spice Cake DSP from the Holiday Mini.

Tag uses sentiment from Fabulous Phrases

I saw lots of these little pumpkins last year around this time but never actually tried to make some myself. I decided to include some in my fair display and am glad I did...they're REALLY easy to make! Here's the how-to:
For the large pumpkins start with 6 1"x12" strips of DSP. Punch holes in the centre and at either end of each strip. Using a large-headed brad, push the prongs of the brad through the holes in the middle of each strip. Fan strips out evenly. Then, taking a second brad, poke the prongs through each hole in the ends of the strips, forming a sphere. Open the brad to hold it in place. Add a bit of ribbon and/or a die cut leaf and you're done! How easy is that?!?
Now I need to get back to my pacing...

There are no words...

2011-09-11T10:21:00.000-04:00

I had trouble sleeping last night. Thoughts of out of control airplanes striking towering buildings, images of people jumping to their deaths rather than being burned alive, twisted wreckage and massive clouds of dust filled my mind, keeping sleep at bay. This morning we remember though we could never ever possibly forget. The events of that fateful day ten years ago is never far from our consciousness. Simply hearing the date "September 11th" triggers a knot in the stomach. For those who came looking for inspiration today, find it in the sacrifice and bravery of those who lost their lives trying to save others.
I will never forget where I was when I first heard the news: teaching a class of grade nines how to navigate the piano keyboard. Talk about trivial as compared to the magnitude of what was going on in the world. A colleague kept coming to my classroom to give me updates, reminding me to stay calm and not let on to the students that anything was wrong. It was the longest class of my life. At lunch time our entire staff gathered in the library to watch live coverage of the events in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. Some were crying, others cursed, we all were stunned. As Canadians, we were removed from the immediacy of it all, but we were horrified nonetheless. The afternoon was spent trying to reassure scared students as they feared for their own and their families' safety. Some parents came and picked their kids up from school at lunch time, wanting to have their family all together as they digested the events of the day and its aftermath.
I just want to take this moment and acknowledge the magnitude of this date and say to any American who may read this that we will never forget the day that changed your country for ever. It changed us too. We will not forget. Ever.

What a week!

2011-09-09T19:41:00.000-04:00

TGIF!!!
The first week back to school is always crazy and this year was no different. I don't know why I haven't learned over my 16 year career that the first week is just plain nutty, no matter how well you plan and prepare. I am SO tired...summer holidays seems like months ago! I did have some news that kinda made my day, though...

I just checked this week's challenge and discovered that I'd been chosen as the Rock Star for last week's challenge with this card. Who knew that such a tough challenge would produce a winning card??? Anyhow, it was an honour to be chosen and a terrific way to end an otherwise crazy week. Thanks to all the ladies over at the Mashup for choosing my card.
Since I've been so busy I haven't been down to my stamping corner much this week. But that doesn't mean I don't have something for you! Today's post is a Christmas card I did a while ago and never got around to posting. So, without further complaining, here it is:

Christmas card using The Sounding Joy stamp set from the Holiday Mini

This layout is a CASE of someone I saw online somewhere, but I have NO idea where! If this is your design please let me know so that I can give you credit. I changed the colour combo and added the ribbon, which wasn't on the original card. I do love this colour combo for Christmas...so rich and elegant looking.
This card is really simple in design and execution...the hardest (and by that I mean tedious) part is poking all of the little bits out of the snowflakes after die cutting them with the Big Shot. There are an awful lot of little bits to poke!! I had originally thought I might do this with my Christmas Club this month, but after spending so much time poking all those little bits I figured my club members would likely poke ME...HARD..if I made them make four of these cards! So, its back to the drawing board in terms of designs for this month's class, but I DO like this card. I'll just send it to someone special this Christmas!

Feeling like Fall...

2011-09-08T18:26:00.000-04:00

The weather this week has certainly started to feel like fall here in Southern Ontario. Its almost like the first day of school was the first day of fall, with cooler temperatures, chilly nights and cloudy skies. I'm not complaining because, quite frankly, I LIKE cool weather when I'm at work. The lack of air conditioning makes my room unbearably hot when the mercury climbs. Add to that a bunch of sweaty teenagers and it isn't a fun place to be! So these cooler temps have been most appreciated by yours truly! All this fall weather has me in the mood to create fall-themed cards (like I haven't done enough already!) and for today's post I pulled out the hostess set from the Holiday Mini. We got this set free at convention and, sadly, it was forgotten as soon as I got home and saw all my goodies from the the new catty. Well, since the new mini is now LIVE, I figured I should dust off this cute hostess set and give it some love. Here is the card I made:

Thanksgiving'ish card using Warmest of Wishes hostess set from the new Holiday Mini with sentiment from Fabulous Phrases.

Inside of card using sentiment from Day of Gratitude

One of the things I like most about this set is the variety of images it contains. There is something for fall, Halloween, Christmas and Valentine's Day all in one little set! For this card I used the wreath of leaves, stamping it cajun craze and colouring it with my markers in more mustard and peach parfait. The wreath was layered on one of the scalloped circles from the Perfect Pennants die cut from always artichoke cardstock. The rest is pretty straightforward, though I will give you the colour palette as sometimes it is hard to tell from a photo: cajun craze, peach parfait, more mustard, always artichoke. On the inside of the card I stamped the wreath along the right edge only allowing half of the image on the page. The result was a swirling line of leaves running down the edge of the card. I think I'm going to play with this set some more...I see lots of possibilities. Stay tuned!

Simple Sympathy

2011-09-07T18:23:00.000-04:00

Recently a colleague at school lost her dad. It is so hard to know what to say to someone who loses someone they love and so I let my card do my talking for me. Here is the one I sent her:

Sympathy card for a colleague using the Sweet Floral background stamp and the sentiment from Thanks For Caring (retired) set.


Inside of card using sentiment from Thoughts and Prayers set.

This is one of many of the new background stamps that I fell in love with on seeing the new catalogue. It is so detailed and such a beautiful image I just HAD to own it! Ironically, this is the first time I've used it! It was another victim of "Too-Many-New-Stamps-All-At-Once" syndrome. I am so glad that I did finally pull it out because it really is a beautiful image. I stamped it in concord crush on wisteria wonder cardstock, sponged the edges and then layered it on always artichoke. Those three colours compliment eachother so nicely! The sentiment is embossed using the new pewter embossing powder from the Holiday Mini. If you haven't tried this stuff yet you MUST! It can look silver or gold depending on what colours you surround it with. On this card it has a more golden tinge. The sentiment on the inside is from Thoughts and Prayers and is again stamped in concord crush but this time on very vanilla. I stamped a portion of the floral image again, stamping off first to give a faded look. This simple card meant a great deal to its recipient which in turn meant a great deal to me. That is what I love most about this hobby: being able to create something beautiful to make someone else feel special.

Too Late...

2011-09-06T17:04:00.000-04:00

...that's me! I created today's card for the monochromatic challenge over at Handstamped Sentiments but was a couple of hours too late to enter! That'll teach me to read the fine print next time! Ah well, I still like this card and thought you might like to see it too! It a holiday card without a stitch of red or green! See what you think...

Monochromatic holiday card using the Winter Post stamp set and Mocha Morning DSP.

Inside of card with sentiment from the Christmas Lodge set from the Holiday Mini.

So, not your typical holiday colour scheme but I actually like this look. I used several different shades of brown: crumb cake, soft suede and early espresso as well as very vanilla for my neutral. I drew my colour palette from the Mocha Morning DSP...loving that stuff more everytime I use it! The stamped images are all from the Winter Post set in the main catalogue with the exception of the music notes. Those are courtesy of the wheel of the same name. This card features lots of sponging and shading with the various shades of brown for depth and texture as well as some watercolouring of the skaters using the same ink colours and my aquapainter. The antique brad and crumb cake seam binding ribbon are the perfect finishing touch for this vintage-looking Christmas card. Now if only I'd gotten it in in time for the challenge!
Speaking of challenges, I just received word that my card was an Artist's Pick over at Pals Paper Arts this week. Its kind of ironic that a challenge I found really difficult earned me this honour! I guess the difficulty of it forced me to step it up a notch! Thanks so much to the ladies for Pals Paper Arts for choosing my card...I am humbled!

Last day of summer...

2011-09-05T16:46:00.000-04:00

...I know the calendar doesn't officially turn to fall for another couple of weeks, but as far as I'm concerned, summer is over. Tomorrow I start back to work and go back to the craziness of my school-year-life. I have to say that I am not looking forward to the 5:00 am alarms and long days in the classroom. Ah well, only 10 months till next summer!

Today I have a card I did for another online challenge. This one's for this week's sketch challenge at Just Add Ink. I added an extra challenge for myself to use only materials that were sitting on my desk when I started designing the card....lucky for me my desk was a mess at the time, so I had lots to work with! First of all, let me show you the sketch:

...now here is my version of it...

Holiday card for JAI83 using scraps and odds and ends from my desk!

So, for starters, I rotated the sketch for a horizontal orientation...it just worked better for where I was heading. The stocking is one I had put together for another project...one that didn't end up working. I couldn't bear to waste a perfectly good stocking so I had it sitting, adhesive and all, waiting for a new home. The medallion was leftover from the wreath I did a while back. The glitter paper was the negative cut left over from using my Tasteful Trim die for this card. The little snowflake was leftover from another card I am going to post later this week. The buttons and jingle bell were sitting in their containers still, not having found a permanent home. Put it all together and this is what you get: a hodgepodge of a holiday card! I actually had fun putting this together...its good to challenge oneself now and then, don't you think?!?
Now I am off to put together my lunch for tomorrow and figure out what I am going to wear...gotta love the first day of school!

A tough one...

2011-09-04T15:22:00.001-04:00

...that's what I thought when I saw this week's colour challenge at Pals Paper Arts. The challenge was to use basic grey, calypso coral and riding hood red on a card. That is not a colour combo I would EVER choose to use myself, but since I'm always up for a good challenge I gave it the ol' college try. I figured I'd kill two challenges with one card by creating a gate-fold card for the Friday Mash-up as well. They not only wanted a gate-fold, but also to use numbers somewhere on the card as well! Talk about a week of tough challenges! Anyhoo...here's what I came up with:

Gate-fold card for MU22 and PPA109 using the Creative Elements stamp set

Inside of card

So, who'da thought this colour combo would be one I really like??? I discovered while watercolouring the flower that calypso coral and riding hood red blend really nicely together! The basic grey provides a rich looking base made even lovelier with the vintage wallpaper embossing folder. I also love the richness of the basic grey satin ribbon and the subtle bling of the rhinestones. Conveniently, the Creative Elements set includes that No.3 stamp, so it was easy to include the required numbers element for the Mash-up. The only thing this card is missing is a sentiment! I just couldn't come up with a place to put one that worked with the layout. When I am ready to use it I will stamp an appropriate sentiment for the inside...in the meantime it remains sentimentless! I actually really enjoyed both of these challenges...they both forced me to think outside of my stamping box and try new things which, really, is why I love playing along!

Back to Christmas stamping!

2011-09-03T15:31:00.000-04:00

Well, I was able to take a bit of a break from Christmas cards over the last week or so but now I have to plan this month's Christmas Club projects, so I am back in holiday mode. Today's card is one I did as I was searching for a way to use the Snow Much Fun set from the main catty in a way that didn't require watercolouring. I need my projects for the Christmas Club to be fast and relatively simple so that we can get our 12 cards done in 3 hours! Watercolouring, while not difficult can be time consuming, so I needed a design that could stand without it. This is what I came up with:

Holiday card featuring the Snow Much Fun set and sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes.

Inside of card

What do you think? I am fairly happy with it, except I should have stamped the snowman on the front full strength, rather than stamped-off like I did. He's a bit too pale! I covered him with iridescent ice embossing powder to make him sparkle...looks kinda like he's in a snow storm! The DSP I used is from the Frostwood Lodge suite in the new Holiday Mini and the scalloped circle I used to thread the ribbon through is from the Perfect Pennants die. I used confetti white cardstock as the base for this card...I just like the little hints of colour and texture it adds. I also used some of those adorable mini jingle bells from the mini...they ACTUALLY jingle! Too cute!
Enjoy your long weekend...last one of the summer! How the heck did that happen?!? I am trying to psych myself up for Tuesday and the crazy schedule that goes with it...so far its not working! Good thing I have two more days to go!

Cornflowers...

2011-09-02T16:55:00.000-04:00

...that's what today's card remind me of. I love the beautiful blue wildflowers that grow so profusely along country roads at this time of year...they are such a vivid splash of colour against the grass...dried, and dead after this summer's heat. When one of my hostesses asked for a generic card for her workshop this week, I pulled out the Field Flowers set and put together this simple card. See what you think...

Simple all-occasion card using the Field Flowers and Nature Walk sets and a sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes.

Inside of card

This card was so fast and easy to put together I don't think I need to give you any instructions. I will tell you the colour combos for the two-step stamping on the flowers though: marina mist and not quite navy for the blooms and so saffron and more mustard for the centres. The stems are always artichoke.
My hostess and her guests were thrilled with this card and loved how easily it came together. Two-step stamping is a great way to get multi-dimensional images without having to colour or shade. This set is fast becoming my favourite two-step stamping set EVER!

The Holiday Mini is Here!!

2011-09-01T12:21:00.000-04:00

WOOHOO! My favourite mini of the year has arrived! I just love holiday crafting and having new goodies to do it with just adds to the fun. Each year I look forward to the start of the Holiday Mini because it means all sorts of new ideas and products to play with. If you haven't received your own copy of this fabulous new catalogue drop me a line and I will get one to you for FREE! If you just can't wait that long, click on the image of the mini in the left side-bar to view it online.
With the new month, I have also sent out my e-newsletter. If you think you are on my mailing list but didn't get your newsletter, please let me know...I am having issues with things I send from my Stampin' Up site getting dumped in SPAM folders! I've also updated my events page for the new month...check it out!
Now on to some stamping! In honour of the new mini, I have another Christmas card for you! It uses one of my favourite sets: The Sounding Joy. This card is inspired by one by Mary Rindel...thanks, Mary for the gorgeous inspiration!

Holiday card using The Sounding Joy stamp set, Snow Burst embossing folder and pewter embossing powder from the new Holiday mini.

Isn't this set just beautiful??? I love the script and the star-shaped background text...so elegant! It also helps that Joy the the World is my favourite Christmas carol! This card came together very simply and quickly and will be one of the cards we do in this month's Christmas Club. If you like this and would like to schedule a workshop to make it and other projects with new Holiday mini products, give me a call or email and we'll set a date!

Procrastination...a good thing sometimes...

2011-08-31T09:22:00.000-04:00

ok, so maybe not. I'm sitting at my computer with a PILE of work to do to get ready for the start of the school year next week and instead of getting started, I'm typing a blog post instead! Can you tell I'm really not ready to let go of summer yet? The good news for you is that I have another birthday card to show you. Since I've covered the kids pretty well this week, I figure its time for a grown-up card. This is another one I designed for my workshop tonight. The hostess requested a masculine birthday card, so, given the season we are about to begin, I designed this with fall in mind...

Masculine birthday card using French Foliage set with sentiment from Bring on the Cake.

Inside of card

Can you tell I am in love with the French Foliage set? I was SOOOOO thrilled when it came back in the main catty this year! It is my go-to fall set...love the realistic looking leaves! Here is how I put this together:
Starting with a 3 1/2" square of very vanilla cardstock, I randomly stamped the leaves in cajun craze, more mustard and early espresso, stamping off at times to give depth. I then spritzed the whole thing using my spritzer tool and early espresso marker. I layered the stamped piece on a 3 5/8" square of always artichoke and then adhered it to an early espresso card base. Setting that aside, I took a 2 1/2" x 4 1/4" piece of more mustard cardstock and ran it through my Big Shot using the houndstooth embossing folder. I then tore off about 1/4" of an inch along one of the long sides and added some early espresso distressing with the mahogany ink and solid stamp from the distressing kit. I wrapped and tied a piece of early espresso 1/8" taffeta ribbon around the left side and tied a knot. This was then glued on to the bottom of the cardfront. The sentiment is heat embossed using pewter embossing powder, punched out with the decorative label and then layered on a second decorative label in always artichoke. I adhered it using dimensionals.
The inside of the card is simply more randomly stamped leaves and the sentiment stamped in early espresso.
Easy peasy and effective. Hope my hostess and her guests like it! Now I guess I'd better get going on my school work!!

Teenage boy b-day card

2011-08-30T16:02:00.000-04:00

I seem to be on a roll with the juvenile birthday cards this week! I have a workshop tomorrow night and the hostess requested a card appropriate for a teenaged boy. So I got out my Well Worn DSP and this is what I came up with:

Birthday card for a teenaged boy using Extreme Elements and Grunge Rock stamp sets along with Well Worn DSP.

These sets are sure getting a workout this week! I do love how versatile they are...and how different they look in various colour palettes. For this card I stuck to the earthy tones in the paper: cajun craze, early espresso, river rock and not quite navy. I added lots of interest and texture by roughing up the edges of both the card base and the DSP and sponged the edges of pretty much every element. The hemp twine and little aged brass clip (from my stash, bought who-knows-when!) add the perfect finishing touches without being too fussy. I will replace the clip with one of Stampin' Up's mini library clips when my order arrives...I just used this in the meantime! I hope my hostess and her guests like it! Now I've gotta run and prep for my Watercolouring 101 class tonight!

Fall Demonstrator Event and fall card for the Monkey

2011-08-29T10:37:00.000-04:00

If you are a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, have I got a deal for you! Because there is no SU Regional in Southern Ontario this year, my upline, Jamilla Ivits, has decided to hold her own "mini regional"! "Stampin' Sparks" promises to be a fabulous day of speakers, demos, make-n-takes, swapping and prizes and it is all right here in our own backyard! The event will be held at the Homewood Suites by Hilton Hotel, here in Cambridge on Saturday, September 24th, 2011 from 9:00 am - 3:30 pm. The cost for the day, including lunch is just $55!!! What a deal! For more information or to register contact Jamilla at 519-622-9394 or email gerjam@golden.net.

Now on to today's card! This week's challenge over at A La Card Monkey is an autumn sketch challenge. Here is the sketch:

...and here is my interpretation:

Autumn card for Monkey71 using French Foliage, Studio Sketches and Fabulous Phrases sets.

Inside of card with sentiment from Pursuit of Happiness set.

This card was FUN to make! I pulled out all the distressing stops for the background: sponging, spritizing, crumpling...you name it! After doing so many simple cards over the past few weeks in preparation for various classes and workshops, it was fun to really go to town and get my fingers inky for a change. The sad thing is that this is the very first time my Studio Sketches set has seen ink...and I've had it for almost a year!!! GASP!! I know...bad, bad demonstrator (insert wrist-slap here). I really love that set and there is absolutely NO excuse for the neglect it has received. I promise to give it more attention this fall!
No time to give you the details on how I created this one...gotta go get Max ready for the birthday party this afternoon! If you have questions drop me a line and I'll do my best to answer.

What a party...and still more to come!

2011-08-28T21:30:00.000-04:00

Well, my nephew celebrated his birthday in fine style last night with a big (17 kids!) bash at Chuck E Cheese. Max had a great time because his aunt and uncle kept handing him game tokens...he never ran out! He'd still be there if we hadn't dragged him out! Now we're gearing up for yet another birthday party tomorrow! This is for my friend's daughter who is turning 7; Max sure does get around! Tomorrow's event is supposed to be a pool party, though the weather may be a wee bit cool for swimming. I know Max's mommy isn't going anywhere near the water, which likely means Max won't be either! In any case, I sat down this evening to make a card for Katelyn. Since I don't have any little girls in my life, I'm not really up on what a 7 year old might like so this was a challenge! Last year she was VERY into Hannah Montana so I kept with a "pop star" theme and came up with something I hope she'll like. Since it is so sparkly it also works for this week's challenge over at Stampin' Royalty. I was actually inspired by one of the guest designer's cards. Anyhow, here is my card for a 7-year old:

Blingy Birthday card for a 7-year old girl using the Best Friends Forever and Grunge Rock sets.

Inside of card using sentiment from Delightful Dozen set.

So, whaddya think? Do you think she'll like it? Do me a favour...if you have a 7'ish-year-old girl around can you get her opinion for me?

This card was a wee bit of work. The glitter stripes were fairly easy as I used sticky strip, peeling the backing off one at a time to apply the various colours of glitter. Kind of a cool look, but mighty messy to create...my house will be glittery for weeks...and so will I!! My Circle Scissors Plus got a workout cutting all those circles...how I love that little contraption! Makes layering circles SO easy!! No need for a ton of different sizes dies! The guitar is embossed using the new tempting turquoise embossing powder. I think my favourite thing about this card is the colour combo: melon mambo, tempting turquoise, lucky limeade and basic black. So bright and fun...and not entirely girlie. Here's hoping this is a hit with the recipient...and that the party is a huge success!

Brithday card for a Four Year Old

2011-08-26T19:42:00.000-04:00

My nephew Michael is turning four tomorrow and, of course, my son is invited to the big party at Chuck E Cheese, no less! He is quite excited as Chuck E's is one of his FAVOURITE places EVER! This afternoon I sat down to make a birthday card with my son right by my side to make sure I "did it right". Here is what we came up with:

Michael's birthday card using licensed Disney stamps and Big Top Birthday DSP

Inside of card with sentiments from the Bring on The Cake set

As much as I adore Stampin' Up and all their wonderful stamps, there are times that just call for something that SU doesn't offer. Today was one of those times. My son, Maxwell, was determined that his cousin's birthday card have Lightening McQueen on it. Since SU doesn't do licensed stamps, I pulled out some of Max's stamps and went to town. It was actually kind of fun colouring in McQueen...except that Max was there watching my every move and telling me when I wasn't using the right colour! He is a tough critic!! Anyhow, in order to really make this card pop I pulled out some of the Big Top Birthday DSP. I just got this pack through the Buy-3-get-1-free promo and am I ever glad I did! I LOVE the bright colours and bold patterns! I can't wait to play with it some more! Now, I know this card looks a wee bit Red-White-and-Blue, given that I'm in the Great White North, but let's face it, McQueen is the all-American racing champ. I thought it only fitting to bring in a little nod to his roots. Plus, I think the stars are perfect for a little boy's birthday. It got the stamp of approval from Maxwell...now here's hoping Michael likes it too!

Stormy Weather!

2011-08-25T14:06:00.000-04:00

WOW! Did we ever have a storm last night! The lightening was incredible...it looked like a strobe light, there was so much of it. On the news this morning they said there were 1000 lightening strikes every 2 minutes in southern Ontario during the height of the storm! That's a lot of electricity flying around and, since our hydro kept flashing of and on, I didn't want to take the chance of turning on my computer to do a blog post. Sorry if you missed me! Today I have another Christmas card for you. This is one that I did while I was away up north last week. If you recall, I was really struggling to come up with something I loved...this card is just ok, in my books, but you might love it...so here you go!

Holiday card using Scenic Season set with sentiment from Contempo Christmas

One thing I DO like about this card is the colour scheme: soft suede and cherry cobbler are just yummy together! I also like the Mocha Morning DSP for holiday cards...you'll see more of that in the coming months. What I did discover is that when using the new Dazzling Details product (in the new Holiday Mini), it is necessary to let the ink dry throughly before applying the Dazzling Details. Otherwise the ink runs and you end up with what I did: sparkly brown snow! I was a wee bit disappointed with that...I was hoping for a nice glittery effect to balance that sparkly glimmer paper accent. Ah well, live and learn, no? This way I can warn all of you and save you from the same frustration!!
On another note, tonight is the first meeting of my Christmas Club. I am so excited to show everyone some of the new products from the Holiday Mini...I know they're going to love them! We are going to be busy making 12 cards, so it will be a stampingly crazy night! Can't wait!! If you'd like to get in on the action, you can join for the last three installments in September through November. Check out my Events tab at the top of this page for additional information.

A Happy Accident...

2011-08-23T14:09:00.000-04:00

Do you ever set out to create a card with a certain idea in mind only to end up going in an entirely different direction? Today's card is an example of me starting out with a CAS design in mind and ending up with a completely different look. First I'll show you the card I ended up with and then I'll explain how I got there!

Vintage holiday card using Bells & Boughs and Merry & Type stamp sets.

Definitely NOT CAS, hunh? So here's what happened...
I started out needing a scrap of always artichoke cardstock to emboss and then cut out the oval designer frame from. I grabbed a piece from my stash, ran it through the embossing folder and then flipped it over to check the quality of the impression. Lo and behold, there were holly images I had stamped in bleach (months ago when trying to come up with designs for convention swaps) in two corners. Liking the look, I decided to go with it and use it to frame the focal point for a card. I then found some torn scraps of Deck the Halls fabric in amongst my ribbon scraps...I added that as a ruffle along the right edge using sticky strip to adhere it. From there I just kept layering and adding, finishing it off with the perfect sentiment from the Merry & Type set! Don't you love it when things just sort of fall into place? I think that's one of the things I love most about Vintage cards...they're meant to look like they're made up of spare bits and treasures, so it is easy to use up all the little bits and bobs you were too cheap to throw out!

A bit of fall for PPA

2011-08-22T09:42:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd take a bit of a break from Christmas cards today...all that red and green gets a bit old after while, you know? I have a workshop next week and I think I'll use this Thanksgiving card for it. Unlike all of you in the US, our Canadian Thanksgiving is just over a month away, so it certainly is time to get going on some projects to celebrate! This card was inspired by this week's sketch at Pals Paper Arts. Here is the sketch...

Here is my very fallish Thanksgiving card:

Thanksgiving card for PPA107 using the Day of Gratitude set with sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes

Inside of card using a sentiment from the Pursuit of Happiness set.

I really do love fall colours...guess that's why I got married in October! There is something about the combination of early espresso. more mustard and cajun craze that just soothes my soul...so warm and earthy! This card is pretty straightforward, though I'd like to point out one very important feature: there are NO embellishments!! Yay...I did it! I created a card that doesn't look naked without any brads, ribbon or pearls! Let me tell you, the thought certainly did cross my mind to add some hemp twine or early espresso ribbon, but I resisted the urge...are ya proud of me???
Tomorrow its back to Christmas...I had my first Christmas Club meeting on Thursday and need to get in the zone!

Drum Roll, Please...

2011-08-21T17:50:00.001-04:00

...and the winner is: Karen Gilman!! Congratulations, Karen! Please send me an email with your shipping info and I will get your goodies in the mail this week!

A HUGE thank you to all who helped me celebrate my Bloggaversary and took the time to leave kind comments. It has been a crazy year...can't wait to see what the next year holds!

Now for some stamping! One of the things I most enjoy about participating in online challenges is the way they jump-start my mojo. The week up north was a frustrating one and I had kind of been putting off going down to prep for my classes this week and next because I was worried it would again be an exercise in mediocrity. Thankfully, some of my favourite challenge sites had sketch challenges this week! They sure did get the creative juices flowing!! The card I'm going to show you is based on one of the two sketches over at Stamping 411 this week. Here is the simple sketch...

Since I am in full Christmas mode these days, it was only natural that I do a holiday card (yes, I know, its only August!). So, here is my version:

Holiday card for SSC217 using the Jolly Bingo Bits and Contempo Christmas sets

Inside sentiment from the Many Merry Messages set

This sketch was so CAS I had to try my best to reflect that in my card. Since those of you who follow my blog know what a hard time I have with CAS, I hope you're impressed! This card actually came together quite easily and will likely make my fall line-up. The poinsettia image is from Jolly Bingo Bits (so handy, that set!) I also used some of the silver glimmer paper from the upcoming Holiday Mini...so sparkly and no mess! The sentiment is from Contempo Christmas and is heat embossed in silver.

On another note, there is still time to register for my Christmas Club. The first class is this Thursday, so don't delay! I need to confirm attendance by Wednesday so that I can be sure I have enough supplies on hand. For more information click on the Upcoming Events tab at the top of this page and then call to register today!

Home Again...

2011-08-20T18:25:00.000-04:00

...and happily so! Though it is nice to spend time away it is ALWAYS good to come home! My son is especially happy to see his daddy...a whole week away from him is a LONG time for a 4-year-old! I am happy to have high-speed internet again...you don't realize how dependent you are on something until you don't have it for a week! I hope you enjoyed the projects I scheduled to post while I was away...I sure have enjoyed reading all of your comments! Don't forget that today is the last day to enter the draw for my Bloggaversary blog candy. If you haven't already done so, leave a comment HERE and you'll be entered in the draw. I am going to select and post the winner tomorrow, so be sure to get your entry in tonight!
So, are you tired of Christmas cards yet? I sure hope not, because I'm just gettin' started!! Today's post is another holiday card, this time of the cute variety. It uses the Stitched Stockings stamp set and coordinating stocking builder punch from the upcoming Holiday Mini. Speaking of which, have you received your copy yet? If you're on my mailing list you should get yours this week sometime. If you're not and would like to be drop me a line and I'll hook you up! Now, on to the card...

Cute holiday card using the Stitched Stockings set and punch from the upcoming Holiday Mini.

Cute, eh? I was inspired by Jackie Topa's card here but I was too lazy to do all that punching and sponging for the fireplace. Enter Well Worn DSP! Conveniently this pack has BOTH a woodgrain pattern AND a brick pattern!! Insta-fireplace! I added some sponged flames (made using the wing from the bird punch) and voila...a cozy fire with stockings hung with care! I used some of the adorable new mini clothespins to "hang" the stockings and created the banner using the pennant punch and the Calendar Alphabet and Numbers set. (Come to think of it, I'm not sure why this set is named that way...I don't think I have EVER used it for a calendar! It is a VERY handy set to have though! Perfectly tiny letters and numbers for any kind of sign, pennant, banner etc...but I digress...). What's kind of uncanny is that this card looks just like our fireplace at Christmas!! I didn't intend for it to, but the colour of the brick and the dark wood mantel is just like our family room! Weird, huh?!?
I have to go an unpack all my stamping supplies I took up north with me...believe it or not, I did very little stamping! It wasn't for lack of trying, mind you...I just couldn't come up with anything I remotely liked. I did a few cards, but each one was just so-so. I got really frustrated and just gave up over the last couple of days. I read three novels instead! Here's hoping I get my MOJO back quick...I have A LOT of projects to plan and make for my September classes and workshops! I'll post a couple of the cards I did get done this week...you can judge them for yourselves!