200 Followers!

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

CAS Holiday card using the Easy Events stamp set

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

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

CASE-ing myself!

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

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

Detail of 3D tree.

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

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

Deja Vu...

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

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

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

A Quickie...

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

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

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

Online Extravaganza

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

Texture Overload

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

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

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

Happy Birthday to my Hubby...

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

Angry Birds card for my 41-year-old husband

Inside view

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