H is for Happy

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

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...

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!!

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!

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...

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!

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!