Last Hurrah for Saleabration...

...yep...its almost over.  Sale-a-bration ends tomorrow at midnight *sigh*.  The good news is that you still have time to get in on the fabulous freebies available exclusively through this promotion.  Just visit my online store HERE and place your order...for every $60 you spend you'll get to choose a free item...but hurry.  The magic disappears tomorrow at midnight.
That brings me to today's post...one last card featuring Sale-a-bration product that celebrates the upcoming Easter season.  Actually, its two cards...same layout and design with two different colour schemes.  Have a look...

SAB Easter card #1 featuring the Fresh Vintage stamp set, Everyday Elegance DSP and cute butterfly brads, all of which I earned for FREE!  Sentiment is from the Delightful Dozen set.

SAB Easter card #2...same DSP...just the reverse side of the paper!  This one also uses the 1/8" organza ribbon.

So, I made the top card first and, not being entirely crazy about the peach parfait-pool party combo, decided to try the same card using the pattern on the reverse side of the DSP.  Now, I can't decide which one I like better...what do you think?  Leave me a comment indicating your preference and I'll add your name to a draw for a special SAB freebie of your own.  Comments must be received by midnight on Sunday, April 1st to be entered in the draw.  Then check back here to see if you've won.
In the meantime, I've got to get busy preparing for Max's big Angry Birds birthday bash next weekend...have a great weekend everyone!

Another Sale-a-bration Make-n-Take

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

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

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!

MIA

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!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

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!

The January Blahs

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!

Another Hectic week in the books...

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

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

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...

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!