For the Owl Lover

Today I have a cute project from Craft Project Central to show you.  Check it out:

Owl Box and Card Set designed by Amanda Corbett

 Do you have a friend(s) that loves owls or need a fun and funky gift set in a hurry? This Owl Box with six different card designs and matching envelopes is bright enough to cheer up anyone’s day!  Make it for yourself or as a fun gift.  To access the tutorial for this project just visit Craft Project Central and subscribe to April...then stop by Amanda's blog and let her know how much you love her work!
Don't forget to enter my draw for a free month's subscription by leaving a comment on any post dated April 1st - 15th (yep, tomorrow's your last chance to enter!).  I will post the lucky winner on Tuesday...good luck!

Sweet

I have to admit that when I read about the upcoming Colour Refresh I did a little dance of joy!  I am so happy that Pool Party and Calypso Coral are going to be part of the core colour families!  I love those colours together as well as in combination with other colours and today I have a perfect example of just how wonderful they look together!  Have a look:

Baby card featuring the Hearts A Flutter and Itty Bitties stamp sets with sentiment from Itty Bitty Banners

Isn't that the perfect gender neutral colour combo for a baby card??  So sweet and those little feet are just the cutest thing ever!  I love the teeny little images in the Itty Bitties stamp set!  The fact that they fit perfectly in the circle from the Itty Bitty Punch Pack is an added bonus.  It makes them so easy to add as little accents on projects like this. It is definitely a must-have for me!
Now for a couple of reminders:
Firstly, don't forget to leave a comment on any post dated April 1st - 15th.  I'm giving a way a free month's subscription to Craft Project Central and it will go to one of my faithful readers!  I'll post the winner's name on the 16th.
Secondly, don't forget about the free shipping offer coming up this weekend.  Starting tomorrow at 12:00am Mountain Time (2:00 am Eastern) Stampin' Up is offering free shipping on every order.  Make sure to get your order in before midnight on Monday to take advantage of this terrific offer.  You can place your order directly through me or through my website and have it shipped directly to you for FREE!! 
Tomorrow is my son's 6th birthday bash, so I'll be a wee bit busy with it all day.  I hope you have a terrific weekend...I'll see you on Sunday with highlights from the Super Duper Super Mario party!

Twirly Whirly Birthday

I most definitely have birthdays on the brain lately, as we are deep into preparations for my son's 6th birthday party.  I will show you the invitations we made tomorrrow, but  for now I want to show you a fun birthday card I designed for last weekend's card buffet. 

Birthday card featuring the Wishes Your Way stamp set and Sycamore Street DSP

I designed this card with kids in mind, but who wouldn't love a birthday card with a cute pinwheel on it?  I started with a Whisper White background embossed with the Cloudy Day TIEF.  The pinwheel was formed from a 2-1/4" square of Sycamore Street DSP and is held together with a glimmer brad.  The scalloped Tangerine Tango strip was done with the Large Scallop Edgelit and is layered behind a strip of Sycamore Street DSP.  I stamped the sentiment from Wishes Your Way and hand-trimmed a pennant.
I can't wait to show you the fun invitations Max and I made for his party tomorrow...be sure to stop by and check them out!

More Sketch Inspiration

Today I have another sample I did using this month's sketch inspiration...check it out:

Father's Day card featuring the You Rule stamp set with sentiment from Family Reunion

I designed this sample for my Spring Fling Card Buffet that is happening this afternoon.  It is likely hard to tell in the photo, but the crown is heat embossed using pewter embossing powder...very shiny and regal-looking...fit for the King of the Household...dear ol' Dad!  I added texture to the background with my Argyle TIEF, as well as a bit of Basic Gray stitched grosgrain ribbon.  I also added interest to the focal point with my piercing template and paper piercer.  I didn't photograph the inside of this one...oops!  It says "You Rule"...and then below it "Happy Father's Day".  If you missed the sketch for Marcch, simply click the Monthly Sketch Inspiration tab at the top of this page to view the sketch and other samples made using it.

We all need a little Sunshine

When the latest set of single stamps were made available I fell in love with just about every one of them.  There was one, however, that I just HAD to have.  I used it on this card I designed for my technqiues class that meets tonight.  Have a look:

Card for someone special featuring the Sunshine single stamp (132671).

Focal image detail

Ever since my son was a newborn I have sung the song "You are my Sunshine" to him to put him to sleep.  Now that he's a "big boy" - almost 6! - I don't get to sing it as often as I once did, but it still holds a special place in both of our hearts.  When I saw the Sunshine single stamp I knew I had to have it.  I used the Bouncing Brayer technique to create the background behind the stamped image...so perfect for the sentiment!  I stamped the image itself in Versamark and then heat embossed using Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise and Gumball Green embossing powders.  I like the rainbow-like effect it gave the image.  The background DSP is from the Sunshine and Sprinkles DSP pack and to add extra texture, I ran it through the Big Shot with the Cloudy Day TIEF.  I am so pleased with the final result...I hope my class members will like it too!

Easter for TGIF

Today I have a card I designed for this month's TGIF class.  With  Easter coming up in just a few weeks I thought it was appropriate to do a cute Easter card.  Have a look:

Easter card featuring the Spring Sampler stamp set with setiment from Teeny Tiny  Wishes

I love the colours in the Sunshine and Sprinkles DSP pack.  So fresh and spring-like!  It is perfect for this cute Easter card.  I used three of the images from the Spring Sampler set and coloured them with my Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo and Lucky Limeade markers.  I cut little banners with my  Hearts A-Flutter Framelits from coordinating card  stock and embossed them with my Perfect Polka Dots TIEF.  I also added a little texture to the card base with my Clouds TIEF....love that new addition to the line-up!
Have you signed up yet for my TGIF class?  You'd better hurry...class is this Friday at 7:00...call or email to reserve your spot today!

Sent with Love Birthday

Happy Monday!  It is a REALLY happy Monday in our household because it marks the first day of March Break!  No school for anybody...woohoo!  I'm looking forward to a week of checking jobs off my To-Do List and my son is planning a week of playdates!  Not sure how both are going to happen, but we'll see.
Today I have another card I designed using the Sent With Love Bundle that is currently on promotion.  I am so loving this fun DSP...it is terrific for making masculine cards.  Check this one out:

Birthday card featuring the Sent With Love bundle and sentiment from  the Essentials set

We made this card at my team meeting last week and it was a hit!  Everyone loves the DSP and this card really showcases it well.  I used a stamp from the Essentials set, which is a great font and the perfect size for this design.  I embossed the card base using the Houndstooth TIEF, leaving a portion at the bottom smooth for interest.
On another note, if you LIKED my Facebook page this month, be sure to stop by later today to see if you the lucky winner to a free month's subscription for Craft Project Central.  If you are, I'll be in touch soon with the details about your subscription! 
Have a great week everyone!

Another FAB Project from CPC

I hope you are all having a fantastic weekend!  We are  enjoying some beautiful spring-like weather here in Southern Ontario...I just wish it would last all week!  Alas tomorrow is calling for rain...and lots of it!  At least it will wash away the last of the snow and winter grime!
Today I get to show you another fabulous project from Craft Project Central, designed by Amanda Corbett.  Have a look:

CREATE Banner designed by Amanda Corbett

Isn't that fantaastic?!  I so love this project I am going to make one for the wall in my stamping corner.  To access the tutorial for this and the other 9 projects for this month head over the Craft Project Central and subscribe to March.  Or, head over to my Facebook page and LIKE me!  I'll be drawing a winner tomorrow morning (March 11th) who will win a free month's subscription!  I'll post the winner's name on my Facebook page, so stop by tomorrow to see if you've won!

Baby Bitties

I'm still fighting this sinus infection, but I do want to quickly show you this cute card I designed a while back.

Baby card featuring the Itty Bitties stamp set with sentiment from Sweet Essentials.

I just love the Itty Bitties stamp set!  It has such cute images and is so versatile!  Yes, the images are small, but that just means you can use them with some fun embellishments!  Here I've layered the stamped images on some of the Sycamore Street buttons, available for free during Sale-a-bration, to frame them and give them more presence on the card.  The DSP I've used is from the More Amore pack...not just for Valentine's Day!  The sentiment, from the Sweet Essentials set is perfect on a little banner to welcome a new addition.  With many of my friends expecting little ones in the coming months, I'm sure I'll be able to put this card to good use!

Time for more Sketch Inspiration

I am in misery.  My cold of last week has morphed into what I'm sure is a sinus infection.  Ugh!  Taking today off work isn't an option, so the doctor will have to wait until tomorrow and I'll have to make do with over-the-counter decongestants.  Since I spent most of the weekend feeling crummy I didn't get much stamping done, but I do have a couple of projects to show you this week.  Today I have the last in my series of cards using this month's inspiration sketch.  In case you missed it, here is the sketch:

And here is my last design for this month:

Any-occasion card featuring the Itty Bitty Banners stamp set.

I kept this one CAS, electing to use the fantastic  Sycamore Street Sale-a-bration DSP as my focal point.  I embossed using the new Honeycomb TIEF and then cut little hexagons from the DSP to fit inside.  I also used some coordinating ribbon and a button, also from the Sale-a-bration brochure.
I hope you've enjoyed this month's sketch.  I'll have a new one next weekend as March (and hopefully warmer weather) begins. In the meantime I'm going to do my best to get rid of this nasty infection!

Celebrate Monthly Sketch Inspiration

Ah....Saturday!  Love this day of the week the most!  Even better because this particular Saturday falls on a long weekend!!  Here's to extra time to get stuff done!
To start your weekend off right, I have another take on this month's sketch.  Wondering what I'm talking about?  Check out the Monthly Sketch Inspiration tab at the upper right of this page and see the sketch and a couple of samples I created with it.  Today I have another take on it...this time I've rotated the sketch to make a horizonatally oriented card.  Have a look:

Birthday card featuring the Pretty Petites, Collage Curios and Fabulous Phrases stamp sets.

One thing to remember when working with a sketch is that it is only a suggested starting point for your creativity...don't be afraid to play with it!  Here I turned the sketch on it's side and came up with a completely different look.  What do you think of that metal medallion encircling the sentiment?  Cool, eh?  It is one of the new Soda Pop Tops that I ran through my Big Shot and squished!  So easy and it doesn't hurt the Big Shot one bit!  Just open your platform up so you're using no tabs.  Put a cutting plate on the platform, lay the pop top on the plate so the open side is down, put the second cutting plate on top and run it through.  You'll feel very little resistance when rolling it through, but the result is a perfectly squished bottle cap that makes a lovely embellishment!  Try it for yourself...and while you're at it, try the sketch too! 
Have a happy Saturday!!

Ears to You!

Happy Friday!!  I hope you've had a good week and are ready for some stamping fun this weekend.  I'm excited about my new monthly TGIF class that begins tonight!  I can't wait to get together with some of my stamping friends and just relax and have fun after a busy week.  First, though, I want to show you the card I made for a team member who recently promoted.  I used the new Ears To You single stamp...have a look:

Congratulations card featuring the new Ears to You single stamp (132659)

I love those little bunnies!!  The fact that they each sport a trendy pattern just makes them that much cuter!  When I first saw this stamp I immediately thought Easter (stay tuned for projects on that theme next week!), but the punny sentiment made it perfect to acknowledge my team member's hard work.  The DSP is from the Print Poetry DSP Stack...love the colour combo!  I embossed the background using the new Cloudy Day TIEF from the Spring Catty...just the right hint of texture.  I finished it off with just a bit of stitched satin ribbon for some shine.  Soooo...have you made your single stamp wish list yet?  Just wait till you see what I've got in-store for you next week!  In the meantime, have a great, crafty weekend!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope today finds you feeling loved.  I am so blessed with wonderful people in my life who make me feel special each and every day.  I want to show you a little treat holder I made for some of them to let them know just how much I appreciate them.  Have a look:

Valentine's treat holder made using the Petite Purse Bigz Die and the Hearts Collection Framelits.

This little treat holder actually holds 10+ Hershey's Kisses!  Not so little, huh?  I wanted to come up with something with a bit more impact than the little mini purses (don't get me wrong, I LOVE the mini purses!), so I stepped it up by adding a pair of hearts to the front and back of the purse.  I embellished it up with the new Designer Builder Brads, 5/8" Flower Trim, Large Rhinestone Jewels and a bit of stitched satin ribbon.  The DSP is from the More Amore pack and the sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes.  Quick, easy and impactful...my kinda project!

Sentimental Celebration

Last week I featured a series of cards I did using the Feeling Sentimental Sale-a-bration stamp set.  Well, I'm not done yet!  I just love that set and had to take another crack at it, this time with a different colour scheme.  Check it out:

Any-occasion card featuring the Feeling Sentimental and That's the Ticket stamp sets.

I don't know what it is about these stamp images, but I just can't get enough of them!  I'll be sad when Sale-a-bration ends and I can't play with them as much as I'd like.  That just means I have to get lots of use out of them in the meantime!  For this card I used DSP from two different packs:  Fan Fair and Print Poetry.  I love the way the different patterns work together with the Ferris wheel image.  There are lots of layers on this card...I just kept adding and adding stuff...I know, its a sickness LOL!  I don't think you can tell in the photo but I used my new Occasions paper piercing pack to add interest to the oval frame around the stamped image.  I also pulled out one of my new favourite sets That's the Ticket to add some vintagey embellishments.  I love how versatile that set is!  I finished it off with a bit of seam binding ribbon and a mini library clip (retired) to hold everything together.  Not exactly a simple card, but sometimes its fun to just play!

Oh Baby!

One of my team members is expecting her second child in early March.  Last night at our team meeting we had a little mini-shower for her, as it will be her last meeting for a while.  I made her a fun card using some great new products that I knew she'd love.  Check it out:

Baby Shower card feturing the Oh, Baby! single stamp (132667)

I have to say I really love this card!  I love the DSP from the Print Poetry DSP Stack...this colour combo just pops.  I also love the stamp image...so much fun.  I paper-pieced the "B" to look more like a chic maternity dress...with requisite bling, of course!  I think my favourite thing is the little arrow clip pointing right at the baby bump.  Too cute!!  I am definitely making another copy of this card...it's too much fun not to CASE!

Chalkboard Birthday

When Stampin' Up released the latest round of single stamps I did a little happy dance.  I love every single image in the bunch!  With so many fun and versatile stamps to choose from I had a hard time narrowing down my order!  I began with three...and you'll see each one of them this week, as I had some fun last weekend playing with my new goodies.  Today I want to show you the WooHoo single stamp.  First of all, with a name like that, what's not to love, right??  Check out this card I designed for my team to make at our meeting this week:

Birthday card featuring the Chalkboard technique using the Woo Hoo single stamp (132661).

Fun, huh?  I love the look of the chalkboard technique and thought this stamp was just perfect for that technique.  Besides the new stamp image, I also used the new Honeycomb TIEF and silver buttons from the Spring Catalogue.  The DSP is from the Neutrals stack...perfect for subtle pattern.  I hope my team enjoys making this one...I know I sure did!!

Last one!

Happy Thursday...just one more day till the weekend!!  Today I have one more project in my Feeling Sentimental series to show you..and, to be honest, it's my favourite of the bunch!  Have a look:

Any-occasion card featuring the Feeling Sentimental and That's the Ticket stamp sets.

So this time I switched it up a bit and used an image from the That's the Ticket stamp set, rather than from Vintage Verses.  I just love those cute little tickets and thought it would be the perfect accent for the Ferris wheel image.  I'm not sure if you can see it in the photo, but I also stamped the ticket image randomly all over the Cherry Cobbler panel behind the focal image to add a bit of texture and interest.  I also put my Distressing Tool to work on the edges of the Cherry Cobbler panel. I again dug into my embellie stash for some Vintage Trinkets and a (retired) mini clip.  It has been so much fun to just play with this set!  In case you missed my earlier posts on the other cards in the collection, here is a shot of the whole set:

Feeling Sentimental Ensemble

I'm really happy with the way these came together, though I don't know whether it is because I like the result or just loved having the time to play!  Either way, I had great fun getting inky!!

Love is in the air...

...or at least that's this week's theme over at Hand Stamped Sentiments!  This weeks challenge is a photo inspiration...check it out:

I decided to design a card for this challenge using my inspiration sketch for this month.  In case you missed it, you'll find it at the top of the page on the "Monthly Sketch Inspiration" tab.  I promised I would show a design each week that uses this sketch, so here we go...

Valentine's card for HSS152 and for February's monthly inspiration sketch featuring the Madison Avenue and That's the Ticket stamp sets.

Kinda pretty, no?  I love the way the medallion image from the Madison Avenue Sale-a-bration set works with the the Lacy Brocade TIEF...it's like they were made for eachother!  Speaking of made for eachother, did you know that the medallion image fits in the smallest of the Floral Frames Framelits perfectly??  I did a little happy dance when I discovered that!!  I used a new addition to my stamp collection for the sentiment feature: the new That's the Ticket stamp set.  I am L-O-V-ing that set!  Finally, reason to use my Ticket Duo punch!  It has sat sadly neglected until now!  No longer, though!  It is going to get a workout with this fab stamp set!  I also went a little crazy with the embellies on this card...I used one of the new Designer Builder Brads and filled the centre with an In-colour Dahlia in Raspberry Ripple...it fits perfectly!  I also blinged up the stamped medallions with some of the Large Rhinestone basic gems...what's not to like about big bling?!?   Thanks for stopping by...have a happy Monday and a great week!

Today is the Day!

My Customer Appreciation Sale-a-bration Open House Extravaganza is here!  I am so excited to welcome my stamping friends into my home for yummy treats, fun games, prizes and, of course, lots of stamping!  Because this is also my chance to say thank you to them all for their business over the past year, I wanted to give them a little gift of appreciation.  I have had a number of almost-square tins sitting in my stash for years and this was the perfect use for them!  I decorated them using products from both Sale-a-bration and the Spring Catalogue.  Take a look:

Decorated using Sycamore Street DSP and coordinating buttons, flowers made from new Creped Filter Paper (129393) with sentiment from Itty Bitty Banners (also available as a Sale-a-bration freebie!)

Decorated using Sycamore Street DSP and coordinating ribbon as well as the Pop-up Posies Designer Kit (131395)

Decorated using Sycamore Street DSP and the Pop-up Posies Designer Kit (131395)

Fun, huh?  Now I bet your next question will be what's in them, right?  Well that is a surprise!  You'll just have to stop in this afternoon between 2 and 5 to find out!! 
Have a great Saturday everyone!!

New month, new blog feature!

Happy February, everyone!  Can you believe we're already a month into 2013?!?  Today marks the start of a new feature I am adding to my blog.  I announced it in my newletter that went out this morning, so if you haven't read it yet, this will be news, otherwise, you'll already have heard all about it.

One of the most common comments I get from my stamping friends is that they love playing with ink and paper, but find it really difficult coming up with ideas for layouts and designs.  This new feature is meant to help address that problem!  At the beginning of each month I will post a sketch that I've designed.  They will usually be quite simple to allow lots of room for creativity.  I will also post projects that I have done using the sketch throughout the month.  You'll be amazed how much fun it is to design from a sketch...it will really get your creative Mojo working...I promise you!!  Each sketch will be featured in a blog post, as will all of the samples; however they will also reside on my new Monthly Sketch Inspiration page (check out the tab in the upper right of this page!) to make it easy to find them all in one place.  So, without further ado, here is February's sketch:

 

And, here is my first sample to get you inspired and into your stamping supplies

 

Simple Valentine's card featuring More Amore DSP and sentiment from Delightful Dozen.

So, are you ready to get creating?? Give it a shot...you might just surprise yourself!  Go stamp something...and have a great weekend!!