Epic This and That and Bombs Away

 I am so in love with the new products from the This and That line!  I just can't get enough of the fabulous Epic Day DSP and coordinating Washi Tape!!  I used both to create the first sample for this month's sketch inspiration.  First of all, here is the sketch:

April's inspiration sketch

and here is my first sample:

Thank you card featuring the new Epic Day DSP and Washi Tape as well as the Round Array and Essentials stamp sets

What's not to love about these products?  I chose to showcase the DSP on this card using a bit of just about every pattern in the package!  We made this at my Team meeting this week and my team agree that This and That is where it's at!  The best part is that they - and you!- can order the entire bundle of products from the This and That line at a 15% discount until the end of April.  Sa-weet!!

Now for another great new product announcement!  Introducing the latest addition to Stampin' Up's Photopolymer stamp line:  Bombs Away.  Check out the fun images in this set:

Bombs Away Photopolymer stamp set (Item #133411)

 For more information about this fabulously cheeky stamp set click HERE.  I can't wait to get my hands on this one!!

Welcoming a New Team Member!

Last night at my monthly Tri-City Stampers team meeting we welcomed a new member who has joined our Stampin' Up family.  Today I want to show you the card I made for her...have a look:

Welcome card featuring the Friendly Phrases stamp set with new products from the This & That product line

I kept the design on this card fairly CAS as I was wanting to showcase the fabulous new products from the This & That product line.  The DSP is just gorgeous...lots of fantastic on-trend patterns with a wonderful array of colours.  I think my favourite new product is the Washi Tape!!  I am in love with that stuff!  Such a quick and easy way to add colour and texture to a project!  SO excited to see more it in the upcoming Annual Catalogue!  All of the products in the This & That line are available for purchase as a discounted bundle until the end of the month.  After that they will appear in the upcoming catalogue but the bundled price will not.  Get it while you can! 
The sentiment I used is from the Friendly Phrases set and I added a bit of Pool Party Baker's Twine and a button I had leftover from Sale-a-bration.  Don't you love it when a project comes together easily?  Our coordinating projects make designing a breeze!  I know my new team member is going to love working with Stampin' Up products as much as I do!  To learn more about the benefits of joining my Stampin' Up team click the Join My Team tab at the top of this page.  I would love to make a card just for you too!!

A Super Duper Super Mario Bash!

 TODAY IS THE LAST DAY OF THE FREE SHIPPING PROMO!  DON'T MISS OUT!!

Last Saturday my baby boy turned 6!!  I have no idea how that happened...it can't possibly have been 6 years since he was born!  To celebrate his big day we threw a Super Mario themed extravaganza for 14 of his nearest and dearest friends!  YIKES!
Unbeknownst to me, there is NOTHING available locally in the way of decorations...who knew that Mario was old-school?  So, I set about making my own...Stampin' Up style, of course!  I used some templates I found online but also had fun creating my own  designs.  Have a look:

My Birthday Boy!

Wall Mural:  The backdrop is a plastic table cloth.  I used Daffodil Delight for the question blocks and Gunball Green for the pipe.  The clouds are hand-cut from copy paper.  The bricks are patterned bulletin board paper I found at a local store.

Luigi and friends!

I made a bunch of these guys to decorate the party area in the basement.  The kids loved it!

Goomba, powerup mushrooms and fire flower

I wrapped boxes to look like bricks and question blocks and set up this little vignette on the landing on the stairs.  The pipes were on clearance at a local hardware store and my DH spray painted them green.  I made the Pirhana Plant using felt and a styrofoam ball.  The Chomp is just a black balloon with copy paper teeth and eyes and and black card stock chain.  We finally found a practical use for all of Max's Mario stuffies!

The table before the mob arrived!  I found the ball caps at our local dollar store and then added the "M" with felt I die cut using the Typeset Alphabet Bigz dies.  The kids got the hats to keep in place of party hats.

A better shot of the pirhana plant!

Unfortunately I don't have a photo of the cake!  Daddy was too busy videotaping the whole thing to think to take still photos.  I made a question mark block cake and hid Loonies (our Canadian $1 gold-coloured coins) inside.  The kids were thrilled to find coins in their cake and when I told them it was REAL MONEY they were especially excited!  In case any of you are ever thinking of holding your own Mario-themed party, here are a couple of game ideas:

Bean Bag Toss - I made the board using foam core and images I found online and then enlarged using Blockposters.com.  The numbers represent the number of chocolate coins each hole was worth.  This one was a BIG hit!

Pin the Mustache on Mario - Again the board was made using foam core, online images and the help of Blockposters.com - sorry the board isn't more visible...I am standing by the board giving instructions...my DH is the (not-so-great) photographer!

We also played Hot Potato using a stuffed Bowser...nobody wanted to be caught holding him!  I used the Mario theme song for the music.  We did a Find the Mushroom game:

Mushroom Hunt game - Kids are blindfolded and then have 20 seconds to find as many mushrooms in the bowl of marbles as they can.  They get 1 chocolate coin for each mushroom they find.

Hard to believe but, we actually ran out of time for all of the games I had planned.  I had a fun craft for them to make too, but we didn't get to it either!  Here is a shot of the little project I had for them: 

Pirhanna Plant craft - closed

Pirhanna Plant craft - open

I'm kinda bummed that we ran out of time for this little project because I think they would have had fun with it.  Here is what I used:
Real Red  - 2-1/2" circle with a "v" cut out of it
Whisper White - Word Window for lips
Whisper White - Slot punch for teeth (retired)
Whisper White - Itty Bitty punch pack circle for spots
Garden Green - Blossom Builder punch for leaves.

As for the other decorations, here is a quick run down of their parts:

Mushroom:
Ovals collection framelits ( largest non-scalloped oval) for top of mushroom
1" circle for spots
Word Window repunched for eyes
3" x 1-1/4" rectangle for body, round corners
Colours I used were Real  Red, Gumball Green and Tempting Turquoise

Fire Flower:
Ovals collection framelits - smallest die in Whisper White, next largest in Daffodil Delight and next largest again in Tangerine Tango
Slot punch (retired) for eyes
Garden Green - 3/4" strip for stem
Garden Green - Blosom Builder punch for leaves

Goomba:
I used a template I found online HERE.  To save some hand-cutting I used die cuts for some parts:  The  colours I used were:
Chocolate Chip for head
Crumb Cake for body
Early Espresso for feet ( I used the 4th largest die from the Ovals Collection framelits for these(, eyebrowns and mouth
Whisper White for eyes and teeth - I used the 3rd smallest die from the Ovals Framelits to cute the eyes and the Pennant Builder punch for the teeth
Basic Black for pupils (I used the small oval punch for these)

Koopa Troopa:
I used part of the template found HERE but didn't like the look of the head and face so I redesigned it using dies.  Here is what I did:
Shell - Gumball Green or Tangerine Tango
Feet, detail on shell - Daffodil Delight
Head - (all using  Daffodil Delight card stock) largest non-scalloped oval die from Ovals Collection framelits, muzzle 3rd largest die.
Eyes 3rd smallest die in Daffodil Delight, 2nd smallest in Whisper White, small oval punch in black for pupil
Nostrils - circle from Itty Bitty Punch pack in Basic Black
The neck was from part of the template that I just cut down to work with the redesigned head.  I also added a tail that I drew by hand.

Whew...this is a long post...if you're still reading you MUST be a Mario fan!  I hope this helps in planning your next Mario-themed event!

If you like, leave a comment and be  entered in my draw for a free month's subscription to Craft Project Central.  I'll announce the winner on April 16th!

The latest from CPC

I am exhausted!  Entertaining and corraling 14 5-year olds for two hours is a bit of a chore!  SO glad I don't teach elementary school...I'll take sullen teenagers any day!  Max's birthday bash was a resounding success yesterday and I will post photos for you tomorrow.  Today I am busy cleaning up my house and trying to restore order to the post-party chaos, but I do have the latest project from Craft Project Central to show you.  Have a look:

Tea for Two Desk set by Regina Andari

Isn't that a darling set?  There are some things that every desk needs, and they definitely should look good!  This desk set includes a postage stamp dispenser, tissue box, and a frame that can be used for a photo, favorite quote, or a calendar!  Use your favorite designer series paper collection to create the items in this desk set!  These three items are so easy to make that you will probably look forward to making a set for each season!  Great for a class or club project as well!  To access the tutorial for this project visit Craft Project Central and subscribe to April.  OR leave a comment for me on any post dated April 1st - 15th to enter my draw for a free month's subscription.  I will select one lucky winner and post his/her name on April 16th.  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!

Just announced...a Colour Refresh!

Big news today from Stampin' Up!!  Effective with the release of the new Annual Catalogue, Stampin' Up will be refreshing their core colour families!  Several former In-Colours are coming back to the core colour families as well as a brand new, never-before-seen addition to the Neutrals family!  To make room for these new additions, some existing colours will be either retired or moved to different families.  Check out the chart below to see just how the colour families will look moving forward:

So, how does this affect you?  Beginning today, supplies in the retiring colours will be available on a while-supplies-last basis, so if there are items you wish to order to build your stock in your favourite retiring colours you will want to place your order sooner than later!  History has shown that reinkers and card stock in retiring colours sell out fast, so don't wait...you may be disappointed!!

Now, here is a dilemma for you...order today or wait for...

FREE SHIPPING

APRIL 6-8!!!

That's right, Stampin' Up is offering free standard shipping on all orders placed April 6th-8th, 2013.  That is like getting a 10% discount on everything in the catalogue!!!  This is not a joke...this promotion applies to all orders, whether placed directly through me or through my online store.  So put together your wish list and get that order in starting Saturday and running through midnight on Monday!  Don't miss out on this terrific offer!!

Love this one!

Today I have a fantastic project from Craft Project Central for you.  I SO love this one!

Shadowbox and Greeting card set designed by Monika Davis

I really love this project!  The colour combination and choice of images are just wonderful!  Monika Davis has done a fabulous job designing this one!  To access the tutorial for this project, visit Craft Project Central and subscribe to April or take your chances in my draw for a free month's subscription by leaving a comment on any posted dated April 1st -15th.  Good luck!!