To The Moon and Back

One of the things I often tell my son is that I love him to the moon and back.  He then responds with "I love you to Jupiter and back", to which I respond "I love you to Saturn"...you get the picture.  It always ends with Pluto because his 6-year-old mind can't imagine anything beyond our solar system.  All of this to say that when I saw the new Love You to The Moon stamp set in the Occasions Catalogue it went directly to the top of my Wishlist.  Here is the set:

Love You to the Moon (133143)

And here is the cute card I made with it...inspired by one I saw on Pinterest, but didn't actually pin, so I can't give credit to the original artist.  Her card was MUCH better than mine and used several non-Stampin' Up products...I simplified it quite a bit and used only SU products.

Valentine's card featuring the Love You to the Moon and Gorgeous Grunge stamp sets.

Wouldn't you know that my son came to see what I was working on while I was making this and when he saw it he immediately asked if that card was for him?!  Of course I said yes!

Actually I made it intending to use it as one of the Make-n-Takes at my monthly team meeting last night.  The meeting ended up being postponed because we are under a blizzard warning and a wind chill warning here, so it will keep till next week.  If you want to recreate it yourself here is a quick how-to:

• The background is stamped using the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set and Encore Silver Metallic ink.  I just stamped the spatter image repeatedly all over the Basic Black card base.
• The moon is a partial circle in Basic Gray, cut with the Circles Collection framelits.  I stamped all over the die cut using Versamark ink and the larger spatter image from the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set.  I then sponged the edges of the die cut moon with Basic Gray ink.  Then I sponged the entire thing with Illuminate Glimmer Watermark ink...it gives the moon a soft, shimmery glow.
• The sentiment is stamped in black Staz On and then die cut using the Deco Labels framelits.  I coloured the rocket and the moon with markers and added a bit of Epic Day Washi Tape.
• The little heart in the moon is punched from Real Red card stock using the small heart punch.
• On the inside I used another image from the Love You to the Moon set, as well as a Full Heart punched from Silver Foil paper and a star punched from red Glimmer Paper.

Inside view with another image from Love you to the Moon.

Now today is Tuesday, which means a whole new batch of Weekly Deals.  Check them out!

	Borders Scoring Plate Simply Scored Item # 126192 Regular Price $19.95   Discounted Price: $14.96
	Classic Pad Soft Sky Item #131181 Regular Price: $7.25  Discounted Price: $5.44
	Finishing Touches Edgelit Die Item # 127010 Regular Price: $11.95 Discounted Price: $8.96
	Houndstooth Textured Impressions Embossing Folder Die Item # 123134 Regular Price: $9.95 Discounted Price: $7.46
	Marina Mist 3/4" Chevron Ribbon Item # 130016 Regular Price: $12.50 Discounted Price: $9.38
	Envelope Liners Framelits Item # 132172 Regular Price: $32.95 Discounted Price: $24.71
	Frosty Day II Digital Download Kit Item # 128875 Regular Price: $10.95 Discounted Price: 6.57

Have a great day...and stay warm where ever you are!!

More Blurred Watercolouring for The Twist

Success!!  12 hours later than I had hoped, here is today's post!

Happy Monday!  The first full work week of 2014 and time for me to head back to school.  We have just three weeks until the start of exams, which means mucho marking for yours truly!  Good thing I managed to get most of this month's classes prepped last week!
Today I have another sample of the Blurred Watercolour technique for this week's challenge over at The Technique Twist.  If you saw my post on Saturday you know we have a Blog Hop happening to celebrate our three new Design Team members.  I'll post the list below in case you missed it on Saturday :)
This project is one of those types of cards that no one likes to make but everyone needs from time to time.  It is a sympathy card that uses the Blurred Watercolouring technique in two different ways...

Sympathy card featuring the Everything Eleanor and Flower Shop stamp sets and using the Blurred Watercolouring technique.  Sentiment is from Best of Greetings.

Here's a quick how-to:

• For the background I first brushed my watercolour paper label with my Aquapainter so that it was damp, but not soaked.  I then stamped the flourish, from the Everything Eleanor stamp set, in Pistachio Pudding ink.  The ink ran slightly on the wet paper.  Once the paper dried I ran it through the Big Shot with the Fancy Fan TIEF.

• The flowers are from the Flower Shop set and are stamped in Crisp Cantaloupe ink on Naturals White card stock.  I brushed over each image with my Aquapainter and then went back and added more colour with my blender pen.  I punched them out using the coordinating Pansy Punch and then added the pearls in the centre of each flower.

• The sentiment is from the Best of Greetings set and is heat embossed in pewter on a label cut from watercolour paper using the Apothecary Accents framelits.

• The DSP background layer is from the Sweet Sorbet DSP pack, available as part of the Sale-a-bration promotion beginning January 28th.

• The sentiment on the inside of the card is from the Thoughts and Prayers stamp set.

Inside view with sentiment from Thoughts and Prayers.

Now, in case you missed it on Saturday, here is the Blog Hop list:

The Technique Twist

Julz

Becky B

Pam

Terria

Leena (You are here!)

Katie Zoey Ha

The Technique Twist

 Be sure to check out our new Design Team members:  Terria, Katie and Becky.  They do amazing work!  in the meantime have a great week!

Technical Difficulties...

I have a great post all ready to go but for some reason can't upload photos!!  I've been trying and trying with no luck.  :(
I'll keep at it...hopefully whatever the issue is will be sorted out soon!  Stay tuned....

A new challenge and a blog hop at The Twist!

Happy Saturday!  I hope this weekend finds you with plenty of time to relax and recharge...and STAMP!  Today there's a brand new challenge over at The Technique Twist...Blurred Vision Watercolour.  I did a couple of projects for this challenge.  I've got one for you today...I'll post the second next week :)  For this one I used the sketch challenge over at Stamping Royalty for my layout.  Here is the sketch:

...and here is my project:

Valentine's card featuring the Seasonal Sayings and Hearts Aflutter stamp sets and featuring the Blurred Vision Watercolour technique.

Now I did a bit of a twist on this technique...rather than stamping and then blurring the image with water, I did the opposite!  I first did a watercolour wash of the backgound piece using Pool Party ink and an aquapainter.  (You can make this as dark or light as you'd like, depending on how much ink you use) Then, while the paper was still wet, I stamped the red hearts.  The result is blurred images that bleed a little into the background.  Kinda cool, no?

The DSP I used is from the new Fresh Prints Designer Series Paper Stack (132996) from the new Occasions catalogue...*love*! The sentiment is from the Seasonal Sayings set.  I inked it with Pool Party and Real Red markers and then die cut it with the Hearts Collection framelits.  I added a little Retro Fresh Washi Tape (133001) and a little Real Red button I had leftover from Christmas projects.  The final touches are the blingy arrow and "xoxo", both die cut using the Label and Circle Card Thinlits respectively.

Inside view with sentiment from Hello Lovely

On the inside I used a leftover piece of the background from the front which I adhered using more Retro Fresh Washi tape.  The sentiment is stamped in Real Red, fussy cut and then adhered with dimensionals.  I added one more blingy heart from the Circle Card Thinlits.

So...whaddya think?  Ready to give this technique a try?  When you do be sure to link up over at The Technique Twist and show us your stuff!  Here is the list for the Blog Hop:

• The Technique Twist
• Julz
• Becky B
• Pam
• Terria
• Leena
• Katie Zoey Ha
• The Technique Twist

There's a great prize involved so be sure to comment on each blog as you hop & you must link up your own new creation for this challenge to be eligible to win.  Blog Hop & Challenge ends on Friday, January 17 at 1155p ET. The next stop on the hop is Katie's Blog so hop on over and see what she's created to share with you! Remember, if you find a link that doesn't work, you can always hop back here for a list of direct links to all the blogs in the hop!    Happy hopping!

Another SAB Sneak Peek

Happy Spring!  Yes, I know...the calendar says January 3rd and the wind chill today is -20C here, but the weather in my stamp corner just got a whole bunch warmer as the new Occasions Catalogue is now live!!  So many fabulous new products...I totally want all of it!  I have to pace myself...still waiting for the Christmas bills to come in!  If you haven't already seen a copy you can view the pdf version online by clicking the image below or head over to my online store to browse (and place your order) ;)

Click the catalogue to view

Now if you missed ordering your favourite products from the Holiday Catalogue, don't dispair...they may just still be available!  A selection of products are being carried over and are still available for order.  Click here to view the complete list of products available through June 1st, 2014. 

Now on to some stamping!  Today I have another birthday card I made for my upcoming Buffet.  This time I used even more fantastic product from the upcoming Sale-a-bration brochure...

Birthday card featuring the Sketched Birthday stamp set (130426).

I just love the colours in the Sweet Sorbet DSP pack!  The colours included are Crisp Cantaloupe, Pool Party, Pistachio Pudding, Sahara Sand, and Summer Starfruit, along with neutrals Basic Black and Whisper White. 

To add texture to the background I used the new Decorative Dots TIEF.  I love that the dots in this pattern are just a little bit bigger than my beloved Perfect Polka Dots TIEF...a nice way to switch it up a bit.  The twine is from the Sweet Sorbet Accessory Pack, which includes 10 yards each of Pool Party, Crisp Cantaloupe and Summer Starfruit twine as well as a sheet of 58 pieces of printed self-adhesive cork.  Can't wait to use that stuff on a project...stay tuned ;)

Inside view.

The little banner on the inside is also from the Sketched Birthday set...if you don't own that one yet you may want to pick it up.  It has lots of great images AND greetings that work with the Bitty Banners Framelits.  It is a great set and is fun to colour too!
Be sure to stop by tomorrow.  I don't normally post on the weekend but now that The Technique Twist is going to an every-other-Saturday format you'll be getting a bonus weekend post from me every second week!  We have several new Design Team members to introduce as well as a brand new technique challenge.  As if that weren't enough there is also a blog hop and some great prizes!  See you tomorrow...in the meantime...TGIF!!!

Birthday Buffet Sneak Peek

Later this month I am hosting an All About Birthdays Card Buffet and today I have one of the projects that will be available to make at that event.  It was inspired by a card I saw on Pinterest by Cindy Brumbaugh and uses a stamp set I have had for quite some time, but only now inked up!  Check it out:

Birthday card featuring the Regaring Dahlias stamp set with sentiment from Bring on the Cake.

The DSP I used in this project determined my colour scheme.  It is from the fabulous new Sweet Sorbet DSP which is part of the offerings for this year's edition of Sale-a-bration.  It will be available starting January 28th!

The dahlia image is heat embossed in Pool Party embossing powder on Basic Black card stock, which is then layered on Pool Party and Whisper White.  The background piece of Basic Black card stock is embossed using the Pretty Print TIEF from the Holiday Catalogue.  Today is the last day you can get it, so hurry if you don't already own it!

Inside sentiment is from the Bring on the Cake set.

There are just three seats remaining for my All About Birthdays Card Buffet.  Click HERE for details and RSVP to register soon so that you aren't disappointed!

Now I have a bit of business to take care of.  I need to give away some free stuff!  Here is the bundle of goodies:

And the winner is...

Brenda in IN

Brenda is a faithful reader of my blog and always leaves such encouraging comments.  I so appreciate her kind words.  She was the only one who came close to guessing which elements from my card design were from the Christmas Simply Created Kit, so I am very happy to send this little bundle of goodies her way.  Thanks to all who participated!  Stay tuned for more give-aways soon...I have a BIG box of goodies to send to new homes!

Happy 2014!!!

Happy New Year!  Are you excited to embark on a brand new year, full of promise and new beginnings?  I know I certainly am!  Before we get too far into 2014, I still have my Top Five projects of 2013 to show you.  As I did yesterday, I am including links back to the original posts :)

Number Five...featuring the Crafty Watercolouring technique

Number Four...love the softness of this Christmas card!

Number Three...I loved making this for my hubby for Father's Day this year.  It was a fun project for both my son and I to create together.

Number Two...one of my swaps for Convention.  I can't believe I made 77 of these!!

And my number one, favourite project of 2013 is....cue drum roll.....

Number One...an Autumn-themed thank you card featuring the Bokeh background technique.

Thanks for counting down with me and for coming back time and again to see what I've been up to.  I so appreciate all of my blog readers...it warms my heart to share what I love with all of you!  I wish you all the very best in 2014!!
Don't forget to check out my Dec. 30th post and leave a comment to be entered to win some fabulous freebies!  Today is the last day to enter...I'll announce the winner tomorrow :)