Fab Friday Color Challenge

Welcome to day three of my series on stamping challenge blogs.  I hope you'll play along with me!   

Today I'm playing along with the Fab Friday gang and this week's challenge is a color challenge!

 
These colors are great for Halloween and the Fab Friday design team did either a Fall or Halloween card (or muslin bag with awesome tag) with them.  You should check them out--their designs are awesome, as usual!  I decided I wanted to stray from the "obvious" and see if I could use this color combination on an "everyday" card.  Here's what I came up with: 

(Stamp Sets: Pleasant Poppies, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Inks: Rich Razzleberry, Tangerine Tango, Old Olive; Card Stock:  Basic Black, Rich Razzleberry, Tangerine Tango, Old Olive, Very Vanilla; Accessories: Stripes and Square Lattice Embossing Folders, Labels Collection Framelits, Word Window and Modern Label Punches, Brights Candy Dots, Basic Black 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon; Festive Paper Piercing Pack, Blender Pen)

Also in keeping with this week's theme of trying things outside my comfort zone, I colored the image.  I hate to color.  I never have liked it--oh, maybe when I was a kid--but now that I'm grown I don't like to color...because I'm not very good at it and I'm never satisfied with the results.  This card turned out right cute, if I do say so myself. 


REMINDER:  I'll be selling new and used retired Stampin' Up stamps, inks, papers, tools--and other non-Stampin' Up items at the 3rd Annual Cropmania Fall Scrapbook Indoor Yard Sale on Sunday October 13.  Details below. Hope you'll come out and get some great deals!

HUGE MARKDOWNS AND GREAT DEALS AND BARGAINS!!!
Sunday October 13th
9am-2pm

Elks Lodge #622
2 Pythian Dr (off Rt 2)
Edgewater, MD 21037

51 Tables of Marked Down Scrapbooking/Stamping Supplies!
5 online stores (2-3 tables each), 8 Consultants,  30 ladies with way too much stuff!!!!

$5 at the door to get in

Bottled water and snacks available onsite for purchase.

For more info and directions, go to www.cropmania.com and click on Yardsale.

New From Stampin' Up: Weekly Deals!!!

I plucked this from the Stampin' Up customer website.  I thought you'd enjoy this article--and the weekly deals!!  You can order from my Stampin' Up demonstrator website anytime. It's open 24/7/365.  Just click on the link on the "shop online" link over there on the right.

Weekly Deals

One of my favorite things in life is to see when someone is truly surprised. Not a hiding-behind-the-door “boo!”-type surprise, but genuine, excited surprise. I can’t count how many times my eyes have welled up with tears watching viral videos—of soldiers coming home, or of little ones being told they are headed to Disneyland. (Fill-in-the-blank with your favorite surprise!) So . . . I’m happy to be able to surprise YOU by announcing that starting today we will be running a “weekly deal” program.

Starting on Tuesday, October 8, we will update the online store with a few weekly deals for you to enjoy. You’ll want to make sure you check back every week to see what we’re offering. Please note that these deals will be offered “while supplies last” and that the discount will appear in your shopping bag when you check out.
This week’s deals are as follows:

	Squares Collection Framelits Dies: 130921 Regular Price: $26.95 US/$32.95 CAN Discounted Price: $20.21 US/$24.71 CAN
	Chevron Textured Impressions Embossing Folder: 127749 Regular Price: $7.95 US/$9.95 CAN Discounted Price: $5.96 US/$7.46 CAN
	Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack: 126187 Regular Price: $7.95 US/$10.95 CAN Discounted Price: $5.96 US/$8.21 CAN
	Festive Paper-Piercing Pack: 127857 Regular Price: $7.95 US/$10.95 CAN Discounted Price: $5.96 US/$8.21 CAN
	Petite Curly Label Punch: 129405 Regular Price: $12.95 US/$15.95 CAN Discount Price: $9.71 US/$11.96 CAN
	Today & Everyday Designer Photobook Template - Digital Download :126157 Regular Price: $14.95 US/$16.50 CAN Discount Price: $7.48 US/$8.25 CAN

We hope you enjoy these weekly deals! We look forward to seeing you every Tuesday!

P.S. Don’t forget about our Thank You Thursdays—another chance to get great Stampin’ Up! product at a discount!

Addicted to CAS challenge

Welcome to day two of my series on stamping challenge blogs.  I hope you'll play along with me!

Today's challenge is from the Addicted to CAS blog--another blog that I found on my new friend Shana's blog.  The ATC challenge this fortnight (they're in Australia) is:



The ATC blog describes the clean and simple style like this: "a project with very few embellishments, clean lines and lots of 'white' space.  White space just means an area of your card with nothing on it at all. It doesn't have to be 'white'. It could be brown, pink or red. Any colour as long as there is lots of SPACE."

I've admitted before that CAS is not my forte and it's much, much harder to pull off than you would imagine.  But I thought I'd have a go at it.  What do you think?

(Stamp Sets: Gently Falling, Blessings From Heaven; Ink: Early Espresso; Markers:  Cajun Craze, Tangerine Tango, Summer Starfruit; Card Stock:  Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla; Accessories: Simply Scored Scoring Tool)

I knew I couldn't let all that "white" space go without some kind of texture, so I added a couple of lines using the Simply Scored Scoring Tool to add a frame.  Since Gently Falling is a two-step stamp, I first stamped the outline of each leaf in Early Espresso.  To fill in the leaves, I used a variation of the "Shana technique"--I scribbled with my marker on the stamps themselves and then spritzed the stamp with alcohol before I stamped the image onto the outline.  I did this with each of the three colors, so I stamped the leaves a total of four times:  once with the outline and three times with each color.  Then I fussy cut (another term I learned from Shana) the leaves and adhered them to the card.


REMINDER:  I'll be selling new and used retired Stampin' Up stamps, inks, papers, tools--and other non-Stampin' Up items at the 3rd Annual Cropmania Fall Scrapbook Indoor Yard Sale on Sunday October 13.  Details below. Hope you'll come out and get some great deals!

HUGE MARKDOWNS AND GREAT DEALS AND BARGAINS!!!
Sunday October 13th
9am-2pm

Elks Lodge #622
2 Pythian Dr (off Rt 2)
Edgewater, MD 21037

51 Tables of Marked Down Scrapbooking/Stamping Supplies!
5 online stores (2-3 tables each), 8 Consultants,  30 ladies with way too much stuff!!!!

$5 at the door to get in

Bottled water and snacks available onsite for purchase.

For more info and directions, go to www.cropmania.com and click on Yardsale.

CAS(E) this Sketch! Challenge

I'm trying to step outside my stamping "box" by participating in some online stamping challenges.  This week, I'm going to do a blog series on stamping challenge blogs.  I hope you'll play along with me!

My new friend Shana--who I met at the Stampin' Up convention this summer--is on a bunch of stamping challenge design teams and she plays in the online challenges.  I love Shana's stamping style and I'm glad that she links to all the challenges she participates in so that I could find some new and different challenges.

Today's challenge comes from the CAS(E) this Sketch! blog.  CASE stands for "copy and share everything", but you'll see that the "E" is in parentheses--CAS means clean and simple.  So this challenge blog is all about copying and sharing the clean and simple sketch.  Get it?!  

Here's the sketch for CTS challenge #48.



And here's my creation:

(Stamp Sets: Tags 4 You, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Ink: Basic Black: Markers: Cajun Craze, Tangerine Tango, Summer Starfruit; Card Stock: Cajun Craze, Basic Black, Very Vanilla; Accessories:  Bracket Label, Elegant Butterfly, and Word Window Punches, Stripes Embossing Folder)

I also CASEd a technique that Shana has been using lately on her creations.  To make the background of the top two medallions, I scribbled on my acrylic block with Cajun Craze, Tangerine Tango, and Summer Starfruit markers.  Then I spritzed the block with alcohol and stamped onto Very Vanilla card stock.  

I made the bats using the Elegant Butterfly punch.  No, really! I did!  First, I punched the butterfly.  Then I adhered the butterfly to a post-it note and put it back into the punch and chomped off the bottom party of the butterfly.  (If you search on You Tube, using "elegant butterfly Halloween bat" you'll find at least one how-to video.)

REMINDER:  I'll be selling new and used retired Stampin' Up stamps, inks, papers, tools--and other non-Stampin' Up items at the 3rd Annual Cropmania Fall Scrapbook Indoor Yard Sale on Sunday October 13.  Details below. Hope you'll come out and get some great deals!

HUGE MARKDOWNS AND GREAT DEALS AND BARGAINS!!!
Sunday October 13th
9am-2pm

Elks Lodge #622
2 Pythian Dr (off Rt 2)
Edgewater, MD 21037

51 Tables of Marked Down Scrapbooking/Stamping Supplies!
5 online stores (2-3 tables each), 8 Consultants,  30 ladies with way too much stuff!!!!

$5 at the door to get in

Bottled water and snacks available onsite for purchase.

For more info and directions, go to www.cropmania.com and click on Yardsale.

Another Convention Quality Swap

In my previous post, I told you all about Lyssa's Convention Quality Swap (CQS) and showed the card I made for the swap.  In today's post, I have another card I made for this swap...but ended up not swapping it.  See, I was an "angel swapper."  What's an "angel swapper"?  Well, for organized swaps, everyone makes a set number of cards.  For Lyssa's swap, we made 20 cards so we would swap with 20 other stampers and get 20 different CQS cards in return.  But sometimes one (or more) of the stampers doesn't show up for whatever reason (couldn't find the swap, isn't feeling well, "flakes"--i.e., didn't fulfill their obligation).  So I volunteered to be an angel swapper, hoping I could get into another CQS swap.  Fortunately for the swappers (and a little sad for me), all the CQS swappers showed up, so I wasn't needed.  Even still, Lyssa made all the angel swappers a sweet little gift (cuz it had a whole bag of Hershey's kisses!) using the Thankful Tablescape Simply Created Kit (133463) in the Holiday Mini Catalog.  Lyssa adapted the kit to make this gift packaging.  Isn't it wonderful??!!

(Artwork by Lyssa Zwolanek)

So here's the second CQS swap card I made.  Oh, and remember how sad I was that I didn't get into a second CQS swap? Well, my sadness immediately turned to joy because two of my fave stampers Mindy Backes (aka Minders) and Marla Reed were at the swap and they had extras to swap with me!!! I'm so honored to have a Minders and a Marla card!!  The rest of my angel cards were swapped in the general swap, so I didn't do all this work for nuthin'!

One crafty tip:  I used the Tangerine Tango chevron ribbon around the  DSP pieces, but it was too thick to tie the knot on top.  So, I cut the ribbon in half to tie around the thicker piece.  That gave it a shabby chic look, too.

(Stamp Set: Timeless Talk; Card Stock:  Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Very Vanilla; DSP:  Epic Day This and That; Ink:  Soft Suede; Accessories:  Calypso Coral 3/4" Chevron Ribbon, Labels Collection Framelits; Chevron and Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folders)

Convention (2013) Quality Swap Card

Every year at the Stampin' Up convention, one of my fave stampers and one of my fave people, Lyssa Zwolanek, hosts what she calls a "convention quality swap."  The rules are pretty stringent:  only current Stampin' Up products (natch!), at least three layers, at least one embellishment, high-quality work.  (Read more: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/demo-events-f29/lyssas-conv-2013-now-convention-quality-swap-cqs-14-full-closed-t571692.html#ixzz2frKNtjd5)  The first year I went to convention, I had to "try out" to join this swap.  Well, there's a newcomers group, but I was nervous that my card wasn't good enough, so I sent Lyssa a prototype for her to critique.  I found this in my sent mail.  Now that I look at it, I'm shocked that it was acceptable!  I need my shades--it's so bright!

Well, now that I passed the audition, so to speak, I'm a CQS "alumnus."  Unfortunately, last year I was on a business trip in another time zone (in Hawaii--a hardship tour!) and I couldn't get my act together to register for the CQS swap.  So sad.  I stalked the swappers last year because I wanted to see what they'd come up with.

This year, I stalked the Splitcoast Stampers SU Events group waiting for Lyssa to open the swap.  I was gonna be ready this year. Yes, I was! Well, Lyssa opened the swap early (and I wasn't paying attention, as usual) and by the time I contacted her to register for the swap--all the groups were filled!  What?! What?! But Lyssa is the most fantabulous person in the world and she opened a special spot just for little ol' me.  She's a sweetheart, I tell you.  Thanks, Lyssa!

Here's the CQS I made for Convention 2013.  I had this idea--and these colors--brewing in my mind for a while.  It makes me happy when my idea is translated to paper--and it turns out as I envisioned it!  After I punched the flowers and adhered them with dimensionals, I bent the edges of the flowers up to give them some dimension.

(Stamp Sets: Mixed Bunch, Sweet Essentials; Card Stock: Calypso Coral, Pink Pirouette, Pool Party, Early Espresso; Ink: Early Espresso; Accessories: Square Lattice Embossing Folder; Crumb Cake Seam Binding, Blossom Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch, Basic Pearls, Apothecary Accents Framelits)

Happy Halloween Circle Thinlits Card

I've got a quick post for you today.

As I promised, here's the Halloween Card I made with my BFF's Circle Card Thinlits Die.  This one was so quick and easy with the Thinlits Die.  I embossed the right side of the card with my go-to Square Lattice Embossing Folder--I use that EF for just about every card that I want to add a bit of texture to (to which I want to add a bit of texture).  I embossed the "trick or treat" tag with black and "sprinkled" some Tangerine Tango over it using the Gorgeous Grunge set.  And for a little extra interest, I added a teeny tiny strip of Sweater Weather DSP.  I love, love, love that DSP!! Now that it's finally Fall, I'll be using it more often.

(Stamp Sets: Tags 4 You, Gorgeous Grunge; Inks: Basic Black, Tangerine Tango; DSP: Sweater Weather: Accessories: Thinlits Circle Card Die, Bracket Label Punch, Black Embossing Powder, Square Lattice Embossing Folder)

Surprise! I Love You!

My BFF held a "Bringing the Stampin' Up Convention" to you event on Saturday.  It was an absolute blast!!  Everyone loved the videos, demonstrations, make and takes, product playground, prize patrols, and CUPCAKES!!!

Caution: Cupcake is larger IRL

I demonstrated the Circle Card Thinlit Die and the Label Card Thinlit Die.  Since I already had the Label Card Thinlit Die, I already had some samples, but I got to play with my BFF's Circle Card Thinlit Die and made a quick Halloween card (which I'll share tomorrow) and a not-so-quick but oh-so-stinkin'-cute I heart U card--with a surprise!

Here's the card closed:

(Card Stock: Basic Black, Primrose Petals; DSP: Modern Medley, Red Glimmer Paper; Accessories: Label Card Thinlit Die and Elements, Elements from Circle Card Thinlit Die;Tea Lace Paper Doily)

And here's the surprise inside when the card is opened:

(Stamp Set: Yippee-Skippee!; Ink: Basic Black; Card Stock: Basic Black, Primrose Petals; DSP: Modern Medley, Red Glimmer Paper; Accessories: Label Card Thinlit Die and Elements, Elements from Circle Card Thinlit Die; Linen Thread)

I was oh so proud of myself.  I kind of CASEd a card in the Stampin' Up Thinlits Card Dies video, but the one they showed was too complicated.  My version was easier to make.  I used elements from both Card Thinlit Dies.

Fab Friday Challenge 26

I'm so sad that I missed the silver anniversary Fab Friday Challenge #25.  Life gets in the way. With three kids in two sports and a full-time job, I'm lucky I get to play with my stamps at all.  I try to make it a priority to stamp a lot on the weekend so I have pretty things to post during the week.  But sometimes lounging in bed until mid-afternoon watching HGTV gets the best of me--especially when my DH indulges me by bringing me brunch in bed!  He's the greatest!!  I did manage to drag myself away from my bedroom oasis to stamp a few things on Saturday.  I was bound and determined to create something for the Fab Friday Challenge #26.  I saw a great layout for a card in the most recent issue of the Stampin' Success magazine that we get every other month just for being a demonstrator.  And I love the Sweater Weather DSP in the holiday mini....so I was ready for this challenge. And BONUS!! It's my BFF Lynn's birthday, so she gets the FF26 challenge card!!  (Lynn also entered her creation in this color challenge!)

Here's the challenge:

 

And here's my creation!! Let me know what you think!

(Stamp Sets: Everything Eleanor, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Card Stock: Soft Sky, Tangerine Tango; DSP: Sweater Weather; Ink: Chocolate Chip; Accessories: 1-1/4" Scallop Punch, Apothecary Accents Framelits, pop-up banner from Label Card Die Thinlits, Basic Pearls, Linen Thread)

In Love With Color Challenge

I'm a little bit behind on getting a card made for Lyssa Zwolanek's color challenge.  Lyssa posts a color challenge every Sunday and I knew exactly what I wanted to make when I saw color combo #3 from the September 8th post.  I love, love, love these colors together and they're perfect for using with the Papillion Potpourri set--that's on special right now!! Save 15% now through September 30 when you bundle the Papillion Potpourri set with the Bitty Butterfly Punch in either clear (bundle item number 135311--$26.27) or wood (bundle item number 135312--$29.67).  I don't have the Bitty Butterfly Punch, so I used the Elegant Butterfly Punch (127526).

Here are the three choices for Lyssa's color challenge for September 8...don't worry, I'll be creating something for the September 15 challenge, too, and I'll get it posted....eventually!!!

Lyssa's color combos for September 8 are: 

1. Pool Party, So Saffron, Cajun Craze and Basic Gray
2. Crumb Cake, Rose Red, Soft Sky, Soft Suede
3. Pink Pirouette, Rose Red, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake

Here's what I made with color combination #3:

(Stamp Sets: Papillion Potpourri, Sweet Essentials: Card Stock: Early Espresso, Rose Red, Crumb Cake, Pink Pirouette; Inks: Early Espresso, Rose Red; Accessories: Elegant Butterfly Punch, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Adorning Accents Embossing Folder, Adorning Accents Edgelits, Pink Pirouette 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Dazzling Details)

Let me tell you: I also used my brand new Big Shot Magnetic Platform for the Adorning Accents Edgelit.  Those things were a pain in the you-know without the Magnetic Platform and a cinch with it! Wowza! I'm loving my Magnetic Platform.

Here's a close up of the butterflies so you can see the Dazzling Details details! I put a little piece of Stampin' Dimensionals (the part you might throw away at the edge of the sheet) behind each butterfly so they'd be 3D.

NEW! Stamping Events Calendar & Stampin' Up News

I didn't have much time to create last week, but I did a lot of stamping over the weekend so I'll have lots to share during the upcoming week!

In the meantime, I've created a couple new pages on this blog: 

Stamping Events Calendar. Just click on the tab and then you'll see the calendar. You can go to the next months and see what I've got planned. Of course, YOU can contact me to add an event to the calendar. I'd love to have a Stampin' Up workshop at your house or a stamp-a-stack. Just let me know and we'll work together to find a mutually agreeable date.

Stampin' Up! News. Stampin' Up has some great specials going on all the time. Instead of cluttering up the main blog, I thought I'd make a tab for the current specials. I'll announce them here in the main blog and send you to the tab for the specials. 

Right now there are two items described on the tab--I'll add more later this week. The specials are 15% off the butterfly bundle and the NEW envelope punch board (which I don't have yet, but will be getting soon and I'll certainly share my creations)!

Prayer Journal Class

A while ago, one of Stampin' Up's top demonstrators, Ronda Wade, offered a prayer journal class. Since she's in Michigan I couldn't attend the live class (drat!) so I ordered the class "to go"!! Ronda prepared all the materials I needed to make the prayer journal and provided private links to the how-to video to make the journal and her class on how to use the journal to enhance and strengthen your prayer life. I got my kit...and there it sat, until I could get around to it.

Meanwhile, the ladies' Wednesday night Bible class at our church began a class on prayer, taught by the awesome Lisa Wood! She's a fabulous teacher and I've learned so much from her already! I look forward to each class.  Then it happened:  Lisa told us that she keeps a prayer journal and said that prayer journals are great tools to help us as we devote ourselves to prayer.  So, I decided that NOW is the time to make the prayer journal and, if there's interest, to offer a prayer journal class.

Here's the journal and the four cards that go along with it. The inside of the journal has beautiful pages for writing our prayers--along with pockets for scripture verses and for the cards that we can send to those we are praying for. 

I don't think it's right to make money on a prayer journal--so I'm offering the class for what I pay for the supplies to make the journal, which is $20.  That includes the journal and all the pre-cut embellishments for the journal, the inside pockets, the scripture verses, the tabs (not seen in the picture), and the supplies to make the four coordinating cards).

Contact me if you are interested in the class. If I have enough people (I need to have multiples of 4, so I need 4, 8, 12, or 16 people who are interested), I'll run a class. I'll let you know where and when once I gauge the interest.

With or without a prayer journal, these are words to live by, to be encouraged and strengthened by:

Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Looking for Stamping and Scrapbooking Bargains?

I'll be selling new and used retired Stampin' Up stamps, inks, papers, tools--and other non-Stampin' Up items at the 3rd Annual Cropmania Fall SCRAPBOOK INDOOR Yard Sale on Sunday October 13. Details below. Hope you'll come out and get some great deals!



HUGE MARKDOWNS AND GREAT DEALS AND BARGAINS!!!
Sunday October 13th
9am-2pm
 
Elks Lodge #622
2 Pythian Dr (off Rt 2)
Edgewater, MD 21037

51 Tables of Marked Down Scrapbooking/Stamping Supplies!
5 online stores (2-3 tables each), 8 Consultants,  30 ladies with way too much stuff!!!!

$5 at the door to get in

Bottled water and snacks available onsite for purchase.

For more info and directions, go to www.cropmania.com and click on Yardsale