Christmas Card Holder

If you're anything like me, you LOVE getting Christmas cards each year.  So many times they include great photos & fun letters outlining what that family has been up to for the last 12 months.  I end up keeping them on display most of the year.  But when the year is up, I just hate to throw them away.  I mean - those are peoples' kids and pets and vacation memories - it seems wrong to throw them away. But as you can see, I'm running out of place to store them.  So, I've been saving them in a shoe box.  But then, Stampin' Up! came out with this new little 6"x8" Project Life Album and these awesome 6"x8" envelope pages, and it hit me that I could use these products to store my beloved photo cards & letters.  So, I ordered one 6"x8" Project Life album and 6 packs of envelope pages (there are two in each pack):

They arrived today!  So, I decided to dedicate one pocket page to each family that I regularly get cards from.  I put all of their past cards inside the envelope, then created a little note card for the front of the envelope (there's a pocket to slide it into).  The note card says the family name and explains how I know them.  See the photo below for my completed project & below the photo for some tips.

TIPS:
--Have FUN! with this project -- you can decorate the little card more than I did, using different stamps from your stash or different holiday papers.
--roughly 8-10 envelopes with photos will fit in the album comfortably - you'll want a little room to add photos and letters in the coming years.
--I decided I'm going to need a second album right away - so if you get more than 8-10 cards each year that you want to keep, you might just want to order a second album right away.

You can order these, and any other current Stampin' Up! products here.

Happy stamping!!!
~Michelle

Congrats and Petal Parade Anniversary Card

I was really inspired by this Freshly Made Sketch to create this bright and happy card for a friends' wedding anniversary.  The colors on the screen aren't quite accurate, but in case you are curious, I used Coastal Cabana, Island Indigo, and Calypso Coral.  The stamp sets (Congrats and Petal Parade) are all now retired, unfortunately, but there are several current sets that would work wonderfully for this card as well...specifically, I can't wait to try it with the sentiments from "Bravo" and the flowers from "Flower Patch", both of which are new photopolymer sets being offered by Stampin' Up!

Old In Color Birthday Cake

Recently, I needed to make some birthday cards, so I grabbed this single (now retired) stamp called "Birthday Cake" and made several cards.  I love how this one turned out with the different textures from the embossing and ribbon and the unexpected color combination (retired In Colors: midnight muse, summer starfruit, raspberry ripple, and primrose petals).  To stamp a solid image like this in multiple colors, like I did, color your image with markers rather than using ink pads.  That way you can get the colors exactly where you want them!

Mossy Honey Stippled Blossoms

I was itching to try the new In Colors when they arrived in my recent UPS package the other night, but it was getting late and I knew I wouldn't want to stay up real long, so I decided to keep it simple - though it doesn't look too simple.

Lately, when I'm making cards, I make them in multiples of two because you can get two cards out of one sheet of cardstock, and that has been giving me extra cards to use, donate, or share with friends.

I stamped the "Stippled Blossoms" set in yellow and green ink onto Very Vanilla Cardstock. The yellows I used are the brand-new "Hello Honey" and the classic favorite "So Saffron".  The greens I used are the lush new "Mossy Meadow" and the somewhat lighter "Old Olive".  The sentiments both came from the "Feel Goods" stamp set.

I will say I had better luck using my Stamp-a-ma-jig with this set, even though I did have the cling mount stamps, but the beauty of this set is that even if you are slightly off, you can't tell!

Can't wait to try more of the new In Colors, but until then, Happy Stamping!!!

Stampin' Up! Retired Lists 

 The Stampin' Up! retired lists are here:

• Retired Stamp List -  PDF
• Retired Stamp List - Excel
• Retired Accessory List - PDF
• Retired Accessory List - Excel

Click to Shop the Stampin' Up! Retired List

All items are available only while supplies last, even stamps (which is different than in years past). In fact, some of the items have already sold out! Combine that with the fact that right now you can get free shipping, and it makes it even easier to justify doing some shopping today! 

Happy Shower Day!!!

 

Today, my mom and I are attended a couples' shower for my cousin and her fiancé.  So, I decided to make them a card using their wedding colors (Pear Pizzazz and Perfect Plum) and this card as inspiration. I didn't have the cloud embossing folder, so I cut some out with a die cut from my stash.  I paper-pierced the white rectangle layer and the heart shape using Stampin' Up!'s piercing tools (paper-piercing tool: #126189; pierce mat: #126199, essentials pack: #126187, and occasions pack: #129387). I stamped the umbrella (retired Rain or Shine set) on the white rectangle and then again on a scrap of white.  I cut the umbrella out of the scrap and adhered it onto the rectangle using a Dimensional to give it some depth.  I topped it with a flower punched with Boho Blossoms  (#119858) and a Large Rhinestone (#129324).

Stampin' Up! Catalog Year Coming to a Close

With the renewal of spring, we find ourselves coming to the end of another catalog year for Stampin' Up!  If you're anything like me, you're probably chomping at the bit to find out what new goodies are headed our way, and which goodies we are going to need to hoard because they are retiring.  To help you plot your purchases, here is the schedule for transitioning this spring:

Monday, April 21 - Retired List (all products available while supplies last - this year, this also means stamp sets will be in limited quantities as well!!! - this is different than in years past - so don't delay in ordering your favorites!)

 

 

 

Thursday, May 1st - NEW Project Life products (check out Project Life Details )

Monday, June 2 - New 2014/2015 Annual Catalog goes live!  (ordering begins at 12pm MT)

Wednesday, June 4 - Last day to order from the "old" 2013/2014 Annual Catalog

How to get your new Stampin' Up! 2014/2015 Catalog?  It's easy - contact me through my website and I will be happy to ensure you get a free copy!

Also, thank you for taking the time to follow my blog, leave comments, and of course, for choosing me as your demonstrator.  I hope all this good news leaves you as excited as it leave me! :)

Hey - did you hear??? PROJECT LIFE

Did you hear the great news that STAMPIN' UP! is partnering with Project Life and Becky Higgins to create some beautiful new products for your scrapbooking? 

If you are familiar with Project Life, I don't need to tell you how good of news this is. If you are unfamiliar with Project Life, I assure you, you will love it.  It is a quick and beautiful way to get your printed photos out of the shoeboxes and into albums quickly so that your family and friends can "oooh and ahhhh" over them, with the "fuss" of traditional paper scrapbooking.  The products will be beautifully designed and of the highest quality (true to all Stampin' Up! Products) and will coordinate with our other offerings. 

You will be able to purchase the first of the Project Life series on May 1st from my store HERE!

A Thousand Thanks!

You may recall a few weeks ago, I was trying to use of scraps of the Birthday Basics Designer Series Paper.  Well, the quest continues, and today I find myself using even more of it.  To see my previous project, click here!  My inspiration comes from this pin (original artwork at www.scrappinpretty.com). I thought it was such a clever way to use the numbers in a non-birthday application.  Just goes to show you that even "themed" paper can be used in other creative ways.  It got my mind racing: you could use it for a "across the miles" card, or a fishing scrapbook layout...aren't they always measuring and exaggerating the lengths of those fish?  I hope you like my interpretation of this card.  About the biggest change I made was to use Raspberry Ripple as the card base, rather than Very Vanilla, because it is sturdier.  Having said that, I like the clean appearance of the Vanilla. 

Supplies used: cardstock in Raspberry Ripple, Bermuda Bay, and Very Vanilla, Birthday Basics Designer Series Paper (#130145), a Candy Dot in Bermuda Bay (regals, #130932), ink in Bermuda Bay, and a sentiment from Lots of Thanks (wood #129687, clear #129690), and a 3/16" corner punch (#119871).  If you'd like these, or other current SU! supplies, I'd be honored if you chose to purchase them at my store.

More challenge inspiration - DSC#077

Yesterday, I showed you the nautical card I made using this week's challenge photograph.  Today, I wanted to show you a more loose interpretation of that card.  About the only inspiration I took from it was the use of white and blue. 

This was a very quick and easy card to make.  After creating a cardstock base in Midnight Muse, I cut a 3-1/2" square of Whisper White and a 3" square of Midnight Muse.  I also cut out several branches of leaves using the Little Leaves Sizzlits die (#114511).  I adhered those leaves using our Multipurpose Glue (#110755) - be careful - a little goes a long way! In doing this, I made sure some of the branches hung off the edge of the blue.  Then I trimmed the branches off to make the edges even.  I adhered the blue layer to the white layer, and then mounted it to the card using Dimensionals (#104430).  After that, I affixed several sizes of our Rhinestone Basic Jewels (#119246). 

TIP: when using multiples of any embellishment, placing them in visual triangles will help move the viewers' eye across the project. In this case, each size of rhinestone was placed in a visual triangle with other rhinestones of the same size.

I added a white piece of cardstock to the inside, but left it blank so that I can grab it and use it for any occasion in the coming months...it's always nice to have a few extras laying around.

I hope you enjoyed this quick & easy card.  If you'd like to purchase these, or any current SU! products, please visit my store!  Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Nautical Inspirations - DSC#077

As soon as I saw this week's challenge, I knew that I wanted to use it pretty literally. I love the color scheme and I had been looking for an excuse to use my "By the Tide" stamp set again.  I decided on Midnight Muse, Crumb Cake and Whisper White which is pretty similar to the color scheme in the photo and feels so fresh and clean to me.  I also decided to keep with the nautical theme because I'm itching for summery beaches & also because it is a pretty universal theme.

Whenever possible, I like to decorate the inside of my cards, too, as an added touch and happy surprise to the recipient.

The products I used are cardstock in Whisper White, Midnight Muse, and Crumb Cake, as well as ink in Midnight Muse and Crumb Cake.  I embellished it with the 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon in Midnight Muse (#126847).  The images came from the "By the Tide" stamp set (clear #129120, wood #131910) and the sentiments came from the "Express Yourself" stamp set (clear #130339, wood #130336), which you can earn for free with a qualifying order.

To order these, and any other current Stampin' Up! products, visit my STORE!

To see another card inspired by this challenge, come back tomorrow!

To see what my fellow demonstrators did with this challenge, click on these links:

Sharon Bennett

Miriam Castanho Bollinger

Robyn Rasset
Cindy Techlin
Jan Carlson
Dawn Olchefske



Petal Parade All-Occasion Cards (DSC#067)

While I really enjoy participating in challenges, I rarely find myself doing them on time!  Even so, I do enjoy looking at them for inspiration and using them as "jumping off" points for my cards and scrapbook pages.  This challenge, presented by my upline, was originally issued back in January.  Click HERE to see her interpretation of the sketch (which I LOVE and intend to copy!!!) as well as links to many other wonderful cards also inspired by this sketch.  The products that I used were cardstock in Basic Black, Basic Gray, Whisper White, and Real Red; ink in Real Red, Smoky Slate, and Basic Gray, ribbon in Whisper White, floral stamps from "Petal Parade" and sentiment stamps from "Express Yourself". Unfortunately, the Petal Parade set is no longer offered by Stampin' Up!, however the "Express Yourself" set is extremely versatile and can be earned for FREE by place an order with me totaling $150 or more.

Weekly Deals - 4/8/14 - 4/14/14

To take advantage of 25% savings, be sure add this week's deals to your shopping bag - ends Monday the 14th!

My Paper Pumpkin's Repurposed Bicycle Stamp

Good morning!  At the start of the catalog year (last summer) I participated in a product share, in which I received 1/6th of each sheet of patterned paper from the catalog.  My goal was to use the smaller pieces in projects and order more of the papers with which I fell in love.  Now that the catalog year is coming to a close, I've decided to challenge myself to use up those pieces of paper, and order any of the "must have" patterns before the end of June, when they retire. Typically, I wait until after the product has retired, and then I'm disappointed when I fall in love with it and can't get anymore.

The first DSP (designer series paper) I tackled was the Birthday Basics line (#130145).  This line features 12 delightful patterns showcasing the colors Bermuda Bay, Basic Gray, Gumball Green, Summer Starfruit, Crisp Cantaloupe, Very Vanilla and Raspberry Ripple.  My first instinct in looking at it was "oh, that's perfect for birthday cards and birthday-themed scrapbook pages."  And it is!  But the more I looked at it, I realized that other than the birthday hats, candles and the balloons, none of the patterns were birthday- or party-specific, and in fact, it's quite a versatile series, so be sure to check back in the coming weeks to see the other ways I've used this great paper.

In the meantime, enjoy this fun creation!  Once I spied the bicycle paper in the package, I realized I had the bicycle stamp from a past My Paper Pumpkin project. I wanted to get two cards out of the small pieces of paper that I had, so I cut it into two pieces on the diagonal and mounted it on some cardstock.  I then covered up the seam with a diagonal stripe made with solid-colored, coordinating cardstock strips, which created a retro feel.  From there, I die cut scraps of Whisper White and Raspberry Ripple using the Deco Labels Collection (#130102), mounted the white on the raspberry, stamped the image in Bermuda Bay, and then mounted the whole thing on my project.  Inside the card, I stamped "hey there friend" from another past My Paper Pumpkin.

If you would like any of these items, please come shop at my ONLINE STORE!

Best Wishes and More - an oldie but goodie

Every so often I challenge myself to pull out the retired stamp sets that I just can't seem to part with and put them to good use.  And that's what I did here.  The leave and flower come from the "Best Wishes and More" set, which is a retired Stampin' Up! set.  Also in that set are a heart, a snowflake, a bird, and a couple sentiments, which makes it a wonderfully versatile set.  I stamped the leaf in Crumb Cake on a Crumb Cake cardstock base.  Then I ran a strip of Bashful Blue (retired) through the Big Shot machine in the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder (#117335).  Once I adhered that to the card front, I covered up the seam with some Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon (retired) by adhering it with some Sticky Strip (#104294).  Then I created the square by stamping the flower in Daffodil Delight on a scrap of Whisper White cardstock, and then cutting it out with my paper snips.  I placed a button on my stash on it and tied some thread through the holes.  I stamped the leaf in Pumpkin Pie and cut it out, then layered them both on a Whisper White square, which was then matted in Bashful Blue and Pumpkin Pie.  I ended up making 8 of these card, and sent most of them out right away as thank you's and thinking of you's.

 If you would like any of these items, please come shop at my ONLINE STORE!

You Make Me Happy

This card was tricky to photograph, so I apologize for the funny colors - they are supposed to be Summer Starfruit and Pool Party.  This is another card I received from my upline in her monthly class to go.  Isn't it cute?  You can see her version here.   I love how easily this card came together, and it's made very cleverly from products that weren't intended for these purposes.  For instance, the rays on the sun are made from punched out banners from the Banner Punch and the clouds are made from the Word Bubbles Framelits (#132968).  The stamp set is called See Ya Later.

Great deals - No foolin'!

One of the things I love about Tuesdays is seeing which "must have" products are on this week's specials.  This week was a fun surprise!  Ribbon is always a nice staple, as are the builder wheels. The Delicate Details Lace Tape is SO much fun and adds such a nice touch to projects.  It is white, but it can be inked to any color, or it can be used as is, or it can be used to mask areas of your project.  You can never go wrong with punches, and with most of the country (maybe?) headed into spring (sooner rather than later, I hope), I'm sure you'll have plenty of fresh projects to use them on!  The Perfect Penants dies make the cutest little Easter carrots to hold treats or May Day baskets to share with friends, family and neighbors.  If you're into digital crafting, don't worry - you haven't been forgotten, there is a beautiful Mother's Day ensemble waiting to be downloaded.



If you would like any of these items, please come shop at my ONLINE STORE!

DOStamper Stars Sketch Challenge DSC#070

Awhile back, I saw this challenge posted at my upline's website.  I finally took some time to sit down and create a card from it.  I'm happy with how it turned out.  It seems like I'm constantly looking for "thank you" and all-purpose cards, so I was happy to create one to add to my stash.  I used the Fresh Prints DSP (#132996) stack that is in the spring catalog.  This paper is delicious!  I loved it so much I ordered a second stack so that I don't run out any time soon.  It works beautifully for many occasions, and features Real Red, Coastal Cabana, and Crumb Cake.

Ombre Technique

My upline, Dawn Olchefske, offers a monthly kit to her customers and downline.  I had taken a break from them for awhile, and missed them so much, I decided to get them again for 2014.  The kits come with everything you need to make 3 cards, except the stamps/stamped images and adhesives.

Sometimes, I happen to have the exact same stamp sets she used, which makes for some very quick and easy stamping. I usually get out my adhesives and small scissors, pull up a show on my DVR and get to work.  But sometimes, I don't have the same stamp sets, and it's then that I enjoy the challenge of trying to modify the project using the products I do have.  This was one of those projects for me.   You can see her original project here: Dawn Olchefske blog.

As you can see, both cards are great.  I didn't have the fringe scissors, so I chose to leave the simple, straight edges of the cardstock layer.  I kept the ribbon, rhinestones, and the idea of one large sentiment.  You might notice, I chose a different sentiment...mine came from "Feel Goods" (wood #131916; cling-mount #129684).  It also would have been fine to chose an image, rather than a sentiment, to fill up the space.

Because I didn't have the fringe as the focal point anymore, I decided to add some detail by stamping some flower images from the Secret Garden set to create a background for the sentiment.  I think that added just enough interest.  You'll notice that I chose to use the lighter pink for the solid images and the darker colors for the line images.  That helped to keep the images from competing with the sentiment.  I chose to stamp the sentiment in Basic Gray rather than Basic Black to keep it from being too bold.

Thanks for stopping by!

Color My World Challenge DSC#075

One current trend in hair, fashion, home furnishing, and crafting is the ombre look - a gentle gradation of colors.  I decided to try and achieve that look by sponging ink over a stencil using today's challenge colors of Tangerine Tango, Delightful Daffodil, and Gumball Green.  I diecut a piece of scrap cardstock using the Hexagon Hives die, and then sponged ink into the holes.  I finished it off by stamping a sentiment (retired), and some flowers from Summer Silhouettes and Secret Garden.  I fussy cut one of the flowers and popped it out with a Dimensional.  This was definitely a fun technique to try and would be really pretty with cool colors as well!  Happy stamping!

Check out the others STARS's takes on this challenge:

Connie Plaumann

Cindy Techlin

Sharon Bennett

Jan Carlson

Miriam Castanho Bollinger

Dawn Olchefske

Robyn Rasset

Weekly Deals - March 25-31, 2014

I don't know about you, but I had a hard time resisting these weekly deals.  I just placed an order for the Champagne and Silver Glimmer Papers, the Brights and Subtles Core'dinations cardstock, and the "This and That Epic Day" Designer series paper! 

If you would like any of these items, please come shop at my ONLINE STORE!

And, Sale-a-bration is still going on right now, so for every $50 of product you buy (including weekly deals), you'll get an item from our Sale-a-bration catalog for free! 

Go for the Gold Challenge

So, I’m a little late in posting this, but life has been busy, and that can be a good thing.  Anyway, back when the winter Olympics were taking place, my upline challenged our group of demonstrators to use GOLD on a card.  She called it the “Go for the Gold Challenge.”  Now, if you know me, I’m not a gold person at all.  I own exactly one piece of jewelry that has any gold on it, and the presence of gold in my stamping is just as sparse.  So, I had to resort to the only gold I had, which was glitter (that, incidentally, I own only because it came with the silver glitter I wanted). 

In spite of my lack of interest in the color, I did end up very pleased with the card I created for that challenge.  Banner, butterflies, and lacy things seem to be a trend right now and this card is no exception.  I love how the very vanilla and brown look with the gold accent.  The assembly of most of this card is fairly intuitive.  The part you might be curious about it the gold glitter.  I punched a circle out of our Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets (#120805), peeled off one side of the backing, mounted it on very vanilla cardstock, lined up the punch exactly over the adhesive & punched it again.  This will give you a circle that has cardstock on one side, adhesive in the middle, and backing on the other side.  I then peeled off the backing & sprinkled glitter over it.  When I do this step, I use my finger to press on the glitter and get it good and stuck to the adhesive.  Then I dumped off the excess glitter, and mounted it to the card by applying adhesive to the cardstock (back) side of the circle. This technique will work for any powder or glitters & can be used with any shape punch or die.  The sky is the limit!  

Other current product used on this card include the Delicate Doilies Sizzlits (#126999), 2-3/8"scallop circle punch (#11874), 1-1/4" inch circle punch (#119861), 1-3/4" circle punch (#119850), and the Elegant Butterfly Punch (#127526).

Baby Shower Invites

Earlier this month, I co-hostessed a baby shower for a friend from church.  Inspired by these cards from Pinterest, and her nursery theme of blues and browns, I created these invitations. 

While the paper-piercing and “fussy cutting” was a little time-intensive, I think it gave the finished pieces a nice look.  These cards could be easily adapted to other color schemes, a bridal shower, or even just any kind of outpouring of love. 

To create these cards, you’ll need cardstock, ink, an umbrella stamp, a mini heart stamp, a paper piercer & piercing template, some dimensionals, paper snips, and a sentiment stamp.  For ink, I used Island Indigo, Pool Party, and Early Espresso. I found that stamping each heart  two or three times before re-inking it created some nice variations in color intensity.  For cardstock, I used Early Espresso and Whisper White.  The umbrella stamp is from a retired Stampin’ Up! set called “Rain or Shine”.  The mini heart is from the current “Create-a-Cupcake” stamp set (wood: #128520; clear: #121982).   Stampin’ Up! also currently carries paper piercers (#126189) and the piercing template (#126199).