Adrift at Sea

I really like this set for masculine projects, however I always seem to struggle with how to make all the pieces work together on a card.  Basically feeling a little lost and adrift.:) 

The base of the card is a new In-Color called Midnight Muse which will be available for purchase on June 1st!  I stamped the globe and compass randomly on the Cherry Cobbler piece using it's respective ink.  The ledger was stamped with Early Espresso and then "aged" by rubbing So Saffron over the piece and sponging the edges with Early Espresso.

I stamped the anchor on Very Vanilla using Midnight Muse.  After cutting it out, I sponged it with Early Espresso.  To give the card a little more texture and depth, I wrapped the Hemp twine around the anchor and adhered it to the card using mini glue dots.  The Cherry Cobbler and Bashful Blue pieces were also distressed and sponged with their respective inks.

Stamps: The Open Sea, Pennant Parade
Paper:Midnight Muse (new In-Color), Bashful Blue, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Midnight Muse, So Saffron
Misc.: Natural Hemp Twine (retiring), Distress Tool from Cutter Kit (retiring), Sponges, Mini Glue Dots

 Have a great day!

Baby Shower Ideas

This past week I worked on some Baby Shower favors and centerpieces for a co-worker's daughter.  We had and extremely tight budget to work with so it was definitely an experience.

The favors were straightforward enough and turned out pretty cute-I think.  Pastel was the color theme of the party and they know the baby is a girl.    They are so excited. :)  After showing my co-worker some samples of what we could use for the favor boxes, she settled on the Fancy Favor Box {one of my favorites}, with pink and white as the colors.

I used the the two smallest dies from the Label Collection Framelits to cut out the little hand print from Baby Prints and the mat behind it.  By using the stamp set in the clear mount version, I was able to position the stamps on the block so that I only had to stamp once on each of the boxes.  It was much easier and quicker than going back and forth between stamping "it's a" and then "girl".

The hand print and words were stamped in Blushing Bride and the mat framelit piece was also sponged in the same color.

Stamps: Baby Prints 
Paper: Pink Pirouette, Whisper White
Ink: Blushing Bride
Misc.: Label Collection Framelits, Fancy Favor Box Die, Big Shot, Clear Mount block E, Sponges


The centerpieces ended up being a bit more challenging.  One of the original ideas I had shown her was this topiary set I found on Social Couture.  However, after pricing out the number of vases needed, and surprisingly the cost of styrofoam balls, I was going to be WAY over budget.  So, my friend Valerie pointed me in the direction of this tutorial  from Evelyn Kate Designs.  It was a hit with everyone, so off I go to make 20 centerpieces.  Yikes!!  Who knew paper flowers could get so involved. :)

Large Topiary ~ a little over 12" in diameter

Medium Topiary ~ about 8" in diameter

Small Topiary ~ between 5" and 6" in diameter

I had to enlist my daughter's help with them as I was running short on time.  I learned some valuable lessons on what to do, and not do, for working with clients in the future.  I really need to let go sometimes-perfection, although nice, isn't always necessary.:)

In the end the items were completed on time and the client was happy; which is all that really mattered.

Supplies: Tissue Paper, Spray Paint, Baskets, Organza Ribbon, Wood Dowels, Wood Skewers, Wire, Floral Foam, Hot Glue Gun and glue, River Rocks (for weight)

Make it a great day!

VC Rocks-Have a Heart-Blog Hop

It's that time of year again...where those of us that can not attend the SU annual convention create our own convention fun ~ virtually!

If you don't know what VC Rocks is, please check out the VC Rocks Blog for more info and to see the entire list of blog hop participants in case of broken links. There is some wonderful additional art work on the site as well.

If you are following along the hop from the beginning, you should have come from Robin's site-Robin's Craft Room.  What a great doodling project!

I have done two cards for our Have a Heart Hop featuring sneak peaks of the new 2012-2014 In-Colors that will be available June 1st!! This color combo is not one I would normally choose to do, but it looked very intriguing on the Color Coach chart for the new In-Colors so I gave it a try.

Since the color combo was very bold {at least for me :)}, I kept the card itself pretty simple.

Recipe:

1. Create a standard {4.25" x 5.5"} card base from Basic Gray cardstock and stamp your sentiment in the bottom right corner.  The one I used is from Loving Thoughts and is stamped in Basic Black.
2. Cut a piece of Summer Starfruit (new IC) to 3" x 3.25" and sponge the edges with its respective ink.
3. Cut a piece of Primrose Petals (new IC) to 2.75" x 3".  Punch a heart out of the center of the piece using the Full Heart Punch.  Sponge the edges with Primrose Petals ink, including around the cut out heart edges.
4. Punch a heart from a scrap of Pink Pirouette cardstock.
5. Run the heart through the Big Shot using the embossing folder-Vintage Wallpaper.  Sponge the edges, and the raised embossing, with Pretty In Pink ink.
6. Place pink heart in center of Summer Starfruit mat.  Use dimensionals to pop up the Primrose Petal piece over the heart.*
7. Add three small pearls to bottom right corner of the heart piece and adhere to card base in upper left corner.

*Helpful Hint:

To make sure that your punched heart is centered under the cutout heart, center the Primrose piece on the Starfruit mat-NOT using any adhesive.  

Put adhesive on the back of the punched heart and place inside the negative space of the Primrose piece. 

Once the heart is adhered, remove the Primrose piece, add dimensionals and reposition it on the Starfruit mat.

Supplies
Stamps: Loving Thoughts
Paper: Primrose Petals, Summer Starfruit (new In-colors), Pink Pirouette, Basic Gray
Ink: Primrose Petals, Summer Starfruit, Pink Pirouette, Basic Black
Misc.: Full Heart Punch, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Big Shot, Basic Pearls, Dimensionals, Sponges


For the second card, I went from bold and simple to muted and vintage.  I also used the Color Coach to choose the combo for this card as well.  Raspberry Ripple (new IC), Pretty In Pink and Old Olive;  I added Soft Suede as the base.

Recipe:

1. Create a standard card base {4.25" x 5.5"} using Soft Suede cardstock.  Sponge the edges of the card with Soft Suede Ink.  Also drag the sponge across the top of the card a few times to add a little depth.
2. Tear a piece of First Edition Specialty DSP from the corner, leaving the two outside edges un-torn.  I sponged ink on this piece in Soft Suede, Old Olive and Pretty In Pink.  Adhere to card base.
3. Cut a piece of Raspberry Ripple approximately 3" x 3.25" and punch a heart from the center of this using the Full Heart Punch.
4. Center the second to smallest framelit from the Labels Collection over the negative heart space and run through the Big Shot.
5. Punch a heart from a scrap of Pretty In Pink.  Place this inside the negative space of the Raspberry Ripple piece.  Emboss the pieces using the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder and the Big Shot.  Sponge both pieces with Raspberry Ripple and Soft Suede ink.
6. Using the next size larger framelit, cut a piece of Old Olive cardstock.  Sponge with Old Olive and Soft Suede ink.  Layer under the Raspberry Ripple and Pretty In Pink die cut.
7. "Age" a 7" piece of Victorian Lace Ribbon by sponging it with Old Olive, Pretty In Pink and Soft Suede ink.  Tie in a bow, trim and fray the ends.
8. Stamp a sentiment from Tiny Tags on Raspberry Ripple, punch out using the Jewelry Tag Punch.  Sponge with Raspberry Ripple ink.  Use the paper piercer to make a hole in the top of the tag.  Thread with Linen thread and pin to the lace bow using a Vintage Trinket safety pin.
9. Stamp sentiment on card base with Soft Suede ink.

Supplies:
Stamps: Tiny Tags, Wings of Friendship (retired)
Paper: Raspberry Ripple (new In-Color), Old Olive, Pretty In Pink, Soft Suede, First Edition Specialty DSP
Ink: Raspberry Ripple, Old Olive, Pretty In Pink, Soft Suede
Misc.: Full Heart Punch, Jewelry Tag Punch, Vintage Trinkets, Linen Thread, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Big Shot, Victoria Lace ribbon, Sponges,

I hope you enjoyed my projects and find some inspiration in them.  The next stop on the hop is Dawn's site-Stampin' At Dawn.  She has a really cute project waiting for you.



   

And The Winner Is...

Sorry for the delay, we were having some technical issues.  But without further ado, the winner is...

Carolyn S.

Congratulations Carolyn!!  I hope you will enjoy the goodies and will like the few extra surprises thrown in.

I want to thank all of you for stopping by my blog, and thank you for the birthday wishes and wonderful comments.  A couple of them made me tear up a little. 

Make it a Great Day!!

One of the Few

As I patiently wait for my order of new catalog sneak peak products to arrive, how about a sample for one of the sets that will be carrying over into the new catalog.  Since this was a swap for a demo meeting, all items on it had to be product that would be in the new catalog.

Well, it was a little hard for me to find a stamp set that I could still use.  Out of the several hundred (yes, you read that right) SU sets that I own, I only have 26 sets that will be in the new catty.  Granted, that is still a good number of sets to work with.  But, 4 are Holidays, 3 are sentiments with no images, 2 are alphabets, and 3 were sets I earned free that weren't necessarily my style.  Now I am down to 14.  Still a decent number, but I had challenged myself to use a set that I had either never used or had only been used once or twice.  That didn't leave me a lot.  To top it off, almost all of the embellishments and ribbons that I own are retiring.

I do want to say though, that having the limitations actually made me think more creatively.

The color combo is Baja Breeze, Pink Pirouette and Certainly Celery with Early Espresso thrown in as an accent or "grounding" color.  The stamp set is Fabulous Florets.  I stamped the leaf/stem in Certainly Celery and then stamped the small flower in Early Espresso on Pink Pirouette.  I cut it out and popped it up on dimensionals.

The celery piece was embossed with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder.  To give a little feminine charm to the card I punched the Early Espresso mat with the Scallop Trim Border Punch.  All of the pieces were sponged with their respective inks.  The focal piece was lightly sponged with Early Espresso and then I re-sponged it with Pink Pirouette. 

I wanted to use the Happy Birthday from Bring on the Cake, but the stamp was too big for the Modern Label punch.  So, I used MDS to create the sentiment in the size I needed, printed it on Baja Breeze and then punched it out.  That was then popped up on dimensionals also.  To add just a touch of bling, I placed two small pearls on the sentiment.

ETA:  How about some Blog Candy!!

I thought I would celebrate my birthday today and Mother's Day tomorrow-crafter's style-with some blog candy. :)

 

It's kind of a weird mix of items, but I have been cleaning out my craft room and of course finding multiples of some items.  Plus it's FREE stuff. :)  Included in the package are: 4 gift card holders, Red Riding Hood wide striped ribbon, Chocolate Chip 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, a package of Carousel Notes, Pumpkin Pie Corduroy buttons, Blooming With Happiness stamp set, Deck the Halls Fabric, a covered notebook, and Butterflies and Rings Sizzix Die.

But that's not all...

What's a celebration without a few surprises!  The winner of this Blog Candy will also receive a few surprise goodies in the package. Party!!!

For a chance to win, just leave a comment below telling me what your favorite birthday or Mother's Day present has been.  Leave the comment by midnight Sunday, May 13th.  The winner will be selected by Random.org on May14th and posted that evening.  If there is no contact info with your comment, I will have to move on the next person.

Good Luck and Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there!!


Make it a great day!

A Charming Farewell

This adorable little set is on the retiring list and will no longer be available after May 31st.  Charming was originally marketed to coordinate with Stanpin' Up!'s Simply Adorned jewelry line.  However, it is a great set for adding little details to a scrapbook page or even being center stage on a card.

The patterned paper for the focal point is from the Beau Chateau DSP.  I stamped the script image from Charming in Early Espresso.  I didn't want it to be to dark or bold so I just barely touched it to the page.  The flower was colored with Blushing Bride and Pear Pizzazz markers.  The Pear Pizzazz mat behind the flower is from the 2010-2012 In-Color Patterns Designer Paper Hostess Pack, which is currently on the Clearance Rack (while supplies last).

All of the cardstock/paper pieces' edges were sponged with their respective ink colors.  The focal point was first sponged with Blushing Bride and then lightly sponged with Early Espresso.

I didn't want to use just a plain rectangle for the word Create, but I didn't have a punch that would make the right size decorative piece needed.  So I created my own...

Cut a strip of paper just a hair less than 5/8" of an inch wide.   Stamp the word or phrase of your choice.  Turn the Modern Label Punch upside down and place the strip of paper through the punch from the "top"

Like this...

Line up the paper, and then punch.

For the other side, place the strip of paper through the punch from the side making sure that the image is pointing up out of the punch.

Again, line up your paper and then punch.

Viola!

I added some small pearls and then popped it up on dimensionals.  You can use this same punching technique to make a longer label too.

Stamps: Charming (retiring)
Paper: Blushing Bride (retiring), Early Espresso Textured (textured cardstock is retiring), Pear Pizzazz Belle Chateau DSP (retiring), 2010-2012 In-Color Patterns Designer Paper Hostess Pack (retired, but currently in Clearance Rack) (retiring),
Ink: Blushing Bride Pad and Marker (retiring), Early Espresso, Pear Pizzazz Pad and Marker (retiring)
Misc.: Modern Label Punch, Basic Pearls, Pear Pizzazz Pleated Ribbon (retiring), Dimensionals, Sponges

Have a great day!

Retirement Showcase

I don't know about you, but I tend to keep many of my stamp sets and supplies even after they retire.  Sometimes though, they do get shoved to the back of the shelves and not used very often.  So I thought I would show some love to the retiring sets and products this month for a little inspiration.

I am kicking myself  a bit over not purchasing this set sooner; I just purchased it from the retiring list. Although Awash with Flowers is not my typical style, I really like how this card turned out. This is a two-step stamping set and was really easy to use with the cling mount stamps.  You can use the Stamp-a-ma-jig if you have the wood mount to help with alignment.


All the stems and flower outlines were stamped in Basic Black.  I first stamped the stems for the larger flowers and the stem with the buds.  Next came the three large flowers.  I then filled in the space with the two smaller flowers along the bottom.  I drew in the stems for the flowers along the bottom with the Black Stampin' Write Marker.  Once the outlines were done, I simply went back in with the solid stamps and color.


"Hello" is stamped in Poppy Parade and is from Elementary Elegance (SAB set).  I used the small oval punch on it and also punched an oval in Daffodil Delight to mat it.  I raised the sentiment on dimensionals to give the card a little depth.

Stamps: Awash with Flowers (retiring), Elementary Elegance (SAB)
Paper: Poppy Parade (retiring), Basic Black, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzazz (retiring), Poppy Parade (retiring)
Misc.: Small Oval Punch, Dimensionals

Wisteria is such a pretty color and it goes wonderfully with Concord Crush.  I love purples so I am sad that Concord Crush is retiring.  This was a very quick and easy card and could be given to either a female or male.  

I colored an image from Pocket Silhouettes (retiring) with Stampin' Write Markers in Wisteria Wonder and Pear Pizzazz and then matted that on Pear Pizzazz.  After attaching a tab with the sentiment, created using the Round Tab Punch (retiring), I mounted the entire piece on Concord Crush and used dimensionals to place it on the card.  The sentiment is also from Pocket Silhouettes; I used the Concord Crush marker to color just the word friend.


Only a few select colors of Stampin' Write Markers will be available for individual purchase in the new catalog June 1st. [We don't know which ones yet. :)]  However, all current SU colors of the markers will be available for purchase in color assortment packs.


Stamps: Pocket Silhouettes (retiring)
Paper: Concord Crush (retiring), Pear Pizzazz (retiring), Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White
Ink: Stampin' Write Markers in Concord Crush (retiring), Pear Pizzazz (retiring) and Wisteria Wonder.
Misc.: Round Tab Punch (retiring), Concord Crush 1/2" Stitched-Poly Ribbon (retiring), Dimensionals

This wasn't where I was going with this card when I started and I am not sure that I totally love the layout;   but, I do like the flocal point of the pear from Faith in Nature.  It is a Hostess set that will be retiring at the end of this month.  You can earn it for free with a qualifying workshop or purchase.


I stamped the pear in Versamark on Crumb Cake and then heat embossed with white embossing powder.  Once that was cool I used a sponge to "rub in" the Pear Pizzazz ink around the image.  Once I had the coverage I wanted, I took a paper towel to wipe off any ink on the embossing.  I attached a Mini Library Clip (retiring) tied with Hemp Twine (retiring) and then mounted the image on alternating pieces of Crumb Cake and Not Quite Navy Textured card stock.  The 12 x 12 textured card stock is retiring, so if you like it as much as I do, stock up while it is still available.


Each of the mat pieces was torn at the bottom and then inked for some depth.  I used Pear Pizzazz on the Crumb Cake pieces to coordinate with the focal point.

Stamps: Faith in Nature
Paper: Crumb Cake, Not Quite Navy Textured (textured is retiring)
Ink: Pear Pizzazz (retiring), Not Quite Navy Craft (Craft inks are retiring), Versamark
Misc.: Mini Library Clips (retiring), Natural Hemp Twine (retiring), White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Sponges

You can see all the retiring stamp sets and accessories HERE.  Stamp sets are available to purchase through May 31st.  Retiring accessories are only available while supplies last, some are even discounted, so don't miss out!

Make it a great day!

Carryovers from the Occasions Mini

Some of the great products in the Occasions Mini catalog, that just ended on April 30th, are still available for purchase!

Carryover Items

There is no guarantee that these items will be included in the new catalog available June 1st.  So, order now before they are gone.

Kym