On Again Off Again...

I really don't know if anyone ever visits me here but I do know that it has been a very long time since I have. I am hoping to change my on again off again ways with this blog and make a commitment to visit at least once a week.  I have lots of things to share, and those things, mainly my love of papercrafting and Stampin' Up! are not doing any good to myself or anyone else stuck up in my head.  I am learning things about social media and I really want to start using the tools that are available to me to share what I love and what I am passionate about...PAPER and INK, well there are lots of other things also but this blog was created to share what you can do with a piece of paper and some ink so without babbling on further here is what I worked on last week:  

This card was inspired by Teneale Williams a very talented Australian Stampin' Up! artist.  I love her work!  I use mostly the Naturals White cardstock for my base.  It just seems sturdier to me.  I feel Whisper White is fine for layering and great to stamp on.  So here's the recipe:

Base: Naturals White (cut 2" down and 2" in on the corners)

Layer 1: Blushing Bride (so happy it's coming back because I mistakenly bought 3 packs of it before it retired last year and I was so mad at myself for not paying attention to my cardstock inventory)

Layer 2:  Tea For Two Designer Series Paper (DSP)

Stamping: French Foliage, Doily Background Stamp, and Papillon Potpourri stamp set. 

Inks: Early Esspresso, Melon Mambo, Versamark, Soft Suede for the edge inking.

Embellishments: White Embossing powder (Doily), Clear Embossing powder (butterfly) Very Vanilla seam tape ribbon, pearls.

I hope you like my card and I will definitely be here more often.  When opportunity knocks you still have to get up off your seat and open the door.  I wonder how many opportunities I have lost by not even being home to answer that darned door...and that's what it's all about today my friends.

Happy Birthday to me!!! PCC #4

My Birthday week is officially over and as all good intentions go, I had intended to post this card on my Birthday last Wednesday but the time just kept ticking away and I never got it posted.  I did get my card made though and that was an accomplishment.  As the saying goes better late than never...right?  The week was so busy as we have 3 Birthdays in a row starting from August 21st to the 23rd.  Mine is in the middle right before my son's and well I spent my birthday getting ready for his as it has been since the day he was born.  So let me show you my card I really think it turned out quite lovely.  I CASEd the elements and colors from Joanna Munster here I really loved her card, I just changed it to use the layout for Paper Craft Crew Challenge #4 

I love how it turned out.  I even got out my machine and did some sewing on the card.  I haven't done that in a long time.  I love the look of machine stitching on cards!  I'm going to have to do it more often.  Here is what I used:

Create a Cupcake stamp set and Builder Punch

Base is Naturals White

Layer Crumb Cake

Layer First Edition

Subtles DSP

Blue from the Festival of Print Holiday Catalog

Ink Early Espresso and Pink Pirouette

The ribbon on the cupcake is embossed with Melon Mambo EP

Pearls

Linen Thread

Lace Ribbon

Tag Punch (just stuck the end in so it would be a tad longer)

 

Create a Cupcake is one of those sets you will want to keep forever.  I might put it away for awhile but I always come back to it for a cute card in a pinch.  This card would have worked just as well without the machine stitching but I think it adds that extra touch that will set it apart and make the recipient want to keep it forever.  I hope you like my Birthday card!!  until next time, that's what it's all about...

 

 

You're Amazing! PCC #3

I'm so excited about my new venture as Design Team for Paper Craft Crew .  I am getting a late start though.  I had a little learning curve with the postings but now I think I have it all down.  Here is my second card for PCC.  I still don't have the picture thing down but I will get there.  I love how my card turned out.  I used the stamp set from Stampin' Up! You're Amazing along with the Fanfair DSP.  The base is Island Indigo with a layer of Crumb Cake the sentiment is stamped on Very Vanilla. 

Just so you know I will be doing this once a week.  Every Wednesday I will have a new design for the challenge, you should stop in and play along...for now that's what it's all about!

Moving On to PCC #1

Hello, I've decided that it's time to start participating in some online challenges.  My Friend Pam Staples over at Sunnygirl Scraps took over the Stampin' Queens Sketch Challenge and renamed it to Paper Craft Crew Challenges so I am making a commitment to myself to participate.  Who knows I might get hooked and want to enter all the challenges...haha probably not.  But I am going to give this one o go for now. 
Here's the sketch:


Here's my card.

I used the Ronald McDonald House set that I received at Convention.  The base is Gumball Green, layered with the Baja Breeze paper from Floral District DSP, layered on top of that is Whisper White and another piece of GG with the frogs stamped with one inking so they would get lighter with each stamp.  The sentiment is Petite Pairs.  I just love this set it is the best one since I became a demonstrator.  $3 from every set purchased goes to the Ronald McDonald House what a great charity.

 

Moving Forward
Wood Mount 126320 Clear Mount 126322
Whimsy and fun combine to make this seven-piece set the perfect choice for outside-the-box best wishes and greetings. Wonderful for friendship and birthday projects for young and old. Try embossing the images for a look that really stands out! Set Quantity: 7

Contact me if you would like to purchase this set...and that's what it's all about!

2012 Convention Better Late than Never...

Ok so it's been 3 weeks since convention and I am just getting around to posting about it.  This was my second Stampin' Up! Convention and I was not dissapointed in the least.  Again this year I rented a house and invited 7 strangers and one returnee to share the cost.  It was a great time and I met some great friends from Oregon to Florida and a few states in between.  This year's experience was all I had expected it to be.  We stamped the night away, every night...well mostly because I didn't finish my swaps and the girls pitched in to help me out.    I was so grateful for my new friends help I was able to finish all 120 of them on time, and got to swap to my hearts content.  Here is one of the swap cards that I created for convention.  I wish I could take better pictures of them though...

This card was made using Fabulous You. The card base is Basic Black.  The shoe is stamped on the yellow paper from Floral District DSP and layered on Whisper White with scalloped layers of So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, Basic Grey, and Basic Black.  I cut the sentiment in half and used the first part for the outside and the rest for the inside.  I faux bowed it with Whisper Whit satin organza ribbon and blinged up the shoe with some jewels.  I love how the card turned out. 

Here are some other pics from convention...

Sara, Shelli's daughter.  Love her!

Shannon West dressed for Halloween!  My favorite holiday!The cute little bag she demonstrated!

My housemates Angela and Nicole with Shelli!  Nicole won the Twitter contest for an opportunity to go backstage during the last general session.  Here she is getting a pic with Shelli to tweet.  She was so good at it even the Utah newspaper started following her tweets!

Finally a picture of me in front of the stage.  Great Stage props!

Oh I almost forgot the great card samples and inspiration...Amazing Stampin' Up! talent!

So there's a peek into my convention experience.  I am definately going next year for Stampin' Up! 25th Anniversary!  Can't wait to share that one for sure...and that's what it's all about. 

Good Bye Frame it!

I love this stamp set Frame It from the 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog.  I am sorry to say good bye since it was new last year.  I purchased it on my first order of the catalog last year.  I LOVED it!  Well as happens alot with me as soon as I got it in my hot hands I put it on the shelf and never looked at it again until it hit the Retiring List in March.  So I started playing with it and here is what I came up with.

I used Early Espresso for the base, Crumb Cake for the layer.  I stamped the Crumb Cake with the Wood Background stamp and then stamped the frames from Frame it in Soft Suede, Always Artichoke, and Not Quite Navy randomly over the wood BG stamp.  I cut out the frame from Designer Frames Folders and layered that with Crumb Cake.  I used the sentiment from Happiest Birthday Wishes-Hostess set (also retiring).  I hope that this card has inspired you to want this set as much as I did.  You can order it and other retiring Stampin' Up! products here.  And that's what it's all about...

Count Down!

So I'm officially counting down to the new catalog!  The release date for the 2012-2013 Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog is June 1st.  Demonstrators get to see it early and I have thumbed through it and made an enormous wish list already.  I have to say there are some great changes to this years product line up and to the new catalog.  The first and best improvement is that the catalog is full of great new designs and some new tools that I can't wait for all of you to see and use.  This year Stampin' Up! has introduced some new ink pads that give your stamping a crisp very spectacular image.  I LOVE the new pads!  I didn't want, to want to ( I know that is too many wants, but "sigh") replace my old ink pads but eventually I will replace them all!  So for now just letting you know that there are only 10 more days to purchase any of the retiring items from the current 2011-2012 selection.  Here is a link to where you can order.  And that's what it's all about...