Friday, February 27, 2015

Celebrate with Cake

Hi Crafty Friends!  There's more to celebrate...another fun card featuring Blendabilities and our NEW! Chalkboard Paper!  OMG!  Let me just say that I'm in LOVE with this new Chalkboard Paper!  

Why, you ask?  Because it's smooth as silk but is also a nice, heavy weight.  You can use both our new ColorBox Chalk Ink Pads on the smooth side and our White Craft Stampin' Ink Pad on the other side.  I love a versatile product!  

Anyway, I made this Celebrate with Cake Card using our Big Day Stamp Set (a FREE Sale-a-Bration item), Chalkboard PaperColorBox Chalk Ink Pad, and some Blendabilities.


Using the sketch below, I started making my background by stamping the cake in Yellow Citrus ColorBox Chalk Ink onto Chalkboard Paper.  


I then stamped and colored my sentiment using Daffodil DelightPumpkin Pie and Melon Mambo Blendabilities.  I was very pleased with the outcome, so I kept going.


Finally, I mounted my sentiment onto Basic Black Cardstock, tied on some Melon Mambo 1/4" Cotton Ribbon, and mounted my chalkboard paper card front onto some Basic Blask Cardstock. 


 I didn't stick to the sketch to the letter, but I love how this card turned out.


I am really proud of my new Blendabilities skills!  They have come a long way, baby.  I can't wait to play with these markers lots more!

Well, that's all for today, folks.  You will find all of the products I used to create this card below.  Order what you need by going to my Online Store or click any of the links to go right to that item.

Until next time, happy crafting!

 






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Monday, February 23, 2015

Creative Blog Hop: Time to Celebrate

Hi Crafty Friends!  Happy Monday and welcome to another stop on the Creative Blog Hop!  I was invited to participate in this blog hop by Maria Leon-Villanueva of PrettyPaperMakers, a fellow crafter and member of the Luv 2 Stamp Group, who is super creative and passionate about paper crafting.  Thanks, Maria!

Since there are no rules to the Creative Blog Hop as far as what to create, I decided to share this Time to Celebrate Card to show off my newly minted Stampin' Blendabilities skills!  When I sat down to create this card, all I knew was that I was going to play with my Blendabilities.

Stampin' Up! introduced Blendabilities to us demonstrators in the spring of 2014.  Even though I bought all of the colors and was excited to give them a try, I was never pleased with the outcome of my coloring, so I only played with them here and there.

Well, when the new 2015 Occasions Catalog introduced 4 new colors to the Blendie family, particularly Bermuda Bay--my favorite color!-- I knew that I had to bite the bullet and put in some more practice.  Don't get me wrong, coloring with Blendabilities is NOT hard, but I wanted perfection every time. Let's just say that I'm a recovering perfectionist.  There...I said it.


I am proud to say that this card is all my own design.  It started with just getting the cake colored, but I wasn't sure what to add next, so I started playing with layers and colors.  Since I used Melon Mambo, Wild Wasabi, and Bermuda Bay as my color palette, I played up those colors with some Crushed Curry in the background.


I absolutely LOVE how this card turned out, and I hope you like it too!  If you haven't given Blendabilities a try, they are super easy to use and are great for adding pops of color and texture to sketched stamps like the one I used.  And, you can earn a 3-pack of all of the 12 original colors for FREE with each $50 purchase during Sale-a-Bration.  Wahoo!!!


What are you working on?  I am currently working on putting all of my unused products to work.  I couldn't wait to order so many fabulous things in the 2015 Occasions Catalog, but finding the time to play with everything has been a challenge.  I work full-time, so I only have weekends to play, and they've been jam-packed with Stampin' Up! workshops (no complaints there!) and other fun things.  My fingers are crossed that I will get some big blocks of time to craft in the near future.

How does your work differ from others in your genre?  My work differs from others in that I am not quick to try new things.  When a new technique is all the rage, I tend to stick with what I know.  I get there eventually, try it and see if I like it, but I love to stamp and die cut, so that's what I do 95% of the time.  In the story of the tortoise and the hare, I'm the tortoise.  I'm slow and steady in this crafting race.

Why do you create what you do?   I. LOVE. MAKING. CARDS!  I used to scrapbook and did so religiously from 2006 to 2012.  However, when I joined the Luv 2 Stamp Group in 2012, I had to make cards for a swap, and I've been hooked ever since.  And because my friends and family consider their card as their gift from me when birthdays and special occasions come up, that makes the time and effort I put into card making all the more special. 

How does your creative process work?  I LIVE (eat, sleep, and drink) on Pinterest, and I love to create from sketches.  It is rare that I grab a stamp set, some dies and my Color Coach, and make something work.  However, it has happened, but that's only about 10% of the time.  Most of the time, I get my inspiration from projects I see on Pinterest or a card sketch that I've pinned to my Sketches :: Cards board and get to work.  I love seeing how it all comes to life. 

So, to keep the hop going, I have nominated Kay Cogbill of PaperMadePrettier.  Kay is an amazing crafter, and she has been a Stampin' Up! demonstrator for almost 10 years!  She makes beautiful cards and home decor projects, hosts fun classes, and is an all-around sweet person.  Please take the time to see what she has to share by visiting her blog next Monday.

Thank you for visiting with me and learning more about how I create.  Be sure to check out Maria at PrettyPaperMakers (who posted her Creative Blog Hop share last week) and Kay of PaperMadePrettier (who will share next Monday).  Have a great day, everyone! 

You will find all of the products I used to create this card below.  Order what you need by going to my Online Store or click any of the links to go right to that item.

Until next time, happy crafting!

 






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Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Celebrate...& My 300th Blog Post!

Hi Crafty Friends!  I'm so excited to share today's card with you!  Oh, yeah, and this is my 300th blog post!  

Over the 3-day holiday weekend, I was able to get in some much-needed crafting time.  I created some cards that I am super stoked about, so you'll have to check back in later this week and next as well to see them all.

I promised myself when I sat down to create that I would use new stamps and Framelits dies, as well as revisit some techniques I hadn't used in a while like embossing.  


For today's share, I made this Celebrate Card using some very simple ingredients:  embossing powder, the Heat Tool, the Big Shot, and vellum--YUM!  


As you can see, this card is very simple.  I die cut a few balloons and banners using the Balloons Framelits Dies, and stamped the sentiment from the Celebrate Today Stamp Set onto vellum and heat embossed it.  Easy, right?


I love how the balloon colors play against the bokeh background from patterned paper in the Best Year Ever Designer Series Paper (a FREE Sale-a-Bration item!).  Gotta love bokeh!


I hope you like this card, and thank you for celebrating my 300th blog post by visiting with me today!  I enjoy blogging and sharing my creations here with you.  

Well, that's all for today, folks.  You will find all of the products I used to create this card below.  Order what you need by going to my Online Store or click any of the links to go right to that item.

Until next time, happy crafting!

 






Shop in my Online Store (It's open 24/7!)

Check out this week's Weekly Deals!

Save up to 80% off Clearance Rack items!

SUPPLIES ::


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Friday, February 13, 2015

Lovely Amazing You

Hi Crafty Friends!  We've got a new stamp set for you!  Lovely, Amazing You is just what you need to spread happiness to your friends and family.  It's so versatile, you'll find yourself using it over and over again.  Mine is on the way, and I can't wait to get my hands on it!

I can't take any credit for the cards below, but I'm sure you won't mind me sharing them with you anyway.  They are the work of Stampin' Up! Concept Artist Jen C.  

 

 


 
Lovely, right?! 

Lovely, Amazing You Stamp Set

  
Well, that's all for today, folks.  Be sure to stop by next week where I'll celebrate my 300th blog post!  WOW, where'd the time go?!  

Thanks for stopping by!  Until next time, happy crafting!

 






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Check out this week's Weekly Deals!

Save up to 80% off Clearance Rack items!

Monday, February 9, 2015

Celebrate Today Birthday

Hey there, Crafty Friends!  I'm here today to share the second card we made at my host's party two weekends ago.  In addition to the Lotus Blossom Thank You Card we made, we also made this fun and festive Celebrate Today Birthday Card using the Celebrate Today Stamp Set.  LOVE this set!


With my crafting time being so short these days, I used the adorable Happy Day Mini Treat Bag as my muse in the 2015 Occasions Catalog on page 10 (lower left corner) for this card's design.  I knew that cute treat bag would make a perfect card for wishing someone a very happy birthday!


My card is nearly identical to the one in the Occasions Catalog, but I punched up the colors a bit with my color scheme--Crushed Curry, Melon Mambo, and Bermuda Bay.


My balloon had a little boo-boo, so I filled in the spot with a few strokes of our Melon Mambo Stampin' Write Marker.  I believe that it adds great dimension.  I also added a  piece of cardstock to the bottom of my tag that I punched with the Decorative Label Punch.  Still love and use that punch as much as I did when I first got it!


My host and her guests really loved this card, and I hope you will give it a try too.  The next time I pull out the Celebrate Today Stamp Set, I'll be sure to give the Balloon Framelits Dies a whirl too.  Can't wait!

Well, that's all for today, folks.  You will find all of the products I used to create this card below.  Order what you need by going to my Online Store or click any of the links to go right to that item.

Thanks for stopping by!  Until next time, happy crafting!

 






Shop in my Online Store (It's open 24/7!)

Check out this week's Weekly Deals!

Save up to 80% off Clearance Rack items!


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Monday, February 2, 2015

Lotus Blossom Thanks

Hi Crafty Friends!  Happy Monday!  I'm here today with a card that I absolutely adore!  I'm sure you've seen lots other cards made with the Lotus Blossom Stamp Set--the one that you can earn during Sale-a-Bration.  Well, I finally tried my hand at this amazing 3-step stamp set, and I was blown away!  If you haven't gotten your hands on it yet or don't really think that you need it, boy are you wrong!  

I made this Lotus Blossom Thank You Card for my host Traci's party last weekend as one of her and her guest's make 'n takes.  My inspiration for the background came from that beautiful Calypso Coral speckled background paper in the You Amaze Me Card I shared with you all last week (another Sale-a-Bration item).  Because I only have a limited amount of that paper, I figured we would have to make some our own.



Using our Whisper White Craft Stampin' Pad and the Gorgeous Grunge Stamp Set, we made our own.

 
 They were a little intimidated at first by the Lotus Blossom Stamp Set, but it's easy as pie to use.  The stamps are all numbered on the acetate sheet inside the case in the order that you stamp with them.  Genius!  And the image that you get, whether you use one color or two (or even three), is a 3-image of a flower that is simply gorgeous.  


TIP:  For the first two stamps in the set, make sure your stamp is sufficiently inked and stamp using the full strength of color that is on the stamp.  However, for stamp #3, stamp off onto Grid Paper to tone down the color.  Otherwise, you will not get all of that beautiful detail and variation of color if you don't.


What an easy, fun to make, mailable card!  I hope that you like it...my hostess and her guests sure did!  Every one of them ordered the Lotus Blossom Stamp Set as their free Sale-a-Bration item that day.  They really liked the other card we made at the party too, so I'll be back soon to share that one with you as well.

Here's a video from Stampin' Up! showing you how to stamp with your Lotus Blossom Stamp Set.

Video added April 1, 2015.

You will find all of the products I used to create this card below.  Order what you need by going to my Online Store or click any of the links to go right to that item.

Thanks for stopping by!  Until next time, happy crafting!

 






Shop in my Online Store (It's open 24/7!)

Check out this week's Weekly Deals!

Save up to 80% off Clearance Rack items!


SUPPLIES :: 

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog
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