Sister Love

Today is my sister's birthday! Happy Birthday Barbara!!!

I gave her this card last weekend at a family celebration, and she LOVED it! :) I can't take credit for the layout, or even the color combo. I CASEd a card I thought was BEAUTIFUL, and why reinvent the wheel, right!? The card I saw was a thank you card made by a fellow SU! demonstrator, Chris Smith. I made a few changes of course. lol

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Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - Vintage Labels, Candle Crazy builder wheel (Summer mini)

PAPER - Only Orange, Whisper White, Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip
INK - Whisper White, Close to Cocoa, Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette

OTHER - 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Corduroy Button, Big Shot Texture Plates Kit#4, Textured Impressions Perfect Polka Dots, Flower Daisies #2 Die

real RED whisper WHITE & brilliant BLUE

Here is a fun little 6x6 scrapbook page suitable for a single photo, a little trio, or even a collage. I really LOVE my little 6x6 album and have lots of fun pages in there that span a large time frame. It's portable and would make a great gift too! Since we have family plans for the 4th this year, I'm expecting to take the usual 400+ photos so I'll likely mount this onto a 12x12 and morph this into a DPS...but I don't have to! ;)

The page was made with Textured Card Stock as the base, and two of the accents are stamped images using the rock-n-roll technique. All I did was ink the image in red, then I carefully rock-n-rolled just the outer edge of the image in blue before stamping! Totally easy, really cute effect!!!

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - July Fourth (Summer mini)

PAPER - Brilliant Blue textured, Whisper White, Real Red
INK - Brilliant Blue, Real Red

OTHER - Red Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Buttons, Scallop Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, Curly Label Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

Glad to Have Dad

This is for my father-in-law. This was the first time I've spritzed the paper with a little water before using a texture plate. The difference is amazing. I got a really good impression, and then I smeared ink over it to add even more depth!
I think I'm going to add a fishing hook and some line before I send it to him, but since it will be a workshop card tonight, with a birthday sentiment option, I didn't want personalize it too much. So you'll just have to use your imagination to envision the final awesomeness of this card! LOL ;)

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - Forest Friends, Enjoy Every Moment, Jumble Alphabet

PAPER - Kraft, Brocade Blue, Whisper White
INK - Old Olive, Brocade Blue, Close to Cocoa

OTHER - Top Note Die, Distressed Texturez Plate

I don't think I could ever make a card worthy of my wonderful father, but I hope he will like this one.  I went with a checkerboard pattern using nine 1x1" squares. The game pieces are from a stamp set called Game Night, and my dad LOVES to play games!

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - Game Night, Medallion, Jumble Alphabet

PAPER - Confetti Cream, Summer Sun
INK - More Mustard, Night of Navy, Close to Cocoa

OTHER - 1/2" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Friday ya'll!

Sally

Stampers Club Projects

The little beauty on the left is a fun size, 4 x 4" square and I made it using only ONE stamp set, Simple Friendship. I love these stamps, and you'll be happy to know this set isn't going anywhere! :) I stamped the butterfly on my scratch paper and then edged the stamp with a Close to Cocoa Marker before stamping it on the card stock. Click on the image below to see it up close (there are also flowers stamped in the background).

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - Simple Friendship

PAPER - Whisper White, Barely Banana, Close to Cocoa. Kaleidoscope DSP
INK - Bermuda Bay, Barely Banana, Close to Cocoa

OTHER - Pink Taffeta Ribbon, Paper Piercer

The birthday card was made using my favorite technique, polished stone! I really like the result I got with these colors. For a tutorial on this technique, click HERE. And look at me, again I only used ONE stamp set! lol

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - Upsy Daisy

PAPER - Crushed Curry, Rich Razzleberry, Glossy White, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP
INK - Dusty Durango, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Metallic Gold, StazOn Jet Black

OTHER - 1/2" Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Scallop Edge Punch, Rubbing Alcohol, Clear Acrylic Sealer

Lastly we did a fun little treat holder. It's made from a Big Shot die called Pillow Box, and I just punched a window to reveal what's inside! :)

Stampin' Supplies:

PAPER - To the Nines Specialty (designer card stock)

OTHER - Pillow Box Die, Curly Label Punch, Chocolate 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon

P.S. Wanna join us for some crafty good fun? I'm currently looking for members to join the July - December club. Members get FREE stuff for being in the club, and you have to do is place a monthly order and have a good time! Click HERE for more info!

Last Chance List!

The Last Chance List is here!!! If you have your eye on a specific stamp set, June might just be the last month you'll be able to order it. You'd better check your list and check it twice!

Stampin' Up! has also released a list of retiring Decor Elements (self adhesive vinyl art) and a list of accessories, which is being depleted quickly and updated daily. For more info on these limited Accessories, visit my website. The best way to get 'em is to order online!

Samantha's Card

One of my nieces got married a couple of Saturday's ago and I have been holding off on posting this card, so she wouldn't see it here first. The bride was absolutely GORGEOUS and she and her new hubby are so happy! :)

The card was made with the colors from her wedding, Handsome Hunter and Sage Shadow. I wish I could have really captured the sparkle on this card in the photograph.  The dress is made up of two layers. Very Vanilla card stock with Vellum over the top. The Vellum layer was embossed using a template for the Big Shot, then I traced over it with Two Way Glue and dusted the whole thing with Dazzling Diamonds. I also coated the hunter piece with Smooch Sprtiz! :)

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - All Holidays

PAPER - Very Vanilla, Vellum, Handsome Hunter, Sage Shadow, Cottage Wall DSP
INK - Handsome Hunter

OTHER - Manhattan Flower Textured Impressions, Scallop Circle Die, Dazzling Diamonds, Two Way Glue, 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Rhinestone Brad, White Gel Pen, Smooch Spritz

Creative Catch Up

Well as I mentioned before, there have been many things to cross my craft table that I haven't shared here yet. Sadly a few of them found homes before I thought to photograph them, but here are a few things I can share with you now...

This is a birthday card for a sweet little man in our lives. He just turned the BIG 3 and he LOVES trains! I wish I had taken more than one photo, this one is a bit blurry and you'll have to excuse the background, but I am thrilled with the way the card came out *patting self on back* and so I just had to share it with you anyway! ;)

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - Headline Numbers*

PAPER - Only Orange, Basic Black, Going Gray, Whisper White
INK - Going Gray Craft embossed with Silver, White Gel Pen

OTHER - 1" Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, Corner Rounder, Word Window Punch, Key Tag Punch*, Silver EP

*retired 

One of my newest cool toys is an embossing folder for my Big Shot. They make such a wonderful deep impression and were designed with cards in mind, so you can run a 5-1/2 x 4-1/4 (or smaller) piece through and get great results...but in this instance I used a 6x6 piece of card stock and created a mini scrapbook page. I also dredged the paper across my White Craft Pad to make the flowers pop even more.
The tulips were created using the bird wing from the 2-Step Bird Punch, just punch three of them, edge the paper with a darker shade, and voila. It's so easy!This is going to be GORGEOUS with the right picture on it!

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - Extra Postage
PAPER - Almost Amethyst, Brocade Blue, Sage Shadow, Whisper White
INK - Ballet Blue, Whisper White
OTHER - Textured Impressions Elegant Bouquet, Two-Step XL Bird Punch, Dimensionals

Now even though my Mom passed away more than 10 years ago, there are still many special women in my life and I try to celebrate them too! We sent this card to my husbands mother earlier in the month, and she loved it! :) I love the Circle Circus Stamp Set!!!

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - Circle Circus, Jayne's Type Alphabet

PAPER - Orchid Opulence, Pale Plum, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White
INK - Orchid Opulence, Pretty in Pink, Summer Sun

OTHER - Gold Brad, Summer Sun Corduroy Button, Butterfly Punch, Scallop Edge Punch, 1" & 3/4" Circle Punches, Small Heart Punch, Dimensionals

One of my favorite pastimes is reading. It can be a challenge to find time for it, but at the very least, there are plenty of bedtimes stories read around here...even if we don't always do it at bedtime! LOL This is a bookmark that used to be available in our catalog, but even now that it isn't it would be pretty easy to cut your own simple rectangle, punch a hole and round the corners.  It measures about 5-1/4 x 2". Or even better make one using the Two Tags Bigz Die for the Big Shot!

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - Of The Earth, Flight of the Butterfly

PAPER - Whisper White
INK - Bermuda Bay, Summer Sun, More Mustard

OTHER - Brown Grosgrain Ribbon

Lost in a Fog

For some reason April was a whirlwind of a month for me. The month wasn't void of crafty things though. I had club night, ladies night, posted many a sketch on Splitcoast, but between the crazy weather and all the home improvement stuff I was working on, my blog suffered!

I still have several things that I need to photograph and post, so stay tuned for more craftiness to come!

For now I'll leave you with today's sketch:

To see pages created with this sketch, visit the SBSC237 Gallery!

Color Renovation

The new catalog will be here in just a few short months, and the anticipation builds for a new group of In Colors. Well guess what? There's a whole lot more going on. Stampin' Up! has done extensive research on the sales of the existing colors and the decision is in...it's time for a change! So hold onto your hat, get your big girl panties on, and say goodbye to the following colors:

Pink Passion           Almost Amethyst       Glorious Green
Pixie Pink               Bordering Blue          Handsome Hunter
Pale Plum               Brocade Blue             Sage Shadow
Orchid Opulence    Ballet Blue                 Mellow Moss
Lovely Lilac           Brilliant Blue             Green Galore
Lavender Lace        Taken with Teal         Gable Green


Barely Banana        Ruby Red
Yoyo Yellow           Cameo Coral
Summer Sun           Blush Blossom
Apricot Appeal       Creamy Caramel
Only Orange           Close to Cocoa
Really Rust             Going Gray

Well they aren't exactly out the door just jet, but these colors will only remain available through the end of June 2010. With that in mind you'll want to get yourself a reinker and/or pick up some more paper while you still can! Visit my website for easy online ordering.

The remaining colors are being re-categorized into 4 groups of 10. We'll have 5 NEW colors in addition to the In Color Collection and some In Color's from past catalogs are making a comeback!!!

Image - "Rainbow Ocean" by Thelma 1 at deviantart.com

Chocolate Bunnies Rule!

Isn't this cute? The Chocolate Bunny stamp just screams "EMBOSS ME" so I did! I think it makes him look like real chocolate!!! I also embossed the entire card front with a floral background stamp. After adding satin ribbon, the whole card is shiny and delicious!!! But don't eat it! ;)

Stampin' Supplies:

STAMPS - Chocolate Bunny, Bella Toile
PAPER - Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink
INK - Chocolate Chip Craft, VersaMark

OTHER - Green Satin Ribbon, White Embossing Powder, Clear Embossing Powder

Here we have a simple little scrapbook page perfect for showcasing a fabulous egg hunt picture! It's a 6x6, my favorite brag book size, so adding a photo (or even 2) is a cinch!

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - Inspired by Nature

PAPER - Green Galore, Kaleidoscope DSP, Whisper White
INK - Green Galore

OTHER - Large Oval Punch

Coaster Creations

This is a simple tumbled tile that you can buy at any hardware/home improvement store. They have a distressed finish and rough edges. And I'm guessing they're about 3x3" although I admit I haven't measured them.
For stamping on tiles the trick is to make sure they don't have a shiny smooth surface, or that they don't have a coating on them...these were actually very "chalky" when I bought them, which is normal. You just need to rinse them and let them dry before you attempt to make them beautiful.

I did two different versions both using the Medallion Stamp that I love so much, but the possibilities are endless! If you'd like to give it a go, I'm having a class on Saturday March 26th at 2:00 PM. Visit my website for the details!

Mmmm Mmmm Yummy

Can you believe my Gloria will be 13 on St. Patty's Day!? Where has the time gone? Cuz we all know I'm NOT getting old! LOL
We had her party last Saturday and I attempted to make a "Wonderland cake." It was the theme since we kicked off the party with Alice In Wonderland in IMax 3D...loved it!!!

Anyway, she really likes the topsy turvy cake styles so it was fitting for a "Wonderland cake." I just didn't have time to make a rabbit/pocket watch/tea cups/grinning cat...etc. so I decided "funky shapes" would have to suffice. It's a collaboration of myself and the birthday girl. We had a lot of fun getting it decorated, but what a relief when it was finished!

This little basket is pretty punchy. It's sportin' a sweet little bird punched with one of our new punches, it's only available until April 30th and it's quite popular!  I also used the Scallop Trim Border Punch I got FREE with my last order...can't beat that! And I even used a Circle Punch to make the basket handles, too easy!

Oh, and lookie what's inside...

Stampin' Supplies:
PAPER - Creamy Caramel, Pixie Pink, Pink Passion, Kaleidoscope DSP
INK - Creamy Carmel (to edge the basket)

OTHER - So Saffron Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, XL Two-Step Bird Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, Scallop Trim Border Punch*

*Get yours for FREE when you spend $50 on anything!

Here Comes Spring

 

For Stamper's Club we always do three projects. Usually a 6x6 scrapbook page, a card, and a 3D item of some sort. This month we did a bigger page and 2 cards...one packed full of techniques!

An 8.5 x 8.5" scrapbook page. I punched a stamped image from Enjoy Every Moment with the 3/4" Circle Punch and it made a perfect center for this flower from the Pretties Kit, then I also punched the center of the journaling image so I could edge it in Certainly Celery first. The butterfly was just punched using a nice stripe from Welcome Neighbor before edging it in Pixie Pink!

Stampin' Supplies:
PAPER - Pixie Pink, Certainly Celery, Welcome Neighbor DSP*
INK - Basic Black Craft, Pixie Pink Craft, Always Artichoke Craft, Certainly Celery Craft, Crushed Curry
STAMPS - Enjoy Every Moment
OTHER - Crushed Curry Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, 3/4" Circle Punch, 1-3/4" Circle Punch, Butterfly Punch, Pretties Kit Flower

*Get yours for FREE when you spend $50 on anything!

I try not to use more than one stamp set when I make a card (aside from sentiments). But on this card I wanted different foliage to go with my birdie so I pulled out Paradise again. I really LOVE this set! :)

Stampin' Supplies:
PAPER - Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo, Whisper White
INK - Melon Mambo, Old Olive, Bermuda Bay
STAMPS - Paradise, Oval All, Cheep Talk
OTHER - Scallop Oval Punch, Markers

This little card is packed with techniques. After a good rub with my Embossing Buddy, I stamped the flower petals on Bravo Burgundy Card Stock and heat embossed them with White Embossing Powder. Then I bleached out the flower petals with some household bleach and a Q-tip. After some drying time I scribbled on the darker areas with a Perfect Plum Watercolor Pencil, and inside the flower with Pixie Pink. I used an Aquapainter to disburse the color and soften the look. The center of the flower is dry embossed as well as the pink card stock layer...I used my Big Shot of course!

Stampin' Supplies:
PAPER - Gable Green, Pixie Pink, Bravo Burgundy, Summer Sun
INK - VersaMark, Basic Black
STAMPS - Pick a Petal
OTHER - Textured Impressions Perfect Polka Dots, Textures Plate Kit #4, White EP, 1" Circle Punch

Marking the Territory

I've been having fun using my markers lately to ink up stamps and add detail. These particular projects are for Ladies Night tonight and we're gonna have FUN!

I love the Good Neighbors Stamp Set* from the Sale-a-Bration Mini. This is such a sweet little card to show it off too! I stamped the two story house in StazOn so I could watercolor it, and since I used a marker for the little yellow roof, I was able to make the chimney brown!

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - *Good Neighbors,  All Holidays

INK - More Mustard, Old Olive, Real Red, Close to Cocoa, StazOn
PAPER - Kraft, Real Red, Very Vanilla

OTHER - Sweet Pea Stitched Felt, Scallop Edge Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Corner Rounder

*Get yours for FREE when you spend $50 on anything!

 

What can I say about this? I really enjoy 6x6 pages because they are so easy to whip up and my brag book is filled with a large variety of different pages. The square of card stock in Cameo Coral is exactly 4-1/2" x 4-1/2" and when using an embossing folder for your Big Shot, this is the maximum width. It was designed with greeting cards in mind. You can emboss an entire card front lickity split!

Stampin' Supplies:
PAPER - Tempting Turquoise Textured Card Stock, Cameo Coral, Welcome Neighbor DSP*
INK - Basic Black Craft, Basic Black Marker
STAMPS - Stem Sayings
OTHER - Sweet Pea Stitched Felt, Textured Impressions Perfect Polka Dots, Oval Punch, Corner Rounder

*Get yours for FREE when you spend $50 on anything!

Ladies Night is every month on the THIRD Thursday from 7-9PM. You can join my Meetup group to get email reminders of all events, and it makes RSVPing a snap!

It's Not 2009 Anymore

...and it's not January anymore either! lol

That was one of the projects for Stamper's Club last month, and I should have posted it sooner, but I had it "packed away" in a pile of crafty stuff and it was overlooked! You'll be happy to know it is unearthed from it's hiding place and now happily resides on a shelf where I can see it every day! :)

I used cardboard drink coasters and covered the surface. Then stamped a large image from the Brocade Basics Stamp Set in Rich Razzleberry...YUM! The calendar pages are each also stamped with another image from the same set, but this time I stamped off before I stamped the page, then I went ahead and stamped it two more times without re-inking. I love that look!

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - Brocade Basics
INK - Rich Razzleberry
PAPER - Rich Razzleberry, Welcome Neighbor DSP*

OTHER - 1/2" Library Clips

*Get yours for FREE when you spend $50 on anything!

Felt Flowers Make EVERYTHING Better!

Isn't that the cutest thing? These flowers are called Sweet Pea Stitched Felt. You get a package of 52 pieces for $7.95, it's a GREAT value!
I thought this was the perfect accessory for this little handcrafted photo frame I did. I was able to use some of the paper I got FREE from the Sale-a-Bration promotion! Totally simple, totally easy to make. Don't you just love it!?

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - Stem Sayings, *Good Neighbors (leaf in center)
INK - Chocolate Chip, Old Olive
PAPER - *Welcome Neighbor DSP, Certainly Celery, Bali Breeze DSP (polka dot, retired)

OTHER - Sweet Pea Stitched Felt, Sanding Block

*Get yours for FREE when you spend $50 on anything! (s-a-b mini page 6 & 7)

A Page for the Season

I've had these brads from the Occasions Mini for over a month now. They're called Sending Love and I think they are really cute! Apparently so does my 8 year-old Sydney, she helped herself to about 8 of them when I hadn't even opened the package yet.
If you look at them in the mini you'll noticed they have a silver rim...they're brads. Well I guess she wanted to use them differently because she pried the Epoxy centers off the brads and had them fixed in fours on bottle cap embellishments. Yes what she did was cute, but I was not too happy to make this discovery since she did not have my permission.
I managed to recover 5 of the brads and put them back together, but three of them no longer had a brad that I could find. Fortunately they still had plenty of "stick" so I was able to use them like stickers and put them right on my page! So I guess the lesson here is that you can use them either way, and they are a little less bulky this way!

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - Jumble Alphabet, Rough Edges Alphabet
INK - Real Red, Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip
PAPER - Real Red Textured Card Stock, Whisper White, Love Sparkles Simply Scrappin Kit 

OTHER - Big Shot Top Note Die, Clear Embossing Powder, Sending Love Epoxy Brads (Real Red 1/2")

P.S. It's Friday, so how about another sketch? I'd love to see what you do with this layout. Leave me a comment with a link if you use this one! :)

January Sales

I want to extend my sincere thanks to everyone who placed an order with me last month. I sold three I {Heart} Hearts stamp sets as well as raised an extra $61 to send to the Red Cross for the people in Haiti. It may be just a drop in the bucket, but I'm glad I can help! The I {Heart} Hearts stamp set is available through April 30th, but to make it count and have Stampin' Up! contribute $2 from the order you need to get yours before February 28th (see this post for more info).
Again, thank you!!!
Crafty hugs,
Sally

Austin Adventures

Friday's sketch came in handy at my crop yesterday. I made it into a double page spread using 6 photos from 2003. I wish I had done a better job writing the title, but it's done and I'm ready to move on and tackle some more old pictures!!!

This is the page that follows the sketch. I used a background stamp to kiss the solid images from the Pardise stamp set. This gave them the same texture as the leaves stamped right on the page. I think my photo is a little too bright. The paper on the sides has a stripped pattern and the leaves are all different shades of green.

The title page is just a standard linear design that works well anytime you have three photos cropped to 4x4!

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - Paradise
INK - Green Galore, Certainly Celery, Garden Green
PAPER - Certainly Celery Textured Card Stock, Whisper White Card Stock, Just Delightful Simply Scrappin Kit (Striped Card Stock)
OTHER - Rose Red Double Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Scallop Edge Punch, Rose Red Marker