Happy Birthday Bear

Time for another Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch challenge! One of the things I really like about these weekly challenges is how simple or complex you want your card to be. With the time I had, today I chose simple.

Since we have yet another birthday to celebrate in the month of July, I thought I would use this sketch to direct me towards what I wanted the card to look like.

Here is the sketch...


And here is my take on it...


I think it's cute, but I'm not head over heels crazy about it like I sometimes am when I make a card. I feel I could have probably tweaked it more to make it better, but for a 2-year old little boy this card will be perfect!

All products listed are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted
Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Only Orange, Tempting Turquoise
Stamp Sets: Cute & Cuddly, Party Hearty, On Your Birthday (sentiment)
Ink: Close to Cocoa, Real Red, (image colored in using watercolor pencils with blender pen)
Accessories: American Crafts striped ribbon, sparkly brads (non-SU!), dimensionals, Dazzling Diamonds glitter (for party hat)
Tools: scallop edge punch, piercing tool, ticket punch

New Catalog Open House

Last night's open house was quite the small turn out, which was a bummer because of all the preparation I did, but something I understood with it being summer and all. There's just so much to do when the weather is gorgeous!

However, the gals that were able to come said they loved the card I had designed as the free "make n take", so that was worth it. Plus, I have lots of leftovers for my next card making event! I absolutely am biased towards the color purple, so of course I fell in love with the color combo that I chose.

FRONT

INSIDE

All products listed are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted
Paper: Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry (new in-color!), Old Olive, Cottage Wall DS paper
Stamp Sets: Flight of the Butterfly, sentiment from Really Retro (retired)
Ink: Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Rich Razzleberry polka-dot grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals
Tools: 1 1/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, scallop circle punch, piercing tool, scallop edge punch

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Just a few snapshots from the event...

These are York peppermint patties...
Just a little treat to say thanks for coming!

And, of course there has to be door prizes! With only three gals coming (other than my upline and her friend), they each got a door prize!

Door Prize #1 - 18 sheets of 6x6 recently retired designer series paper, including Good Morning Sunshine, Sweet Always, & Rainbow Sherbet (congrats, Kim!)
Door Prize #2 - Recently retired "in-colors" card pack, including 8 card bases, 1 yard of ribbon, and a handmade card using some of the in-colors (congrats, Sarah!)
Door Prize #3 - Same as above (congrats, Angie!)

Sketch Challenge 108

This week's Saturday Sketch Challenge over at Stamping 411 definitely came at the right time as I was needing to make a birthday card for a friend's daughter and inspiration hadn't struck yet! And, because this sketch is ULTRA simple (as stated on their blog), I knew it would be the perfect sketch to whip out quickly. Once I saw the sketch, I got to work!

Here is the sketch...


And here is my take on it...


Paper: Whisper White, Pink Pirouette (retired), Real Red
Stamp Sets: Short & Sweet, Think Happy Thoughts (dotted circle), On Your Birthday (sentiment)
Ink: Real Red, Chocolate Chip (images colored in with watercolor pencils)
Accessories: dimensionals (to pop up cupcakes), red eyelets (non-SU!)
Tools: 1 1/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, ticket punch

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These next two are not officially part of the sketch, but looking through my card creations, I realized they pretty closely fit the bill.

you can find the supplies used with this card here

This next card, I created for my first ever Stampin' Up! card swap when I first joined at the end of March.


Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Green Galore
Stamp Sets: Short & Sweet
Ink: Chocolate Chip (images colored in with watercolor pencils)
Accessories: dimensionals (to pop up cupcakes), Real Red 1/4" grosgrain ribbon
Tools: 1 1/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, scallop circle punch, scallop edge punch


I didn't do a lot of card making this last week (the weather was too nice to stay indoors), but I have a lot of cards I've created in the last few weeks that I've been wanting to share. Hopefully I'll get some time to share those soon!

My new catalog kick-off will be happening this Tuesday and I'm so excited for my guests to make their free card (I love the color combo I chose!) and to look through the new catalog.

Just a Simple Thank You

This past Saturday, our local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) leadership team that I am a part of put on their first annual Rummage & Bake Sale Fundraiser to raise money for our MOPS program. We had a handful of MOPS moms volunteer their time (and stuff) to help us out, so being the one in charge of "CARE" I wanted to make them a little thank you card for their help. At first, I was going to use some pre-made cards I had, but after seeing this week's sketch challenge over at Stamping 411 and how simple and "do-able" it was, I opted to create the cards instead. I knew I was going to have to make 10 cards, so it had to be somewhat simple so that I wasn't working on them all day long!

Here is this week's sketch challenge over at Stamping 411...


And here is what I came up with...


Paper: Lovely Lilac, Sage Shadow, Whisper White, Good Morning Sunshine DSP (retired)
Stamp Sets: Flight of the Butterfly, Short & Sweet (sentiment)
Ink: Lovely Lilac
Accessories: dimensionals (to "pop up" the butterfly)
Tools: large oval punch, scallop oval punch, ticket punch

Swappin' Cards

I attended one of my first upline meetings on Monday night with my direct upline (and friend), Andrea. It was so informative and I just got so excited listening to the other ladies share about the things they do to help their business grow and become successful, not to mention all of the inspiring creations I was surrounded with. They were all very sweet to welcome me and I look forward to the next one.

Each meeting, the ladies not only teach each other techniques, but there are also door prizes and we get to swap cards with each other! I was super excited about the door prizes because I actually was chosen as one of the three who won something! I chose a little goody that was on my wish list. It is the uni-ball Signo white gel pen. Isn't it funny how we get so giddy about the little things!?


Now, onto the card swaps. First, I'll show you the card that I made for the ladies. Each time they meet they have a theme for the swaps and this month's theme was "new catalog". Well, since I don't have anything (yet) from the new catalog, Andrea let me borrow one of her new sets called Lots of Bots so I could participate in the swap.

This particular card I cased from the extremely talented Mary at Stampin' Pretty. With her card, she used the new in-color, Bermuda Bay, but since I don't have any of the in-colors (yet), I went with a shade that was similar.


Paper: Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White
Stamp Sets: Lots of Bots
Ink: Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise, Tempting Turquoise Stampin' Write Marker (to color in robot)
Accessories: Tempting Turquoise 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals
Tools: circle cutter, word window punch (for sentiment)

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This next card is actually one that we got to make at the meeting using the technique that Andrea shared with us. I kind of goofed a little while making it, so mine didn't quite turn out like it was "supposed to", but that is the beauty of cards...you make it your own. The technique was showing us how to make the "animal print" you see in the background. Thanks for the beautiful design, Andrea! This card was made using the new Autumn Days stamp set. Perfect for a masculine card, especially an avid outdoorsman! I love that I got to create something I normally may not have thought about.

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This next card was created using the new Circle Circus stamp set, as well as some of the new in-colors like Melon Mambo and Bermuda Bay. She created this card into an invitation. Love it! Isn't that polka dotted ribbon adorable?

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This card was created by the upline leader, Lori. She had an AWESOME craft room that I only wish one day I can have! This card was created using the new set Animal Stories.

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This final card (isn't it gorgeous!?) was made using the new in-color Melon Mambo, as well as the new DSP Razzleberry Lemonade. This one looked like it took a lot of time due to the fact that she colored in her image using stampin' write markers. But, it came out so beautiful, that I would think it would be worth the effort. The image is from the new Razzle Dazzle stamp set.


I hope you enjoyed the card swap designs! It's always fun to see what others create using their imagination and creativity!

Deal #2 - - the perfect little bag

To celebrate the new catalog that was released July 1st, Stampin' Up! is offering a special deal each week during the month of July. They will not disclose the new deal of the week until the previous week is finished. Last week the deal was the Scallop Edge Punch being sold for only $10.99 (that's over a 30% savings!) Some of my fellow stampers took me up on the special offer and I know they will be happy that they did because it's such a great little tool that can help pretty up a card or any crafty creation.

This week's deal starting today through July 13th, is the Doctor's Bag used specifically to carry the Big Shot die cut machine. The Doctor's Bag normally runs for $69.95, but is now on sale for $49.99. This is over a 30% savings!!

**Description from the Stampin' Up! website: Carry your Big Shot machine, cutting pads, and dies in stunning style. This black-and-white checked doctor’s bag makes storing and transporting your Big Shot machine easy and convenient. It has handles for carrying and a shoulder strap for when your hands are full of other crafting supplies.

I don't have the Big Shot machine, but I'm still thinking about getting this bag! The Big Shot is on my Christmas list, and I would love to have a great little bag to carry it with me to my workshops and events. (Of course...if I actually get the Big Shot for Christmas -- hint, hint, mom!)

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing the Doctor's Bag at this discounted rate. Or if you're interested in purchasing the Big Shot, we can chat more about that, too!

Since we're talking about the Big Shot...

I thought I would share with you some of the cards I have made using the die cut machine that my friend let me borrow a month or so ago.

My favorite two dies that I played around with were the Scallop Circle #2 Bigz Die and the Top Note Bigz Die.

Here's what I came up with for fun using the Scallop Circle...

**All products listed are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

{this particular card was used for my card making night}

Paper: Old Olive, Whisper White, Pacific Point (retired), Good Morning Sunshine DSP (retired)
Stamp Sets: Cheep Talk, sentiment from On Your Birthday
Ink: Pacific Point (retired), Summer Sun, Chocolate Chip, Stampin' Write Markers: Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Pacific Point 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, green brad (non-SU!)
Tools: scallop edge punch, Scallop Circle #2 Bigz Die

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Paper: Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss (retired), Pacific Point (retired), Good Morning Sunshine DSP (retired)
Stamp Sets: Cheep Talk, sentiment from Really Retro
Ink: Pacific Point (retired), Summer Sun, Chocolate Chip, Stampin' Write Markers: Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Pacific Point 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, green brad (non-SU!)
Tools: Scallop Circle #2 Bigz Die

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Paper: Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss (retired), Pacific Point (retired), Summer Sun, Good Morning Sunshine DSP (retired)
Stamp Sets: Party Hearty
Ink: Pacific Point (retired)
Accessories: Pacific Point 5/8" grosgrain ribbon
Tools: Scallop Circle #2 Bigz Die, scallop circle punch

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Here's what I came up with for fun using the Top Note Die...

**All products listed are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Paper: Whisper White, Pacific Point (retired), Good Morning Sunshine DSP (retired)
Stamp Sets: Cheep Talk
Ink: Pacific Point (retired), Summer Sun, Stampin' Write Markers: Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: green brad (non-SU!)
Tools: Top Note Bigz Die

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Paper: Whisper White, Apricot Appeal, Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, Bashful Blue DSP
Stamp Sets: Cheep Talk, sentiment from On Your Birthday
Ink: Apricot Appeal, Cameo Coral, Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Write marker
Accessories: green brad (non-SU!)
Tools: 1 3/8" circle punch, scallop circle punch, Top Note Bigz Die

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Paper: Whisper White, Pink Pirouette (retired), Sweet Always DSP (retired)
Stamp Sets: On Your Birthday
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: 5/8" grosgrain ribbon
Tools: Top Note Bigz Die, Flower Layers #3 Original Die

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{these particular cards were used for my card making night}

Paper: Whisper White, Cameo Coral, Tempting Turquoise
Stamp Sets: Seeing Spots (retired)
Ink: Cameo Coral, Tempting Turqouise
Accessories: silver brad (non-SU!), Tempting Turquoise 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, stampin' dimensionals
Tools: 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, scallop circle punch, Top Note Bigz Die


WHEW! I guess you could say I was trying hard to use the machine while I had it! Now do you see why I want the Big Shot!?

Sketch Challenge 106

Stamping 411 hosts a weekly sketch challenge on Saturdays and ever since my first time joining in last week, I'm hooked! It's fun to be given a design and try to put my own twist on things.

Here is today's sketch:


I really like the simplicity of it because I'm a pretty simple girl, so here is my take on it:


All products listed are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted
Paper: Certainly Celery, Whisper White, Sweet Always DSP (retired)
Stamp Sets: Flight of the Butterfly, sentiment from On Your Birthday
Ink: Regal Rose
Accessories: 1/4" American Crafts pink satin ribbon
Tools: 1 1/4" circle punch

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I'm headed to a baby shower on Sunday and I thought I would use this same sketch to help direct me with the card.


All products listed are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted
Paper: Pink Pirouette (retired), Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Sweet Always DSP (retired)
Stamp Sets: Darling Dots (retired hostess set), Cute and Cuddly
Ink: Regal Rose
Accessories: 5/8" chocolate chip grosgrain ribbon
Tools: scallop edge punch

Tart & Tangy

My friend and upline let me borrow one of her stamp sets last week so that I could use it for my first card making class. This particular stamp set is called Tart & Tangy and can be purchased for only $12.95. It has so many uses and I love the simplicity of it! Don't these images remind you of summer?


This first card is one that I have seen EVERYWHERE on the internet and thought it would be a great one for my card making night! Whoever first came up with it is brilliant! It would make great summer birthday invitations, don't you think?


Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White
Stamp Sets: Tart & Tangy, sentiment is from On Your Birthday
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, dots on scallop circle are made with Pumpkin Pie stampin' write marker
Accessories: Pumpkin Pie 1/2" grosgrain ribbon, Dazzling Diamonds glitter (applied with 2-way glue pen), popsicle stick attached with sticky strip, dimensionals
Tools: scallop circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch

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These next cards are ones that I played around with during the weekend. I had so much fun with this stamp set that I just kept going.

**Please note: I'm trying to use up the retired in-colors and designer-series paper, so forgive me if you fall in love with some of the colors/DSP that you see, and there's no way to get it! These cards are primarily ones that I am making for either personal use or will be for sale at my events.

All products listed are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted


Paper: Apricot Appeal, Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, Green Galore, Rainbow Sherbert DSP (retired)
Stamp Sets: Tart & Tangy, sentiment is from a recent retired hostess set - Goody, Goody Gumdrops
Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Apricot Appeal
Accessories: Tempting Turquoise 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Dazzling Diamonds glitter (applied with 2-way glue pen), dimensionals
Tools: scallop edge punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch

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Paper: Real Red, Whisper White, Rainbow Sherbert DSP (retired)
Stamp Sets: Tart & Tangy, sentiment is from a recent retired hostess set - Goody, Goody Gumdrops
Ink: Real Red, Glorious Green
Accessories: Whisper White 3/8" tafetta ribbon, red buttons (non-SU!) adhered with glue dots
Tools: scallop circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch

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Paper: Rose Red, Green Galore, Gable Green, Whisper White, Rainbow Sherbert DSP (retired)
Stamp Sets: Tart & Tangy, sentiment is from a recent retired hostess set - Goody, Goody Gumdrops
Ink: Rose Red, Glorious Green, (colored in stems with Chocolate Chip stampin' write marker)
Tools: 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch

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Paper: Baja Breeze (retired), Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White, Good Morning Sunshine DSP (retired)
Stamp Sets: Tart & Tangy, sentiment is from On Your Birthday
Ink: Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Pumpkin Pie 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals, orange brads (non-SU!)
Tools: scallop circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch

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Paper: Baja Breeze (retired), Kiwi Kiss (retired), Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White, Good Morning Sunshine DSP (retired)
Stamp Sets: Tart & Tangy, sentiment is from Really Retro
Ink: Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Pumpkin Pie 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals
Tools: eyelet border punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, word window punch

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3x3 gift tags

Paper: Whisper White, Old Olive, Real Red,
Stamp Sets: Tart & Tangy, sentiment is from a recent retired hostess set - Goody, Goody Gumdrops
Ink: Real Red, Old Olive and Real Red stampin' write markers to color in image
Accessories: red polka-dotted grosgrain ribbon (non-SU!)
Tools: scallop square punch

Now, I'm hungry for some fruit salad! Anyone else!?

July weekly specials begin!

The new catalog is here! Today, July 1st, is the first day that products from this catalog are available. And to help kick off the new catalog (that will now be around for a whole year!), Stampin' Up! just announced that they will be holding weekly specials during the month of July. I must say I'm super excited about this, especially with the first special that will be running until July 5th...

You can purchase the

Scalloped Edge Punch
for only $10.99 (reg. $15.95)
That's over a 30% savings!!

I'm not kidding when I say this tool is one hot product! I love the look it can create with a quick punch or two. For those of you who are local (Portland-Metro area, Oregon), I will be sending in an order late Friday evening, July 3rd, so please let me know if you would like to order one!

And, if you don't believe me that this little goody can create such a fun look, check out some of the samples that I've created in the past using this scalloped edge punch.

These are three of the cards I made in my stampin' frenzy over the last few days. I'll post them again and add "ingredients" later.

stuck on stampin' begins!

Oh, yes. I've decided to start yet ANOTHER blog. However, this blog will be intended for my new endeavor of becoming an independent Stampin' Up! demonstrator. I will be posting all of the many projects that I will create. Plus, this site will be full of opportunities for you to ask questions of all sorts, as well as give you the chance to purchase products if you are interested.

Just a little bit about how I got started on the Stampin' Up! journey...

I became a Stampin' Up demonstrator at the end of March 2009 when an acquaintance (now friend) asked me if I would be interested. If she would had asked me even a month earlier, I probably would have said no, but it just seemed to be the right timing for me. I am a stay at home mom to a 3-year old girl and 21-month old boy. They keep me busy, but I always try to find ways to squeeze in my creative passion. With Stampin' Up! I'm able to pass on that creativity and get others inspired using some amazing products!

I hope I can help you get STUCK ON STAMPIN'!