friday favorites - farewell to happy watercolor

Today it's Friday Favorites at Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration. My current favorites are two items in the 2014 Occasions Catalog. With all of the excitement of retiring products and the new catalog coming out, the Occasions Catalog has been a little forgotten. There are quite a few sets and products you will see in the new catalog that will be carrying over from the Occasions Catalog, but there are also a lot that won't be available any longer after June 1st when the Occasions Catalog is over.

One of those stamp sets we will have to say farewell to is Happy Watercolor ($21.95 clear mount / $29.95 wood mount). I definitely didn't get to play with this set enough. I think I'll hold onto it for awhile, though. It needs some more ink...even if it's just for personal use! 

 

Another product we have to say goodbye to is the Watercolor Wonder DSP. I have used this paper quite a bit since the mini catalog was released. In fact, I mostly just have scraps left! 

 Now onto today's card...

I started out with following a sketch, but then my card kind of took on a life of its own and the sketch was no longer to be seen! Have you had that happen before?!

 

I wanted to zoom in on the flowers and butterflies to show off the tiny little pearls. So fun to accent a card with these! The butterfly is punched once with Daffodil Delight cardstock and then again with vellum and I "fluffed" the wings to look like it was flying.

Stamp Sets	Happy Watercolor
Ink	Early Espresso, Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral
Paper	Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Vellum, Watercolor Wonder DSP
Accessories	SNAIL Adhesive, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Pearl Accents, 1/4" Daffodli Delight Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon
Tools	Bitty Butterfly Punch

 

To check out what the other designers have created for Friday Favorites, visit our blog!

control freaks swap - sea street

I posted my first Control Freaks swap card on Monday (I was a little late in posting it...we swapped a couple of months ago!)

And, just this last week I participated in my second swap with this wonderful group of stampers. The turn around was so quick and a couple of days ago I received a package of 28 different swap cards! The theme for this time around was "Pre-Order Stamp Sets". As demonstrators we get to order select products from the upcoming 2014-2015 catalog. What fun it will be to show these samples at my upcoming events. The swaps are perfect for showing off all the fun new catalog products without having to buy all the different sets and take the time to create individual cards!

So...are you excited for the NEW CATALOG?! Just 5 more days until you will be able to order out of the 2014-2015 Annual Catalog! A $25 order gets you your own copy in the mail for FREE!

Here is a picture of all 28 of my swap cards ready to be mailed off...

Although I wasn't able to link it up in time, I did use Mojo Monday Sketch #346 to help with the layout of this card.

The fishes are embossed with Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder to give them some sparkle as they "swim" through the blue waters.

Stamp Sets	Sea Street (new in catalog!), Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink	Night of Navy, Real Red, Versamark (for embossing), Blendabilities to color on rhinestones
Paper	Whisper White, Real Red, Night of Navy, Coastal Cabana, Maritime DSP (new in catalog!)
Accessories	SNAIL Adhesive, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Rhinestone Accents, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder
Tools	Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine, Bitty Banners Framelits, 2-1/2" Circle Punch, 1" Circle Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch, Paper Snips

retiring stamp set - hearts a flutter

I hope you all have been getting some great inspiration from the handful of retiring stamp sets I have been sharing over the last couple of weeks. As a demonstrator it's hard to let some of these great sets go, but many of them I will hang onto for personal use. It's been fun pulling them out and inking them up!

Soon we will also be saying goodbye to Hearts a Flutter, a super cute stamp set that has matching Framelits (have no fear...the Framelits are here to stay!) Right now the clear mount version of Hearts a Flutter is available at a blowout price!!

{HEARTS A FLUTTER}

$13.27 (reg. $18.95) / #129252 (clear mount)

$25.95 / #131922 (wood mount)

Today the designers at Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration are hoping to inkspire you using Hearts a Flutter. It's our tribute as we say goodbye to this fun set! Be sure to head on over to see what the other designers have created.

I needed a baby card for a friend, so I headed over to The Paper Players for some sketch inspiration and then used Fab Friday's color combo.

Technically this card is for a baby boy, but I figured the Crisp Cantaloupe wasn't too pink and the two shades of blue help lean in that direction...even the hubby said it works for a boy! ;) I have to admit I had a hard time adding in the Summer Starfruit, but was giddy when I pulled out the dahlia to make the finishing touch...it was just what it needed!

 

Stamp Sets	Hearts a Flutter, Teeny Tiny Wishes (sentiment)
Ink	Crisp Cantaloupe, Coastal Cabana
Paper	Pool Party, Coastal Cabana, Summer Starfruit, Whisper White, 2013-2015 In-Color DSP Stack (Crisp Cantaloupe polka dots)
Accessories	SNAIL Adhesive, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Summer Starfruit Dahlia,
Tools	Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine, Bitty Banners Framelits, Hearts a Flutter Framelits, Finishing Touches Edgelits, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder

 

More Hearts a Flutter inspiration from the last couple of years...

 

 

 

 

 

 

retiring stamp set - sweets for the sweet

We had a few extra hours over the weekend and Mikayla (my daughter) wanted to do a little crafting. She has her own stash of cardstock and patterned paper, so she picked out the card base color and background all on her own (non-Stampin' Up!). Then I let her have free reign of choosing from my stamps and she decided on Sweets for the Sweet (a soon to be retired stamp set). She liked the lollipop circle since it matched the polka dotted background. Sweets for the Sweet is still available in wood mount, so snag it before it goes away on June 4th! And, don't forget the Retired Products Blowout happening now! Select products that are retiring are 30-50% off! Check it out HERE.

{SWEETS FOR THE SWEET}

$25.95 / #128742 (wood mount)

I will admit that she asked me to stamp the lollipop sticks and I tied the ribbon for her, but she did all the rest! She even picked out the colors of ink to match the polka dots ~ Pistachio Pudding, Strawberry Slush, and the *new* in-color Lost Lagoon. The thing she wanted the most on this card was to use GLITTER! So, of course the swirled lollipops have Dazzling Diamonds glitter on them (it's extra sparkly in person). She decided to use a different stamp than the one in the set, so she opted for "sweet treats" from Teeny Tiny Wishes.

She wanted a picture with her card and even said I should lay out the card supplies to show what she used. Love this girl! (This picture was taken before we decided to use ribbon on the bottom!)

More Sweets for the Sweet inspiration from the last couple of years...

control freaks swap - flat and fabulous

Happy Memorial Day to all of my American friends!

I have a quick card to share with you today. This is the card I created for my first swap with the Control Freaks a couple of months ago. Not sure how I missed sharing it with you all, but here it is better late than never! I just mailed off my 2nd swap last week, so I'll be sure to share that one a little sooner...especially because it was a swap using catalog preview goodies! The theme for this swap was "Flat and Fabulous". We were asked to not use anything that was too bulky to mail, such as buttons, ribbon with bows or knots, etc. We wanted to have samples to show our customers that not every card needs extra postage! ;) Small rhinestones and pearls were on the OK list! I can't remember exactly how many swaps I created for this one, but I think it was around 25. I wish I would have taken a picture of the "steps" I took to create this card, but I was just too busy trying to get er done. Ha!

This picture shows all of the fun layers...

Embossed background

Strip of silver glimmer paper

1/8" Bermuda Bay taffeta ribbon

Kaleidoscope DSP

Strawberry Slush ruffled ribbon

Stamp Sets	Perfect Pennants
Ink	Strawberry Slush, Basic Black, Bermuda Bay
Paper	Strawberry Slush, Bermuda Bay, Basic Black, Whisper White, Kaleidoscope DSP, Silver Glimmer Paper
Accessories	SNAIL Adhesive, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Rhinestone Accents, 1/8" Bermuda Bay Taffeta Ribbon, Strawberry Slush Ruffled Ribbon
Tools	Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine, Pennant Framelits, Arrows Textured Embossing Folder, Chevron Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Mini Star Punch

retiring stamp set - make a cake (& retired list blowout!)

Before I share with you the last of four cards we made for May's Card Making Night (we used all retiring stamp sets!), I wanted to make sure you knew of the RETIRED LIST BLOWOUT starting TODAY!

Get excited! Stampin' Up! is currently offering a 25%-50% discount on many of the retiring products, not including those products that are no longer available. This will be live on May 22, but you have to act fast, as this special offer is only available until June 4, 2014.

Retired Stamp Sets List ~ find it HERE!

Retired Accessories List ~ find it HERE!

Order through my online store at heidiboos.stampinup.net to take advantage of these retired products at a reduced cost! 

And now for some card making inspiration! During this month's card night I wanted to ink up some retiring sets one last time. I love the Make a Cake set...it is so darling! I am sad it is retiring, but I will definitely be holding onto it for some personal use. It's so perfect for birthday and wedding cards! And, BONUS!! The wood mount Make a Cake set is one of the sets that are 30% off! Get it for only $10.47 (reg. price $14.95).

{MAKE A CAKE}

$11.95 / #126742 (clear mount)

$10.47 / #132036 (wood mount)

Stamp Sets	Make a Cake, A Dozen Thoughts, Yippee-Skippee
Ink	Rich Razzleberry, Midnight Muse, Pool Party
Paper	Rich Razzleberry, Midnight Muse, Pink Pirouette, Pool Party, Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry DSP (retired)
Accessories	SNAIL Adhesive, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, 2-Way Glue, Pearls
Tools	Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine, Adorning Accents Embossing Folder, Banner Punch

More Make a Cake inspiration from the last couple of years...

retiring stamp set - bright blossoms

Last Thursday was my monthly card making night. It was my last "scheduled event" before my break for the summer and I decided to use all retiring sets (those that are still available!). I needed a little inspiration for my fourth card design and I knew I wanted to use the Bright Blossoms stamp set, so I went back into my card samples and found this one (also shown below). I had created this card a couple of years ago for a polka dot challenge. Bright Blossoms will be retiring June 2nd and is currently still available in both clear and wood mount. If you would like to get some of the retiring stamps before they are gone, feel free to visit my online store at heidiboos.stampinup.net and click on "shop now". You will find all of the retiring stamps and products HERE. Let me know if you have any questions!

{BRIGHT BLOSSOMS}

$12.95 / #125497 (clear mount)

$16.95 / #128424 (wood mount)

Everyone had plenty of sentiments to choose from and of course to get those straight images I had the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig handy! Instead of going with the red scheme (as in the card I was inspired by), I went with pink using the 2013-2015 In Color Strawberry Slush. Love that color!

Stamp Sets	Bright Blossoms, A Dozen Thoughts
Ink	Strawberry Slush, Old Olive
Paper	Old Olive, Strawberry Slush, Whisper White
Accessories	SNAIL Adhesive, Stampin’ Dimensionals, 1/8" Old Olive Ribbon
Tools	Stamp-A-Ma-Jig

More Bright Blossoms inspiration from the last couple of years...