Control Freaks - It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas!

Control Freak Stampers presents "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..." Now, I'm not one who likes to skip right over Thanksgiving (I still have all of my Fall decor up), but in the stamping world you kind of have to get a jump start on Christmas fun so you can use all of the great products Stampin' Up! always comes out with! I know many stampers have been playing with Christmas products since the summer. I just started this month, so I'm a bit behind, but I have seen some beautifully crafted paper creations so far using many of the NEW Stampin' Up! products from the 2015 Holiday Catalog. There is even a small little section in the Annual Catalog this year for the holidays!

If you have already been following along on the tour, you should have just arrived from Mary Brown's blog. If so, you're on the right track, so continue on to enjoy some inspiration today!

The two cards I am sharing with you today on the hop kind of have the "snow" theme. I'm really hoping for a snowy winter, but here in the Pacific NW ~ let's face it: it's usually just rain. 

I started with a Thick Whisper White card base and layered it with Smoky Slate cardstock. I added a strip of Silver Glimmer, Holidays Fancy Foil Designer Vellum, and paper from the Season of Cheer DSP. The "merry" was cut out of Silver Glimmer using the Christmas Greetings Thinlits.  I finished off the sentiment with "Christmas" from the Holly Jolly Greetings stamp set. Pair the thinlits together with this set and you can purchase as a bundle for 15% off. They go really perfectly together! The large snowflake (stamped in Lost Lagoon ink) also comes from the Holly Jolly Greetings set. I cut it out using the 2-1/2" Circle Punch and added a beautiful Iced Rhinestone Embellishment for the center. Before popping up the circle on Dimensionals I added some Silver Metallic Thread behind it.

This next card I think is more beautiful in person! Sometimes a photo just doesn't do cards justice. This one is decked out in glitter and shimmer!

I started with a Night of Navy card base. The strip of snowflakes paper on the far left comes from the Season of Cheer DSP. I added a strip of Silver Glimmer Paper on top of that. The winter scene comes from the Happy Scenes stamp set, which is stamped in Night of Navy ink onto Whisper White cardstock and punched out with the 2-1/2" Circle Punch. I added Dazzling Diamonds Glitter using the 2-Way Glue Pen. It sparkles so beautifully in real life! The "Season's Greetings" sentiment also comes from the Happy Scenes stamp set. I simply snipped off the end with Paper Snips to create the banner. I added a Snowflake Element and then tied a bow using Silver Cording Trim and attached with a Mini Glue Dot.

These Snowflake Elements are a favorite for me this year!! 

Thanks so much for stopping by! Next up is Melissa Davies at Rubber Funatics. Keep hopping along to see what she has to share with us...as well as the rest of the Control Freak crew!

Control Freaks Tour - Gratitude

This month's theme for the Control Freaks Tour is "Something to be Thankful For". Fall is often a great time to reflect on the things in our life that we are grateful for...especially with Thanksgiving coming up. It's the perfect time (although any time is a good time!) to share with our loved ones just how thankful we are for them. Or it's just a good reminder to stop to say THANKS and express your gratitude.

If you have already been following along on the tour, you should have just arrived from LeeAnn Greff's blog. If so, you're on the right track, so continue on to enjoy some inspiration today!

I just recently held two card making nights this month. I like to try and use a couple of Fall-themed sets during October and November as I know many of my stampers enjoying handing out "thankful cards". The first two card samples use the For All Things stamp set. I was so glad when this set carried over into the Annual Catalog from last year's Holiday Catalog so I could use it longer with my customers!

The first card was inspired by Cheryl Sommers. I added some different elements as I often like to do to help make it my own! The card base is Crumb Cake and paired with a layer of Very Vanilla cardstock. Using the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set, I stamped the "splatter" in Hello Honey. I then stamped the watercolor background image using Crumb Cake. The wheat is stamped in Blackberry Bliss. I used the 2013-2015 In-Color Washi Tape as an accent, as well as the Gold Buttons with a Linen Thread bow through the center. I added a few Gold Sequins and finished it off by stamping the "Grateful for You" in Hello Honey.

This next sample is a variation of the one I had created above. For my second card night this month I wanted to do a repeat of this card (different stampers attend), but I had run out of the gold buttons so I did a little improvising. I started with a Hello Honey card base and because I had also run out of vanilla envelopes, I decided to change the second layer to Whisper White. Everything else is the same except for in the top left corner I added a Blackberry Bliss banner that I had punched out using the Banner Punch. I then stapled to it a string of the Gold Sequin Trim. It might be a little harder to see, but I also added some tiny Pearl Accents in random places on the card. For my card nights, I often have a variety of sentiments available for the stampers to choose from, so for this sample I made it a "thanks" card with a stamp from the Another Thank You stamp set.

Just a fun side-by-side to show the differences. 

Which one do you like better? 

My last card I wanted to share with you today is also one I created to use for my most recent card night. It uses the set Happy Scenes stamp set from the 2015 Holiday Catalog. Many of my customers love to color, so I will often make sure there is a card where they can use some ink and Blender Pens. This card also showcases the Into the Woods DSP from the 2015 Holiday Catalog. I thought this was a fun "block" layout to help keep the card simple and make the Fall scene a stand out on this card. Obviously I didn't add many accents, but I did include some Daffodil Delight Cotton Ribbon and an Old Olive Candy Dot. The card has a Tangelo Twist card base and the colors in the Fall scene in the bottom right are Old Olive, Tangelo Twist, Mossy Meadow, and Daffodil Delight. I think the sentiment (from the same stamp set) is perfect for this Fall-themed card!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Next up is the one and only Julie Davison. Keep hopping along to see what she has to share with us...as well as the rest of the Control Freak crew!

Control Freaks Tour - 2015 Holiday Catalog Sneak Peek

Yippee!! Are you ready for another Control Freaks tour?! This time around we are sharing with you some of the awesome new goodies from the upcoming 2015 Holiday Catalog. This catalog is not going to disappoint you! There are so many products that meet so many different styles! As a Stampin' Up! demonstrator I was able to pre-order some of these new products and I am so excited to share with you two projects I created for the next upcoming holiday ~ Halloween!

If you have already been following along on the hop, you should have just come from the fabulous Patty Bennett's blog. If so, you're in the right spot!

First up is a Halloween card I created using the Howl-o-ween Treat stamp set. Isn't that owl adorable?! This set even comes with its own coordinating Framelits (which I don't have quite yet, so I used my handy Paper Snips to cut this little guy out). Another sneak peek is the fabulous Happy Haunting Designer Washi Tape I used this set of three washi tape to create the strips across the front of the card. And...do you see that Black Glimmer Paper behind the owl? I am in love! I am so happy to see black glimmer in this coming catalog! The "Happy Halloween" sentiment actually comes from the And Many More stamp set. I cut it out using the Bitty Banner Framelits. I thought it would be cute to have the owl look like it was holding the banner. I attached it using Dimensionals on both sides.

Up next ~ this is a cute little bag I created using an idea I learned about while at Convention last month. One of the main stage demonstrators showed us how to make a gusseted bag using our Tag a Bag Gift Bags. These are fun to create if you want a bag that has a little bit more space to fit some things inside. (Please note: The chevron print bags I used are no longer available. However, Stampin' Up! now carries the plain Kraft Bags that can be fully colorable, stampable, and customizable. I just didn't have any of those yet, so I improvised!)

I am not sure if you can tell, but the handle is actually made using washi tape! How cool is this?! This is another idea I learned while at Convention. To create the handle simply lay washi tape sticky to sticky. Voila! I attached the handles using a stapler and then covered it up with a strip of the new Happy Haunting Designer Series Paper. I also added a smaller strip of Black Glimmer Paper. And...the star of the show is the new fun Spider Web Doilies you see on the front of bag. The "trick or treat" image is also from the Howl-o-ween Treat stamp set. I used the Circle Framelits to cut it out and attached to the front. The little spider is also from the same stamp set. I punched it out with a 3/4" Circle Punch and attached it to a Clothespin. I also added a little bit of the Sliver Thread peeking behind the spider. This little bag reminds me of my kids' trick or treat bags.

Want to learn how to transform these bags?

On the bottom of the bag trim off 1-1/4".
(I also trimmed off the top of the bag to make the edge straight across, as well.)

Fold up from bottom about 3/4".

Fold the two sides out into a point.

And then fold both top and bottom to meet in the middle and tape closed.

This creates a larger size bottom of the bag.

Such cute things to make using these Halloween goodies! Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you felt a little bit of inspiration. Next up is the one and only Stamper Camper, Mary Brown. Keep hopping along to see what she has to share with us...as well as the rest of the Control Freak crew!

SSINK - Bohemian Birthday

We're sharing birthday cards today on the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration blog! I have a fun one to show you that I created back in June for an "in-the-mail" swap I participated in when the new catalog came out. You'll recognize this "happy birthday" sentiment as I have shared it a time or two (or three) on the blog already. This is a new host set called Happy Birthday, Everyone. I just love it...can you tell?

I often will start a card for a swap and before I know it there seems to be a bazillion steps to it that I eventually have to repeat 20+ times! LOL! Can anyone relate? But in the end, I have to be happy with it ~ extra steps and all! I often don't have time to just sit down and knock it out all at once, so I end up taking it "on the go" and do a little mama multi-tasking. ;)

{Watching my little man play football and assembling swaps at the same time!}

This card highlights the new Bohemian Designer Series Paper. So many fun prints and I love the color combinations. I also added the background stamp from the set You've Got This. This stamp adds some visual to the background of the card instead of just leaving it plain. I added the new 1" Dotted Lace Trim in Delightful Dijon underneath the birthday sentiment. Probably the most difficult piece to this card was tying the Gold and Bermuda Bay Sequin trim together with a Linen Thread bow. Such itty bitty pieces for my hands!!

Stamp Sets	Happy Birthday, Everyone, You've Got This
Ink	Blackberry Bliss, Island Indigo
Paper	Very Vanilla, Blackberry Bliss, Island Indigo, Delightful Dijon, Bohemian DSP
Accessories	SNAIL Adhesive, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Glue Dots, 1" Delightful Dijon Dotted Lace Trim, Gold Sequin Trim, Bermuda Bay Sequin Trim, Linen Thread
Tools	N/A

Thanks for stopping by today! I am feeling good about having a few things to share on my blog this week. I know it's been awhile...I just hope to continue to have more things to share with you! If you would like to follow me on Facebook you can visit my page at https://www.facebook.com/stuckonstampin. I also have created a Stuck on Stampin' Facebook group page for anyone who would like to join. Visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/stuckonstampin/. This group will help keep you keep up-to-date on all the happenings with Stuck on Stampin' and I may be posting there a little more often than on the blog. Plus, I would love for it to be a great tool to be a little more interactive!

Come on back tomorrow to find out what my Friday Favorite is!!

Control Freaks Convention Swap Cards

While at Convention I participated in a card swap with the Control Freak Stampers. This group is full of talented paper artists and it's always so much fun to swap with them. It's even more of a treat when we get to see each other IN PERSON like some of us were able to do this past week. We each swapped two card fronts and so I came away with 28 samples to share at my upcoming events! We pushed back our tour date to the end of the month so that those of us who went to Convention could share their swaps...and for those Control Freaks who couldn't make it they get to share whatever they want today! If you have been following along already you should have come from Wendy's blog at Wickedly Wonderful Creations. If you are just joining us, get ready for some stamping inspiration!

First up is a Christmas card I created using the Santa's Gifts stamp set from the 2015-2016 Annual Catalog. It's never too early to get a jump on making Christmas cards, right? Some special touches I added to the card include the stars (included in the stamp set) in the top right corner which I stamped using the Versamark ink pad. I also used my Blender Pens and Real Red ink & Basic Gray ink to color in Santa's suit. I added Dazzling Diamonds Glitter with a 2-Way Glue Pen to the white parts of his suit (too bad you can't see this card in person...it really does sparkle!) Of course I felt like the card needed an itty bitty heart to go with the sentiment, so I punched one out using the Two-Step Owl Punch. The present is actually a separate stamp (included in the stamp set), so I stamped it on a piece of scrap paper, colored it with Mossy Meadow ink and a Blender Pen and then used my Paper Snips to cut out the intricate pieces. I then popped it up with some Dimensionals and placed it in Santa's hands. The striped paper is from the Christmas Designer Series Paper Pack called Merry Moments. I am SO HAPPY they are including Christmas items in the Annual Catalog again! The cardstock colors I used are Real Red, Smoky Slate, Mossy Meadow, & Whisper White.

My next card I created uses another new stamp set from the Annual Catalog...actually a couple of new sets! The background is created using a new background stamp called Watercolor Wash. This stamp makes a beautiful background like it was painted with a brush. I stamped the background using Soft Sky ink to create an ocean look. The other new stamp set is called From Land to Sea. It has some beautiful images perfect for coloring. I couldn't resist using the turtle image for this card. I stamped the turtle in Black Stazon ink and then used my Blender Pens to color him with Sahara Sand and Old Olive. I also colored in the spots of the turtle with Soft Suede. I REALLY wish you could see the card in person because I added Crystal Effects to the turtle's shell. My kids loved that technique! It just gives it a fun, glossy look. After I let it dry (for a long time!), I cut out the turtle using my Paper Snips and then popped him up on Dimensionals. I stamped a quick "thank you greeting" (using another new set!) and added some Pearl Accents for the bubbles of the turtle breathing under water. Although this card is simple in design, there were many steps to pull it all together. Although I love how it turned out, if I were to do it any differently, I would probably use a "happy birthday" greeting instead. The cardstock colors I used are Sahara Sand, Night of Navy and Whisper White.

I am so happy you came by today! I hope you will continue on the tour to see what other inspiring cards were created. The next stop is Mindy Backes at Bada-Bing Paper-Crafting.

Control Freaks Tour - New In-Colors Birthday Card Set

You're in for a real treat because on today's Control Freaks Tour we are giving you a SNEAK PEEK from the new 2015-2016 Catalog! If you've already been hopping along then you just came from the inspiring Wendy's blog at Wickedly Wonderful Creations.

As a demonstrator we have the ability to pre-order some products from the new catalog including a select number of stamp sets, in-color inks, in-color accessories, and more! I definitely wanted to take advantage of getting a hold of all of the 2015-2017 In-Colors a little early and so that is what I focused on to share today. I created one layout and made five cards in each new in-color. Each card is a 4-1/4" square and will still fit perfectly into a regular sized envelope.

The stamp set I used is an upcoming host set called Happy Birthday, Everyone. You can earn this set with Stampin' Rewards by being a host. It comes with the beautiful "Happy Birthday" greeting you see here (love the font) and then 6 smaller greetings. The "confetti" on the top of each card are from the Dotty Angles stamp set and will be a carry-over item from the current catalog. Yay! I stamped off each color when I added the dots, so it is a lighter shade on each card. I really just wanted to keep each of the cards simple, so I only added a few pearl accents in different places for a little something extra.

{Introducing the new 2015-2017 In-Colors}

Tip Top Taupe

I am so glad to be back hopping with the Control Freaks after a break last month! My creative juices haven't been flowing as freely as I have wanted (and needed) them to, but hopefully with the change of weather (we're seeing sunny days here in Oregon!) I can turn my inspiration into production again while the bright light shines through my window! We are so excited to CELEBRATE with you all for this month's tour as we showcase cards and projects meant for celebrating...birthdays, graduation, Mother's Day, and m

 Mint Macaron

Watermelon Wonder

Cucumber Crush

Delightful Dijon

I haven't yet decided which in-color is my favorite, but right now I am leaning towards Watermelon Wonder. I actually really like the Tip Top Taupe/Watermelon Wonder combo. I'm sure it will change often as I continue to play with the colors together.

Now the question is...

WHICH NEW IN-COLOR IS YOUR FAVORITE?

Thank you so much for stopping by today! Next up to help get us excited about the new catalog is Deb Currier at Artfelt Impressions. All non-demonstrators can begin ordering on June 2nd. Do you have a list started yet?

Control Freaks Tour - Let's Celebrate

I am so glad to be back hopping with the Control Freaks after a break last month! My creative juices haven't been flowing as freely as I have wanted (and needed) them to, but hopefully with the change of weather (we're seeing sunny days here in Oregon!) I can turn my inspiration into production again while the bright light shines through my window! We are so excited to CELEBRATE with you all for this month's tour as we showcase cards and projects meant for celebrating...birthdays, graduation, Mother's Day, and more!

If you've already been hopping along then you just came from the wonderful Melissa Davies' blog. If this is your first stop, then welcome, sit back, and enjoy!

I wanted to share with you a Mother's Day card I created using the Circle Card Thinlits. I love how this simple thinlit creates such a fun and unique card design lickety-split with the creases made for you and everything. With this card I wanted to go a step above and create an extended part of the card (on the right side). I'll show you a quick "how to" for that below. This is definitely not my own idea! I am so thankful for other stampers who encourage me to do things differently!

Here is the card closed (sorry, don't mind my fingers...ha! ha!)

I wanted to take a picture of the card at a different angle, so this is what it looks like propped up. You can see the middle circle start to swing open.

And this is what the card looks like when you open the flap on the right. It reveals the rest of the stamped sentiment! There is also a place for you to write a little message...or at least write who it's from! If you were to pull the left part of the card all the way open the circle in the middle swings all the way open revealing the back side of the circle and then it can lay flat.

Stamp Sets	Mother's Love
Ink	Garden Green
Paper	Pistachio Pudding, Calypso Coral, Crisp Cantaloupe, Gold Soiree Specialty DSP
Accessories	SNAIL Adhesive, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Pearl Accents, Rhinestone Accents, Candy Dots (Regals)
Tools	Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine, Circle Card Thinlits, Bitty Butterfly Punch, Elegant Butterfly Punch

Start with a piece of cardstock that is 8-1/2" x 5-7/16" (this is just shy of 5-1/2"). This way the left side of the paper can fit just right under the left part of the thinlit and then you can slip it through the thinlit so it goes on the top on the right side. I hope that helps!

It will look like this when cut out.

Fold the left creases...

Fold the right crease...

Now design your card to your heart's content!

Thanks for stopping by today! Continue on the tour for more great ideas to help CELEBRATE all of the wonderful people in our lives! Next up is the inspiring Debbie Henderson.

Control Freaks Tour - Time to "Sale-A-Brate"

Yippee! My favorite time of the month...Control Freaks time! We are so excited to SALE-A-BRATE with you all as you hop along for some inspiration. For this month's tour, we are showcasing the amazing products you can get for FREE (with any $50 order) from the Sale-A-Bration brochure. There are definitely some must-haves that need to go on your list! Sale-A-Bration will continue all the way through March 31st, so there is still lots of time to save up to spend...and earn something FREE!

If you've already been hopping along then you just came from the talented Julie Davison's blog. If this is your first stop, then welcome and enjoy the ride! We hope that we can get your creative juices flowing!

I chose two items from the Sale-A-Bration brochure to showcase today.

{Irresistibly Yours Specialty Designer Series Paper}

{Simply Wonderful Stamp Set}

I grabbed 6 note cards and decided it would be fun to take one of each print from the Specialty DSP and use each stamp in the set on each of the note cards. The great thing about the Irresistibly Yours DSP is that you get to color the background ANY WAY YOU WANT. It is white paper with a glossy white pattern, so you create the color. For each of the cards below I just used a sponge to create the look that I wanted. It was so fun to play and create!

For my first card I blended the colors into each other to show that they are going from dark to light.

Colors: Tangerine Tango, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight

Accessories: 1/8" Daffodil Delight Ribbon

Tools: Big Shot & Oval Framelits

 
This particular card I used three different shades of Pink Pirouette Blendabilities to color in each stripe.

Colors: Pink Pirouette
Accessories: 1/8" Melon Mambo Ribbon, Pearls
Tools: Big Shot & Deco Label Framelits, Owl Punch (bitty hearts)

For this card, I just tapped on the background instead of smearing to make a solid color. 

Colors: Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive

Accessories: Pearls

Tools: Big Shot & Starburst Framelits, 1-3/4" Circle Punch

I used the masking technique for this card and taped off each section to color.

Colors: Melon Mambo, Coastal Cabana

Accessories: Rhinestones

Tools: Decorative Label Punch, Banner Punch

This effect is similar to the first one, but chose to go diagonally blending three different colors together. 

Colors: Garden Green, Pear Pizzazz, Wild Wasabi, Pink Pirouette

Accessories: Pearls

Tools: Bitty Flower Punch

This simple card might actually be my favorite!! 

Colors: Bermuda Bay

Accessories: Candy Dots

What a fun group of cards to give as a gift to someone!

Leave me a comment and let me know which note card is YOUR favorite!

Keep on the tour to find even more amazing inspiration and SALE-A-BRATE with us!! Next up is the one and only Stamper Camper, Mary Brown. I'm sure you are in for a treat!