Your Presents - Boxes & Bows

The minute I saw this week's card sketch at Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration, I just knew which stamp set I was going to pull out to play with!! This is the set we got for free at Convention! We used it for a make n take while at Convention and they shared with us that this set was perfect to showcase the "kissing technique". I have used this technique a time or two, but this set really does work great for it!

I used the kissing technique on the far left present and then the two presents on the right. I also thought it would be fun if I created a different kind of bow for each of the presents. I felt like I needed something to fill the white space, so I used the Dotty Angles stamp set to create falling confetti. This is one of those cards that I wouldn't use for a card night...it had a lot of steps! Someone extra special will be getting this card at some point! ;)

Stamp Sets	Your Presents, Endless Birthday Wishes
Ink	Hello Honey, Rich Razzleberry, Blushing Bride, Mint Macaron, Watermelon Wonder, Basic Black Archival Ink
Paper	Whisper White, Mint Macaron, Blushing Bride,
Accessories	SNAIL Adhesive, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots, Rhinestones, 1/8" Silver Trim, Silver Cording, Mint Macaron 1" Dotted Lace Trim
Tools	Paper Snips

Come on back tomorrow...I'll have another card for you using the stamp set Your Presents!

2015 Holiday Catalog Sneak Peek ~ from Convention!

Today is a big day for Stampin' Up! demonstrators. We get to pre-order from this year's 2015 Holiday Catalog!! For those demos who attended Convention we had the opportunity to order some select products, but I decided to just wait until August 4th when all demonstrators could could order anything in the catalog! I sat down yesterday afternoon to start making my wish list...

... but don't worry this was just the beginning of my list. I ended up filling up that entire page! I have already placed my order and hopefully it will be on its way very, very soon!

In the meantime while I wait, I thought I would show you some inspiring things I got to see at Convention from this new catalog.

Disclaimer: The camera I brought ended up not being kind to me, so I apologize for the picture quality. It was taking horrible pictures and the batteries died within a day. I decided to just use my phone for the rest of the trip, which also wasn't great. Hindsight...I should have just brought my nice camera along! ;)

{Seasonal Snapshot 2015 Card Collection, Stamp Set, and Accessory Pack}

{Hello December 2015 Card Collection, Stamp Set, Album, & Accessory Pack}

{Square Pillow Box Thinlit Dies and A Little Something stamp set}

This project uses the new:

Square Pillow Box Thinlit Die

Woodland Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

Acorny Thank You Stamp Set

Gold Cording Trim

{Thankful Forest Friends stamp set}

 This project uses the new: 

Square Pillow Box Thinlit Die

White (inked) Glitter Ribbon

Into the Woods Designer Series Paper

Thankful Forest Friends Stamp Set

 {Sparkly Seasons stamp set & Seasonal Frame Thinlits Dies}

 

New Halloween goodies!!

And, look! I won the Howl-o-ween Treat stamp set!!

{Witching Decor Project Kit}

Eek! They had me at Black Glimmer Paper!

And the Happy Haunting Designer Series Paper is to die for!

See those black Spider Web Doilies? They come pre-cut in a pack of 24!

{Lighthearted Leaves stamp set}

 {To You & Yours Shaker Cards Project Kit}

I wish I would have taken a picture of them all put together!! ADORABLE!

{Season to Season Wreath Project Kit}

New Winter goodies!!

{Snow Place stamp set...and matching Framelits!}

{Perfect Pines stamp set... and matching Framelits!}

Sorry about the bluriness! This is the last picture my camera took before it died on me and I just had to share this cute little deer. It's actually cut out of the Home for Christmas Designer Series Paper. The stamp set is called Cozy Christmas. So vintage-y! And that cute poinsettia button is new, too in the Home for Christmas Designer Buttons. And so are the Enamel Dots!

 

This is a little make n take "card front" we created using the same DSP and stamp set as mentioned above. We fussy-cut the Santa!

The project uses the new: 

Real Red Pompom Trim

Sparkly Season stamp set

Seasonal Frame Thinlits Dies

Red Foil Sheets

This project uses the new: 

Joyful Season stamp set

Season of Cheer Designer Washi Tape

Gold Glitter Ribbon

This project uses the new: 

To You & Yours Too stamp set

Snowflake Elements (sponged with white)

 This project uses the new: 

Holly Jolly Greetings stamp set

Christmas Greetings Thinlits Dies

Holidays Fancy Foil Designer Vellum

Workshop make n take using the new stamp set (that we were given!) called Your Presents.

They also gave everyone a pack of the new DSP called Season of Cheer!

Now..the funny thing is that this doesn't cover everything! There is still more that I haven't shown. Crazy, huh? I hope to share with you my new holiday catalog haul once it arrives in the mail. 

Here are all the goodies I came home with from Convention...

And the cute purse we all got! It's wool, so I think I will save it for the Fall/Winter months!

Hope you enjoyed taking a peek all of the new things! 

Are you excited for September 1st? That's when everyone who is not a demonstrator can order! If you would like a Holiday Catalog, just let me know and I'll get one in the mail to you! Contact me at stuckonstampin@gmail.com if you have any questions!

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.

Letting Go & Holding On

Hi Friends & Stampers!

Well...it's been exactly 53 days since I have last posted on my blog.

School let out, summer began, and my priorities shifted to being more present with my family. So many of you can relate to this thing called FINDING BALANCE. I am openly honest about the fact that I am not good at it. Like...really. Not. Good. So, instead of learning how to find the right balance, I just ignored the bits and pieces of my life that were becoming a little too much. And, unfortunately stamping and blogging got the short end of the stick.

Fast forward a bit to last Wednesday where I flew into Salt Lake City, Utah to attend Stampin' Up!'s Annual Convention. I was banking on those four days to be filled with motivation, inspiration, and just enough umph to get me back into the creative mojo that I had been missing!

Was I inspired? Yes! Was I motivated? Yes! Did I come away confused as where I wanted to take my role as a creative soul? Yes!

I don't have the answers today {darn it!} and I know I won't have the answers tomorrow, either. But...I do know that life is about living it and not regretting it. So, in the meantime as I dig deep to figure out what's right for me at this season in my life I will continue to take value in knowing that I was born for the will to inspire and create. Which path this knowledge will take me on? I have yet to discover, but I do know I am ready to find out!

On my last day at Convention during a Leadership training we listened to a dynamic key note speaker. Her name was Jenna Glover and she spoke on the subject of "Living an Energy Efficient Life". Man, did this bring up all sorts of emotions, thoughts...and tears. As she wrapped up her inspiring message, she ended up with sharing this quote:

What do I have in my life that I am holding onto that it might be time to let go so that I can live life without running on empty? This will be the soul-searching question I am hoping to find the answer to sooner than later. Because I am ready for something to change.

Thank you for taking the time to care. For waiting patiently for me to come back and share with you again. For checking in on me (thanks Tricia!) to see if all is well because you have missed my posts. It's because of people like you who read my blog (even though I may not know it) and truly miss seeing the things I share. This is what makes me hold onto this little piece of my life. Simply put. Thank you.

I do have so many fun things to share with you about Convention! And as I gather together my "bazillion" pictures...I will sprinkle you with a little bit of inspiration here and there. In the meantime, if you are good with Facebook, you can find me there and like my business page to keep up-to-date! I am hoping to start a group soon which will be a little more personal and interactive. Is that something you would enjoy? Feel free to leave me a comment to let me know, if so!

Blessings for you all in this coming week!

{My friend Terri & I enjoying a photo op at Convention!}