SSINK Blog Hop - May Flowers

It's time for another blog hop with the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration girls! This month's theme is all about May FLOWERS! We are really enjoying Spring here in Oregon. The weather has been exceptionally good with just the right amount of rain and lots of sunshine, which brings out the most beautiful flowers! 

As you hop along, please be sure to comment and show some love on every blog! We are always excited to hear from our followers! You should have just left stop number 4 on the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration Blog Hop - Darla at Stampin with Darla If so, you are in the right spot. If a link doesn't work or you get off track, you will find the full blog hop lineup below. 

Each of the cards I am sharing with you today have all been inspired by cards I have found that have jumped out at me. I have either CASEd the cards or used it as a springboard for my own design. (I have been lacking a little bit lately in coming up with my own designs, so I have been doing a lot of seeking for inspiration! Hopefully I am not the only one who sometimes can't come up with a design on her own!)

I have also used the Flower Shop stamp set and coordinating Pansy Punch on all of the cards you will see below! But, have no fear ~ these two products will be sticking around for another year! However, they won't be offered as a bundle like they are now, so take advantage of that while you can and save 15%!

This first card I created for a card night last night. It uses the (retiring) English Garden DSP. I kept this card to a few colors ~ Mossy Meadow, Hello Honey & Soft Suede. Both Mossy Meadow and Hello Honey are retiring in-colors (get them before it's too late!), so I wanted to try and use them for one last hurrah! The "Happy Birthday" sentiment is from the hostess stamp set Happy Birthday, Everyone and will also be retiring at the end of May. The flower image is from the Flower Patch stamp set and I used Hello Honey and Soft Suede Markers to color the flower image and stamp onto the background.

 *CASE by Karen at Karen's Stamping Page

Because I ended up not having enough of the DSP for the card above, I also threw in another option and the ladies could pick either the one above or the below mixed color of DSP. Even though the pink on the card wasn't technically a match to the ribbon I used (retired Raspberry Ripple!) I figured it worked perfectly enough this time around. I don't know about you, but sometimes you just need to use up some of your ribbon stash, so both of the ribbons on these first two cards are retired, but worked perfectly with this design and I had just enough needed.

I found this card one day randomly on Facebook and was instantly drawn to its design. I literally created this card exactly as I saw it and only added a different sentiment (from the Rose Wonder stamp set) and simply added a rhinestone in the middle to give it that pop of bling! For the life of me, I can not seem to find the card I was originally inspired by, so I will be sure to update with credit when I find it! **Edited to add: Found the card I cased HERE.

I used a Blackberry Bliss (retiring) card base and inked my images in Hello Honey (retiring), Old Olive, Blackberry Bliss (retiring), and Perfect Plum. The leaves and sun image are from a set called Kinda Eclectic and the small middle flower is from a set called Petite Petals. Both of these sets you will see carried over to the new catalog!

Lastly, we created this card at a team meeting we had a couple of weeks ago. My upline brought all of the supplies to create this card and ironically it uses the same stamp set as the flowers above, so I thought I would share with the rest of these cards! I love the black and white with the pop of color using Mint Macaron and Watermelon Wonder. The washi tape is from the Everyday Chic Designer Washi Tape. It also uses the Kinda Eclectic stamp set (leaves) I used in the above card, as well as a sentiment from the Rose Wonder stamp set.

*CASE by Martha Herrera

Phew! You made it! Thanks for stopping by today and for joining our hop. We're a small group this week, but I hope you will continue on and enjoy more flower inspiration. Next up on the hop is Diana at Stampin Fun with Diana.

Blog Hop Participant List:

1. Diana at Stampin Fun with Diana
2. Darcy at Dj's Stampin Place
3. Kim at Stamping with Kim
4. Darla at Stampin with Darla
5. Heidi at Stuck on Stampin'

SSINK Baby Shower Blog Hop

Today we're throwing a baby shower! One of our very own Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration design team members just had her sweet baby boy on April 10th, which just happens to be perfect timing for our SURPRISE SHOWER for this month's blog hop! Congratulations Kim Ryden on the birth of your sweet baby boy Micah Hunter. We are so happy for you!! Enjoy "opening" each of your gifts as you hop along! :)

As you hop along, please be sure to comment and show some love on every blog! We are always excited to hear from our followers! You should have just left stop number 6 on the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration Blog Hop - Jennifer at Happy 2 Scrap 4 Life. If so, you are in the right spot. If a link doesn't work or you get off track, you will find the full blog hop lineup below.

My gift for Kim and baby Micah is something that all new mamas want ~ a gift card to Target to buy whatever she needs! :) Kim, enjoy buying some cute new baby boy clothes, diapers (if you must!), or all of those fun new style baby accessories you swoon over! Of course a gift card requires a cute gift card holder. 

M for Micah!

Pull on the ribbon and you will pull out the gift card holder.

We love you, Kim! 

Be looking in your mailbox soon for lots of goodies to come. ;)

Next up on the hop is Donna at Geek Squad Crafting. Keep hopping along with us to join in the fun of our virtual baby shower.






Participant List:

1. Diana at Stampin' Fun with Diana
2. Bree at Craft-Somnia Momma
3. Jenny at Jenny G Paper Crafts
4. Kathy at Kathy's Stamping World
5. Melissa at The Stamp Doc
6. Jenn at Happy 2 Scrap 4 Life
7. Heidi at Stuck on Stampin'
8. Donna at Geek Squad Crafting

SSINK Blog Hop ~ 2016 Occasions Catalog Favorites

The 2016 Occasions Catalog has been live for a couple of weeks now. There are so many favorites creeping onto my wish list that I almost feel like I might buy the whole catalog when it's all said and done! I also feel like each week I have a new favorite as soon as I start playing with a different product. I don't know if I'll ever decide which is my true favorite! Can anyone else relate to this?

As you hop along, please be sure to comment and show some love on every blog! We are always excited to hear from our followers! You should have just left stop number 6 on the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration Blog Hop - Leanne at Literally My Joy. If so, you are in the right spot. If a link doesn't work or you get off track, you will find the full blog hop lineup below.

I thought I would share with you a list of my favorites (for now) from the 2016 Occasions Catalog all on one card! There are so many things I like about these things...the color combination of the paper, all the sparkle in the glimmer paper and glitter ribbon, and the font style of the sentiments in the stamp set. So pretty!

It's VERY HARD to take a picture of the Wink of Stella Glitter on a card, but if you look closely you will see in the middle of the stamped flower there is a little bit of glitter. It looks better in person, I promise! It's a very subtle glitter and doesn't stand out like using Dazzling Diamonds with a glue pen, but using this new pen removes all the mess! Just brush and voila!

 

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Next on the hop is Darcy at Dj's Stampin Place. Click on the arrow to keep making the rounds!






Blog Hop Participant List:

1. Darcy at Dj's Stampin Place
2. Tobe at The Craft Sea
3. Jennifer at Jenny G's Paper Crafts
4. Diana at Stampin' Fun with Diana
5. Kim at Stamping with Kim
6. Leanne at Literally My Joy
7. Heidi at Stuck on Stampin'

Have you had a chance to thumb through the Occasions Catalog? Don't have your own copy in your hands yet? Send me an email and I'll be sure to get you one! In the meantime...check out the catalog online HERE.

SSINK Blog Hop ~ Christmas

This month's SSINK Blog Hop theme is Christmas! It will be here before we know it, but I am trying to "just be" this season. I'll let you know how that's going as I get closer! Ha!

As you hop along, please be sure to comment and show some love on every blog! We are always excited to hear from our followers! You should have just left stop number 8 on the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration Blog Hop - Kim at Stamping with Kim. If so, you are in the right spot. If a link doesn't work or you get off track, you will find the full blog hop lineup below.

With Christmas comes the opportunity to give gift cards (it is definitely more the norm these days!). So, why not make your gift card holders cute?! 

We made these gift card holders at my November card making night. They were a hit! 

How can you resist this adorable Rudolph red nose?

The front part of the card tucks underneath the heart circle...

Open it up and on the inside is a surprise gift card. SO FUN!

Next up is Jennifer at Jenny G Papercrafts. Click on the arrow to head her way!

Blog Hop Participant List:

1. Jennifer at Jenny G Paper Crafts
2. Darcy at Dj's Stampin Place
3. Diana at Stampin Fun with Diana
4. Bree at Craft-Somnia Momma
5. Leanne at Literally My Joy
6. Laura at Crafty Chicks Creating
7. Melissa at The Stamp Doc
8. Kim at Stamping with Kim
9. Heidi at Stuck on Stampin'

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!

SSINK Blog Hop - Mystery Supply Challenge

This month's blog hop theme with the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration girls is basically anything goes...with a twist! We each were assigned a design team member to send three mystery supply items to. They could be anything we wanted to send as long as they were current items from either the Annual or Holiday Catalog! A surprise envelope would come in the mail for us and we would then use these items to create something! It's such a fun concept and many times we get things that we don't even own and so it's a chance to play with new products! 

As you hop along, please be sure to comment and show some love on every blog! We are always excited to hear from our followers! You should have just left stop number 12 on the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration Blog Hop - Laura at Crafty Chicks Creating. If so, you are in the right spot. If a link doesn't work or you get off track, you will find the full blog hop lineup below.

My three items arrived in the mail from Jennifer Gregorsky. I didn't own any of the items she sent me, so I was thrilled to be challenged with these new goodies! Thanks for the fun Jenny G! :)

My items included:

• 5/8" Gold Satin Ribbon
• Delicate Ornament Thinlits Die (cut out of black glimmer paper)
• Winter Wonderland Designer Vellum Stack

I added the vellum piece to a Cherry Cobbler card base using Mini Glue Dots. I hid the glue dots (as you can see through on the vellum) with the Gold Satin Ribbon. I decided to make it look like the ornament was hanging from the big bow. The ornament is cut out of Black Glimmer Paper and I attached it to the vellum using glue dots, as well. I wanted an accent piece for the ornament, so I grabbed the Snowflake Wooden Elements (a favorite!) and added a large size Pearl Accent to the middle. I hand cut the banner and stamped Very Merry in Cherry Cobbler ink.

Next up on the hop is Jenn from Happy 2 Scrap 4 Life. Click on the arrow to head her way!

Blog Hop Participant List:

1. Jenn at Happy 2 Scrap 4 Life
2. Darcy at Dj's Stampin Place
3. Tobe at The Craft Sea
4. Donna at Geek Squad Crafting
5. Carrie at Carrie Stamps
6. Jennifer at Jenny G Paper Crafts
7. Tonya at Stampin with Tonya
8. Kim at Stamping with Kim
9. Leanne at Literally My Joy
10. Diana at Stampin' Fun with Diana
11. Darla at Stampin with Darla & Sisters
12. Laura at Crafty Chicks Creating
13. Heidi at Stuck on Stampin'

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 Blog Hop - My Favorite Bundle

Are you ready to hop with the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration gals? We're excited to bring you some fun inspiration using some of our favorite bundles from the 2015-2016 Annual Catalog. Did you know that Stampin' Up! offers a 15% discount if you purchase select products together? Don't miss those as you are browsing the catalog! We'll be showing you some of the bundles that we just can't live without it!

As you hop along, please be sure to comment and show some love on every blog! We are always excited to hear from our followers! You should have just left stop number 7 on the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration Blog Hop - Kim at Stamping with Kim. If so, you are in the right spot. If a link doesn't work or you get off track, you will find the full blog hop lineup below.

I have a lot of favorite bundles, but if I had to choose just one to show you today it would be the Flower Patch Stamp Set & coordinating Flower Fair Framelits Dies. This bundle has SO MANY stamps and Framelits to play with!

This is a picture I took of the actual page in the catalog. As you look through the catalog you will see little boxes that say "Bundle and Save 15%" randomly dispersed throughout the catalog. There are quite a few different bundles of assorted products...you just have to be sure you have your eyes open wide to not miss them!

As you might notice, today's card is inspired by the sample as seen in the catalog, as well as online showcasing the bundle. I liked the placement of the three flowers and the leaves behind them, so I took that layout and ran with it. I did make it my own by adding some extra accents and using different colors. I needed a specific sentiment that wasn't in the stamp set, but all of the flowers and leaves you see on the card are in the set! This set is also perfect for two-step stamping and has many opportunities for lots of different looks!

My color scheme (Mint Macaron, Perfect Plum, Rich Razzleberry, and Pink Pirouette) came from a combination I found on Pinterest. (Quick Tip: When looking for some color combo inspiration...head to Pinterest and type in the color you like with the words "color combo" and "Stampin' Up!" You will definitely have many combinations to choose from!) I added a little bit of Blackberry Bliss and Rose Red for the inside of two of the flowers.

Aren't those pearls so pretty as accents for the middle of the flower? This up-close picture also shows you the dimension of the flowers as I used Stampin' Dimensionals to pop them up from the paper. I love adding Dimensionals as a simple way to make a card POP!

I also wanted to add a little sparkle to my card, so I used the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set to add some background and then using the 2-Way Glue Pen I added some Dazzling Diamonds Glitter. It gives it just the right kind of glimmer I was looking for without adding too much!

Stamp Sets	Flower Patch, Gorgeous Grunge, You've Got This
Ink	Rich Razzleberry, Mint Macaron, Pink Pirouette, Perfect Plum, Blackberry Bliss, Rose Red, Tip Top Taupe
Paper	Very Vanilla, Pretty Petals DSP Stack
Accessories	SNAIL Adhesive, Stampin’ Dimensionals, 2-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Pearl Accents
Tools	Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine, Flower Fair Framelits

I hope you were inspired today with this fun bundle. I have a couple more samples of cards I have made using this same bundle. You can find those here. But first don't forget to continue on the hop to see what other bundles you can find in the catalog. There will be lots of inspiration for you no doubt! Next up is Diana at Stampin Fun with Diana. 


 Blog Hop Participant List:

1. Diana at Stampin Fun with Diana
2. Jennifer at Happy 2 Scrap 4 Life
3. Cynthia at Ink-A-Doodle Creations
4. Leanne at Literally My Joy
5. Bree at Craft-Somnia Momma
6. Jenny at Jenny G Paper Crafts
7. Kim at Stamping with Kim
8. Heidi at Stuck on Stampin'

SSINK Blog Hop - Spring has Sprung!

Spring has sprung! The flowers and trees are budding everywhere and I am loving this Spring weather we are having (well, minus the days of downpour, but flowers need the rain, I suppose!) For this month's blog hop we are sharing all things Spring!

As you hop along, please be sure to comment and show some love on every blog! We are always excited to hear from our followers! You should have just left stop number 7 on the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration Blog Hop - Donna at Organized Chaos. If so, you are in the right spot. If a link doesn't work or you get off track, you will find the full blog hop lineup below.

I have been trying really hard to work with as many of my retiring stamp sets as I possibly can, so that I can squeeze every last use out of them. As demonstrators, it's typical for us to go with the philosophy "out with the old, in the with the new" when a new catalog comes out. I am excited to play with my toys (that just arrived today!), but I also want to take some extra time to use some of my favorite retiring products one last time!

I created this card awhile back, but decided to revamp it up with some different colors, ribbon, and sentiment. I used this card for a card making night last week and although many of the stampers weren't so sure about all of the fussy cutting, they all agreed this card was a WOW card! We were joking that many of them weren't sure if they were going to actually give this card to anyone because of all of the hard work it took! ;)

To create the background, I stamped the image first using White Stazon. After that I ran it through the Texture Boutique with the coordinating embossing folder to make it POP!

Stamp Sets	Wildflower Meadow, Four You
Ink	White Stazon, Island Indigo, Pool Party, Calypso Coral
Paper	Whisper White, Soft Suede, Pool Party
Accessories	SNAIL Adhesive, Stampin’ Dimensionals, 1/2" Calypso Coral Seam Binding, Pearl Accents
Tools	Texture Boutique Embossing Machine, Wildflower Meadow Embossing Folder, Decorative Label Punch

Both of these coordinating products are on the retired list...
and both of them have been reduced!

Wildflower Meadow Wood Mount - $13.46 (reg. $17.95)

Wildflower Meadow Clear Mount - $10.46 (reg. $13.95)

Wildflower Meadow Textured Embossing Folder - $3.98 (reg. $7.95)

To continue your Spring inspiration, head on over to The Stamp Doc to see what Melissa has in store for us today! Click on the next below.

Blog Hop Participant List:

1. Melissa at Stamp Doc
2. Jennifer G. at Jenny G Paper Crafts
3. Cynthia at Ink-A-Doodle Creations
4. Jennifer C. at Happy 2 Scrap 4 Life
5. Bree at Craft-Somnia Momma
6. Kim at Stamping with Kim
7. Donna at Organized Chaos
8. Heidi at Stuck on Stampin'