card club - September 2012

Summer is over and my clubs have started up again! This year I have two clubs running. One is a Big Shot Club and the other is a Card Club. Each club has 8 members and it runs for 8 months. I am really excited about both groups of ladies as everyone is so eager to learn and create! My Card Club meets on the Third Monday of the month. For September's cards, I also used these card designs for my card night I hold at my mother-in-law's every other month. It was great to be able to double up and not do twice the amount of work in planning out the cards.

The first card may look familiar. The inspiration came straight out of the Stampin' Up! Annual Catalog on pg. 190. I tweaked a few things to make it work for the amount of card kits I was making, as well as the different levels of experience.

Card Recipe
Stamp Set: Sweet Essentials
Paper: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Primrose Petals, Pool Party
Ink: Primrose Petals, Pool Party (for sponging edges of Framelit)
Accessories: Rhinestone Accents, Dimensionals, sponges
Tools: Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine, Chevron Embossing Folder, Apothecary Framelits, Elegant Butterfly punch

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I love the new Perfectly Preserved stamp set and coordinating Cannery Framelits, so I just had to pull it out to play up the "September Apple" theme. I think this would be a great card for a teacher!

Card Recipe
Stamp Set: Perfectly Preserved
Paper: Whisper White, Raspberry Ripple, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Orchard Harvest DSP
Ink: Early Espresso, Raspberry Ripple, Lucky Limeade
Accessories: Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots, 3/8" Double-Stitched Raspberry Ripple ribbon
Tools: Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine, Cannery Framelits, Eyelet Border punch, Two-Step Owl punch (mini heart)

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The last card we created was something simple, but perfect for that someone in your life with a Fall birthday...

Card Recipe
Stamp Set: Gently Falling, Perfect Punches
Paper: Soft Suede, More Mustard, Ridinghood Red, Whisper White
Ink: Ridinghood Red, More Mustard, Lucky Limeade, Soft Suede
Accessories: Dimensionals, 1/2" Lucky Limeade Ruffled ribbon
Tools: Large Oval punch

beach retreat swaps...and guest blog post!

Surprise!

I'm finally back from an unexpected blogging break...miss me? 

The start to the school year and the craziness that has brought to our daily lives has been something I wasn't expecting. My daughter started 1st grade this year and unexpectedly has had a rough beginning. She was filled with lots of nervousness and anxiety after the third day of school and started each day in tears and not wanting me to leave her there all day long. I really did not expect my "independent butterfly" to act this way. Thankfully, her teachers say she doesn't stay tearful for long and goes through the rest of the day just fine. She's such a people pleaser and rule follower (a little something she got from me, I do admit) that everything unfamiliar is making her anxious that she'll do something wrong. We're taking it one day at a time but I am already seeing major improvement! My son started Junior Kindergarten 4 days a week in the mornings (2 1/2 hours) and for some reason I thought I would have all this "free time"to work on Stampin' Up! (ha!)...dare I forget that I have a house to keep in order? *wink*

So...here I go ready to carve out some bits and pieces of time to be able to share some creative inspiration with you all!

I want to start out by sharing that I have the privilege today to be the guest blogger on the cute little blog called Pink Paper Bakery. Deena Boos (no relation to me, but how fun is it that we share the same last name?!) contacted me about sharing something for Magnificent Monday and I was flattered at the opportunity. Thanks, Deena!

I decided to share my "make n take" swap card I created for the downline/upline beach retreat I went on with some of my fellow demonstrators a couple of weekends ago. This card was one of those cards that, when it came together, I was thrilled at how it turned out! I just love all of the dimension to it and can you count how many Framelit Dies I used on this card? Those dies might just be my new obsession...and who doesn't love the new Elegant Butterfly punch?! I was a little skeptical at first, but it quickly became my new favorite!

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I had such a great time with the other three gals that were there at the beach retreat. We laughed, stamped, ate, stamped, talked, ate, stamped, shared techniques, laughed some more, ate some more, talked some more, and stamped even more! It was so fun to share ideas with each other and I came away excited about some of the new things that were shared.

We each brought a "make n take" swap we could all make together...

Card by Tami Gaumer
{I tweaked it a little since I can't leave well enough alone, but I love her idea to use the ribbon slides with the Gumball Green ribbon and the Core'dinations paper really makes the spider web embossing stand out!}

 Card by Laura Howell

{Laura shared with us the fun technique of tucking the flap behind the flower for a twist on your typical card.}

 

Card by Andrea Botten

{Our fearless leader, friend, and upline shared with us this fun fold for a new twist on a card, as well. I forgot to add the Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details to the gingerbread's buttons. Bummer!}

 She also shared with us the Triple Time Stamping Technique...along with many other techniques, tips, and tricks! She's a wealth of knowledge that girl!

 We had such a great time and as much as I LOVE being with my family, there's just something about getting away every once in awhile to spend the whole weekend doing something you love...and not having to clean up after anyone else by yourself!

let the clubs begin!

Have fun and budget your creative passion – join a club!

When you purchase a small amount of Stampin’ Up product each month as part of a club, you will be able to slowly build up your crafting supplies while staying within your budget! Skip the lines and the inconvenience of the craft stores and enjoy the exclusivity of Stampin’ Up! product! Use your monthly purchase towards a fun new stamp set, stock up on ink pads, or purchase coordinating card stock. Or how about choosing from many of our embellishments, scrapbooking paper, die cutting misc, and even fabric?! The choices are limitless!

You have two clubs to choose from that will best fit your creative needs!

Card Club – cards only

·         Meets on the Third Monday of each month for 8 months (September-May, no club in December)*

·         Club members will spend a minimum of $18.75 a month (with 10% shipping that’s just at $20 per month!)

·         FREE exclusive card creations, perfect for the card making junkie!

·         On your hostess month, receive FREE shipping and at least $25 free product, possibly more with outside orders! Hostesses will be responsible for the dessert and/or snack for the evening.

·         If you are unable to attend one of the club nights then you will simply send me your order and I will prepare card kits for you to put together at a later time.

Big Shot Club – learn about what your Big Shot (or similar die cutting machine) can do!

·         Meets on the Fourth Tuesday of each month for 8 months (September-May, no club in December)*

·         Club members will spend a minimum of $18.75 a month (with 10% shipping that’s just at $20 per month!)

·         FREE exclusive Big Shot projects, perfect for those who love their Big Shot! (owning a Big Shot is not required)

·         On your hostess month, receive FREE shipping and at least $25 free product, possibly more with outside orders! Hostesses will be responsible for the dessert and/or snack for the evening.

·         If you are unable to attend one of the club nights then you will simply send me your order and I will prepare card kits for you to put together at a later time.

*I need 8 members to fill each club.

a whale of a baby shower

Back at the end of April, I had the honor and pleasure to co-host a baby shower for my good friend who was expecting her first BOY! My friend and I put our minds together and decided on a whale theme since we could really dress things up in blue and green!

I created the invitation from some inspiration I found on Pinterest. The particular one I found was a digital design, but I wanted to put my stamps and paper to work, so I came up with something similar using the Stampin' Up! touch. The whale image comes from a set I was sad to see retire in the last catalog called Fox & Friends. I wanted the heart on the whale image to be red, so I used my markers to color the image. The patterned paper is from a retired pack. The color combo is Certainly Celery, Pacific Point, and Chocolate Chip.

We wanted to keep the decor simple, but still have that special touch of blues throughout. My co-host and friend made the circle banner hanging from the lights and she also cooked up all the yummy chocolate cupcakes! The counter top was the "dessert table".

  

The cupcake picks are made using the 2-3/4" Scallop Circle punch punched out of Pacific Point and then matted with Certainly Celery and stamped with the whale image. This is pretty much the same image I used throughout all of the decor and just added it to little things here and there.

 

I decided to melt some white chocolate, dye it blue, dip pretzel rods, and add some blue sugar crystals to them. I wrapped some Marina Mist ribbon around the jar and adhered the whale to the front.

I also drizzled blue "white" chocolate over yogurt covered pretzels to add a little more blue to the table.

We also set out set fruit kabobs and chips and salsa, as well as water bottles and punch. My friend and co-host created the "It's a Boy" banner.

I wrapped the water bottles in Pacific Point striped paper. I made the punch using Hawaiian Blue Punch and Sprite and then added some lime sherbert to the top. It made a pretty lime color and matched the napkins perfectly!

 I added a Marina Mist grosgrain ribbon around the neck of a vase and added clear plastic forks.

For extra decor, I made some pinwheels out of Pacific Point and Certainly Celery polka dotted paper and placed them in a vase filled with sand.

 A plate filled with goodies!

 

I made party favors for each of the guests to take home. I already had the white party favor boxes and filled them with blue salt water taffy. I tied each box with a Marina Mist ribbon and attached a tag made using the Decorative Label punch, stamped with a whale image and the "thanks" from the stamp set Fabulous Phrases.

 

 Salt Water Taffy!

 Presents...

 

 Of course my card had to match the theme!

For more baby shower inspiration, check out the baby girl shower from last October.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

june card making night

I thought I would try to catch up a little bit and share the three cards I had created for my June card making night. I took a break for the summer from Stampin' Up! events, so I could spend some time with my family and enjoy not having anything extra on the calendar. I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things and holding more events and starting up clubs again!

Card Recipe
Stamp Set: Betsy's Blossoms, Petite Pairs
Paper: Whisper White, Rose Red, Gumball Green, Tangerine Tango, Floral District DSP
Ink: Stampin' Write Markers - Gumball Green, Rose Red
Accessories: Pearl Accents, Dimensionals, 3/8" Gumball Green Stitched Satin ribbon
Tools: Big Shot, Circle Die

{I made a similar card back in June for a color challenge.}

Card Recipe
Stamp Set: Make a Cake, Itty Bitty Banners
Paper: Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Lucky Limeade, Basic Gray, Melon Mambo Patterned DSP
Ink: Melon Mambo, Lucky Limeade
Accessories: Dimensionals 

Tools: Big Shot, Bitty Banners Framelits, Dotted Scallop Ribbon punch, Stamp-A-Ma-Jig

 Can you tell this was for my June card night...Happy Father's Day?!

Card Recipe
Stamp Set: Best Dad Ever
Paper: Very Vanilla, Certainly Celery, Always Artichoke
Ink: Certainly Celery, Always Artichoke
Accessories: Dimensionals, Always Artichoke brads

Tools: Big Shot, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Paper Snips

So glad you came by!

Would love to know what you think!

new DSP, new in-colors

Back in June (wow, that was awhile ago!) I held my monthly card night at my mother-in-law's home with her and her friends. I decided to pull out some of the new DSP to showcase from the new catalog, as well as some of the new in-colors! I think my favorite new in-color right now is Gumball Green, but it's probably because I have been using a lot of it for Christmas cards when I was getting ready for my Holiday Catalog Open House a couple of weeks ago.

The first card we made uses the NEW in-color Gumball Green! The new DSP is called Floral District.  Isn't this paper so bright and cheery?!

Card Recipe
Stamp Set: Betsy's Blossoms, Itty Bitty Banners
Paper: Whisper White, Gumball Green, Rich Razzleberry, Floral District DSP
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Gumball Green, Versamark
Accessories: Dimensionals, 1/4" Daffodil Delight Double-Stitched Grosgrain ribbon
Tools: Big Shot, Bitty Banners Framelits

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The second card we made uses the new in-colors Midnight Muse, Primrose Petals, & Summer Starfruit. It also uses the new DSP called Patio Party...one of my favorites!

Card Recipe
Stamp Set: Petite Pairs
Paper: Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Summer Starfruit, Midnight Muse, Primrose Petals, Patio Party DSP
Ink: Midnight Muse
Accessories: Pearl Accents, Dimensionals
Tools: Big Shot, Beautiful Wings Embosslits die, 3/16" Corner punch, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, 2-3/8" Scallop Circle punch, 1-3/4" Circle punch

Thanks for stopping by!!

open house door prizes

OK, last post on my Holiday Catalog Open House! This time I wanted to share with you the door prizes I was offering to my attendees, as well as gifts for anyone who brought a friend.

Each of the guests signed in and entered their names to try and win one of the doorprizes or pick up a gift for bringing a friend.

Anyone who brought a friend received one of these cute little treat holders. There are many tutorials floating around, but I found one that was perfect from Julie Davison's blog HERE.

I also put together a couple of fun door prize gift options. Each guest got one ticket for RSVPing and one for attending. I wanted to stick with the holiday theme, so I used two clear pails and added some fun goodies inside.

What's inside...

Treat Holder

Package of Googlies

Tangerine Tango Ribbon

Basic Black Dotted Scallop Ribbon

Basic Black 3x3 card bases (3)

Tangerine Tango card bases (3)

What's inside...

Christmas Treat Holder

Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details

Gumball Green Double-Stitched Ribbon

Cherry Cobbler Dotted Scallop Ribbon

Cherry Cobbler 3x3 card bases (3)

Gumball Green 3x3 card bases (3)

Any questions? Just ask!

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm also adding my Halloween treat holder to Terry's Great Pumpkin Halloween Blog Hop!

holiday catalog open house...in pictures

I haven't held a Stampin' Up! open house (products and samples on display and FREE make n takes offered) since I started my journey as a demonstrator back in May 2009, but with the amazing new holiday products and me taking a break from events for the summer, I thought I would have it as an option for those who wanted a "peek in person" of the Holiday Catalog products. I know that summer is a busy time for everyone, so I wasn't holding my breath that it was going to be a knock out success with attendance, but happy to have whoever wanted to be there! I decided to offer two different times to try to accommodate the different schedules: 2-4 PM (children welcome) and 6-8 PM. Two FREE make n takes were offered (see more details on the make n takes HERE).

Here is a glimpse of the open house in pictures...

{Check In}

Door prize gifts on the right...more details in a later post.

{Free gift for anyone who brought a friend...

more details in a later post.}

{Scentsational Season stamp set samples}

Guests could play with the stamp set, Holiday Framelits, and scented embossing powders, like Sugar & Spice and Peppermint. Up close pictures and details on each of the card samples can be found in a previous blog post HERE.

{Holiday Catalog Product & Samples Display}

Up close pictures of table...

(click on links below for product descriptions)

Googly Ghouls stamp set - clear mount OR wood mount

Ghoulish Googlies Designer Printed Kit

Champagne Glimmer Paper

Frightening Feline single wood mount stamp

Tweet Leaves single wood mount stamp

1-1/4" Scallop Circle Punch

Mixed Medley stamp set - hostess exclusive!

Merry Minis stamp set - clear mount OR wood mount

Merry Minis Punch Pack

Snow Festival Designer Printed Tags

Festival of Prints DSP Stack

Festive Paper-Piercing Pack

Perfectly Preserved Clear Mount Bundle

{also sold separately}

Ornament Keepsakes Clear Mount Bundle

{also sold separately}

Snow Flurry Bigz Die

Early Espresso Embossing Powder

Gumball Green Embossing Powder

Sign ups for Holiday Catalog DSP paper sampler (more details HERE):

Howlstooth & Scaringbone

Snow Festival

Orchard Harvest

Make n Take Option #1 - more details HERE

Make n Take Option #2 - more details HERE

 

 One more post to share - door prizes & "bring a friend" gifts!

Come on back!