Friday, October 30, 2015

Friday Favorites ~ Howl-o-Ween Treat

It's FRIDAY!! Oh, and the day before Halloween, which means lots of candy and treats ~ oh my! I like to give a little something to the teachers each holiday. This year for Halloween I found these adorable "mummy" candy bowls at Target and thought it would be cute to put some Fall-colored candies in them and wrap them up with a fun tag attached.


Here's an up close picture of the tag. I created the tag using Happy Haunting DSP and the Triple Banner Punch. I pulled out my FAVORITE stamp set (at the moment) called Howl-o-Ween Treat (which I won while at Convention!) and stamped the owl using Basic Black Archival Ink. I thought it would be cute to have him holding a little pumpkin treat bag, so I inked that up in Tangelo Twist and cut that out, too. The "Happy Halloween" sentiment comes from the And Many More stamp set which I cut out using my Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine and the Bitty Banner Framelits. The ribbon is retired, but for these kinds of gifts it's the perfect time to use up my retired stash! :)


Isn't this set adorable? I didn't get to use it much this year since I was lacking in my Halloween inspiration (and lacking in time), but I'll hold onto it for next year! Click HERE to see what else I created using this set!


 Head on over to the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration blog to find out what is on a few of our other designer's favorites list right now!
http://ssinkspiration.blogspot.com/2015/10/friday-favorites.html

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Favorite DSP - Cherry on Top

Today at the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration blog we are sharing our favorite paper! Stampin' Up! has so many fun paper designs in both our Annual Catalog and the 2015 Holiday Catalog. Right now my favorite is the Cherry on Top DSP Stack. This pack of paper is 6 x 6 and there are 4 of each 12 double-sided designs. They are all so bright and cheery!!


This was actually one of the card designs I created for this month's card making night.


This was another sample. It's pretty much the same, but I used a different background.

Stamp Sets
Sprinkles of Life
Ink
Watermelon Wonder, Tip Top Taupe, Bermuda Bay
Paper
Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Watermelon Wonder, Tip Top Taupe, Whisper White, Cherry on Top DSP Stack
Accessories
SNAIL Adhesive, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Rhinestones, Bermuda Bay Baker's Twine
 Tools
Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine, Bitty Banner Framelits, Bitty Heart Punch, Triple Banner Punch



Monday, October 19, 2015

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!


http://juliedavison.blogspot.com/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!

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Mint Macaron - You've Got This!

I love playing with our Stampin' Up! In Colors. This new set of colors (2015-2017) include Cucumber Crush, Delightful Dijon, Tip Top Taupe, Watermelon Wonder...and today I am showcasing Mint Macaron, which is one of my favorites right now!

Using many different design inspirations from around the web, I put together this quick and easy card for last month's card making night. I love how the simplicity of this stamp set paired together with Mint Macaron (and a Tip Top Taupe card base) creates a lovely card to send in the mail. With each new in-color comes a coordinating embellishment or two. This year's new in-colors come with Blossom Accents and Dotted Lace Trim. The lace trim I used on this card.

Come on over to visit the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration blog as a few of us are sharing our favorite in-colors there.

Stamp Sets
You've Got This
Ink
Tip Top Taupe, Mint Macaron, Basic Black Archival
Paper
Whisper White, Tip Top Taupe, Mint Macaron
Accessories
SNAIL Adhesive, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Rhinestones, Mint Macaron Dotted Lace Trim
 Tools
N/A


Friday, October 9, 2015

CASE the Catalog - Holly Jolly Greetings

Over at the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration blog some of the designers are CASEing the catalog. I saw this quick and easy card on page 34 in the 2015 Holiday Catalog and thought it would be the perfect one to case!


I kept it pretty much the same with just one small addition of a couple of silver glimmer stars on the left side. The picture may look a little different than my normal photos, but that's because I am at the beach with my stamping friends!! I had to pretty much take a picture wherever there was a clear space.
Stamp Sets
Holly Jolly Greetings
Ink
Mossy Meadow, Old Olive
Paper
Whisper White, Real Red, Red Foil, Merry Moments DSP
Accessories
SNAIL Adhesive, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Silver Cording
 Tools
Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine, Christmas Greetings Thinlits, Triple Banner Punch

Here are four of us all loaded up and headed to the beach!! We'll be meeting up with two more for a fun 3 days of stamping, yummy food, fun, and lots of laughter!


Thursday, October 1, 2015

Washi Tape Build-A-Birthday Cake

Today at Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration we are showcasing washi tape! I think my favorite washi tape from this year's Annual Catalog is the Cherry on Top Designer Series Washi Tape. The colors and patterns are so fun and vibrant!


This Build A Birthday stamp set is the perfect one to use washi tape with! The first layer of the cake is stamped in Crushed Curry using a stamp from the set. There are more stamps in the set that create layers of the cake, but I chose to use two strips of washi tape for the top two layers instead. I used this card for my September Card Night and each guest could pick from some different pattern papers I had available from the Cherry on Top DSP Stack, which coordinates with the washi tape!

Stamp Sets
Build A Birthday
Ink
Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Watermelon Wonder, Black Archival Pad
Paper
Whisper White, Watermelon Wonder, Crushed Curry, Gold Glimmer Paper, Cherry on Top DSP Stack
Accessories
SNAIL Adhesive, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Cherry on Top Washi Tape
 Tools
Bitty Star Punch

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

September Mystery Supply Challenge

Many of the SSINK gals participated in a super fun challenge this month! We were each assigned a fellow design team member and sent that designer three products. It could be a stamped image, button, ribbon, strip of DSP, etc. Once we received those items we would need to create something with them. Today is the day that we get to share what we all made! Click on our banner below to see what everyone created!


http://ssinkspiration.blogspot.com/2015/08/mysterysupply.html

Kim Ryden from Stamping with Kim sent me these three items. I don't have the acorn stamp set, so it was fun to be able to have something new to play with!


With those three items I came up with this card...

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Watercolor Wash

Today over at the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration blog we are sharing card creations using single stamps! I chose to showcase the *new* Watercolor Wash background stamp. When I saw this stamp one of the things that jumped out at me was I thought it looked like water, so I ran with that for today's card I am sharing.


If you're a regular visitor to my blog, this card may look a little familiar. I created it back in July to use as a swap for Convention. I decided that it would work great for one of my cards I could use at card making night this month. This time around I changed the color of the background to Marina Mist and swapped out the sentiment to make it Happy Birthday (instead of thank you). The little turtle I kept the same and still added the pearl accents for "bubbles", as well as the Crystal Effects for the turtle's shell.
 
 


Stamp Sets
Watercolor Wash, From Land to Sea, Celebrate Today
Ink
Marina Mist, Night of Navy, Soft Suede marker, Blender Pens (with Crumb Cake and Old Olive ink)
Paper
Crumb Cake, Night of Navy, Whisper White
Accessories
SNAIL Adhesive, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Pearl Accents, Crystal Effects
 Tools
Paper Snips

Thanks for stopping by today! Make sure to head on over to SSINK to see more single stamps in action!

Friday, September 18, 2015

Butterfly Birthday (Weekly Deals)

Well, hello there! Glad to see you all here again. It's been awhile...

Woo hoo ~ card night is back!! We started up my monthly card making nights again. I always take a summer break and then roll right back into it when September comes around. Although I kind of had forgotten how much work it takes to put these card nights together. It was a busy day yesterday to pull it off...even though it came down to the wire I was able to make it happen! This year the theme is "Chocolate & Cards" and every month I plan to make a fun chocolate-y dessert for everyone to enjoy! Last night was Zucchini Brownies.

Today I am sharing one of the cards we created last night, which also showcases two of the Weekly Deals this week! (See below for more information on those deals!)

This card had a few extra steps, but with my card nights I like to create cards that are challenging, moderately easy, and then quick to put together. I was excited to add some gold accents to the card because I often will choose silver over gold. I added a button, cording and the strip of foil. I love the colors of Calypso Coral, Garden Green, and Gold paired with the softer neutral Very Vanilla. Adding large polka dots to the background just helped make the card pop a little more!


Stamp Sets
Butterfly Basics
Ink
Calypso Coral
Paper
Very Vanilla, Garden Green, Calypso Coral, Gold Foil
Accessories
SNAIL Adhesive, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Gold Metal Buttons, Gold Cording
 Tools
Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine, Butterfly Framelits

Two of the elements on my card are in this week's Weekly Deals. To find out all of the Weekly Deals visit HERE. And to see what others have created using some of the Weekly Deals, head on over to the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration blog!


Butterflies Thinlits Dies Item # 137360
Regular Price: $25.00 US Discounted Price: $18.75 US  


Gold Basic Metal Buttons Item # 133763
Regular Price: $8.00 US Discounted Price: $6.00 US 

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Paper Pumpkin "Try it Out" Night

A couple of weeks ago I held my 2nd Annual Paper Pumpkin "Try it Out" night. I offered 6 past Paper Pumpkin kits and invited my customers to come and choose 3 projects for a class fee of only $5. I also offered the incentive that if anyone signed up for Paper Pumpkin...the class would be free (also free to current subscribers).

All the choices ready to go!


An extra incentive ~ the first 8 subscribers will receive this notepad and exclusive Paper Pumpkin pen. YOU can also get your hands on one of these!! Just simply subscribe HERE using the promo code HALFOFF to get your first 2 months at 50% off...that's only $9.97! And that includes shipping!


7 sweet gals attended and had some fun choosing what they wanted to make!



Here were the six options they were able to choose from: 







And as an extra incentive for anyone who signs up for Paper Pumpkin before September 10th your name will be entered into a drawing to win one of the past Paper Pumpkin kits! The February 2015 kit will come with all of the supplies, stamp set, and ink spots! Find out all of the fun things people have done with this kit by visiting Stampin' Up!'s Paper Pumpkin Pinterest Board.

Join today by clicking the picture below!
https://mypaperpumpkin.com/en/?demoid=2049559

// ADDED BY RYAN ON 1-3-14 // END ADDED BY RYAN 1-4-14