2017 Review

Thank you 2017, for blessing me with

friends, family, peace and joy.

Here is a little review of 2017.

May your 2018 be happy and peaceful.

Stamp Off Rainbow Builder with Beautiful You

Welcome, welcome, to our final Stamp Off Challenge

of 2017.  Buffy, Susan and I totally appreciate the fact

that you check in on our efforts to inspire each other.

This week, we are enjoying a sparkly challenge.  Now I 

did not go with the "expected" New Years option,

and we will see if I am the only one.

I continue to need sympathy or "get better" cards, so

decided that this would be a good place to put my sparkle.

The sentiment from Beautiful You on page 141 works well

for a variety of difficult life events, which makes it

extremely useful.  

For the sparkle, I used Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer

paper (p 194), to create clouds with the Rainbow Builder

Framelits Dies on page 33 of the Occasions 2018

catalog that will be released next week.  

I hope that you enjoyed this bit of Friday sparkle.
Now please check out what Susan and Buffy
did to shine in the final days of 2017!

Santa's Sleigh Reindeer with Embossing Paste

Even tho this is a Christmas card, it could also

be reinvented as a winter or Christmas thank you card.

The gray panel features Embossing Paste (p 201) and the

Pattern Party Decorative Masks.  The deer comes from the 

Santa's Sleigh set on page 119 with coordinating 

Santa's Sleigh Thinlits Dies on page 214.  

Of course I used my go-to favorite paper stack, 

Wood Textures, on page 187.  I think that this Designer 

 Series Paper looks good with anything and everything!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Night in Bethlehem

As Christmas approaches, I am drawn to the authentic

message, captured in images of the star and a young

couple.  For me, the Night in Bethlehem set on page 26,

with coordinating Bethlehem Edgelits dies, captures

the feeling of Joy and Expectation.  The shiny sparkles,

paired with dark, human figures say it all.

We bring our humanity down the road that we travel,

keeping our eye on a bright star ahead.

Colorful Seasons with Christmas Pines

Sorry, but I really do need to find a better way to

take pictures of cards that I blog.  Maybe that will

be my New Year's resolution!

This card also signals that fact that although I have

readily embraced metalics on my Christmas cards, 

I continue to have an issue with using Black

on these cards.  I do, however, like other nontraditional

color combinations.  In this example, Blushing Bride

and Sweet Sugarplum.  I used the snowflakes and 

thinlits from the Colorful Seasons set (p 147) and

Seasonal Layers Thinlits.  What a lovely combination!

The sentiment comes from Christmas Pines, on page 120.

Add a bit of 1/4 inch Copper Ribbon and I'm good to go!

Seasonal Chums Deer on Ovals

Seasonal Chums, with the coordinating Seasonal Tags

Framelits Dies, on page 47 of the Holiday catalog, is an

incredibly sweet collection of product.  They are designed

to be used as tags, but you can also separate the images and

mount the front or back of the images individually.

In this example, I used the Layering Ovals Framelits and

Stitched Shapes Framelits (p 214) as backdrops for the

deer image.  These ovals were placed on a layer of 

Color Theory Designer Series Paper stack on page 187.

I added a bit of linen thread to pull the card together.

Bird Banter with Sparkle

Welcome back to our Stamp Off fun, sponsored by

Buffy, Susan and myself.

Today we have a fun color challenge.  It will be interesting

to see if we go with non-traditional Christmas colors, 

or steer away from Christmas for this challenge.

For my part, I could envision only one set to go with

these colors, and it is a sneak peak.  This card was made with

Bird Banter (p 42), from the upcoming Stampin' Up! 

Occasions catalog, due out in January.  The little birds 

absolutely lend themselves to bright color combinations,

that can be used for masculine (or feminine) events.

In this example, I covered the parrot with Wink

of Stella, to give it some sparkle.

I used a couple other items that will be released with

this catalog, including the Myths and Magic Glimmer Paper

(p 37) and Petal Passion DSP on page 23.  I am very fond of

black and white patterned paper because it can be used

for almost any card, or colored to help it coordinate with

other product.

So now that you have been kind enough to check out my

challenge project, please click on over to see what

Susan and Buffy have done with their color challenge.

Starlight meets Swirly Scribbles

This card combines Swirly Scribbles Thinlits with the 

Starlight Thinlits, both found on page 216.   They are

layered on the Bundle of Love Specialty Paper on page 189, 

to take advantage of all of that wonderful golden bling.

Color Me Happy with Lift Me Up

Here's one more Color Me Happy card.  I colored the

image with Stampin' Blends and added the sentiment

from Lift Me Up on page 58.  This layer was place on

a piece of Color Theory DSP (page 187).

Hope that you have a happy Monday!

Watercolor Christmas with Snowflakes

I love the Watercolor Christmas set on page 34 of the

Holiday catalog.  It coordinates with a Project Kit, but

I often look at these coordinating products as separate

components, because they can work well separately, too.

This is all Copper, Cherry Cobbler and Old Olive.  I'm pretty

partial to Copper and snowflakes.  These snowflakes, made out

of Copper Foil Sheets (p 194), come from the 

Seasonal Layers Thinlits on page 216.  I like the fact that

these Thinlits offer 3 different sizes of snowflakes, 

so that you have options for any Christmas card.

Lift Me Up Cookie Cutter Santa

First off, don't ask me how I came up with this card.

I was shuffling through my sets and for some reason,

the Lift Me Up set (p 58) paired itself with Cookie Cutter

Christmas (p 116).   Like if the reindeer go on strike, 

Santa can parachute into town.  At least that's the story

and I'm sticking to it.

Santa was colored with the new Stampin' Blends (LOVE) and

layered on to some Only Olive Color Theory DSP (p 187).

The Seasonal Layers Thinlits (p 216) snowflakes were

made with Silver Foil (p 194).  The candy dots were

colored with a silver Sharpie to coordinate with the snowflakes. 

Painted Harvest Christmas Wreath

I am overjoyed because Painted Harvest, on page 49 of the Holiday catalog will carry over to the upcoming 2018-19 annual

catalog. This is such a versatile set, that is easy to use.

In this example, the sunflower component is used to

create a Christmas wreath.   The sentiment comes from

Christmas Pines on page 120.  I love layering the wreath

on a piece of Wood Textures DSP stack, because it

resembles a wooden door.   This is a really quick and easy

Christmas card for friend or family!

Santa's Sleigh Stamp Off Sketch Challenge

Hey stamping friends.  Welcome to our Stamp Off

Challenge, hosted by Buffy, Susan and me!

This week, we are doing a sketch challenge, provided by Susan.

I feel that sketch challenges are kind of like paint by number

 kits; they guide you on the creative process.

I "sort of" followed the sketch, which works for our 

challenges.  I stamped the deer from Santa's Sleigh (p 119),

and colored it with the Stampin' Blends.  The sentiment comes

from the Star of Light set on page 122.  The rest of this

card was picking colors and layering.  The Rhinestones

are colored with the Stampin' Blends, which is a 

wonderful means to coordinate card elements.

Now make sure that you check out what Susan and Buffy

have created for this sketch challenge! 

Cookie Cutter Colored with Stampin' Blends

Here is one more Cookie Cutter Christmas card, colored

with the Stampin' Blend alcohol markers.

I stamped the image with Memento Ink, colored it

and then cut it out with the Cookie Cutter Builder

punch on page 208.

I added texture, using the Seaside and Brick Wall

Textured Impressions Embossing Folders (p 210).

The Rhinestones are colored with the Stampin' Blends,

because alcohol markers can color many different

materials.

Cookie Cutter Christmas in Hearth and Home

Given the new Stampin' Blends alcohol markers, I often

pull out coloring book sets, so that I can play.  There is

no better Christmas set to color, than the 

Cookie Cutter Christmas set on page 116.  The coordinating

Cookie Cutter Builder Punch (p 208) makes it quick

and convenient to punch out your image.

I positioned the reindeer inside the Hearth and Home

Thinlits Dies (p 213) window, with a Seaside Textured

Impressions Embossing Folder (p 210) layer behind.

I decided to add a few branches and bow from the

Pretty Pines Thinlits Dies on page 216.

He's a pretty cute reindeer, especially when framed

within his little window. 

Merry Little labels with Snowflakes

I hope that you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

I for one am happy that I did not have to travel,

although it sounded like planes, trains and cars

were able to get where they were going.

I decided to post one more Merry Little Labels (p 12) card.

I really like this particular stamped image.  The snowflakes were created with the Swirly Snowflakes Thinlits Dies on page 35. 
 The background

layer was run through the Seaside Textured Impressions

Embossing Folder to add a bit of texture.  

Colorful Seasons Happy Thanksgiving

As I thought about Thanksgiving stamping, I was only

thinking about one set; Colorful Seasons on page 147.

I'm tickled to have a set that works for cards throughout

the entire year.  In this example, I created copper embossed

leaves, that I then sponged with Crushed Curry,

Peekaboo Peach and Calypso Coral.  I attached the sentiment

from Painted Harvest (p 49 in the Holiday catalog),

adding a Crushed Curry Baker's Twine bow.

I colored candy dots with a Copper Sharpie.

There is so much in life that I am thankful for, including

friends, family, church and a vibrant neighborhood.

I wish you a most wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday,

filled with the things that are important in your life. 

Merry Little Labels on Quilting

Some time ago, I posted a Merry Little Labels card

using this same layout.  With the addition of the 

Foil Snowflakes on page 37, it really works.   I also 

love the Quilted Christmas Textured Impressions

Embossing Folder on page 5.   The Holiday catalog is

just packed with wonderful stamping goodies!

Stamp Off Butterfly Basics with Painted Harvest

Welcome to another Stamp Off Challenge with Susan,

Buffy and myself.  It's really good to have stamping

enthusiasts checking in with us every other Friday!

This week, Buffy set us up with a lovely color

challenge.  These are wonderful, bright colors, so feel

free to locate your sunglasses.

For this challenge, I went sort of vintage.  I did a watercolor smoosh (on watercolor paper), using a piece of acetate.  These colors blend together to make a lovely backdrop.    
Then I stamped ferns from

Butterfly Basics (p 149) and Painted Harvest (p 49 of the

Holliday Mini) in each color.  The sentiment comes from the Sorry 

For Everything set on page 98. 

I love Linen Thread (p 199) with almost anything, but
it really gets the job done when paired with leafy images.

I thank you for stopping by, and suggest that you
click on, to see what Buffy and Susan did with these
lovely colors.

Santa Christmas Sweaters

The Christmas Sweaters stamp set is another real cutie.

The images are darling, and so much fun to color

with the new Stampin Blends.  I just added a bit of 

Wood Textures DSP to affirm that it's cold enough

for us to pull out those crazy sweaters.

Introducing the Stamparatus!!

Introducing.... Stamparatus stamp positioning tool

 from Stamping' Up!

It’s big news when something breaks the mold and changes everything. The Stamparatus will change the way you stamp, and before long, you’ll wonder how you crafted without it!

Why do YOU need one? You’ll fall in love with stamping all over again when you learn everything you can do with it!

• - Make multiples with ease 
• - Consistently stamp crisp, clean images
• - If you want a darker impression, apply more ink and restamp—no need to start over
• - Make fewer mistakes, saving time and money
• - Easily create 2-step, 3-step, and 4-step stamped images using reversible plates
• - Develop new and specialized stamping techniques with adjustable stamping plates and precision placement

I need product details!

• Compatible with Stampin’ Up!’s red rubber and photopolymer stamp
• Foam mat to use with photopolymer stamps
• Rulers and gridlines for quick measuring
• 2 open sides so you can stamp on larger paper
• 2 reversible plates: a total of 4 surfaces to work with
• 2 magnets to hold the paper in place
• Magnet storage areas
• Retail Price–$49.00 USD/$65.00 CAD

How to Order:

With the launch of this tool, we’re trying something different: testing a new reservation system. It acts like a true preorder: you reserve your spot and we guarantee shipment as soon as the product arrives in our warehouse. Demonstrators and customers will place reservations and receive their product at the same time. This system will allow us to get the product to market as soon as possible while avoiding backorders and efficiently managing inventory. 

The global launch will feature three reservation windows. For each window, please note the following:

• Reservation quantities are while supplies last.
• Limit is 3 tools per demonstrator and 1 tool per customer per reservation window. (Note: The Stamparatus is not a Cash-and-Carry item.)
• You and your customers may participate in multiple reservation windows.
• In order to reserve your Stamparatus, you are required to provide your credit card information.
• Credit cards will not be charged until the Stamparatus ships from our facility. When you close your order, be sure to verify that your credit card and shipping information is correct.

RESERVATION WINDOWS	AVAILABLE TO SHIP
November 16–30, 2017	Approx. February 1, 2018
December 5–30, 2017	Approx. March 19, 2018
January 15–30, 2018	Approx. April 15, 2018

Celebrate Color Me Happy with Lanterns

Here's one more Color Me Happy card.  The sentiments

in this set are great and work well with the images!

Color Me Happy Celebration

I'm going to post Color Me Happy samples over the

coming days, because I'm not sure how long this lovely

stamp set will be available.  It works so well with our

dandy new Stampin' Blends!

In this example, I layered the focal image over a 

piece of Bundle of Love Specialty Designer Series Paper,

found on page 189.  I sponged the DSP with Calypso Coral

ink, to help it coordinate with the lantern.  Don't you love

it when a plan comes together?!!

Night in Bethlehem Behind a Cut Out

The Night In Bethlehem set on page 26, with coordinating

Bethlehem Edgelits dies, enables a lot of different looks.

This bundle allows you to build scenes and create depth.

In this example, I simply cut an oval out of the top layer

of cardstock and placed the city behind.  Add a couple of

 images and the card comes to life.

Color Me Happy Bird on a String

I really enjoy coloring images from the

Color Me Happy set (limited availability) with the

new Stampin' Blends.  It is so relaxing to color and

these alcohol markers are just dandy!!  The set

contains really strong images, that stand out on

a simple card.  That adds to the coloring enjoyment

because you don't have to get "fancy"!

This set is only available while the Color Me Happy

Project kit supplies last.

Stamp Off Challenge Colorful Seasons Sketch

Hey friends.  Thank you for joining Susan, Buffy and

myself for another Stamp Off Challenge.  This is our

first for November.  Time sure is flying.

This week, we have a wonderful sketch challenge.

Sketch challenges are my favorite, and I prefer "simple"

sketches, so that you have a good base to build on.

I tried to orient this card vertically, but the elements 

worked better on a horizontal orientation.  I wanted to

create a fall card with some glitz, so used a lot of gold components.

The leaf images from Colorful Seasons (p 147) were spritzed and stamped in different colors, on watercolor paper.  Once dry,

I gold embossed the leaf images over top.  I gold embossed

the sentiment from the Flourishing Phrases stamp 

set (p 24) on to black c/s, to create some drama.

These components were layered on to a strip of 

Bundle of Love Specialty DSP on page 189.  Finally, the

card base was run through the Brick Wall Textured

Impressions Embossing Folder.  I colored candy dots
with a gold Sharpee Marker

I hope that you liked our sketch.  Remember to check
out the lovely projects created by Buffy and Susan.

Stampin' Blends You've Got This

Welcome!   Happy day after Halloween.

Today is a good one.  The Stamping' Blends go on sale!

The Stamping' Blends are alcohol markers that are a 

blast to color with.  We have a set of 12 available for 

your coloring pleasure.

This is a sample of coloring with the Stamping' Blends,

with the flower from You've Got This on page 101.

I used Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie and 

Calypso Coral on Whisper White.  They blend beautifully.

If you want more information on the Stamping' Blends,

Please check out this video from Stamping' Up!

Also be sure to check out this video on the 
Color Me Happy kit and set, available while supplies
last only.

Stamping Blends meet Colorful Seasons

Since the Stamping Blends are going to be released on

November 1st, I thought that I'd share another card

with you.  This is a very simple card, given the right tools!
I used the Old Olive and Pumpkin Pie Stamping' Blends
to color in the leaves.

The Colorful Seasons set on page 147, paired with the Seasonal

Layers Thinlits on page 216 will get the job done for you,

in any weather.  The Old Olive layer was run through the

Woodland Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (p 211).

The strip of Woodland Textures Designer Series Stack on page

187 is a great backdrop for the leaves.

Ship in a Bottle

I realize that I often use the word "cute" to describe stamp

sets, but I can't help it.  There are a ton of

CUTE sets in the annual catalog.  Message in a Bottle,

on page 52 is one of them.

The images and coordinating sentiments in this set make

it quick and easy to create a card for ANYBODY.

I layered the focal image on card stock that I had run through 

the Garden Trellis Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.

It was fun to make and will be a great card for a

birthday dude in my life. 

Cookie Cutter Eskimo with Swirly Snowflakes

As I've mentioned, making Christmas cards just makes me happy.   I put effort into them because hand made Christmas cards

bring joy to friends and family.

Stampin' Up offers so many wonderful Christmas products.

You can pick a cute/sweet card making product,
 or a traditional theme.

The Cookie Cutter Christmas set on page 116, with 

coordinating Cookie Cutter Builder Punch (p 208) is one

of the CUTE product suites.  The images are so darling to

color (with the new Stampin' Blends), or you can stamp them

and avoid coloring altogether.  

In this example, I added

the lacy border from the Swirly Snowflakes Thinlits Dies

on page 35 of the Holiday catalog.  The snowflakes come from 

the Seasonal Layers Thinlits on page 216.  The eskimo is

layered on an Always Artichoke oval created with the

Stitched Shapes Framelits on page 214.