Friday, December 28, 2012

Stampin' Addicts' Spring Catalog Blog Hop


Hello, and welcome to another fabulous Stampin' Addicts blog hop, where we will be showing off the new goodies coming in the Stampin' Up! Spring Catalog. There are fourteen blogs linked together, each featuring a different item. If you started at the beginning, and are following in order, you just arrived from Holly's blog, Rubber Redneck, using the adorable Hearts a Flutter set.

Today I'm showcasing the Ciao, Baby stamp set. It's so versatile, it's a must-have item! Especially since it coordinates with the new 7/8" Scallop Circle punch (and a new one coming in Sale-A-Bration). But today it's all about the Spring Catalog. Stampin' Up! is launching it's year-long celebration of 25 years in business with this catalog, and it is something special!


We're starting with a birthday card for a son, using just the center portion of the Ciao, Baby "#1" stamp. I was going to make it #1 Dad, but the circle fit better in an O, so the son won!


Up next is a sweetheart of a card that uses several different items from the new catalog. I adore the vintage feel, don't you? For this one, I just inked up the "Love" because I didn't want to use the Petite Curly frame around it. The heart doily is from the More Amore Specialty Designer Series Paper, and the lace can be found in the Artisan Embellishments Kit. See the brad? (Yes that IS a brad!) There's a bit of More Amore DSP under the epoxy bubble. Just a hint of what's in that pack!


For the final project, there's a treat box, filled with love notes and a sweet surprise under the lid! Took me a little while to figure out how to do it, but it finally worked on the third try.


Each little note has a matching envelope, and they all peek out of the oval window in the box. Did I mention the oval? No? There are Oval Framelits in the new catalog, too!!!

So, there you have it, a little taste of good things to come! Your next stop on the hop is Rhonda Griffin, The Stamping Bunny. She's going to wow you with the Secret Garden Bundle (stamps and matching Framelits).









Thanks so much for stopping by today. This hop is put on by The Stampin' Addicts, a wonderful group of folks who love all things Stampin' Up! When you have a chance, drop in and say Hi. We'd love to meet you! And be sure to check out the gallery for lots of stamping inspiration.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

SUOC61 - Think Blue!


This week's challenge is True Blue! Just make a card or other project that incorporates some Stampin' Up! blue in it, and share it with us at SUO Challenges!


I decided a thank you card was in order, since it is Christmas Day and I've already sent my Christmas cards. However, I DO have a bunch of thank you cards to send now, so this is a good beginning!

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas; I sure did! In fact, I'm too worn out from the festivities to post the recipe for the card, lol.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Last Call for the New Year



Here's the final New Year's card....you can't see how purdy and sparkly it really is, unfortunately, because my camera just can't capture the glimmer paper in all its glory. And I'm pretty sure Santa isn't bringing me a new camera, because he brought me the new BBQ grill w/ smoker that I wanted. The old one finally died after almost 20 years, so it was time for a new one.


Now I know all you people in the frozen north can't wrap your head around it, but we grill year-round here in Southern California. It's a beautiful thing. We may not ever have a white Christmas, but we can throw some meat on the barbie whenever we want!

Northern folks: From Millan.Net

Me: From Millan.Net

Okay, now I gotta run to finish the cookie baking and candy making. Be sure to check back tomorrow for the SUO Challenges theme for this week. Ta!!!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Another New Year


Here's one of the other (much brighter) cards I made on Sunday. The tiny pearls from our Pearls Basic Jewels fit the champagne bubbles perfectly!


The lime wedge is popped up on a bit of a Stampin' Dimensional.

Stamps: Cheers To You
Cardstock: Basic Black, Whisper White, Tangerine Tango, International Bazaar DSP
Ink: VersaMark, plus Tempting Turquoise, Pool Party, River Rock, Lucky Limeade, Old Olive, and Real Red markers
Accessories: Heat Tool, Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder, Summer Starfruit Stitched Satin Ribbon, Pearls Basic Jewels, Stampin Dimensionals

Monday, December 17, 2012

Is It The New Year, Yet?


I'm about ready for 2013, how about you? Of course, I'm not even ready for Christmas yet, but I am already looking forward to the new year. It's got to be better than this one, right?

I think so because for one thing, right after the new year starts, the Spring Catalog starts (Jan 3), and then on January 27th Sale-A-Bration begins. And then right after that is my birthday, when I will officially be pushing a milestone birthday I'd rather forget. Let's just say it will begin my last year of the nifty fifties, and leave it at that, okay?


Today I made several New Year's cards, which is a first for me! Yup, can you believe it? As many hundreds of cards as I've made, not a single one one of them was specifically for New Years! And today I made THREE. I saw a card that had a year ticking over, and thought that was a clever idea, so I tried it. The Silver Glimmer paper really doesn't show up well in the photo, but IRL it looks snazzy.

I love picking out the colors in our Designer Series Paper for card making. It's so easy to coordinate things!

Stamp: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Cardstock: Island Indigo, Pool Party, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White, Basic Black, International Bazaar DSP
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Big Shot, Fancy Fan folder, Timeless Type Junior Alphabet Sizzlets (retired), Decorative Label Punch

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Another Holiday Ornament


I wanted to try something different with the Stampin' Up! holiday ornament this time....NO stamps and NO designer paper! This one relies entirely on the texture from embossing folders. I was going to use this as my sample for the SUO Challenges Design Team, but since I used (non-SU) white tulle on it, it didn't really qualify.


Nevertheless, it is gorgeous in real life, and I want to make more of them to adorn my tree.  The tree that we haven't even purchased, yet. Yes, we are seriously lagging in the Christmas department this year, but in my defense, I have been dealing with Dad's estate stuff, so I haven't had the time I normally would have to devote to all things crafty.


I do wish my camera took better pictures of the details. Maybe that's what I should ask Santa for Christmas. That old point-and-shoot camera just doesn't cut the mustard! There's a sneak peek of the new LARGE rhinestones that are coming in the Spring Catalog. They're the same size as the large pearls (8 mm).

And now, for your holiday enjoyment, here's a cute and funny video from Stampin' Up! wishing us all a merry Christmas: 12 Days of Christmas, SU style
From Millan.Net
Stamps: None
Cardstock: Whisper White, White Cardstock Vellum
Ink: None
Accessories: Big Shot, Holiday Ornaments Framelits dies, Lacy Brocade and Fancy Fan embossing folders, Simply Scored Scoring Tool, Silver Glass Stampin' Glitter, Crystal Effects, Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons, Large Rhinestones Basic Jewels, 5/8" Organza Ribbon, Silver Tinsel (retired), white tulle (non-SU)

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

SUOC60 - Glitter! (And a Sneak Peek)


If you've been following my blog for any length of time, you know how much I love shiny, glittery things, so this week's challenge at SUO Challenges was a thrill for me. Especially since I got to use some new items from the Spring Catalog pre-order! Oh my, are you all in for a treat when you see it!!!


The first thing that got me excited was the Honeycomb embossing folder....woohoo, we have hexagons which are fashionable now! We don't have a punch that matches, so how did I get all those little hexagons to match? Easy! I put the Champagne Glimmer paper through Mr. Big with the Honeycomb folder. That made it super easy to cut the size and shape needed with my Paper Snips, just by following the lines. It was all short straight cuts, and went quickly.

You may have noticed the Very Vanilla oval behind the stamped image. That was cut using the new Framelits Ovals collection. There are 7 ovals Framelits, the largest being a scalloped oval!

The embossed tag that the tree is stamped upon is from the Pop-Up Posies Designer Kit. The kit has tags, fabric covered brads, pre-cut paper flowers and a stamp, but I just wanted to use one of the embossed tags for this project.

Well, there you have it - my sample for this week's challenge, which uses the Champagne Glimmer Paper, and it's soooo sparkly in real life! I hope you will participate in our challenge this week and create something glittery to share.

Stamps: Evergreen
Cardstock: Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Natural Composition Specialty DSP, Champagne Glimmer Paper
Ink: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso
Accessories: Big Shot, Honeycomb and Square Lattice folders, Pop-Up Posies Designer Kit, Sponge Dauber, Very Vanilla Seam Binding Ribbon

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Snowman Tea Light Ornament


I saw the most aDORable snowman tea light on Becky Roberts' blog, but wanted to turn it into an ornament to give to my team at our meeting last week. These are so quick and fun to make; all you need is some cardstock scraps, a battery-operated tea light (I found them at the dollar store), and some rhinestones or pearls. I assume you already have basic tools like adhesives, punches, and a Big Shot. (What? You don't? Well call me and let me help get you started with the necessary tools!)

SNOWMAN WITH LIGHT TURNED OFF
You can find the instructions for making it on Becky's blog here. The only thing I did differently was add a flower on the brim, and double punched the ball for the cap to enclose the ends of the gold braid for the hanger. Hot-glued that sucker so it would hold!

YOOUUU LIGHT UP MY LIFE (TELL ME YOU WEREN'T SINGING THAT IN YOUR HEAD, LOL)
I found that my tea light was a little bigger than the 1-3/8" punch, so I had to use a (non-SU) 1-1/2" punch. That put the hole for the nose off-center when I used the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch, so I trimmed off a bit of the top of the face before I punched the hole for the nose. Voila, dead center! The trimmed part was going to be hidden by the hat brim anyway.


Becky used a Sharpie to color the pearls for the eyes and mouth. I happened to have black rhinestones left over from a SU Halloween swirl that retired a couple years ago. Never did use the swirl, but the individual rhinestones sure came in handy!












That sweet little box is also from Becky. I think it's the perfect size for sweet treats, if you don't feel like making a snowman. Chocolate is always a good idea! (BTW, 12 wrapped Hershey's Nuggets fit just right. You're welcome.)
From Millan.Net
Stamps: None
Cardstock: Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Gumball Green, Be of Good Cheer DSP, Window Sheets
Ink: None
Accessories: Big Shot, Square Lattice folder, Decorative Label Punch, Extra Large Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, 1-3/4" Scallop Circle Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, Rhinestones Basic Jewels, Black Rhinestones (retired), Multipurpose Adhesive, hot glue gun (non-SU),1-1/2" circle punch (non-SU), tea light (non-SU)

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

SUOC59 - Fun Folds!


One of my favorite cards to make is one that has a fun little surprise for the recipient when they open it. No, I'm not talking about money or a gift card (although that is always a nice surprise!). I mean a fun fold, or pop-up, or slider.....something that makes the card more interactive.


That's the theme for this week's challenge at SUO Challenges; make a card that uses a different fold than just right down the middle. It can be a gate fold, or a swing card, or any number of fun ways to fold. My card is a Six Fold card, because that's how may flaps there are to open!


I used a ribbon belly band to hold it closed, but you could just as easily add a flower or popped-up circle with a greeting to tuck the flap of the image under.


Stamps: Polar Party
Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, Gumball Green, Very Vanilla, Be of Good Cheer DSP
Ink: Staz-On black, Gumball Green, Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Big Shot, Delicate Doilies Sizzlits die, 2 1/2" Circle Punch, Very Vanilla Seam Binding Ribbon, Pearls Basic Jewels (colored w/ Sharpies), Stampin' Dimensionals

Monday, November 19, 2012

Online Extravaganza Begins!

It's here--our biggest online sale of the year! Check out my ONLINE STORE to see a complete list of all the products that are on sale--including items discounted up to 50 percent! And don't forget about our 24-hour-only doorbusters--20 percent off the Big Shot (I love Mr. Big!), Doctor's Bag, and Simply Scored Diagonal Plate today only through 11:50 PM (MT)! Actually, there are two ONE DAY ONLY doorbuster sales, on the first day (today) and the last day (Nov. 28). All the other prices are good throughout the promotion.  And now, my card for today.....


We made slider cards in my team meeting last week. They are really cute and fun, and not that difficult! The tutorial is available on Splitcoast Stampers. I modified it a bit for our purposes.  Here it is opened:


Busy week(s) ahead! I wish you all a blessed Thanksgiving and safe travels, if you are heading off to visit friends or relatives. 
From Millan.Net

Stamps: Snow Much Fun, More Merry Messages
Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, Be of Good Cheer DSP, Silver Glimmer Paper
Ink: StazOn Black, Cherry Cobbler, Real Red, Gumball Green, Pumpkin Pie, Baja Breeze
Accessories: Stampin' Trimmer, Little Labels Punch Pack, Merry Minis Punch Pack, Very Vanilla 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon,

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

SUOC58 - CAS Holiday


Hello, peeps! This week at SUO Challenges we are highlighting CAS (Clean And Simple) holiday cards. Thanksgiving is next week (eek!) and before you know it, Hanukkah and Christmas will be here (double eek!). 

If you haven't been working on your cards already, you might want to consider the CAS style. It isn't too elaborate and time-consuming, but can still be beautiful and elegant in its simplicity. Be sure to check out what the Design Team made; they should give you lots of ideas for your own!

Those snowflakes are so fun to do. Just dot Multipurpose Liquid Glue (p. 177) all over and let dry thoroughly. Then sponge (or brayer) the ink all over. When complete, use an adhesive eraser (p. 177) to remove the dried glue dots - et voila! Snow!


Stamps: Zoo Review, Curly Cute
Cardstock: Whiper White, Midnight Muse
Ink: SatzOn Jet Black, Midnight Muse, Baja Breeze
Accessories: Blender Pen, Tombow Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Adhesive Eraser, Two-Way Glue Pen, Stampin' Sponges, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Folded Star






Smiley from millan.net

First of all, I would like to thank our veterans (and active military) for their service today. Without you we would not be here, so from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU and Happy Veteran's Day.

A few months ago Beate Johns from Splitcoast Stampers asked if I would do a tutorial on the folded star for the Holiday Blitz. Of course I said "Yes!", and promptly put it on the back burner, since it wasn't due for a few months. Life happened, Dad died, things came up, and suddenly it was almost due, and I hadn't even started it. Panic time!!!
Smiley from millan.net
Lucky for me, this is a super simple project, and I was able to finish the tutorial without giving Beate a stress-induced heart attack from being late. I even got the video finished in time!


This is one I made to use as a gift tag on a bottle of wine.  You can't see it, but there's some shimmer spray on the vellum to make it even more glitzy. Here's the back view:


I hope you all give it a try. It really is so simple, and can be used in so many ways (Hanukkah, holiday ornament, greeting card, etc.)

Stamps (for back of gift tag): Snowflake Soiree, More Merry Messages, Fabulous Phrases
Cardstock: Early Espresso DSP, Very Vanilla, Champagne Glimmer Paper, Cardstock Vellum
Ink: Soft Suede, Early Espresso
Accessories: Simply Scored Scoring Tool, Big Shot, Snow Flurry Bigz Die, Stampin' Trimmer, Early Espresso Scalloped Tulle Ribbon, Brushed Bronze Designer Buttons, Very Vanilla 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Mom Stamps!


Mom came to visit a few weeks ago and while she was here, she wanted to learn how to make cards. Um, I think I can show you how to do that, Mom! She had fun, and said she could get addicted to it too easily, lol. Both of my parents have (had) an artistic streak in them which, thankfully, I inherited. So naturally Mom took to stamping like a duck takes to water. That is her creation shown above.  She wasn't too into doing the fussy-cutting (hands shake a little), but she was very happy with how it looked when it was finished!

My sweet Mommy

Stamps: Everything Eleanor
Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Melon Mambo
Ink: Midnight Muse, Wild Wasabi
Accessories: Scallop Trim Border Punch, Whisper White 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Stampin' Sponges, Stampin' Dimensionals

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

And The Winner Is.....

The random number generator produced the number 6, and of the valid comments (duplicates were deleted), Barbara V was number 6, so Barbara please contact me with your mailing address so I can send your blog candy this week.  If I don't hear from you by Friday, I'll choose another from the remaining entries.

This weekend we had the estate sale of my father's belongings, and it was a long, exhausting weekend.  I totally forgot to do this Sunday night, I apologize.

Edited to add: A very happy Barbara contacted me, and her goodies are on their way. Congratulations, Barbara!

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Holiday Ornaments


The ornaments on the cover of the Stampin' Up Holiday Catalog have been a big hit, with lots of people wanting to know "How did they DO that?" Fortunately, some very talented, creative ladies got a few tips from SU, and then set out to figure them out.  One of them, Linda Heller, posted a couple of videos*, and since she did it already, I'll just link to hers......no sense in reinventing the wheel, right?


This is one of the ornaments we made in the Holiday Decor class last Saturday.  This is an easier version of the stamped one on the catalog cover.  Using Designer Series Paper makes the process a bit speedier, because you don't have to stamp the same image 15 times, and cut them out one at a time with the Framelits. Not that I'm impatient, or anything.
Smiley from millan.net 
I just like to have fabulous results in a timely manner, that's all! That's not asking too much, is it?

My point being, you can cut three layers of DSP with the Framelits, thus making the "getting ready to assemble" process much quicker! Five passes through Mr. Big versus fifteen passes.... as Martha would say, "It's a good thing."

Stamps: None
Cardstock: Be of Good Cheer DSP
Ink: None
Accessories: Big Shot, Holiday Ornaments Framelits Dies, Simply Scored Scoring Tool, Cherry Cobbler Scalloped Tulle Ribbon, Gumball Green Stitched Satin Ribbon, Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons, Large Pearl Basic Jewels, Dazzling Details, hot glue gun (non-SU)

*Video links:
Longer video (stamped ornament)
Shorter video (DSP ornament)

And now, if you scrolled all the way down here, here is my big (to me, anyway) announcement that I mentioned a week or so ago..........

I've been invited to be a Control Freak!

If you have spent any time at all perusing blogs for stamping inspiration, then I am sure you know who I'm talking about......some of the most esteemed names in stampdom!  Uber-talented folks like Wendy Weixler (one of this year's SU Artisan Award winners), JanTink, Lisa Martz, Connie Babbert, and Mary Brown, just to name a few.  People whose work I have admired forever!

That I have been invited to join the group is a HUGE honor for me. Once I've participated in a Control Freaks swap (as soon as the Spring catalog comes out), then I can join in the Tour de Freaks blog hops. Can't wait!

So, that was my big news, and if you stuck with me this far, I have a little blog candy for ya:


That's a package of the Large Pearl Basic Jewels, and a roll of Gumball Green Stitched Satin Ribbon. Just leave a comment, and Sunday night I'll use Random.org to pick a winner!