Groundhog Predicts Early Spring!

Woo-HOOO! I'm sure that's even more wonderful news for those of you who have to endure sub-freezing weather. Before you know it, you'll be basking in the sunshine, too....hang in there!

Somehow, pink and green always come to mind when I think Spring, so here's a cute (and quick!) little card with that color combination.

I needed some Thank You cards this week, and this was the result. Sooo cute, and sooo easy! The marker-to-stamp technique worked really well on this stamp from the Patterned Occasions set, which is a FREE Sale-A-Bration item! A little ink was sponged around the edges of the die-cut before it was removed from the Framelit die, to give it a narrow border.

So, Friends, happy Groundhog Day to you! Now go stamp something to celebrate the Spring's eminent arrival!

Stamps: Patterned Occasions

Cardstock: Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Festival of Prints (retired)

Ink: Primrose Petals, Old Olive

Accessories: Big Shot, Labels Framelits, Primrose Petals Stitched Satin Ribbon, Sponge Dauber, Pearls Basic Jewels, Stampin' Dimensionals

Sunglasses Warning & Blog Candy Winner

Since Nikki, from Canada, was the only person who left a comment on the last post, she is the winner of the blog candy. (See, you should have scrolled all the way down!) Nikki, I sent you an email for your mailing address.

Now, about the sunglasses warning.....this card is so cheerful and bright, it might damage your retinas without protection! I made this for a special friend, but I'm not naming any names, because it goes in the mail tomorrow.

I just couldn't resist the Tangerine Tango/Rich Razzleberry combination again. Seriously, whoda thunk that I would be doing such crazy combinations? It's the Sycamore Street DSP, I tell ya. It's doing something to my brain, and now I'm even looking at Summer Starfruit with a new eye. *gasp!*

So, for all you frozen folks that can't wait for Spring to arrive, here's something bright and cheery to help you hang on.  Groundhog Day is just a few days away. Surely Punxsutawney Phil won't see his shadow, and we'll have an early Spring. It looks like there's a 30% chance of snow that day, so keep your fingers crossed!

Stamps: Madison Avenue (FREE Sale-A-Bration item)
Cardstock: Tangerine Tango, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Sycamore Street DSP (FREE Sale-A-Bration item)
Ink: Tangerine Tango, Lucky Limeade, VersaMark
Accessories: Big Shot, Floral Frames Framelits, White Heat n Emboss Powder, Heat Tool, Sycamore Street Ribbon & Button Pack (FREE Sale-A-Bration item), Stampin' Dimensionals

Simply In Love With This Color Combination

And simply in love with all the new Sale-A-Bration goodies. Love exploded is blooming all over my craft room. Today I made FIVE Valentine-themed cards! I guess once I started looking up funny Valentine's greetings the other day, I 'got in the mood', so to speak.

The is one of those great mailable cards.  The square knot on the ribbon was tied loosely enough that I could flatten in onto the glue dot, thus reducing the bulk.  So, no extra postage needed for that envelope!

No need for a greeting, since I'm pretty sure the intent of the card is clear. I love, love, love this color combination, don't you?! It reminds me of a Fifties diner, though I have no idea how I could possibly know what colors were popular way back then. (Heehee!)

Stamp: Madison Avenue (FREE Sale-A-Bration item)
Cardstock: Pool Party, Basic Black, Whisper White, Real Red
Ink: Wild Wasabi
Accessories: Big Shot, Hearts Framelits, Hearts A Flutter Framelits, Square Lattice Folder, Sycamore Street Ribbon & Button Pack (FREE Sale-A-Bration item)

So, what is your favorite color combination for Valentine's Day? Do you like the traditional red and/or pink & white? Do you go for a more dramatic combination like red, black, and white? Or are you totally into non-traditional combos, like orange and pink, or purple and black? Leave a comment about your favorite, and I have some blog candy for the winning comment. Winner will be announced Sunday evening.

Sale-A-Brate Good Times, Come On!

Today begins the biggest, most anticipated sale event of the Stampin' Up! year, Sale-A-Bration! You get to choose a free item from the SAB brochure for every $50 in product you order, and the selections in this year's brochure are absolutely delectable! There's the Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper (see sample on card here), or the coordinating ribbon/button pack, there are six different stamp sets (not counting the special offerings from the annual catalog), there's an embossing folder, a card kit, two different digital content discs, or an adorable punch to choose from.

And there's more! If you get some friends together for a party, and the party totals $150, in addition the the $25 Hostess dollars you can spend on anything in the catalog, you'll get a free pack of the Silver Glimmer Paper, SU's Silver Anniversary gift to you!  Want more?  Have a $400 party, and in addition to the Silver Glimmer (and $65 Hostess dollars to spend), you'll receive a SAB bundle which includes the Sycamore Street DSP and Ribbon/button pack, a stamp set, PLUS get 50% off any item in the catalog!

Want even MORE? Join my stamping team, and get 25% more in your $99 starter kit. So instead of $125 in products, you'll get $156.25 in products of YOUR CHOICE. For only $99. Plus you'll get all the other benefits that Stampin' Up! lavishes on their demonstrators and, last but not least, ME as your upline!

So, what are you waiting for? Contact me if you'd like to receive a SAB brochure, or any catalog for that matter. I'd be happy to show you what the products look like, since I have them all (one of the demo perks is pre-ordering), book your party, or answer any questions you might have about joining my team.

And, just because you scrolled all the way down here, here is a card just for you!

Stamps: Vintage Verses (FREE SAB item!), Sunshine (from Single Stamps Assortment 4)

Cardstock: Basic Black, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight

Ink: VersaMark, Whisper White Craft

Accessories: Heat Tool, White Stampin' Emboss Powder, Embossing Buddy, Sponge dauber, White Stampin' Watercolor Pencil

Getting My Freak On!

It's that time of month, time for the Tour de Freaks blog tour. As a new Control Freak Swapper, this is my first tour so I hope you enjoy my little projects!  We are featuring items in the Sale-A-Bration flyer, and holy moly, there are some fabulous things in there! Remember, you can get those products FREE with a qualifying order from your Stampin' Up! demonstrator, from Jan. 22 to Mar. 22!

If you just arrived here from Lisa Martz's blog, you're in the right place. If you started here, you can just click the link at the bottom of all the tour posts, and follow along in a circle....eventually you'll end up back here.

My first project is a card using the Feeling Sentimental stamp set that also shows off the yummy Sycamore Street DSP and the Vine Street embossing folder. There are four SAB items on there!

STAMPS: Feeling Sentimental  CARDSTOCK: Island Indigo, Whisper White, Pool Party Core-dinations, Sycamore Street DSP  INK: Rich Razzleberry  ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Vine Street embossing folder, Sycamore Street Ribbon & Button Pack, Stampin' Sanding System

Up next is another card - this time using the Madison Avenue stamp set. The ribbon that comes in the Sycamore Street Ribbon & Button Pack is so gorgeous, it just cried out to be the focal point on this card!

STAMPS: Madison Avenue, Bloomin' Marvelous  CARDSTOCK: Island Indigo, Whisper White, Pool Party Core-dinations  INK: Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo  ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Vine Street embossing folder, Sycamore Street Ribbon & Button Pack, Stampin' Sanding System, Jumbo Sticky Rounds (cut in 1" circles), Rhinestones Basic Jewels, Pool Party Baker's Twine

And the last project is a quick and easy treat to slip in someone's lunch or mailbox. It's so easy to make! Just start with the scalloped tag from the Two Tags die, score at 1/2", 1-1/2" and 2-1/2" (starting from the rounded end, not the scalloped end). Stack two Hershey Nuggets inside and fold the tag around so the scalloped end is on top. Fasten with Snail or a Glue Dot. Thread ribbon through a button of your choice and tie it on. The little tag is from the Pretty Petites set, punched with the Petite Curly Label Punch - all of these are in the SAB flyer!

STAMP: Pretty Petites  CARDSTOCK: Whisper White, Sycamore Street DSP  INK: Island Indigo  ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Two Tags die, Petite Curly Label Punch, White Baker's Twine, Sycamore Street Ribbon & Button Pack

Your next stop on the tour is Patty Bennett's blog, Patty's Stamping Spot. Just click the button below to see what her creative genius has in store!

Stampin' Addicts SAB Blog Hop

Hello, and welcome to another wonderful blog hop from the Stampin' Addicts! We are so happy that you stopped by to see some of the ways to use the wonderful FREE items coming next week for Sale-A-Bration* (aka SAB).

You probably just came from Rhonda's blog, The Stampin' Bunny, where she featured the Vine Street Embossing Folder. She always knocks my socks off with her creativity! You can follow the link near the bottom to continue on to Heidi's blog when you're finished here, or click HERE for a complete list of the hop stops.

Today I'm featuring the Bloomin' Marvelous stamp set, and I must say, it certainly is! The first card uses the Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper (SAB item) as a starting point. It's easy to choose coordinating colors from the DSP, so this card has Summer Starfruit and Rich Razzleberry as the main colors, with some accents of Pool Party to give it "pop". The little butterfly was heat embossed with Pool Party embossing powder to give a bit of shine, which matches the Pool Party Satin Ribbon (another SAB item!).

Sycamore Street DSP, Summer Starfruit, Rich Razzleberry, and Whisper White cardstock, VersaMark and Basic Black ink, Pool Party Stampin' Emboss Powder, Heat Tool, Bitty Butterfly Punch,

Sycamore Street Ribbon & Button Pack

For the second card I toned it down a bit and chose colors to play up the Tangerine Tango Satin Ribbon (more from the Sycamore Street pack). I thought Basic Gray was the perfect background to show off the flowers. This is a very mailable card - no bulky bows or brads to jam in the PO machinery!

Basic Gray, Tangerine Tango, and Whisper White cardstock, Tangerine Tango, Lucky Limeade, and VersaMark ink,

White Stampin' Emboss Powder, Heat Tool, Big Shot, Square Lattice Embossing Folder,

Sycamore Street Ribbon & Button Pack

And lastly, here's a pretty, feminine card with a soft pink bow holding the little bouquet, kind of reminiscent of a nosegay (and I'll bet half of you don't know what that is, heehee!). The doily really helps the flowers stand out, don't you think? Now this card would need to be hand-delivered!

Old Olive, Pink Pirouette, and Whisper White cardstock, Tea Lace Paper Doilies, Pink Pirouette/Rose Red Two-Tone Ribbon, Pink Pirouette, Rose Red, and Old Olive ink, Big Shot, Vine Street Embossing Folder, Labels Framelits, Petite Curly Label Punch, Pearl Basic Jewels, Stampin' Sponges

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Next in line is Heidi's blog, Running w Scissors Stamper, where she's going to wow you with the Feeling Sentimental set. I love the fun facts she has about the bicycle image! When you have a chance, stop by the Stampin' Addicts and say Hi! Membership is free and anyone who loves Stampin' Up! is welcome to join, whether SU demonstrator or hobby stamper.

*What is Sale-A-Bration, you ask? Only the biggest sale of the year from Stampin' Up! You can earn free goodies (with a qualified purchase), and this year has the best selection of products I've ever seen!

FMS68 and Resolutions!

Note: The SUO Challenge will be delayed a week, because our fearless leader has been ill.

We should be back with a new challenge on the 15th!

One of my resolutions this year is to be more consistent in my blog posts, and to that end, one of my other resolutions is to participate in more challenges. Sometimes a sketch or color challenge is just the kick in the kiester I need to get creative.

So this week, I'm playing along with Freshly Made Sketches challenge #68. My friend, Jennifer Timko, is on the design team there, and I love seeing her take on the sketches! Here's the sketch for this week:

And here's my take on it:

I rotated it 90 degrees so the greeting would fit on the Everything Eleanor label. It's so soft and feminine looking IRL. I made one of Jennifer's magic bows, spritzed it with water and scrunched it up. Why is it the "messy" bows look so fabulous when someone else does them, and mine just looks sad?

Tomorrow, Mr. Brown is bringing more goodies from the Spring Catalog, woohoo! I had to exercise great restraint and wait to place my main order until after the first of the month. So now I'm anxiously waiting to see my favorite guy tomorrow (outside of immediate family members, lol)!

Stamps: Everything Eleanor, Vintage Verses (FREE Sale-A-Bration item, starts Jan. 27)

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Naturals Ivory

Ink: Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy

Accessories: Big Shot, Fancy Fan folder, Baja Breeze Seam Binding Ribbon, Artisan Embellishment Kit (lace and button)