Catching Up

Spring is springing around here. Well, it was until this weekend, anyway. Woke up Saturday to a few snow pellets on the back deck, and this morning it was 28 degrees. Brrr! I'm trying to get some spring cleaning done here on the blog, so at the end of this post will be some details on the cards I made for the last Control Freaks blog hop.

Meanwhile, here is one of the Easter cards I sent this year. Yes, #imbringingEasterbacktoo, LOL! I just can't get enough of this adorable little chick!

The "How To" for this card
Card base: 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" Whisper White Thick, scored at 4-1/4" and folded
Image panel: Chick stamped on Watercolor Paper with Basic Black Archival ink, cut with 2-5/16" circle Framelit (#5 counting from smallest Framelit), colored with Aqua Painter using Daffodil Delight on chick, Sahara Sand shadow under chick, Pumpkin Pie marker for feet and beak
Mat behind image: Island Indigo punched with 2-1/2" circle punch
Mat behind Island Indigo mat: Pool Party cut with 2-3/4" circle Framelit (#6 counting from smallest Framelit)
Greeting: Scrap of Whisper white, stamped and punched with 1" circle punch
Mat behind greeting: Pool Party cut with 1-1/16" circle Framelit (second from smallest)
Mat behind doily: 4" x 5-1/4" Pool Party, embossed with (retired) Perfect Polka Dots folder

1. Emboss Pool Party rectangle with polka dot folder and adhere doily to right side.
2. Wrap ribbon around and adhere to back side. Fasten mat to card base.
3. Stamp and color bird, then cut out with Framelit. Mount on Island Indigo circle then Pool Party circle.
4. Fasten matted image over ribbon and doily.
5. Stamp greeting and punch with 1" circle punch. Mat on Pool Party circle and attach to card with Stampin' Dimensionals.
6. Tie a bow and attach to card using Glue Dots. Cut two pieces of pearl string embellishment and adhere just under bow using Fine-Tip Glue Pen. Let dry completely.

STAMPS: Honeycomb Happiness (SAB retired), Circle of Spring
CARDSTOCK: Whisper White Thick, Whisper White, Pool Party, Island Indigo, Watercolor Paper
INK: Basic Black Archival, Daffodil Delight, Sahara Sand, plus Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Write Marker
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots folder (ret.), Circles Collection Framelits, 1" Circle Punch, 2-1/2" Circle Punch, Aqua Painters, Tea Lace Paper Doilies, 1/4" Pool Party Cotton Ribbon, Love Blossoms Embellishment Kit, Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals, Fine-Tip Glue Pen

Basics on Control Freaks blog hop cards

Hello Spring Chick: Mint Macaron card base, Whisper White mat (4-1/8" x 5-3/8"), Four Mint Macaron DSP strips (7/8" x 5-1/8"), chick stamped, colored, and cut as above but mounted on Blushing Bride mat, Blushing Bride 1/4" Cotton Ribbon, Metallic Foil Doily

Hello Spring Bouquet: Card Base Whisper White Thich, mat Whisper White (4" x 5-1/4"), bottom of Washi tape placed 1" from bottom of mat, dry emboss above tape with Softly Falling folder, Whisper White image panel (2-1/2" W x 2-1/4" T) stamped with bouquet from Number of Years (Daffodil Delight and stamped off Mossy Meadow & Rose Red), Mossy Meadow mat (3" W x 2-3/4" T), Basic Black "Hello" from Greetings Thinlits, "Spring" from Crazy About You

Happy Easter Peony: Peony from You've Got This stamped on Shimmery White CS, colored with Blender Pen (Melon Mambo, Mossy Meadow, plus So Saffrom Marker), fussy cut and mounted with dimensionals on Whisper White (3-3/4" x 5") embossed with Brick Wall folder, Mossy Meadow mat (3-13/16" x 5-1/8"), Whisper White thick card base

Sale-A-Brating, Freak Style!

Hello, and welcome to another episode of "Things I Can't Live Without from Sale-A-Bration" also known as the Tour de Freaks blog hop! And, in case you haven't figured it out already, the theme this month is Sale-A-Bration. We are focusing on the wonderful FREE items you can get (with qualifying purchase) and Stampin' Up! has completely outdone themselves with this year's offerings! If you started the tour at the beginning, you just landed here from Wendy's blog, Wickedly Wonderful Creations, where I'm sure she dazzled you! I am stop number two (of sixteen) this month. Just click the links at the bottom of each blog to travel on to the next one and eventually you'll come full-circle.

There were three new items added this week to kick off the second half of SAB and I'm showing two of them, along with some other SAB items. So, without further ado, let me introduce the Party Pants stamp set and the AWESOME Metallics Glitter Tape! The tape is available in gold, silver, and WHITE....which can be colored any color you want with ink and sponge daubers! And that's what I did to make the blue banners on the card below. The background paper is from the Wildflower Fields DSP pack, also a Sale-A-Bration item.

Up next is the adorable chick from Honeycomb Happiness, with the greeting from Party Pants. In fact, all the cards today used greetings from that set! This one just cracks me up for some reason, like the bird is saying, "Put your party pants on, and let's GO!" The dotty background is from Wildflower Fields again, and the silver is the Metallics Glitter Tape. (That stuff is sooo easy to use!)

It's so hard for me to choose a favorite stamp set from SAB, but if I had to pick just one, I'd say it would probably be the very versatile Flowering Fields. You can create so many different looks with it! The background on this card was created with marker scribbles on a clear block, which was lightly misted and then stamped on watercolor paper.

Lastly, is a CAS card using the What I Love set. It's a three-step photopolymer stamp set, and makes the lovliest flowers with depth and dimension! And, of course, I couldn't resist the glitter tape. Can't help it; I'm part Magpie!

That's all for me this month. I hope you saw something that made one of these SAB rewards a "must have" item on your list! Now hop on over to Barb Mullikin's blog, Barb Stamps, and see what goodies she's cooked up for you!