Thanks So Much

The Blended Bloom stamp isn't just for Blendabilities - it works fabulously with watercoloring, too!

The blossom was heat-embossed in gold on watercolor paper, then colored using an Aqua Painter and the Blackberry Bliss ink pad. I probably should have gone a little darker, but I liked the way it looked and didn't want to "fix" it. Waaaay too often I make things worse when trying to make them better, so I quit while I was ahead, lol.

You can't see it very well, but I used the stamp with Illuminate ink (retired) on the Blackberry Bliss panel behind the image, too.

Notice the colored rhinestones? I made them using the darkest of the Daffodil Delight Blendabilities. I LOVE that I can make rhinestones to match my projects now! The Blendabilites are listed in the new catalog as a preview of coming attractions, meaning they won't be available to order until Stampin' Up is positive they can meet the demand for them. (And there WILL be a demand!) But never fear, they will be available to order soon, and when they are, I will be offering a free class on how to use them for anyone that's interested! Trust me, they are amazing, and will change they way you look at coloring your images!

STAMPS: Blended Bloom, Lots of Thanks
CARDSTOCK: Whisper White, Blackberry Bliss, Hello Honey, Moonlight DSP Stack, Watercolor Paper
INK: VersaMark, Blackberry Bliss, Hello Honey, Daffodil Delight Blendabilities
ACCESSORIES: Heat Tool, Embossing Buddy, Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder, Hello Honey 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, Aqua Painter, Rhinestones Basic Jewels

Carrie's Thank You

One of the stamp sets we were given at the Stampin' Up! Catalog Premiere was the new Ronald MacDonald House Charity stamp set. It's called Flamingo Lingo, and my pink-plastic-yard-flamingo-loving hubby is going to love it. It's so awesome that SU donates $3.00 from the sale of every RMHC stamp set to Ronald MacDonald House! Besides a flamingo, it has a cute flower the fits the Petite Petals Punch. LOVE it!

I did use a stamp from Work of Art for the left panel, as well as Gorgeous Grunge for the gold splattered background, and Lots of Thanks for the greeting. Wow, four stamp sets on one card!

This is the Thank You that I sent to Carrie Cudney for her presentation. She showed us how to put together a stamp pad that has come apart, and then she had a contest with Brian Pilling to see how many times they could take apart and put together their stamp pads in a set time. Needless to say, it was hysterically funny, and their hands were very inky when they were finished.

Tomorrow I'll show the card I made for Shannon West using ALL new products, including the Blended Bloom stamp, Back to Black DSP, Stitched Satin Ribbon, and the new Blendabilities alcohol ink markers! Oh. My. Heck. They are so easy to use, and the results are fabulous!

STAMPS: Flamingo Lingo, Work of Art, Gorgeous Grunge, Lots of Thanks
CARDSTOCK: Whisper White, Gold Foil Sheets
INK: Lost Lagoon, Hello Honey, Blackberry Bliss, Gold Metallic Encore
ACCESSORIES: Petite Petals Punch, Modern Label Punch, Decorative Label Punch

Make It Mailable 13-08

It's Monday, so you know what that means - another mailable card today! This was the card I sent to the surgeon who fixed my husband's spinal stenosis. Thanks to him, my honey won't lose the use of his arms and legs. And how can I possibly express the depth of my gratitude for that in a card? I can't. This is just going to have to do, even though it feels so inadequate.

There aren't any embellishments at all on this, with the tiny exception of the Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details on the poppy centers. The banners take the place of a ribbon and bow (no bulk), and the geometric shapes of the image and greeting give it a more masculine look. Even if it does have flowers on it.

Stamps: Pleasant Poppies, Lots of Thanks
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Shimmery White, Cherry Cobbler DSP (Regals Stack)
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Big Shot, Lacy Brocade folder (retired), Blender Pens, Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details

Just a reminder that today is THE LAST DAY to join Stampin' Up! for only $25!

And it's not too late to sign up for the 12 Weeks of Christmas. There are still lots of great projects left! Click on the Mailing List Sign Up on the left sidebar.

Make It Mailable 13-07

Are you in the mood for a fun-fold? This is a quick, easy and MAILABLE card that is sure to bring a smile to the recipient! You can use a light-colored designer paper for the image background, or do what I did and use a background stamp (stamped off once to make it lighter).

Because I used 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, the bow isn't bulky at all, and the rhinestones don't add much bulk, either. To make a Z-fold card base, start with a piece of cardstock cut lengthwise to
4 ¼" x 11", and scored at 2 ¾" and 5 ½".  Fold into the Z shape and add a matted image panel, whatever size suits you (and the image). Voila...a fun, quick card to knock someone's socks off!

Stamps: Timeless Talk, En Français, Lots of Thanks
Cardstock: Coastal Cabana, Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana DSP (2013-2015 In Colors Stack)
Ink: Coastal Cabana, Basic Black
Accessories: Stampin' Trimmer, Bermuda Bay1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Rhinestones Basic Jewels

Have you signed up for my mailing list yet? If not, you've missed weeks 1 and 2, but you can still get the last 10 weeks! Just click on the form on the upper left sidebar.

A Big Batch of Thanks

I needed to make a bunch of thank you cards, so naturally I looked to Pinterest for inspiration. These are a CASE of Angie Juda's thank you cards, that just really jumped out at me, because they use the lovely new In Colors. I just LOOOOVE the new colors! After struggling with a certain In Color from last year that shall remain nameless - Summer Starfruit *cough* - it was like a breath of fresh air when I saw the new colors this year. I nearly swooned!

Anyhooo, I wanted to fancy the cards up a bit, so I looked for contrasting colors to give them a little pop. And the awesome new patterns in the Designer Series Paper Stacks added some extra visual interest, too!

Here are the In Colors, with their contrasting color:

•    Pistachio Pudding, Wild Wasabi
•    Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay
•    Crisp Cantaloupe, Calypso Coral
•    Baked Brown Sugar, Soft Suede
•    Strawberry Slush, Melon Mambo

And, because I really liked the black, white and Bermuda Bay combo from the other day, I made another!

Stamps: Chalk Talk, Lots of Thanks
Cardstock: Whisper White, Pistachio Pudding, Wild Wasabi, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Crisp Cantaloupe, Calypso Coral, Baked Brown Sugar, Soft Suede, Strawberry Slush, Melon Mambo, Basic Black, plus coordinating DSP stacks
Ink: Wild Wasabi, Bermuda Bay, Calypso Coral, Soft Suede, Melon Mambo
Accessories: Big Shot, Chalk Talk Framelits, Beautifully Baroque folder, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, Rhinestones Basic Jewels, Stampin' Dimensionals