Stampin' Trends #1

     I had a fun idea for a series last week that I can't wait to share with you! I recently recreated a card I loved in Paper Crafts Magazine using only Stampin' Up products, and I had so much fun that I've decided to make it an ongoing challenge.  Hopefully these posts will help you find new and interesting ways to use your Stampin' Up stash or whatever product line is your favorite. Let's get started!


     This week's card, designed by Becky Cowley, was featured in the May/June issue of Paper Crafts on page 29. Thanks for the inspiration, Becky!

     

     

     For my version, I used More Mustard Cardstock for my card base. I created the Crumb Cake background using the Travel Journal builder wheel stamped in Crumb Cake and the flourish from Creative Elements stamped in Soft Suede. 

     I used the Everyday Enchantment paper pack to create the stitched element on the side, layering each 1" x 1 3/4" piece from the bottom up over a base piece of scrap cardstock. I then stitched the whole thing using white embroidery floss after poking holes using the Essentials Paper Piercing Pack. (My sewing machine is dead in the water or I wouldn't normally hand stitch anything!) I layered this element over a ruffle of Victoria Crochet Trim and my greeting.

     For the greeting, I cut a piece of First Edition DSP with my Framelits label die and stamped the "Thanks" from the retired Rue Des Fleurs stamp set in Basic Black ink. I inked the edges in black and adhered the label under the crochet trim.

     The highlight of Becky's card was the beautiful rose motif featured on her label. I used the retired Baby Blossoms set to try to recreate her heirloom roses using stamped off Pumpkin Pie and Real Red ink, Pool Party for the bitty blossoms, and Lucky Limeade for the leaves. I couldn't resist adding just a touch of glitter to the roses and bitty blossoms!

     This card reminds me of a farmhouse kitchen, and I had a blast making it! I hope this project inspires you to pull out your favorite paper crafting magazine and recreate your favorite project using just your Stampin' Up (or other favorite)product line.

     Have a great weekend, my friends!

Creative Elements Collage

     Hi, my friends! It's a beautiful day under the Big Sky today! My daughters and I spent the morning walking in a parade for a good cause, and we soaked up a lot of vitamin D and met some wonderful people. I will try to share photos soon, but I'm too tech-unsavvy to figure out how to get the pictures off my phone. (Maybe one of the girls can do it for me!)

     Today's project is inspired by a fellow SplitCoast Stamper, Genesis. Thanks, Genesis, for sharing this gorgeous idea! The collage uses the Creative Elements Stamp set with its cool flourishes and floral images. This is a quick, fun card with a lot of vintage appeal.

     I didn't quite have all of Genesis's colors on hand, so I used Rose Red, Not Quite Navy, Crumb Cake and Soft Suede. Some hand-dyed seam binding would make a great alternative to the Pool Party ribbon.

    That's all for today, friends! I'm off to put a cold compress on the sunburn I earned today. Hope you have a great weekend!   

Gettin' Taggy

     Sometimes I just feel like pulling out the inks and going free-style with some tags. I don't think I've given away many tags, so I have a pretty big collection, but there's something about the pure creativity of a blank canvas that you can alter like crazy that really appeals to me. (Sometimes I have a huge back-log of cards too, and as much as I love card-making, that pile is staring at me waiting to be mailed!)


     Last weekend I did two tags. The first used some unusual colors (Pool Party and Pumpkin Pie) and one of my favorite stamp sets, Rue Des Fleurs, a retired SU set with awesome vintage images. I used a few images from Creative Elements too, which I've used SOOO much already.

     For the second tag, I went totally Tim Holtz. I inked, then embossed the umbrella man, inked some more, masked some clouds, and then distressed with acrylic paint. I wanted to give the effect of sunshine coming out after rain. It's been a while since I pulled out the Tim Holtz, and I had lots of fun!

Thanks for stopping by today, my friends!

Father's Day

     Father's Days have been hard for me ever since my parents split up a few years back. I don't have a good relationship with my dad, but this year I'm going to make an effort to at least send a card that lets him know I'm thinking of him. I'm sure this holiday is hard for a lot of dads and kids alike. Divorce is a painful thing, and something I never thought would happen in my family. 


     I made a few versions of the same card for my husband, dad-in-law, and my dad, and they're all slightly different but use the same sponged background of light blue clouds. This SU set "Lovely as a Tree" is one of my most used and is great for masculine cards.

     I hope you have a great weekend with all the wonderful men in your life! I'm still working on something special for Matt, the love of my life, and an absolutely AMAZING father. All the best, my friends!

Creative Elements and Favorites Revisited

     Hey, friends! This week I broke out some of my SU goodies and worked up a few exclusively SU cards to display at an upcoming show. Sometimes it's hard to limit myself to one product line, but I've found that I'm sometimes less overwhelmed with creativity when I have some guidelines to follow. 
   
     My newest stash addition is a set called Creative Elements. I used this set to work up a bright, fun and summery birthday pocket card using white, daffodil delight, rich razzleberry, certainly celery, and my all-time favorite color, pool party. 

I made a cute bookmark for a card stuffer for a later project as well:

This set is so versatile. I know I'll use it a lot!

     Next I broke out my tried-and-true fallback set for all elegant cards: Artistic Etchings. I used my stamp-a-ma-jig to create the background paper on this one as well. SU doesn't carry a gray ribbon right now, so this is some Offray that I found at Joann Fabrics. I embossed the Eiffel Tower in black and used crumb cake and cherry cobbler inks to create a simple collage. This card was inspired by one of my favorite YouTube SU demonstrators, Joan. Here's a link to her channel.

My last card this week is a simple Father's Day card. I created a mixed pastel background and then stamped the tree image (from Lovely as a Tree) over the top for a messy watercolor effect. This would look even cooler with the image embossed in black over the top, I think. I'll try that next time.

Hope your weekend has been truly wonderful! Thanks for stopping by!

Emboss Resist Sympathy Card

     Sorry it's been so long since I've posted! Good grief! The weather was totally horrible (rainy, snowy, and windy) this Memorial Day weekend, so I should have had time to craft, right? Wrong! I was playing with our family's new addition all weekend, a beautiful Devon Rex kitten we're calling Maxwell. He's my new little baby, and loves to be with me (as in literally ON me) every waking moment. I'm loving it all, and he's settling in so nicely. (He even plays fetch. Yep, for real.)

    I created this card for an extended family member who recently lost a loved one. I found the stamp in the clearance bin at Michael's, and I thought it just begged for a Tim Holtz Distress Ink technique. The papers are from Stampin' Up's last Sale-a-Bration designer series paper. I think this might be their best designer paper yet ... the prints are small enough to be really useful on cards and the colors are so bright and appealing. I wish it was still available!

And, of course, a photo of our new addition cuddled up with my daughter, Olivia. How perfect!

Hope your week is as full of love, joy, and gratitude as ours has been. Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas in April: Part 4

     Today I'm feeling so amazing about life! After so many months of barely getting by and struggling with my husband's health, having him back to work and feeling good has been absolutely life-changing. I'm so grateful for this reprieve, and I feel so blessed. Anything worth having in life has it's ups and downs, and I'm feeling so incredibly grateful for the ups today!


     Here are the last of my December My Creative Scrapbook layouts (for a while at least since I still have some paper left!) The first is a layout featuring my daughter opening one of her favorite gifts of all time: a gum ball machine from Grandma Beverly. Her expression is so cute! She had "gum" on her list, and boy was she surprised to get a year's supply!

I love this little snowman from Echo Park, and I wanted to create a winter scene with him. I layered him over some tree stickers from the collection and used Picket Fence Stickles to create some snow.

     I found the photo on the last layout on a photo CD from years ago, and I don't know why I've never used it. The girls were so little and toothless and adorable, and they were (again) opening exciting gifts from Grandma Beverly. (She's truly an expert gift buyer!)

     Of course, no gift could ever compare to the love that surrounds us at Christmas and every day of the year. Family is such a precious gift, and I hope you have some time to cherish it today! Thanks for stopping by, my friends!

Christmas in April: Part 3

     Wow, it truly feels Christmasy here in Montana today! It's been snowing all day, and with the leaves already on the trees, everything looks so lovely covered in heavy snow. The best part about snow at this time of year is that it never lasts long, and we'll be back in the sun before we know it!

   

     Today I'm sharing the third of the Christmas-themed layouts I've been working on lately. This layout features Echo Park and Bo Bunny papers and a photo of my daughters being silly while we put the garland on the tree.  I love the layered chippie rocking horse from this Echo Park Collection!


     There's still more Christmas to come, so check back soon. Do you have your shopping done yet?

Christmas in April Part 2: Believe in Magic

     Hello, friends! It's a GORGEOUS day here in Montana, and I'm soaking up every ounce of vitamin D I can! Last night the sunset was absolutely radiant, with pink and the brightest orange I've ever seen screaming off the clouds and reflecting off the mountains. I'm so blessed to live in one of the most beautiful places on earth!

   I'm back today to share another Christmas layout. I originally thought this photo was a dud ... terrible lighting, no one's faces, a flash reflection, but I decided to use it anyway. My daughters are about to grow out of the Santa Claus stage, and I wanted to capture one last photo of them immersed in the magic of the season. Here they are looking out Grandma's window, watching for Rudolph's red nose to signal that Santa had arrived. Precious!

     Now that this page is finished, I'm sort of partial to this dud of a photo. I hope you find plenty of magic in the day wherever you are. Thanks for stopping by!

My Copics Have Arrived!

     I'm bouncing off the walls with delight! I received my first set of Copic markers recently, and they are every bit as much fun as I had hoped! I didn't really expect to find them so relaxing, but coloring is such a fun way to spend an hour when you're winding down at night.


     Since I'm new to Copics, I scoped out color collections I liked at Flourishes before ordering. I ordered with two specific sets in mind, so I knew I could start my collection with just a few markers and still have enough to finish some projects. Carpe Diem Store has the best prices for Copics anywhere I've found.


     I ordered purples and greens since I've had this stamp in my stash for so long:

Since this was my first attempt, it's nowhere near perfect, but I sure had a lot of fun!! I plan to give this card to my mom for Mother's Day, since she's an avid gardener.

I also ordered a set of browns and grays to finish this teddy bear for a baby card:

   
I don't have many graphic-style stamps or too many marker shades yet, but I did find a site online (by Elizabeth Dulemba) with some cute free digital images that I can print and work on just for fun. My daughter loves bunnies, so she was really excited by all the rabbit images!

I'm having lots of fun so far, and I can't wait to expand my coloring and stamping choices. Much to my husband's delight another crafting addiction is born!