Stylish Blogger Award

I was really surprised to receive a wonderful comment on one of my post from SU Demonstrator Kelli Wolfel who passed on the Stylish blogger Award to me.  It is so nice to see that others appreciate the work that goes into my blog and I want to thank Kelli for this nice honor.  Please visit her very creative blog at

http://kellistampinpad.blogspot.com/ 

When someone receives this award you are supposed to:

1. Thank the person who gave this award to you and link it back to their blog.

2. Share 8 things about yourself.

3.  Pass this award to 8 other individuals that you have recently discovered.

4.  Leave a comment so they can pass along the recognition.

So the 8 things I would like to share about myself are:

1.  I have been married 33 years to my wonderful husband Rich and we have one son and one daughter.

2.  I am a grandmother of two.  My wonderful 3 year old Thomas, and beautiful 1 year old Evelyn.

3.  I love my job!  Being a SU demonstrator allows me to be creative every day, as much as I want, or as little as I want.  I am having so much fun!!

4.  I love spending time at the beach with family and friends.

5.  I am a retired pre-school teacher, and while I miss the time spent teaching little minds, I now enjoy teaching and sharing my SU creations, techniques, and ideas with others.

6.  I try to stay in shape by going to the gym, doing yoga, and running, but know that I have to work harder at it than I did in the past. 

7.  I have the best friends in the world who are always there for me during the good and the bad and they help make my life complete.

8.  I have the best family in the world, and without them my life would not be as fulfilled as it is now, and I thank God everyday for these blessings.

Now I would like to pass the Stylish Blogger Award to these following ladies.  Please visit their blogs when you get a chance!

Martha at http://stampinmartha.blogspot.com/

Debbie at http://debbiesdesignsblog.blogspot.com/

Alex at http://californiastampin.blogspot.com/

Frenchie at http://frenchiestamps.com/

Dianne at http://stamperdianne.wordpress.com/

Nicki at http://inkpaperstamp.com/

Becky at http://stampthat.com/blog/

Chrissy at http://love-2-inspire.blogspot.com/

These are just a few of the great blogs I follow, and when you get the time stop on by to check them out.

Hello Baby!

The Scallop Circle Bigz Die lets you think out of the box.  Instead of the standard size card, it lets you create a cute circular card.  The tip to this is that you need to cut your cardstock to 8 1/2 x 5 and fold.  Place the folded piece onto your die but when you go to cut, make sure you leave four of the scallops exposed so you are not cutting two separate scallop circles, but have two that stay together with the fold at the top. 

The rest of the card was made by cutting two additional circles using my Circle Scissors Plus.  The Whisper White circle was cut with the setting at 3 1/2 and the Old Olive Designer Paper was cut at 3 1/4".  The giraffe was placed on another piece of Whisper White cardstock, and to this piece I rounded the corners with the Small Corner Punch. 

To make this card I used the following:

Cardstock:  Old Olive #100702, Whisper White #100730

Designer Series Paper:  Old Olive from the Brights Paper Stack #117155

Ink:  Old Olive #102277

Stamp Set:  Animal Stories #116716

Ribbon:  Old Olive 1/8" Taffeta #119256

Accessories:  Big Shot #113439, Scallop Circle Bigz Die #113468, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder #117335, Circle Scissors Plus #112530

Below is a picture of a card I posted on April of last year using this same technique.  The difference is the circular opening I punched in the top to make it look like a bib. 

Wish Big!

I get a lot of requests for masculine cards.  I guess so many of us like to add ribbons and pretty embellishments to our cards, so trying to come up with one that doesn't have any of these little extras sometimes leave us wondering what to create.  Well if you have some nice designer paper and a few punches you can come up with all sorts of designs for a masculine themed card.

Today's card uses Old Olive , Chocolate Chip and So Saffron cardstock, and some punches of Play Date Designer Series Paper.  By layering these together and adding the Wish Big sentiment in the middle you have a quick and easy masculine birthday card.  No ribbons or extras needed.  The bold designs of the paper gives this card all it needs.  Try your circle and oval punches too with paper that has nice masculine colors and patterns and you can make several different styles and designs.

For today's card I used the following:

Cardstock:  Old Olive #100702, Chocolate Chip #102128, So Saffron # 105118, Whisper White #100730

Designer Series Paper:  Play Date #117168

Ink:  Old Olive #102277

Stamp Set:  Word Play #120308 wood or #120651 clear, Teeny Tiny Wishes #115370

Punches:  1 1/4" Square #119865, 1 3/8" Square #119877, Word Window #119857

Accessories:  Dimensionals #104430

Extreme Elements Birthday Cards

Extreme Skateboard



Extreme Guitar

When I am planning cards for my monthly Stamp-a-Stack I like to have a variety of all occasion cards on hand for people to choose from, and the two cards posted today would be nice for younger boys, girls, or teens.  I know most people think of these extreme stamps as being boy oriented, but just change your colors and you can make them for girls too. 

The first card uses Always Artichoke cardstock layered with a small strip of Tangerine Tango DSP from the Brights Paper Stack.  On the Whisper White layer, which was also matted with Chocolate Chip cardstock,  I stamped in random order shapes from the Extreme Elements Stamp Set.  I stamped the Skateboard figure in Old Olive ink and then cut it out and placed it on top of my stamped piece using dimensionals.

The second card is Rich Razzleberry cardstock, with layers of Crumb Cake and Rich Razzleberry DSP from the same Paper Stack as the first card.   The Whisper White stamped layer is matted with Old Olive cardstock,and the guitar player was stamped in Crumb Cake ink and also placed on with dimensionals.  For the sentiment on this card I colored in the happy birthday on top of the birthday stamp in the A Word For You Stamp set.  The whole stamp says happy birthday with a cherry on top! but I only wanted the happy birthday, so I took my Rich Razzleberry marker and inked just that part. 

To make toay's cards I used the following:

Cardstock:  Always Artichoke #105119, Whisper White #100730,  Chocolate Chip #102128,  Rich Razzleberry #115316, Crumb Cake #120953, Old Olive #100702

Designer Series Paper:  Brights Paper Stack #117155

Ink:  TangerineTango #111834, Basic Gray #109120, Chocolate Chip #100908, Old Olive #102277, Rich Razzleberry #115658, Crumb Cake #121030

Marker:  Rich Razzleberry #120970

Stamp Sets:  Extreme Skateboard #115179, Extreme Guitar #115328, Extreme Elements #115181, Upsy Daisy #111710, A Word for you #117032 wood or #120528 clear

Punches:   1 3/4" Oval #119855, 1 3/8" Oval #119859

Accessories:  Dimensionals #104430



Embossed Vellum

Want to make your embossed image really stand out, use Vellum Cardstock and watch your embossed image pop. 

For today's card I started with a card base of Elegant Eggplant and then added a Perfect Polka Dots embossed layer using Vellum Cardstock.  Next I stamped and punched the petals and used glue dots to adhere them to the vellum layer.  I then placed my Antique Brad in the center, and added some Sticky Strip pieces to the back of the petals and adhered the whole flower to the vellum using only the pieces of Sticky Strip to keep it all together.  I didn't want to add any other adhesive to the back of the vellum, and the Sticky Strip worked great to keep everything in place.  For some extra sparkle I sprinkled some Dazzling Diamonds to the flowers using my 2-Way Glue Pen to adhere it.  A sentiment will be added later. 

For today's card I used the following:

Cardstock:  Elegant Eggplant #105126, Vellum #101856

Stamp Set:  Build a Blossom #121923 wood or #121994 clear

Punch:  Blossom Petals Punch #121808, Scallop Edge Border #119882

Ink:  Elegant Eggplant #105210

Embellishments:  Dazzling Diamonds #102023, Antique Brad #117273

Accessories:  Big Shot #113439, Perfect Polk Dots Embossing Folder #117335, 2-Way Glue Pen #100425, Sticky Strip #104294

I like to keep some of my cards sentiment free so I have a supply on hand when an occasion pops up.  This card could be used for wedding, anniversary, birthday, thank you and so much more. 

Oval Scallop Thank You

When you cut your paper with the Frame, Scallop Oval Bigz Die you can create two different cards using the cut pieces.

For the first card I started with a card base of Pear Pizzaz cardstock, followed by a layer of Rose Red, and then an embossed layer of Very Vanilla.  To this layer I added the outer cut scallop that was cut with Springtime Vintage DSP.  The sentiment was layered on with a punched oval scallop of the same DSP. 

The second card is a base of Crumb Cake cardstock that was embossed with the Finial Press embossing folder.  To this I added the inner cut oval scallop.  A piece of Rose Red seam binding was tied on to make the bow. 

Check out the Occasions Mini Catalog which offers this pretty paper and more coordinating colors of Seam Binding to go with your projects. 

For today's cards I used the following:

Cardstock:  Pear Pizzazz #119795, Rose Red #102544, Very Vanilla #119951, Crumb Cake #120953

Designer Series Paper:  Springtime Vintage #121782 (Occasions Mini)

Ribbon:  Rose Red Seam Binding #121884 (Occasions Mini)

Ink:  Pear Pizzazz #119784, Rose Red #101778

Stamp Set:  Teeny Tiny Wishes #115370, Thank You Kindly #111700

Punches:  Extra Large Oval #119859, Scallop Oval #119856, 1 3/8" Oval #119863

Accessories:  Big Shot #113439, Finial Press Embossing Folder #115963, Frame, Oval Scallop Bigz Die #114521

Wellness Wishes

Don't you just love his face!  Hopefully it helps someone feel better soon.

For today's card I started with Pear Pizzazz cardstock followed by a layer of Concord Crush In Color DSP, a Level 1 hostess selection.  I layered the stamped image with cardstock, and inked it with Chocolate Chip ink.  Using my blender pen I added a touch of Concord Crush ink to the pillow, but left the rest of the stamped image alone.  I thought I don't want to mess with that cute and loveable, but sad face.  Some Concorcd Crush 1/2" Stitched Poly Ribbon was added, as well as the stamped and punched Get Well. 

The following were used for today's post:

Cardstock:  Pear Pizzazz #119795, Concord Crush #119792, Whisper White #100730

Desiger Series Paper:  In Color Paper Pack #121028 (Level 1 Hostess)

Stamp Set:  Wellness Wishes #115356, Sincere Salutations #115068

Ribbon:  Concord Crush 1/2" Stitched Poly #119266

Ink:  Chocolate Chip #100908, Concord Crush #119785

Punch:  Extra Large Oval #119859

Fancy Flower Birthday

Playing around with a few punches and Designer Series Paper I came up with this idea for a flowerful birthday card.

I started with a card base of Pear Pizzazz cardstock, followed by a Square Lattice Embossed piece of Whisper White cardstock.  I then added a layer of Baja Breeze seam binding.  I am so glad Stampin' Up! added more seam binding ribbon colors in the Occasions Mini catalog.  I am going to make sure to stock up on them because I like having a larger selection of colors to choose from, and I really like the look and feel of the seam binding.  Next I punched three large flowers with the Fancy Flower punch, and then punched some smaller flowers with the Boho Blossoms punch.  I used Greenhouse Gala Designer Series Paper and Early Espresso cardstock for the flowers, and added brads to the centers.  The sentiment was sponged with Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz, and Pumpkin Pie ink to also tie into the colors in the flowers and to add some more dimension to it.  Don't forget - to know exactly what colors are in your Designer Series Paper, just look under the paper name in your catalog and they are all listed there for you.  How easy is that!

To make today's card I used the following:

Cardstock:  Pear Pizzazz #119795, Whisper White #100730, Early Espresso #119686

Designer Series Paper:  Greenhouse Gala #117167

Stamp Set:  Full of Life #111500

Ink:  Early Espresso #119679, Pumpkin Pie #105216, Baja Breeze #111833, Pear Pizzazz #119784

Accessories:  Stamping Sponges #101610, Big Shot Machine #113439,  Square Lattice Embossing Folder #119976

Punches:  Fancy Flower #118073, Boho Blossom #119858, Extra Large Oval #119859

Ribbon:  Baja Breeze Seam Binding #122331

Embellishments:  Bright Brads #119740

Masculine Birthday

Now if the men in your life are anything like mine, I'm sure they wouldn't mind getting a Cheers to You birthday card.  I find that masculine birthday cards are not always easy for me to design, but this simple birthday card was a snap.

I started with a card base of Peach Parfait cardstock, followed by a layer of Early Espresso and another layer of DSP from the In Color Paper Pack which is a Level 1 hostess gift.  For the stamped images I first stamped the beer mugs in Early Espresso ink, then lightly colored in the mugs using my More Mustard pastels trying to create the image of beer, and then I added Crystal Effects to the foam.  This Whisper White layer was added to another layer of Early Espresso to make it stand out against the Peach Parfait DSP.

The Cheers to You set has some really great stamps in it.  I have used it to design Couples Bridal Shower invitations using the champagne glasses, and the martini and cocktail stamps  make fun birthday cards, or backyard picnic invitations. 

For today's card I used the following:

Cardstock:  Peach Parfait #119795, Early Espresso #119686, Whisper White #100730

Designer Series Paper:  In Color Paper Pack #121028 (Level 1 Hostess)

Stamp  Set:  Cheers to You #114944, Teeny Tiny Wishes #115370

Ink:  Early Espresso #119679

Punches:  Word Window #119857, Modern Label #119849

Embellishment:  Crystal Effects #101055, Pastels #120962

Special Starter Kit Offer

SPECIAL OFFER THROUGH MARCH 31! Purchase the Starter Kit during Sale-A-Bration, save 15% (reduced to $148.75) and get the following $50 Stampin' Up! product bundle FREE!






Item #  119883 Heart to Heart (or any punch), p. 202 IBC
Item # 120806 Something Special Simply Sent (or any Simply Sent) p. 183 IBC
Item #  117114 Live, Laugh Love stamp (or any Simply Sent Stamp) p. 183 IBC
Item #  121620 Color Coach p. 165 IBC

So let me know if you are interested in joining my team and starting your own business, or if you just want to sign up to receive the Starter Kit and special promotion, or become a hobby demonstrator and earn 20% off all of your purchases, I can help.  There is no obligation to do anything further, and the Starter Kit and bundle are all yours, and you have until June 30, 2011 to keep receiving demonstrator benefits.  Call or e-mail me for more details.