It's Here!

If you haven't heard already, the 2011~2012 Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog is here and it's jam-packed with lots of great new products! With over 130 pages, there's something for everyone! I've been through mine cover-to-cover several times and I have a pretty big wish list (yeah, that didn't take long). I haven't placed my first order yet, but I can guarantee you that it won't be long before I do. The way I see it, I can wait a little bit. With Monday being a holiday, things won't even begin to ship until Tuesday anyway, so I figure there's no rush. I'm taking a couple of days to make sure that I get just what I want when I order. You can order a copy of the 2o11~2012 Idea Book & Catalog by visiting my online store. Thanks for visiting!

Stepping Outside the Zone...

...my comfort zone that is. I'm still relatively new to this whole "digital thing" but I'm getting better at it. It's not that I haven't wanted to do any digital projects, it's just that I wasn't sure where to begin, and I truly have not had a great deal of extra time to play around with my My Digital Studio. After making the Tri-Shutter baby album in my last post, and some scrapbook pages (which I will post later) I started to really have fun with it, and now I'm "hooked" on it. I made this card in a matter of a few minutes, and it is completely digital. I have realized however, that I don't own enough My Digital Studio downloads, so I need to go shopping. I went through the My Digital Studio Catalog and created a pretty big wish list. Now I just need to prioritize, which could be a difficult task. :o) OK, back to creating! Thanks for visiting!

Tri-Shutter Baby Album

OK, so I still haven't been so great about posting lately, but I hope today's project will make up for it. And really, I HAVE been very busy! The project that I am sharing today is for an upcoming class. This album was inspired by one that I saw ages ago on Andrea Walford's website. I actually went to work months ago trying to figure out how to make one of these, but things got busy and I put it aside. I went back to work on it last month, and this is my completed project. What do you think? Only a portion of the album is shown in these photos; in reality, it has five photos, and opens to almost 35 inches! All of the elements in this album, including the cover design, were created using My Digital Studio. It took me a while to size them just right so that I could use my punches with them, rather than cut them all by hand (ugh! ~ I don't mind cutting, but cutting these would have been lots of work). When using My Digital Studio, any punch image that is added to a project will be the same size as the actual punch when the project is printed, but any stamp image will be larger than the size of the actual stamp. For one of the images, I used the large star stamp image from the Nursery Necessities Stamp Brush Set, and I wanted to punch the images using my Star Extra Large Punch once I printed them. I found that in order to size the images so that they would be the size that I wanted, I had to first place the punch image on my digital project page, noting the size of the image. Once that was done, I added the stamp brush image, then re-sized it making it 1/8" smaller than the size of the punch image. I then layered the stamp brush image over the punch image, centering it inside the punch image. Are you still with me? After that, I made the fill color for the punch white so that it would not be seen when it was printed. I printed the images, punched them with my punches, and had the perfect embellishments for my album! As I said, it took me a while, but I think it was worth it. I'm so happy with the end result. Well, I guess that's all for now (I think it's enough). I have some new scrapbook pages that I created with My Digital Studio that I will be sharing over the next few days, so be sure to check back for those! Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: None
Ink: None
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, & Whisper White Cardstock, Subtles Patterns DSP Stack
Accessories: 5/8" Certainly Celery Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sticky Strip, Star XL, Small Star (retired), Designer Label Large, Decorative Label XL, & 2"x1-3/8" Oval XL Punches, My Digital Studio Software

Punch Art Bride and Groom

Here's the punch project that I mentioned the other day. After this, I don't have anything new to post, so it looks like I need to get to work in my studio! Have no fear, I have to come up with some new projects for my stamp club and my punch classes, so I'll find something to do. Besides, it's just about time for the graduation projects to start coming and I already have one of those semi-planned in my head. I'm also planning some mini albums and some My Digital Studio projects, which means I'll probably have lots to post I'm sure. Wedding season is on the way and I wanted a wedding project for my customers, so we made this card in my April punch class. I like the punched "bride" and "groom" but I thought they might be a little too cute for my taste until I made this card. That may seem like a strange comment, given that I do make what some would consider to be cute projects, it's just that I don't like wedding and cute together. While the idea of the punched "bride" and "groom" is very cute, this card is anything but cute. I think it's quite an elegant card, and I'm so happy with the end result. I'm thinking it's the combination of the Basic Pearls, Designer Series Paper, and the Decorative Label Punch that give this card its formal look. What do you think? Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Occasional Quotes
Ink: Basic Black
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Gray, & Basic Black Card Stock, Neutrals Patterns DSP Stack
Accessories & Tools: Decorative Label, Full Heart XL, & Star XL Punches, Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslits, Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Big Shot Machine, Basic Pearls, 1/4" Basic Black Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, & Mini Glue Dots

Punchy Tulips for Spring

I know, I kind of disappeared again for a while; sorry! It was very short compared with the last time though, so hopefully you'll all forgive me. ;o) The last couple of weeks have been pretty hectic at our house, so I have had very little time to stamp. Usually weekends are my time to play "catch up" if I haven't been able to stamp midweek, but the past two weekends have been full of activities. It doesn't look as though there is an end in sight, but I know things HAVE to slow down at some point, because the end of the school year will be coming soon. This card is one of the projects that I did for my punch class last month. I thought we needed something a little springy with all of the chilly weather we've STILL been having; oh how I wish the temps would warm up a bit. I had been going through a period where I was really having fun with my punch projects, and I do have another punch project that I will post in a few days, but other than that, I haven't made anything else with punches in a while, so I'll have to start playing with them again soon. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these pink tulips. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Short & Sweet
Ink: Old Olive & Regal Rose
Paper: Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Regal Rose & Pretty in Pink Card Stock, Subtles Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack
Accessories & Tools: 1-3/4"x7/8" Oval Large, Scallop Oval XL, & Two-Step Bird XL Punches, Subtles Designer Buttons, Sponge Daubers, 1/4" Pretty in Pink Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Paper Snips, & Mini Glue Dots

Spring is Blossoming!

That's right, it's true, spring really is blossoming! This winter seemed like the winter that would never end, but I've never seen one yet that didn't. Besides, my daffodils and hyacinths are poking their little heads up out of the ground which is a sure sign that spring is here. My flowers will be in full bloom before too long.

There are signs of spring at Stampin' Up! too. Until the 30th of April, Stampin' Up! is giving you a chance to not only see, but to own two brand new items from the 2011~2012 Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog before the catalog is even released!

During Stampin' Up!'s Spring is Blossoming Promotion, you'll be able to purchase the Four Frames Stamp Set and Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper (with qualifying purchase), or earn them for free! (when you host a qualifying workshop).

Four Frames Stamp Set

Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper

Note that online orders are not eligible for the hostess option of this promotion. This offer is valid until April 30th. Please contact me with questions or to place an order. Thanks for visiting!

The Post That Almost Wasn't

That's right, I almost didn't post this project because my posting issues drove me up the wall (and that's putting it mildly). So I had a theory about what happened to the spacing with my last two posts. I thought if I left a post as a draft to go back and complete later, the spacing issues would happen, because my last two posts were both left as drafts that I went back to finish later, and both of them had the same problem with spacing. As it turns out, I was wrong, but it took three attempts at posting this latest post to determine that my problems were from my browser, not from leaving posts as unfinished drafts. Talk about a waste of time! I'm so hoping I don't have to go through those headaches again.

Anyway, on to my post. One of the little perks of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, is that I usually have lots of treats around for Easter baskets, Christmas stockings, Valentine's Day, etc. If I do something simply as a sample, then I have one of that project, and if I do something for a class or stamp camp, then I have two because I make a sample that I can photograph for my class flyers and customer mailings, and then I make a second when I have the class or camp. My kids always think that they get pretty cool treats too which is nice, because it makes them feel special. I know that they have their favorite sweet treats but seriously, I could put your basic, every day, run-of-the-mill, store-bought cookie in every treat pouch or box I make and they would still think it was the best thing in the world. OK, well maybe I wouldn't go THAT far, because there is only one kind of store-bought cookie my family likes, but you get the picture. With Easter being just around the corner, I thought this little treat box would be perfect for someone's basket. The box dimensions are 2-1/4"x3"x3-1/2" so it can hold a variety of items. Right now the only thing I have in mine is crimped paper, but I'm thinking that truffles might be a hit in this. My bunny and grass are made entirely of punches, some of which are retired (see supply list), but some of the newer punches could be used. For example, I used the retired 1/4" circle punch for the nose, however, you could use the circle punch from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack to make the nose. The new punch would just make it a bit bigger. I also used a retired cardstock color for the body of my bunny, but Crumb Cake would be a good substitute. I just think he's so cute and I hope you do too; it would make all of my posting headaches worth it. Thanks for visiting! (By the way, if you're wondering what kind of store-bought cookies my family will eat, you can find them here).

Stamps: None
Ink: Creamy Caramel (retired), Pink Piroutte, & Sahara Sand
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Pretty in Pink, Creamy Caramel (retired), Certainly Celery, & Pink Pirouette Cardstoc
Accessories & Tools: 1-3/4", 1-1/4", 3/4", 1/2", 1/4" (retired) & 1/8" (retired) Circle Punches, Star XL, 1-3/4"x7/8" Oval Large, 1-3/8"x5/8" Oval Large & 2"x1-3/8" Oval XL Punches, 5/8" Certainly Celery Grosgrain Ribbon, White Gel Pen, Sponge Daubers, Sahara Sand Marker, 2-Way Glue Pen, Sticky Strip & Stampin' Dimensionals

Two Kinds of Cupcakes

I'm still on my cupcake kick - I'm pretty sure I always will be. I made some cupcakes last week for my daughter's TA (for those of you who don't have children in school, a TA is basically a homeroom). I made a cake for her birthday and I had just enough batter and icing left to make cupcakes for her to take to school. Cupcakes ~ breakfast of champions! I'm totally kidding, although they really did eat them in the morning. I would have preferred it if the kids had saved them 'til lunch, but I knew that wasn't much of a possibility once they left the house. Can you imagine giving a group of teenagers cupcakes in the morning and telling them they HAVE to wait until lunch? I shudder just thinking about the protests. Anyway, my cupcakes haven't only been the ones with sugar, eggs, and flour as you can see by my project for this post. I wanted a card for an older sketch challenge and this is what I made. This Build a Cupcake Punch is sooo cute ~ I used it last week for a different project with my stamp club and my customers loved it! The striped paper I used for this card is from a retired Simply Scrappin' Kit. Sometimes I'm ready for products to retire, but there are other products that I can't get enough of and this kit is one that I definitely miss. The colors in it are "my colors" and the paper adds a sense of whimsy to this card. To create the border, I simply punched cardstock circles and glued them to the rick rack. It's such a fun card and it was oh so easy to make. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Whimsical Words (retired) Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose & So Saffron Paper: Whisper White, Choclate Chip, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose & So Saffron Cardstock Accessories & Tools: Build a Cupcake XL Punch, 2-Way Glue Pen, Non-Stampin' Up! Die (for rick rack), Love Sparkles Simply Scrappin' Kit (retired), Choclate Chip & Regal Rose Markers, Sponge Daubers, Stampin' Dimensionals

Signs of Spring

Just when I thought the weather might actually be nice for a reasonable period of time, it got cold again. I thoroughly enjoyed the warm days that we had a week or so ago but now that it's back to freezing, I'm a little dissatisifed. Having lived in northern New England since birth, I should have known better than to be optimistic when it comes to Spring weather here. As Mark Twain once wrote, "If you don't like the weather in New England, just wait a few minutes." Isn't that the truth. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Winter (yes, I really did just say that), it's just that this one has been particularly long and at this point, I'm so over it. I'm longing to go out for a walk without having to wear 10 layers of clothing, to put the hammock out in the back yard so that I can relax and read (while soaking up the sun), and to work in my flower beds which were painfully neglected last summer. While inspecting the flower bed in front of our house on one of the recent warm days, I spotted the smallest shoots of green indicating that my daffodils and hyacinths are planning their return. It doesn't seem that they will be making an appearance any time soon though, so I guess I'll have to make do with stamped flowers instead, and I'll continue to remind myself that Spring truly is on its way. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Wagon Full of Fun (retired) Ink: Black StazOn, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip, Daffodil Delight & Crumb Cake Paper: Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip & Certainly Celery Cardstock, Sweet Pea (retired) & Brights Patterns DSP Stacks Accessories & Tools: Paper-Piercing Tool, Aqua Painter, Certainly Celery 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Earth Elements Buttons (retired), Pretty in Pink Sending Love Epoxy Brads (retired), Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

(ETA: It seems my earlier spacing issues were browser issues. Once I used another browser, I was able to fix things)

Pea-in-a-Pod Page

I did this scrapbook page as one of the projects for my February Punch Class. My original plan was to have the part where the photo is flip up to reveal the baby 411 underneath, making it a birth announcement. Unfortunately, I don't have a stamp set for birth announcements, so I just made it a scrapbook page. I still think it would make a cute birth announcement if you have the stamp set to do it though. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Baroque Motifs
Ink: Old Olive, Certainly Celery, Blush Blossom (retired) & Pretty in Pink
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Blush Blossom (retired), Whisper White, Old Olive & Certainly Celery Cardstock
Accessories & Tools: 2"x1-3/8" Oval XL, 3/4" Circle Medium, 1/2" Circle Small & Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack Punches, Basic Pearls, Sponge Daubers, White Gel Pen, Black Marker, 2-Way Glue Pen, Stampin' Dimensionals

Build a Cupcake Birthday Card

If I haven't said it before I will now; I'm a sucker for anything to do with cupcakes. When this Build a Cupcake Punch was released, it was the first thing on my wishlist (along with the Create a Cupcake stamp set) because I knew I couldn't live without it. OK, so maybe I could live without it, but I really, really wanted it. For this card I used Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 89. I did a little sponging on the cupcake pieces to give them a bit more dimension, and added some accents with a white gel pen as well. The buttons are the retired corduroy buttons, but you could easily substitute the 5/8" Jumbo Brads. I also used the Patterns Designer Series Paper, of which I am a huge fan. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Create a Cupcake
Ink: Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink & Chocolate Chip
Paper: Very Vanilla, Regal Rose & Chocolate Chip Cardstock, Brights & Subtles Patterns DSP Stacks
Accessories & Tools: Build a Cupcake & Scallop Edge Border Punches, Chocolate Chip Corduroy Buttons (retired), Sponge Daubers, uni-ball® Signo Gel Pen, Stampin' Dimensionals

Turtle Trio

I should start by saying that this is not one of my favorite cards I've ever made. Seriously, I think it's cute, but it's just not my usual. I used Sweet Sunday Sketch 85 for this card and I knew that I wanted to use this turtle stamp, but it's not exactly what I had in mind. I guess we all have those projects that we like but don't necessarily love though, so it's OK. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: It's the Thought (retired)

Ink: Black StazOn, Old Olive & Not Quite Navy

Paper: Old Olive, Whisper White, Not Quite Navy & Bashful Blue Cardstock, Maine Blueberry DSP (retired)

Accessories & Tools: 1/4" Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon, Aqua Painter, Old Olive Marker, Earth Elements Brads (retired), Scallop Edge Border & 1 1/4" Square Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals

Hello Kitty!

After seeing a few Hello Kitty cards out there on the web, I knew that I'd have to make her for one of my monthly punch classes. This is one of the projects we did in my February punch class and my customers loved it! It's such a fun card with this striking color combination, and the kitty is so cute. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Melon Mambo
Paper: Whisper White, Baasic Black & Melon Mambo Cardstock, Brights & Neutrals Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack
Accessories & Tools: 2" x 1 3/8" Oval XL, Modern Lable XL, 1 1/4" Square, Word Window Large, Heart to Heart XL, Horizontal Slot (retired) & Itty Bitty Shapes Punches, 2-Way Glue Pen, 1/2" Melon Mambo Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

Snowboard Mojo

I made this card in honor of all of the snowboarders in my life, of which there are many. I used this Mojo Monday Sketch, but turned the sketch on its side. I intentionally stepped outside of my comfort zone with this card ~ if you're familiar with my work then you know these colors are not typical of my projects, but I love the way it turned out. It got the seal of approval from my snowboarders too, so I'm happy. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Extreme Snowboard
Ink: Blue Bayou (retired)
Paper: Whisper White, Blue Bayou (retired), Crumb Cake & Chocolate Chip Cardstock, Neutrals Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack
Accessories & Tools: Blue Bayou double-Stitched Ribbon (retired), Star Punch (retired), Coluzzle (retired), Pewter Hodgepodge Hardware (retired), Paper-Piercing Tool, Stampin' Dimensionals

Another Past Sketch Challenge Card

I used Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 59 as the inspiration for this card. I'm trying to do the current challenges too, but I'm still playing "catch up" from all of the months that I missed. It was difficult cutting around those little bee legs, but it was worth it. Keep checking back 'cause I have lots of projects to add. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Just Buzzin' By
Ink: Black StazOn, Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso & Crumb Cake
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black & Daffodil Delight Cardstock, Brights Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack
Accessories & Tools: Big Shot Machine, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Paper-Piercing Tool, Paper Snips, Circle Fire Rhinestone Brads, Aqua Painter, Stampin' Dimensionals

Merci, Sweet Sunday Style

I don't know why, but I'm having camera issues today. Even with the lighting, my photos are looking very dark. I've changed the aperture, the shutter speed, the white balance; everything it seems. Nothing has worked. Rather than spend the rest of my day messing with all of it, I decided that it's good enough as it is. This way, I can get my post done for tomorrow and spend the afternoon relaxing or doing something fun. I used Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 107 for this card. If you visit Karen's blog, you'll see that she very nicely put the measurements that she used for this sketch in her post. Of course me being me, I didn't read the entire post before starting my card, so I had to fuss with things a bit in order to get a size that worked. For my card, the small rectangles are 1-1/4" x 1-1/2" (this measurement is for the cardstock, the Designer Series Paper is 1-1/8" x 1-3/8"). I'll admit that I made a little mistake when I made this card and I'll tell you, even though you can't see it. I originally stamped "merci" on my Very Vanilla Cardstock, but it was crooked. Not wanting to waste the cardstock, I decided to use the label punches and ribbon to cover up my mistake. It's actually better than it would have been had I not made the mistake, so that's one mistake I'm happy to have made. I guess that cloud had a silver lining. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Chic Boutique
Ink: Soft Suede & Baja Breeze
Paper: Very Vanilla, Baja Breeze, Soft Suede & Crumb Cake Cardstock, Elegant Soirée DSP
Accessories & Tools: Scallop Edge Border, Word Window Large & Modern Label XL Punches, Crumb Cake 1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon, Basic Pearls, Stampin' Dimensionals

More Wedding Cupcakes

I spent the last couple of days making more cupcakes; thank goodness I can send them to work with my husband otherwise, our family would all weigh far too much. Since cupcakes are all the rage with weddings right now, I decided that I wanted to make more wraps and some toppers for them. I used my Perfect Setting die to make the wraps, embossing the one on the top left before I cut it. I used a variety of dies and punches to create the picks. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: None
Ink: None
Paper: Neutrals Patterns DSP Stack, Whisper White & Basic Black Cardstock
Accessories & Tools: Big Shot Machine, Perfect Setting Bigz XL Die, Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit, Lots of Tags Sizzlits, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, Star XL, Full Heart XL & 2"x1-3/8" Oval XL Punches, Mini Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals, Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon (retired), Basic Pearls, Stampin' Dimensionals, 1/4" Black Grosgrain Ribbon, Toothpicks

Sweet Sunday Birthday

Here's a birthday card based on Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 73. I said I used a lot of those sketches to get me back into my stamping groove again and I meant it. I'm loving this Sweet & Sour Specialty paper; the colors and patterns in it are so fun! This was an easy card to make, with a few layers of paper and a couple of accessories to spice it up a bit. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Fun & Fast Notes
Ink: Black StazOn, Pumpkin Pie & Rose Red
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Very Vanilla & Rose Red Cardstock, Sweet & Sour Specialty Paper
Accessories & Tools: Circle Scissor Plus, Aqua Painter, 2-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, 1/4" Pumpkin Pie Grosgrain Ribbon, Rich Regals Buttons (retired)

Embossed Cupcake

When you saw the title of this post, is this what you had in mind? I didn't think so. Sometimes I can get a little crazy with my projects (in a good way of course) which is kind of what happened here. When I was icing those yummy cupcakes that I posted earlier, I got to thinking about how I've used fondant to ice cakes, but never cupcakes. That got me thinking about how cool it would be to emboss some fondant and ice a cupcake with it, and that's exactly what I did. For those of you who aren't familiar with fondant, the best way to describe it is that it's like edible play-dough. Just about anything can be done with it. For this, I simply rolled out my fondant, placed my open embossing folder on top, and rolled over that with my rolling pin. It's that simple. Of course it would take forever to create 150 of these babies, but it was still a fun little experiment and I really like the end results. I hope you do too. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: None
Ink: None
Paper: Very Vanilla Cardstock
Accessories & Tools: Big Shot Machine, Bigz Perfect Setting Die, Finial Press Embossing Folder, Sticky Strip

Wedding Cupcakes

I did a little baking over the weekend because I've had cupcakes on the brain recently. It all began when my friend Gwen made these amazing lime cupcakes about a week ago (you can find the info. for the recipe here on her blog and trust me, you want to try them). Anyway, after Gwen made her cupcakes, I had the urge to make my own cupcakes, so I made these really yummy white cupcakes with buttercream icing. I have friends who are getting married this summer and the bride-to-be wanted to see photos of my cupcakes because she and her fiancé are interested in having cupcakes for their wedding. Well, I couldn't take photos of cupcakes in plain cupcake liners now could I? Instead I decided to make cupcake wrappers using my Bigz Perfect Setting Die. I didn't decorate the cupcake wrappers or anything like that, I just left them plain. These could be stamped or embossed, or ribbon or other accessories could be added, but even plain I think they make a beautiful presentation for cupcakes. What do you think? I have another cupcake project that I'll post soon. I don't want to give too much away, but I can tell you it's nothing like this project. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: None
Ink: None
Paper: Very Vanilla Cardstock
Accessories & Tools: Big Shot Machine, Bigz Perfect Setting Die, Sticky Strip

Humor Me Please

I know it's another Christmas project, but I just HAD to post this one! This is what happens when boredom sets in at our house. OK, I'm kidding. The photos I used for this card are of our friends Gwen and Joel's baby Brooke. Gwen is really into stamping, scrapbooking, photography & a lot of the same things in which I'm interested. Anyway, she had this fun idea for Christmas card photos where she would string Brooke in lights, just like a tree. Since I studied a little bit of photography in college, she asked me to help her with her project. It took us most of the day, but Brooke was so good-natured about the whole thing and we both got some really good photos. This card is one that I made with My Digital Studio as a sample to show my customers. Thanks for visiting!

My Digital Studio Elements Used: Christmas Jingle Digital Kit, Old Olive & Whisper White Cardstock, Real Red Small Polka Dot DSP, White Grosgrain Ribbon & Bow, Real Red & Old Olive 3/16" Brads, Scallop Edge Punch, Wishes & Greetings Stamp Brush Set

I Know it's the Wrong Season But...

I wanted to share this card, even though the time for Christmas cards has passed. Of course I could say that I'm just getting a jumpstart on next Christmas, but I'm not sure how many of you would believe me. This is a card that I did with my stamp club before the holidays. I used Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 90 for this card. I think that one of the things that I liked best about it is that I used non-traditional Christmas colors. The other thing that I like about this card is how the tree branches were made. The branches are not actually a stamp of tree branches, they were made using the large evergreen tree from the Lovely as a Tree set. I simply stamped the top of the tree onto the cardstock with the rest of the tree off the cardstock and voilà, tree branches! This was a fun card to make and the pearls added a nice touch to the ornament. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Tags til Christmas, Short & Sweet, Lovely as a Tree
Ink: Night of Navy & Garden Green
Paper: Almost Amethyst (retired), Whisper White, Garden Green & Night of Navy Cardstock, Almost Amethyst Prints DSP (retired)
Accessories & Tools: Scallop Edge Border & Word Window Large Punches, Silver Cord (retired), Basic Pearls, Stampin' Dimensionals

Filled with Love Valentine

Here's another Valentine's Day card that I made. This one was based on Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 95. Like the last two cards, I used the Patterns Designer Series Paper. For this card, I used a paper pack that contained only Pretty in Pink and Real Red. It was something that was available through Valentine's Day only, but the same colors can be found in the regular stacks. I just LOVE these paper stacks! If you don't own them yet, you need to fix that. Unlike the retired Patterns DSP Packs, the new ones have only 4 patterns rather than 12. Also, they are available in 40 sheet pads with 10 colors in each (5 in the In Color stack) instead of 12 sheet packages with only one color. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I didn't like the old version, it's just that most of the time, I found myself using either the dots or the stripes, so I have lots of leftovers in the other patterns. With the new paper stacks, there are 4 sheets of each color; 2 of the sheets have the stripes on one side and 2 of them have the dots on one side. Do you think Stampin' Up! was reading my mind? Haha! Probably not, but it works for me. You can't see it in the photo, but I used the Paper-Piercing Tool to pierce a pattern in the lower right corner, but it really didn't show up well with the patterned paper and it's covered by my watermark. Oh well. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Filled with Love

Ink: Real Red

Paper: Real Red & Whisper White Cardstock, Love Patterns Paper Pack, Real Red & Green Galore (retired) Markers, Paper-Piercing Tool, Silver Brads, Real Red 1/2" Sending Love Epoxy Brads (retired), Stampin' Dimensionals

SSSC105

This card is for Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 105, and I can't believe that I actually finished it on time! Although I've used a lot of these sketches recently, it's been months since I used one that was current. I don't know about the rest of the stamping world, but more often than not, it takes me hours to design something. Once I have a design I can make cards quickly, but when I'm designing I have to tweak this and change that. Before I know it, the day is almost over and it's time to make dinner for my family. Can anyone relate? Well, I'm off to see what else I can make today. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Create a Cupcake
Ink: Real Red, Chocolate Chip & Crumb Cake
Paper: Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake & Very Vanilla Cardstock, Brights Patterns DSP Stack
Accessories & Tools: Circle Scissor Plus, Brights Brads, Build a Cupcake Punch, Scallop Circle #2 Sizzix Bigz Die, Paper-Piercing Tool, Stampin' Dimensionals