Friday Favorite

This is the last card that I made at the scrapbooking crop two weeks ago. It was definitely my favorite and one of those that just makes me smile everytime I see it.

Typically I start designing a card by picking which stamp set I want to use. However, this time I started with just the piece of Designer Series Paper from the Fresh Prints DSP Stack. (It's so cute!) From there I just started pulling cardstock and ribbon colors that inspired to me. Once I had that all assembled, then I had to stare at the card for awhile to decided what to stamp.

I narrowed it down to the Best of Birthdays set, which is only available to purchase until March 31st. My table-mate at the crop said the card was making her think of Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream, so she agreed that the cupcake would be a good choice. I decided to grab my Blender Pen and color in the image for some extra pizazz.

A little trick I did with the ribbon to save on how much I used: I used Sticky Strip to glue a piece just across the front. Then I pulled some away from the spool and tied a bow with the ribbon still attached to the spool. Once I had my bow how I liked it, I cut if off the spool. I fiddled with it a bit more to make it perfect and used a glue dot to attached it to the other ribbon. 

Thanks for stopping by. If you're like me, you are now headed to find some cupcakes and ice cream; or maybe just an Andes mint!

See other Friday Favorites at SSINK today!

Supplies used:
  Cardstock: Blushing Bride, Whipser White
  DSP: Fresh Prints Stack
  Stamp set: Best of Birthdays
  Ink: Early Espresso, Smoky Slate, Coastal Cabana, Blushing Bride
  Marker: Blender Pen
  Framelits: Squares Collection
  Embellishments: Early Espresso 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain
  Tools: Paper Trimmer, Simply Scored, Big Shot
  Adhesive: SNAIL, Sticky Strip, Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals
 

It's Kansas Day!

Happy birthday to Kansas! Today marks 153 years as part of the Union. If you're not from Kansas, you are probably thinking of Dorothy, Toto, tornadoes, and Oz. If you are from Kansas, you're thinking, "there's more to our great state than that!" While yes, we do have lots of tornadoes, in 35 years I've never personally seen one and only had one touch down within 10 miles of where I was once.

Growing up in Kansas, January was one of my favorite months because we always had a Kansas Day celebration at school. I remember spinning wheel demonstrations, "experiencing" life on the prairie, making candles, and coloring many pictures. I'm sure there was more, but it's been a few years.

I wanted to create a card today to celebrate something about Kansas. I chose our state flower, the sunflower. I found this picture on pinterest:

I was instantly inspired to pull out my brand new Banners Framelits to make this card:

The base of the card was inspired by our state flag:

The base of the card is Night of Navy. I used the Big Shot and Banners Framelits to cut 26 banners out of Summer Starfruit cardstock. I gave each "petal" some dimension by sponging Summer Starfruit ink around the edges with a Sponge Dauber. I used the 2-3/8" Scallop Circle to create the middle with Early Espresso cardstock. I ran it through the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder to give it a rougher texture similar to the sunflower seeds that grow in the middle. (That's right, sunflower seeds don't magically just come from a bag!)
I adhered it all together with Tombow Monoadhesive Liquid Glue. In hindsight, I now know that I should trim down the ends of the banner pieces hidden by the center piece. Layering them on top of each other made the center very bulky under the Early Espresso element.

Thank you for checking out my punch art card today. Please stop over at the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration blog for some Kansas trivia!

Mark It Up

I'll be the first to admit, my markers don't get enough love. Very rarely do I use them to color in a line image. I usually only grab them when I want to use part of an image. Or on the rare occasion that I've misplaced my ink pad. However, when the Countless Sayings 1 & 2 Photopolymer stamp sets were released my first thought was, "CUTE!" Followed closely by, "Markers!"

Countless Sayings 1

Countless Sayings 2

Once again, I successfully incorporated an item I haven't used in awhile; the Scallop Trim Border Punch. For the heart, I used the Heart Collection Framelits and then ran it through the Big Shot again in the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder. I layered a piece of Whisper White cardstock on the inside that stamped that cute heart from the Countless Sayings 2 set in the corner.

Please stop on over at SSINK for some more inkspiration to get your markers out and use them!

Supplies used:
  Cardstock: Rich Razzleberry, Perfect Plum, Rose Red, Whisper White
  Stamp set: Countless Sayings 2
  Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Basic Grey, Rose Red
  Stampin' Write Marker: Tempting Turquoise
  Punches: Scallop Trim Border
  Framelits: Hearts Collection
  Embossing Folder: Perfect Polka Dots
  Tools: Paper Trimmer, Big Shot, Simply Scored
  Adhesive: SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals

Journal Fun

I am doing several different soul searching activities right now. Each one takes a slightly different approach; however they are all leading me in the same direction. One of these activities is Vision Camp 2014, which was created by one of my yoga instructors. She sends a daily email with information for us to read, process, and journal about. Often there are questions; really hard questions that make you think. It has definitely pushed me outside my comfort zone, but it's so worth it!

I had ordered the Epic Day This & That Journal when they first came out so that I would have one to show my customers. I hadn't found quite the right use for it, until now.

The journal has a chipboard cover with the hexagon pattern. You can cover it with DSP, pictures, etc; but I didn't want to lose the texture so I opted to use my ink pads and a sponge to ink it up. As you can see, all of the pages are already printed with the Epic Day patterns. While the purpose for this type of journal is more scrapbooking, I opted to use it as a traditional journal. I do love that I have the option to go back later and add pictures, etc as I see fit. It has been perfect as some of our assignments have been more abstract. It is actually much easier to read in person that it appears in the picture.

Epic Day This & That Journal

Morning Post Alphabet Stamp Set

I used Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, and Coastal Cabana to sponge the front. I also used those same colors for the letters and numbers. A shout out to fellow Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration DT member Kathy, who was sweet enough to stamp the 2014 and mail them to me so I could complete my journal. I'm kicking myself for not ordering the Morning Post Number set when it was available in the Holiday Catalog. At least I can still purchase it as a digital download!

Please stop back by tomorrow for marker inspiration and Wednesday, when I will have a fun punch art card that I made to celebrate Kansas Day!

SAB Hybrid Card

Do you know what happens in four days? Sale-a-bration starts! If you haven't gotten your SAB catalog yet to see all the freebies you can choose from, let me know. I've got a few here!

Just one of many perks of being a Stampin' Up! demo is that we can earn the SAB items during a pre-order period. One of the items that I chose to get was the One Big Sale-A-Bration 2014 Digital Ensemble. This means that in one item, I have access to almost all of this year's SAB items in digital format. This makes it easy to create hybrid cards like the one I am sharing with you today! A hybrid card is one that features a digital component along with traditional supplies.

I opened a new project in MDS and chose this sweet sentiment from the See Ya Later stamp set. I enlarged the image and used the coloring tool to change the stamp from black to Brilliant Blue and Real Red. Yes, Brilliant Blue is retired, but it will forever be available in MDS; and since my hubby is a KU fan, I had to use it! Once I colored it, I printed it on white cardstock on my home printer, and then cut it with the Banners Framelits.

I also cut a banner out of the Real Red Core'dinations cardstock and then ran it through the Big Shot in the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder. I gently used my sanding block on the polka dots. The stamped image in the corner is from the Perfect Pennants stamp set. In fact, you could buy the Perfect Pennants and Banners Framelits in the wood mount bundle, add a package of cardstock and then you would qualify for one SAB item.

I designed this card with my husband in mind. Partially because the greeting is very fitting for us. Also because the two cards he has ever made me have been very simple and not required much stamping. I know he could recreate a card like this for me easily. He's not into the frills so it's also a perfect card to give him as it's sweet but not too feminine.

There are more projects featuring Sale-a-bration items today at SSINK. Enjoy!

Supplies used:
   Cardstock: Naturals White, Whisper White, Brights Core'dinations (Real Red)
   Stamp set: Perfect Pennants
   Ink: Real Red
   Framelits: Banners (largest one)
   Embossing Folder: Perfect Polka Dots
   My Digital Studio
   One Big Sale-A-Bration 2014 Digital Ensemble (See Ya Later)
   Tools: Paper Trimmer, Simply Scored, Big Shot, Stampin' Scrub
   Adhesive: SNAIL

Note Cards

Much like our ever-changing lives, sometimes our projects evolve into something else other than what we had originally planned. That definitely happened for me on this project.

My initial idea was to make a postcard style note card that you could write your message on the front of. I was imagining something like this:

However, because I was on a mission to use products I hadn't used in awhile, I was not wavering on the stamp set I was using. My punched image was going to be too large to leave enough space to write. To be honest, it also looked just plain silly.

So, I altered my idea and made a full card. I shifted where the initial was placed and added some bling. In the end, I was pleased with the outcome.

Supplies used:
  Cardstock: Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White
  Designer Series Paper: I Am Me
  Stamp sets: Four Frames, ABC-123 Sketch Alphabet & Numbers
  Ink: So Saffron, Elegant Eggplant
  Embellishments: Basic Rhinestones
  Framelits: Label Collection
  Punches: Decorative Label
  Tools: Big Shot, Paper Trimmer, Simply Scored
  Adhesive: Snail, Stampin' Dimensionals

Old & New

One of my crafting goals for this year was to use products that I hadn't pulled out in awhile. I successfully did that on this card, along with adding one of my new favorite bundles.

I used to use the Top Note die quite a bit, but once my framelit collection grew, the poor die was forgotten about in the dark cabinet. I've also had the Daffodil Delight Seam Binding since it came out and I think I've only used it once; maybe twice.

I started with a standard 5-1/2" X 8-1/2" card base in Soft Suede. I scored it at 4-1/4" to fold it in half. Next, I used the Top Note die to cut a piece of the new Fresh Prints Designer Series Paper Stack. I put a piece of Sticky Strip on the back side of the DSP so that I could get the seam binding to stay in place while I was tying it. I used a glue dot to hold the knot down on the front.

For the corner piece, I cut a Daffodil Delight square with the Square Collection Framelits. If you label your framelits starting with the smallest as #1, I used the #3 square. Then, I used my Paper Trimmer to cut it in half.

The greeting is from Perfect Pennants, which can be purchased as a bundle with the Banners Framelits. Using the numbering system from above, I used the #3 Banner to cut out the greeting. I attached it with Stampin' Dimensionals so that the seam binding knot wasn't overshadowing the greeting.

Supplies used:
  Cardstock: Soft Suede, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White
  DSP: Fresh Prints Stack
  Stamp set: Perfect Pennants
  Embellishments: Daffodil Delight Seam Binding
  Dies: Top Note, Banner Framelits, Square Collection Framelits
  Tools: Big Shot, Paper Trimmer, Simply Scored
  Adhesive: Snail, Sticky Strip, Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals

Ready For Sunshine

If you saw my post Saturday, you know I spent part of the weekend at a crop. This particular crop is held to raise funds for a local school; and I almost always set up a vendor booth at it. I really enjoy the women who attend and I have made some wonderful friends over the years that I've been attending.

I loaded up almost all of my current product (which took 5 trips to the car) and took it with me with the intention of creating several cards for my daily blog posts. Thank goodness for lots of table space, as I was spread out over three tables and the floor!

I'd been creating since 11:00 Saturday morning, and around 3:00 I looked at Sherry, who was at the table across from me and said, "oh my, everything I've created today, I've used yellow on!" I guess I'm ready for the winter blahs to be gone and permanent warm sunshine to be here! I had to chuckle, because each card even had a different shade of yellow on them. You'll see most of them over the next three days. I'm saving one for next Tuesday though. ;)

I was itching to try out some of my new products that I had ordered from the Occasions Catalog last week. The greeting says it all; the Happy Watercolor stamp set does make me happy! I love the watercolor paint image that you can stamp behind most of our flower images.

Happy Watercolor

Supplies use:
  Cardstock:  Very Vanilla, Night of Navy
  Designer Series Paper: Afternoon Picnic
  Stamp set: Happy Watercolor
  Ink: Night of Navy, Summer Starfruit, Early Espresso
  Embellishments: Summer Starfruit 3/8" Stitched Satin Trim, Subtles Candy Dots (Soft Sky)
  Tools: Paper Trimmer, Simply Scored, Paper Snips
  Adhesive: SNAIL, Glue Dots

2014: The Year of Journey

I've declared 2014 the "Year of Journey." No, not the band. Although, "Don't Stop Believin'" could be a good subtitle. I've already started doing a lot of soul searching this year to figure out where I want to be and how I'm going to get there. (Better late than never, right?) Some might wonder if I'm unhappy where I am. On the contrary, there have been few times I've been happier in my life than I am right now. I'd like to stay happier, so I'm on a mission to make sure it happens.

The Layout Sketch today at Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration inspired me to use My Digital Studio to make a vision board for what I currently feel is most important to me at this point in my 2014 Journey.

Layout Sketch

The lower left hand corner is me on January 19, 2014. One of my goals this year is to continue my healthy lifestyle changes, which should inevitably lead to weight loss. The four yoga poses are ones that I struggle with right now. They are going to require strength, practice, and confidence. I hope to master each of them during 2014. I do strive to inspire people; I've always been a helper and that feeds off it. "There is a certain happiness in being silly and ridiculous" has pretty much always been my life motto. Life is too short to take everything seriously. Keep it light and fun and it makes things easier. The other quotes I found on pinterest and they really spoke to me as they are all things I struggle with in one way or another. Oh, and the tatoo is one that I want to get this year.

My initial plan was to print this out and make it an inspiration board, which I still intend to do. However, as I am still working on my goals, and life is an ever-evolving journey; I have decided to create a new page each month and make a 2014 book at the end. I plan to have my husband take a picture of me each month while practicing each of the four yoga poses so I can document how far I've come at the end of the year. I'm also certain that I will find more quotes that are fitting for me as my journey continues.

With light and love, I thank you for being a part of my journey today. Please stop in at Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration and see what the other designers have created with the sketch. We'd love for you to link your creation up with us if we have inkspired you with this layout.

*All of the photos came from Pinterest, with the exception of the one of me.

Supplies used:
  My Digital Studio
   Digital Stamp Sets: Define Your Life, Schoolbook Serif Numbers
   Digital embellishments: Basic Pearls

Cropping

It's a fundraising cropping weekend! So far I've only gotten three projects done. But lots of good bonding time. Here's a sneak peek of an upcoming card & a shot of the mess I've created as I've spread across 3 tables.

update: By the time I left, I had 7 cards & my This & That Journal cover completed. Stay tuned to see them all over the next few weeks. 

Birthday

My philosophy is that you can never have too many birthday cards on hand. For me, it is because I usually remember the day before their birthday, "oh, I need to send (name) a card." If I have them already made, I have a much better chance of getting it in the mail and it not being unfashionably late!

Today I've created a card for you that goes together quickly and is easily duplicated. You can switch out the butterfly for your favorite image or background stamp.

I used the smallest square in the Square Collections Framelits to cut out the Designer Series Paper. The squares measured 1-1/8". I then used my Paper Trimmer to cut the cardstock layers at 1-1/4". For the butterfly layer, the vanilla cardstock is 2-1/2" x 3-3/4". The pink cardstock is 2-5/8" x 3-7/8". The large vanilla layer on the card base is 4-1/8" x 5-3/8".

Supplies used:
  Cardstock: Wisteria Wonder, Pink Pirouette, Very Vanilla
  DSP: Afternoon Picnic
  Stamp sets: Express Yourself, Swallowtail
  Ink: Wisteria Wonder, Pink Pirouette
  Framelits: Square Collection
  Tools: Paper Trimmer, Big Shot, Simply Scored
  Adhesive: SNAIL

Are you looking for more birthday card inspiration? Check out more birthday cards at SSINK.

Special Birthday Fun

A friend is turning 50 next week, so I wanted to make her a special card for her "golden" celebration.

I used the corner rounder on the Envelope Punch Board to round all four corners. While the picture may be a little hard to tell; on the Rose Red cardstock, I stamped the Tape It image in Versamark and used the Heat & Stick Powder and Gold Glitter. Have you ever used the Heat & Stick Powder? Were you scared of it for 9 years like me? Would you like me to post a how to video?
Recently I saw a link for this shirt on Facebook. I, of course, had to share it. My question was, "What if I'm often covered in glitter and cat hair?" Today is one of those days!

Supplies used:
  Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Rose Red
  Stamp Sets: Tape It, Label Love
  Ink: Versamark, Rose Red
  Specialty Paper: Gold Foil Sheet
  Washi Tape: Watercolor Wonder
  Punches: 2-3/8" Scallop Circle, Artisan Label
  Embellishments: Heat & Stick Powder, Gold Stampin' Glitter
  Tools: Paper Trimmer, Simply Scored, Envelope Punch Board, Heat Tool
  Adhesive: SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals

Please stop in tomorrow for another birthday card idea! 

One Color Pony

Today started as a little bit of a challenge. When I saw that we were to create a monochromatic card, I was up for the task; though as I sat down to make it, it felt a little daunting. Once I got started though it was easier than it sounded.

I went with Pistachio Pudding as my one color. (Great, now I'm hungry!)

I inked up my embossing folder before placing my cardstock in it to get the depressions inked. For the clay flowers, after I pressed them in the mold and removed them; I let them cure for a few hours. Then I pushed them down into my ink pad to get a little color on them.

Supplies used:
  Cardstock: Pistachio Pudding
  Ink: Pistachio Pudding
  Embellishments: Pistachio Pudding 3/8" Ruffle Stretch Trim, Simply Pressed Clay, Buttons and Blossoms Simply Pressed Clay Molds
  Framelits: Bitty Banners
  Embossing Folder: Chevron
  Tools: Big Shot, Simply Scored, Paper Trimmer
  Adhesive: Glue Dots, Sticky Strip, Stampin' Dimensionals

Stop over at SSINK today to see what the other designers created with only one color! 

Weekly Deals & More

Stampin' Up! released new weekly deals this morning! You can purchase these items at a discount through Monday, January 20th at stampinup.com. Be sure to choose Darcy Johnson as your demonstrator.

Framed Tulips Embossing Folder 7.95 5.96

Calypso Coral Ink Pad 5.95 4.46

Digital Download-Storytime Ensemble 19.95 11.97

Neutrals Core'dinations Cardstock 23.95 17.96

Chalk Talk Framelits 24.95 18.71

Basic Black 3/4" Chevron Ribbon 8.95 6.71

Alphabet Press Embossing Folder 7.95 5.96

Note Card Envelopes 5.50 4.13

 

My personal recommendation is the Neutrals Core'dination cardstock, along with the Alphabet Press Embossing Folder. Unlike our other cardstock, the Core'dinations is not dyed all the way through. Therefore when you use it with an embossing folder, and then distress it with a sanding block; it gives a really great texture to your project. You can check out a sample here.

Another exciting promotion announced recently is that through February 10th, any new Paper Pumpkin subscriber will receive a FREE set of 2012-2014 In Color Markers. Click on either picture below for more information and to get signed up!

Sketch Challenge

It's time for the January Card Sketch Challenge at SSINK! I hope that you will be inspired by the sketch and play along with us. Make sure to stop over at the SSINK blog to see what the other designers have created and to link up your own take on the challenge.

Here is the sketch:

This is what I was inspired to make from the sketch:

I used the Big Shot and Square Collection Framelits to create the banner for my bird. Here's hoping this sweet little blue bird will make spring come faster; or at least brighten someone's day!

Supplies used:
  Cardstock: Wisteria Wonder, Sahara Sand
  DSP: Afternoon Picnic
  Stamp sets: Express Yourself, Simply Sketched
  Ink: Chocolate Chip, Marina Mist
  Punch: Modern Label
  Framelits: Square Collection
  Embellishments: Early Espresso Baker's Twine, Subtles Candy Dots, Blender Pen
  Tools: Big Shot, Simply Scored, Paper Trimmer
  Adhesive: SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals, Glue Dots

Favorite DSP & a Challenge

At Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration our Design Team projects for today were to feature our favorite Designer Series Paper Pack. I realized as I was looking through my stash of DSP that I own almost every current pack; and that I really love all of them!
Today however, I was most drawn to the Modern Medley assortment. The entire package is black and vanilla, which is just as timeless as black and white.

Modern Medley #126926

My layout was inspired by Jen's sketch challenge #DS133 at deconstructing*jen.

Here's my first Valentine's card of the season for you!

Stampin' Up! Supplies used:
  Cardstock: Real Red, Basic Black, Very Vanilla
  DSP: Modern Medley
  Stamp set: A Round Array
  Ink: Real Red
  Punches: 7/8" Scallop Circle, 1-1/4" Scallop Circle, Artisan Label
  Framelits: Hearts Collection
  Embellishments: Large Basic Rhinestones
  Tools: Paper Trimmer, Simply Scored, Big Shot
  Adhesive: SNAIL

Stylin' Stampin' Blog Hop

Thank you so much for joining us for our January Stylin' Stampin' Squad Blog Hop!  Love is in the air and our talented group of design team members have a Whole Lotta Love Goin' On as we are excited to be sharing some NEW Occasions Catalog goodies and some Valentine's Day projects with you this month!

As you hop along, please be sure to comment and show some love on every blog!  We are always excited to hear from our followers!

You should have just left stop number 10 on the Stylin’ Stampin’ Squad  blog hop – Kim of Stamping with Kim. If so, you are in the right spot. If a link doesn’t work or you get off track, you will find  the full blog hop lineup below.

My card today features my favorite Designer Series Paper from the Occasions Catalog. It's called Kaleidoscope. I spent hours playing with my kaleidoscope as a child, and some of the patterns in this pack remind me of that.

Supplies used:
  Cardstock: Basic Gray, Whisper White, Basic Black
  DSP: Kaleidoscope
  Stamp set: Sweet Essentials
  Ink: Strawberry Slush
  Embellishments: Neutrals Candy Dots (Whisper White), Large Scallop Edgelits
  Tools: Big Shot, Paper Trimmer, Simply Scored
  Adhesive: SNAIL

Thanks for joining us on our blog hop today. Use the Next button to head over to Bree's blog now. Stop back in tomorrow when the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration designers will be showcasing our favorite DSP stacks!

Blog Hop Participants:
1. Anastasia R. of Stampin' Blondie
2. Cynthia R. of Ink-a-Doodle Creations
3. Dawn S. of Dawn's Creative Chalet
4. Kathy P of Katrina P's Creative Corner
5. Pamela W. of Stinky Tofu
6. Diana E. of Stampin' Fun with Diana
7. Darla R. & Nancy K. of Stampin With Darla and Sisters
8. Jamie H. of Unique Ink
9. Rose C. of Stamp with Rose
10. Kim R. of Stamping with Kim
11. Darcy J. of DJ's Stampin' Place
12. Bree R. of Craft-Somnia
13. Kristina M. of Mama's Sanity
14. Annie L. of Love Me Cards
15. Jennifer B. of NW Stamper
16. Tonya B. of Stampin' with Tonya
17. Heidi B. of Stuck on Stampin'