September 29, 2016

Limited Deals for October!

Ladies and Gentlemen, start your credit cards!

Seriously, you don't want to miss out on these great October deals! When you've made your decisions, click here to shop.



If you don't own an Envelope Punch Board, NOW is the time to purchase one at a 25% savings! The wide array of projects you can make with this board in addition to envelopes for any size card with make this one of the best purchases you could ever make! While you're ordering that, don't forget the cardstock and envelope paper!

Looking for a great gift? The Designer Tin of Cards Kit is so much fun to put together and even more fun to give. Note: the card kit does not include the stamp set, that can be purchased here.

Stampin' Up! isn't going to let the fun stop there!

SharableTH_B3G1DSP_NA

October 1 through 31 , you can buy three packages of Designer Series Paper and get one free! That’s great news since everyone can use more Designer Series Paper. This sale includes Designer Series Paper from both the annual catalog and the recently released holiday catalog (not including Specialty Designer Series Paper or Designer Series Paper Stacks). 




Dress up your cards - it's easy with DSP!
Make fabulous 3D projects - instant WOW factor with DSP!
Feature BOTH sides with amazing folds!
Call a friend and split the packs!

Don't Miss Out!



September 27, 2016

Shaker Birthday Card

Hi All!

Well, yesterday we had an 80 degree summer day and today we definitely are experiencing autumn with temps in the low 60s. Yeesh! That was a drastic change. Based on the forecast, I think this is it. I love fall, but really would enjoy another month of summer temps. Oh well, this is Wisconsin and we get what we get!

Saturday morning I held a class and we made a shaker card. I will admit, I attempted one soon after the annual catalog came out and the result was NOT pretty. I don't know why, but when I made my sample for class, it was no issue! Here's the project:


:

I love the Cucumber Crush and Melon Mambo combo - that alone wants to me to yell "YAY!" 

A couple of tips for you:

    * I used my Stampin' Trimmer to cut out the center of the Cucumber Crush panel. My border is 3/4" wide. The Stampin' Trimmer makes this process easy peasy.
    * With my Cucumber Crush piece laying on top of my heavy Whisper White card base, I lightly traced the opening onto the Whisper White card stock. Doing this allows you to see where you want to stamp your images.
    * Cut your window sheet to 1/4" to 3/8" smaller than your top panel. Apply your adhesive to the window sheet, center it on the back side of the Cucumber Crush panel and adhere.
    * Spread your shaker pieces over much of the panel. If you place them in a pile in the middle, they will get stuck once you adhere the card and they won't shake!
    * When adding the adhesive strips to the main panel, adhere the strips about 1/4" from the inside opening. This will prevent you from seeing the strips from the front of the card.
    * I made a cheater bow. I adhered the Thick Baker's Twine to the back side of the card and then tied a bow around the twine.

We had fun making this card. I hope you do too!

Happy Stamping!
Sue


September 22, 2016

Polka Dot Birthday!

Hi all!

Today I am lovin' technology - there are times we are at odds, but not today! The other night I made a birthday card for a little munchkin in my life and snapped some photos prior to sending it off because I wanted to share it with you. Well this morning I used my phone to take some work related photos and went on a delete spree. As I was driving home thinking about this post, I realized I had deleted the photos, BUT THEN realized I have google photos - yahoo!!! It doesn't take a whole lot to thrill me in life!

I wanted something fun and bright for this 6 year old and I think this works. So here's my happy birthday to Lucas:



The polka dots are punched using the 3/4" circle punch. They line up perfectly because I used the recently retired large polka dot embossing folder and simply glued the punched circles onto the embossed circles. The sentiment is popped up with dimensionals and I used a few pieces from the confetti punch to finish it off. I tucked the rest of the confetti inside the card. I'm thinking his mom won't like that too much, but he will!

Be sure to check out the recently loaded clearance rack here. There is everything from stamp sets to embossing folders, ribbons, embellishments and more. Don't miss out on these deals!





I want to share a photo of my baby; he left home for his first year of college and is adjusting well. Here he is (on the right) with his buddy in the student section at UW Madison's Camp Randall last weekend - go Bucky! Time sure flies. I think he was 7 or 8 when he attended his first Badger game....sigh.

I think I am safe in posting this as he wouldn't read my blog - don't tell him it's here!






Saturday I have some friends coming to my house to stamp. I made some cute treats for them that I'll post next week, so stay tuned.

Have a great weekend!









September 20, 2016

Hi all!

Last night I met three amazing women for dinner. The four of us got to know each other through a work related association. Although 3 of us have moved in to different industries, we still make a point of getting together regularly. We typically have a few drinks and dinner, get caught up on what is happening in each other's lives. We laugh, we cry, we dream. I love these ladies!!

This week, as a little surprise, I made each of them 4 monogrammed note cards. I pulled out some vintage products, but they certainly won't know that!


For each card I used a different embossing folder to vary the look. Wow! I'm looking at this photo and lining up my ribbon with Stampin' Up! grid paper certainly assured they did indeed line up. I love it when I impress myself!! Hmm, I also see crooked flourishes; I love that handcrafted touch, don't you?

I used the layering squares framelits for the letters. I am loving all of the layering framelits!

Thanks so much for stopping in. Wishing you good friends who bring joy to your life.

Until next time, take gentle care,



September 15, 2016

Tin of Tags

Hi all!

Looking for a project that is quick to make, takes no prep time, is easy and super cute?? Check out the Tin of Tags kit!


I'll be gathering with friends this fall to complete this kit. If you live nearby, I'd love to have you join the fun.

Want a closer look at what's all in that cute little tin? Check out the video below!



What do you think? I say it's a must have! Click here to purchase. Thanks so much for stopping. Have a great rest of the week.





September 14, 2016

My Favorite Season Blog Hop


Welcome to the Pals Blog Hop for September 2016. We are thankful you stopped by to take a look at our new 2016 Blog Hop monthly themes.  This month our projects represent our favorite year end Season. It may be Autumn, Winter, Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas (and maybe even a combination!) We hope to provide you with lots of ideas and that you enjoy our creations.
You may just be starting the Blog Hop or may have come from the previous link from the Line-up on the Pals Blog Hop listing shown below. The full lineup will help you move along from blog to blog so you may see all the projects.

Here in Wisconsin we are blessed with all four seasons and I welcome each one. That being said, my favorite season is fall. Already the evening air is more crisp, the garden plants have faded and the smell of fall is in the air. From my living room window, I can see the hills of a State Park. I look forward to the blaze of color when the morning sun meets the tree tops; it is quite spectacular!

I had an idea for my hop project but when I sat down to create, well, let's say it's not what I had in my head! My thought turned out to be too much for one card, so I made two!



I knew my project would include copper embossing powder. The rich color suits a fall scene perfectly. The technique used here is embossed resist. I first embossed my leaves, then sponged the rest of the panel using daubers and Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, Cajun Craze and Always Artichoke. The leaves on the main panel are stamped with Versamark. All leaves come from the Vintage Leaves stamp set.



The sentiment is from Acorny Thank You and is embossed with copper and cropped with the Decorative Label punch. I also brushed the Versamark pad on the edges and embossed the edges. I cropped a leaf using the Leaflets Framelits, sponged the edges with Chocolate Chip, added some Copper Metallic Thread and popped it up with Dimensionals. Don't you just love how that copper shines?

So, my original thought was to add a leaf covered in several coats of clear embossing powder to give it a thick, rich finish. I loved the copper leaves in the panel of my first card and adding a distinctive leaf on top of that was TOO much, so here's card #2!


I kept this card very simple because the focal leaf just speaks for itself. The base is Always Artichoke and the Crushed Curry was embossed with the Woodgrain folder and lightly sponged with Chocolate Chip Classic ink.


The leaf on the bottom I stamped onto Whisper White cs with Always Artichoke, cropped it with the die and sponged it.


The top leaf was stamped with Chocolate Chip onto Whisper White and sponged. I then used Versamark and clear embossing powder, heat embossed it, let it cool and repeated the process two more times. I cut two leaves in Always Artichoke to add to the back of the main leaf to give it some depth. I then had a bit of fun with the Copper Metallic Thread. The main leaf is popped up with Dimensionals. I kept the ribbon embellishment simple, starting with the Burlap ribbon, added a layer of vintage Always Artichoke ribbon and then used Linen Thread to tie my bow.

It's certainly beginning to look like fall here! I like how these projects turned out, do you?

Thanks for visiting. To continue with the hop, please refer to the Blog Hop Line-up below. We hope to see you on next month’s Pals Blog Hop! 



September 13, 2016

A Washi Tape Thank You

Hi All!

Whew! The weekend was filled with Wisconsin Badger and Packer games - with wins for both! - yard work, errand running and of course, stamping! I designed the 3 projects for my September 24th class and as always, am excited to share my stamping toys with friends.

In my posts, I have referred to the Pals led by my upline, Mary Fish. I've also made reference to Lisa Pretto, who is Mary's upline. Recently, Lisa held a facebook party for anyone in her downline who wanted to attend. It was a pretty crazy couple of hours chatting with demonstrators from around the country. What a fun group and great way to learn more about each other. Generous Lisa again spoiled us with lots of give aways. My prize was the Candy Cane Lane Designer Washi Tape that coordinates with the Candy Cane Lane DSP. To show my appreciate AND use my new product, I created this card:




Washi Tape is so much fun to use and this card is a great way to show off each design. I've mentioned before that there are very generous amounts of product on the rolls; you don't need to be stingy with Washi Tape! What is great about this Washi combo is that 3 of the 5 rolls are not related to the holiday and can be used throughout the year.

Other products from the holiday catalog include Candy Cane Lane DSP and Candy Cane Lane Baker's Twine. The sentiment if from Tin of Cards and is stamped in Early Espresso.

Looking for CS measurements?

               Crumb Cake: 8 1/2" x 11"
               Candy Cane Lane DSP: 4" x 5 1/4"
               Early Espresso: 3" x 4 1/4"
               Crumb Cake: 2 7/8" x 4 1/8"
               Real Red: 2 3/4" x 4"
               Whisper White: 2 5/8" x 3 7/8"

So, if you have stacks of Washi Tape rolls sitting on your crafting desk, use this design for inspiration.

Your comments are welcomed and greatly appreciated!

Take gentle care,





September 8, 2016

Fruit Stand Birthday

Hi all!

Based on the weather here is southeastern Wisconsin this week, we still have a bit of summer to go. Whew! It's been hot and humid. I wonder how my son is doing in a dorm room with no AC....

I am a lover of fruit and buy the fruits I like, year round. There's nothing like the taste of summer when the snow is blowing! The Fruit Stand DSP and Fresh Fruit stamp set certainly provides a spot of summer. I found a piece of Melon Mambo cs all cut, scored and ready to go so went on a mission to figure out what I could do with it. I based this on a sketch I found online.


Wouldn't this bring a smile to your face especially if you received it in the dead of winter? The masking technique was used in stamping the strawberries. The Fresh Fruit stamp set provided all the images I needed to complete this card. 



The popped up sentiment is accented with some Copper Metallic Thread and flagged at the end using my paper snips. Those strawberries are so big and red, I can almost taste them! Yum! I'm thinking I need to make a few sets of note cards using Fresh Fruit. I don't know why, but they just make me happy!

Wishing you a day that is happy!

Take gentle care,


September 7, 2016

Floral Affection Sympathy

Greetings!

I mentioned yesterday that I needed to make a few sympathy cards. Not my favorite kind of card to make, but I know how much it will be appreciated by the recipient.

I thought I'd share this quick and easy card. It is a CASE of the fearless leader of our Pals' group, Mary Fish. Mary's style is clean and simple. 


The Floral Affection embossing folder is the focal point of this piece. The Mint Macaron CS in scored at 1/4" on each side and the finishing touch is supplied by mini pearls. I used a piece of vintage DSP to decorate the outside of the envelope. 

Thanks to Mary for this quick, easy and elegant card.

Happy Wednesday!


September 5, 2016

Goody, Goody Gumdrops!

Hi all!

It's been awhile since I've played the Pal's Paper Arts challenge. Yesterday I delivered my son to college for his freshman year, so today I did a good house cleaning and headed to my craft space. I needed to make a few sympathy cards and then thought, hmmm, I should check out this week's challenge, and here it is.


If you're creative juices aren't flowing, a challenge is a great way to inspire your own creation. Be sure to check out the PPA website to see the amazing variety of cards that were created based on this sketch. Here's mine:


With the holiday catalog live, it's time to break out the new goodies. I have to admint, gumdrops are one of my all time favorite candies. I think this card is too sweet! The Candy Cane Lane Designer Series Paper made designing this card a snap! I started with a base of Real Red, the DSP is cut to 4" x 4" with Candy Cane Lane Baker's Twine adding a bit of a flourish. Although you can't tell from the photo, the gumdrops and sentiment are heat embossed to give them a bit of a pop. The 1/2" punch is perfect for cropping the gumdrops. I followed that with a 3/4" Crumb Cake circle followed by a 1" Early Espresso circle. The circles are popped up with dimensionals

      TIP: To make centering your circles much easier, punch the smallest circle and adhere it                   to a piece of Crumb Cake and then punch with the 3/4" circle punch. Use the                               same technique with the Early Espresso. Your circles will all be centered!

The sentiment is from the Candy Cane Christmas stamp set. I cropped it with the Decorative Label punch, sponged it with a bit of Crumb Cake and used the layering oval thinlits to create the backdrop, popped a few dimensionals onto the back and tah-dah!

This was a fun and easy card to make. As some of the UK demos would say, give it a play!

Thanks for stopping; hope your week is a good one!





September 3, 2016

The New Holiday Catalog Is Here!

It's here. It's live! If you've not received a copy of the 2016 holiday catalog, let me know and I'll get one to you asap! 

You can check out the link in the right column and see a few of the new goodies in action in the video below.



Are you tempted? It sure is hard not to be! Click here to shop my 24/7 online store.

Happy stamping!


September 1, 2016

Halloween Sneak Peak

Hi all,

I mentioned in an earlier post that I recently attended a gathering of stampers in the Chicago area. One of the main reasons I went was to spend time with my stampin' roomie, Janet.


When contemplating attending my first SU! event, I connected with Janet on Facebook and we agreed to be roommates. We turned out to be very compatible and had a great time at convention. The following year we again roomed together in Salt Lake City and due to changes in SU! event scheduling, this year we met in Chicago.

Janet is from Nebraska and recently started her own blog. Check her out at Stampin' Harvest. She posted a really cute Christmas sneak peak this week.

Speaking of sneak peaks, after the Chicago gathering a group of 20+ who attended the event did a card swap using products from the new holiday catalog that will be released on September 1st. If you've not yet received a catalog, send me a quick email with your address and I'll send one of to you. Back to the swap - each of us sent an envelope full of completed cards to Lisa Pretto. Lisa divvied out the cards and sent an envelope back filled with lots of great sample cards for the holiday season! What fun! Here is the card I made for the swap.


The card uses the Halloween Cookie Cutter stamp set and punch. The good news is that there's also a Christmas Cookie Cutter stamp set that works with the punch too! The DSP and Baker's Twine are also from the holiday catalog. I used the layering circle framlits for mummy's background. This layout could feature so many different stamps.

Would you be interested in a card swap? I'd be happy to coordinate one for those who would like to share. Leave a comment below if you're interested. We can then decide on the guidelines for the swap. It's a great way to get new ideas and different styles and more importantly, it's a great way to reach out and get to know other stampers. I figure anyone who is as nuts about stamping as I am has to be great!

Thanks for stopping in. Make your day a great one!