Christmas Card Box

This card box was inspired by a project by Andrea Walford. Real Red card stock and Christmas Cocoa Specialty designer series paper was used to create this box I also used the Serene Snowflake stamp set and the real red classic stamp pad to stamp the snowflake on the card box and note cards as well as the medallion. The scallop circle punch was used in conjunction with the Sahara Sand card stock and the 1 3/8" punch with real red card stock to frame the snowflake medallion. Use a little Dazzling Diamonds glitter to add some sparkle.

Stampin' Up! Holiday Extravaganza

Get up to 50 percent off select products and product bundles. But hurry—the Online Extravaganza ends November 30!

Visit my Online Store to get great deals now!

Stampin' Up! Deal of the Week

Item #109183, Trio Flower Punch
reg. $15.95, NOW $10.99





Item #110709, My Way Punch
reg. $15.95, NOW $11.99



Iem #109041, 5-Petal Flower Punch
reg. $15.95, NOW $10.99




Click here to SHOP NOW for these punches and the entire Stampin' Up! line of stamping and scrapbooking products.

Autumn Days

This card uses the Autumn Days stamp set. I started with a base card in chocolate chip and ran it through the Big Shot using the filigree pattern in the Backgrounds I texture plates. I cut a piece of More Mustard card stock 2 1/4" by 5 1/4" and stamped using the berries stamp in More Mustard. My Whisper White card stock pieces measure 1 3/4" by 1", and the Chocolate Chip pieces measure 2" by 1 1/4". I sponged around each piece of the Whisper White. I stamped "just for you" from the Teeny Tiny Wishes set in More Mustard and punch it out using the Word Window punch. I used the Modern Label punch for the More Mustard and added gold brads and the 5/8" Chocolate Chip grosgrain.

Circle Circus

This is a fun new set from the 2009-2010 Idea Book and Catalog called Circle Circus. I started with a piece of Tempting Turquoise card stock and stamped the bubble type image in the same color on the right front of the card. I cut a piece of Melon Mambo (In-Color) 5 1/2" by 1 1/4" and used the eyelet border punch on one side of it. I used a 2 1/2" by 5 1/2" piece of Crushed Curry (In-Color) card stock and a piece of Whisper White measuring 5 1/2" by 2 1/4". I used the Crushed Curry, Melon Mambo, and Tempting Turquoise classic pad to stamp a variety of circles on the Whisper White. I then used a 6" piece of Melon Mambo polka dot ribbon to attached to the back of the stamped image and used another piece to tie a knot. I framed a piece of Whisper White card stock measuring 2 1/4" by 2" with Crushed Curry (2 1/2" by 2 1/4") and Melon Mambo (2 3/4" by 2 1/2") I used the same color markers to color the greeting from the All Holidays set. The Melon Mambo is much pinker than it appears on this picture, but I couldn't quite get the image photographed showing the true color.

A Light Unto My Path Stamping 411

This stamp set "A Light Unto My Path" retired from Stampin' Up! a while ago, but it is still one of my favorites. It is especially great for the masculine cards. I used the design featured on the Stamping 411 site for this card. Here are the measurements I used.

My base card is natural white (4 1/4" x 5 1/2").
Retired navy DSP is 4" x 5 1/4".
Night of Navy card stock is 4" x 2 1/4"
Real Red card stock surrounding the lighthouse measures 2 3/4" x 3 3/4"
Natural white lighthouse piece measuring 2 1/2" x 3 1/2"

I also used
1/4" Real Red grosgrain ribbon
Filigree brad
Red fire square brad
Stamping pastels

Pocket Silhouette Stamping 411

I have recently discovered a great blog which inspires and helps direct me in the design of cards. You will want to visit Stamping 411 for great ideas, measurements, and an opportunity to post your creations. This card starts with a piece of Dusty Durango measuring 4 1/4" x 5 1/2". To add texture to the card and carry through the polka dot theme from the ribbon, I ran it through small polka dot Stampin' Up! textured plate from the Backgrounds 1 (114512). I then cut a piece of Sahara Sand patterned paper from the DSP III series (level 1 hostess benefit) measuring 2 3/4" x 3 3/4". I cut a piece of Always Artichoke paper measuring 5" x 2 3/4". I used a 5 3/4" piece of Dusty Durango 1/2" polka-dot grosgrain ribbon (115609) and another piece to create the bow. I then cut a piece of dusty durango card stock measuring 1 1/5" x 4 3/4" and a piece of sahara sand at 1 1/4" by 4 1/2". I stamped the image using the Pocket Silhouette stamp set (111672) using Dusty Durange, Always Artichoke, and Soft Suede class stamp pads. I stamp the "thanks so much" on Sahara Sand card stock and punched it out with the Word Window punch (105090)and then punched a piece of Dusty Durango using the Modern Label punch (116630). Use your 2-way glue and some dazzling diamonds glitter, and you are all set!

Autumn Days

I've been out of town for a week bringing my daughter to college and then to back to work after a great summer. Here is a holiday card I made using the Autumn Days stamp set. This set is really versatile and you'll see some additional projects using it in the days to come.

Oval All Card Box

Here is another card box using the oval all stamp set and decorative paper. The original pattern for this came from the Stampin' Up! demonstrator web site, and I altered it a bit to accommodate the 4 1/4" by 5 1/2" cards rather than note cards. I used a retired decorative paper along with taken with teal, apricot appeal and green galore card stock. This is a great gift item for anyone.

Wedding Card

The Manhattan Flower set and the Top Note Die Cut go so nicely together. I made this wedding card for a upcoming ceremony I will be attending. I gave the flower some dimension by stamping it several times and cutting out different parts of each for each layer. I also used Teenie Tiny Wishes for the greeting.

Notecards and Box

I have been using up some retired DSP and thought I would make a couple of the notecard and box sets featured on Stampin Gal Val's blog. I did need to modify the measurements to accommodate the traditional 5 1/2 by 4 1/4" cards. These make great gifts and are quick and easy to make. I used the Lovely Letters Alphabet set for the initials.

Quilt Cards

I spent the weekend at a scrapbook retreat in Wisconsin (White's Wildwood Retreat), and two to the ladies in attendance were quilters. I think I may take up quilting when I retire, but for now I thought I would keep it short and sweet on a couple of cards. You start with a 4 1/4 by 5 1/2 inch piece of card stock. Cut out a 1" square and adhere it so it looks like a diamond in the middle of the paper. Cut 1" strips of decorative paper (Razzleberry Lemonade and Merry Momements used in these samples) and begin to attach them using mono-adhesive until you completely cover the card stock. Use the Top Note die cut in the Big Shot, and embelish the center and the rest of the card as you choose. For now, this is my quilting project. Enjoy!

Oval Punches Birthday Card

With summer quickly passing by, I thought I would create a flower card using my oval punches and the new Razzleberry Lemonade decorative series paper. The base of my card is Rich Razzleberry. I used the small and large oval punches to create the flower, and I dyed the white organza ribbon by running laying my ribbon on the rich razzleberry stamp pad and then rubbing a sponge over the top of the ribbon. You will need to let the ribbon dry for a while before you put it on the card as the ink will transfer to your fingers as you are working with it and then will transfer unto everything else you touch! I used the Boho Blossoms punch and Melon Mambo card stock for the center flower and attached it with a Circle Fire Rhinestone Brad. I finished off the card using the Rich Razzleberry stamp pad using one of my favorite sets--Sincere Salutations.

Stampin' Up! Deal of the Week

The Stampin' Up! Deal of the Week is the Heart to Heart to Heart Punch. The regular price of this punch is $15.95, and this week you can purchase it for $10.99. You can order directly this from my website or click on contact me on the right side of this page.

Stampin' Up! Deal of the Week

This week Stampin' Up! is offering the Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware which normally sells for $29.95 for just $18.95. This product is great to use for cards, scrapbook pages, and gift items. Each kit contains approximately 100 embellishments and 100 3/16" brads. The offer is good through Monday at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time. You can order directly from Stampin' Up! by clicking SHOP NOW in the upper right hand corner of this page or you can contact me directly to place your order.

Mojo 95 Sketch Eastern Blooms

Here is my submission for Mojo Monday using Dusty Durango and Crushed Curry along with the design inspiration. I used the Eastern Bloom and Oval All stamp set along with the Razzleberry DSP and scalloped oval punch.

Manhatten Flower Watercoloring Technique

Summer is such a great time for me. As a teacher, I have the summers off and have had some time to try out several new technique I found online over the winter. I have seen some wonderful samples using the Manhatten Flower set and finally ordered it a few months ago. Check out Patty's Stamping Spot for a video tutorial and samples of this beautiful technique

Reverse Silhouette Technique

The next three images use the reverse silhouette technique but instead of using a brayer for the background color, I used sponges. For the Autumn Days card I used creamy caramel, crushed curry, and dusty durango with whisper white card stock and brayered over the image with soft suede. For the Upsy Daisy card and Pocket Silhouette cards I used tempting turquoise, melon mambo and rich razzleberry and brayered with basic black. I used whisper white card stock on the Upsy Daisy card and glossy white on the pocket silhouette card.

Sweet Sunday Challenge

I decided to try the Sweet Sunday Challenge for the first time. I used Simply Said with some retired DSP. Enjoy!

Mix and Match Gift Set

The pattern for this box, six cards and interchangeable greetings was created by Betty Traciak and posted to the Stampin' Up! demonstrator website where I have access to hundreds of great patterns and ideas. I'll be offering a workshop for this project in the near future using the Ovall All set and some newly released decorative paper.

Stampin' Up! Deal of the Week

Deal of the Week: Big Shot Doctor's Bag
You'll feel like a big shot carrying around the Big Shot Doctor's bag! July 6-12, get the Big Shot Doctor's Bag for $49.99. That's nearly 30% off the regular price of $69.95!

Throughout July, be sure to check my web site every Monday at 10 AM (MT) for the week's new deal.

Darling Dots Level One Hostess Set

I am, again, experimenting with the new In-Colors using the Darling Dots Hostess Level One Set. This time I have used Crushed Curry and Dusty Durango along with Very Vanilla. My vanilla card stock is 7 1/2 by 8 1/2, and the DSP is from the Razzleberry Lemonade series cut at 8 1/2 by 2. I used the 1 1/4 and 1 3/8 square punch and then cut the dusty durango squares at 1 1/2. I love the new polka dot ribbon for each of the In-Colors. The happy birthday is from the new Tenny Tiny Wishes set, and I also used the new Modern Label Punch. I finished off each flower with a rhinestone brad. Enjoy!

Fast and Fun Notes

I decided to take this set out for a change and use the new Stampin' Up! In-Colors to give it a little spark. Cut a piece of Melon Mambo that is 5 1/2 by 4 1/4, a whisper white at 4 x 10 1/2 and 2 3/8 by 3 3/8, and Rich Razzleberry at 2 1/2 by 3 1/2, and a piece from the DSP Razzleberry Lemonade that is 3 3/4 by 5. I used the blender pen to color in the image using Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry and Green Galore. I finished it off with a bow and some dazzling diamonds glitter on the flowers.

Great Grads

I'll be using this little purse for the gift cards I'll be giving to the many grad parties I'll be going to in the next few months. This is the first of many as I have a daughter graduating and am also a high school teacher with mostly seniors. I better get busy! I used the top note and large circle die as well as the coluzzle circle cutter. The red decorative paper is from the previous catalog. The instructions for this little purse can be found here. Enjoy!

Upsy Daisy

I haven't had much time to stamp lately. My daughter is graduating in three weeks from high school, and I am busy finishing her scrapbook and getting ready for the open house. I did stamp this last night for a card trade I am in. In order to get a variety of colors, I used markers (old olive, so saffron, ruby red, cameo coral). The decorative paper is one I had left over from another project, and I can't quite remember the name of it. Have a great day!

National Scrapbooking Month

Join me in celebrating National Scrapbooking Month with three great offers!

1. Buy three packs of Designer Series paper--including Specialty Designer Series paper--or 12" x 12" textured card stock and get one FREE!*



2. Become a demonstrator for only $75 with the limited-time Scrapbooking Starter Kit!



3. Buy the new Jumble Alphabet stamp set--a sneak peek from the upcoming 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog--at 20% off!

Item 115199
Description Jumble Alphabet (set of 52; double-mounted)
Regular Price $43.95
Sale Price $35.16

With so many great offers to choose from, your scrapbooking possibilities are endless!

These offers end May 31, so contact me TODAY to learn more or to place your order.

Top Note Purse

I used the top note and oval dye to create this cute little purse in real red and decorative paper. I used a magnetic circle to close the purse. You can see the pattern for the purse here I didn't have the circle scallop die so the oval worked just as well. I cut the patterned oval using the coluzzle. I plan to make these for graduation gifts and include a gift card inside. As soon as I get my Great Grads stamp set, I'll post another one using that set. Enjoy!

10-10-10 Workshop Projects

I held a 10-10-10 workshop last Friday night, and I thought I would share the projects we made. Perhaps you can join me at the next one. We used my new Big Shot, and I am anxious to continue experimenting with it. There are so many great things you can do with it. Enjoy the photos!

This one was inspired by brilliant ideas on Andrea Walford's blog