GoDivas Convention Swap: That Thing You Did

Good afternoon!  It’s been a whirlwind of a first day and it’s only just starting we have lots of classes this afternoon and the we have the awards program and big 1920’s afterparty tonight (I can’t wait but I’m going to have to make it an early night tonight since some of us are getting up early, early, early tomorrow to go run the Deseret Classic Half Marathon which is part of Utah’s Pioneer Day festivities (yeah I know I’m crazy, but love every minute of it!)  So as you may know one of the big activities during any gathering of Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators is swapping.  Basically you make a lot of the one card design and so does everyone else and then you “swap” so you get lots of new ideas from other demonstrators.  It’s super fun!  So this afternoon I had a group swap with a new swap group I joined the GoDivas, let me tell you these ladies rock!!! And I’m so honored to be part of the group.  So this is the card I made for this swap and I hope the ladies love it.

I started with Soft Suede cardstock for the cardbase and then layered a piece of Crumb Cake cardstock that was stamped all over with the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set.  Next I took a piece of Cajun Craze cardstock and embossed it with the Big Shot and the Brickwall Embossing Folder (I also sponged all over the embossing with Crumb Cake ink for a more distressed look).  Next I took a piece of Basic Black Cardstock and heat embossed the greeting from the That Thing You Did stamp set using Versamark ink, White Embossing Powder and the Heat Tool.  After that was done I took a sponge dauber and some Whisper White Craft Ink and rubbed it on the cardstock for a chalkboard effect.  This piece was then matted with Soft Suede cardstock.

For some texture I ruffled up a piece of Chevron 5/8” Natural Ribbon and attached it to the cardfront with the Handheld stapler.  The final touch was to add a small star using the Gold Foil Paper and the Big Shot and the Circle Card Thinlit die and attached it to the card with a dimensional.

I absolutely love this new stamp set, so much so that I have to warn you now I used it on several other swap cards so you’ll get lots of ideas using the same set (trust me you will have to have this when I’m done sharing!!!) 

Below are easy ordering links for the products used on today’s card:

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Happy Stamping,

Diana

Hand Stamped Sentiments Sketch Challenge: Starburst Sayings

Good morning and welcome to the half way point in the week.  Today's going to be a great day, we're finally starting to thaw out and it's going to beautiful for the next couple of days, I can't wait!!!  Today I have a birthday card to share with you that I made for this weeks Hand Stamped Sentiments Color Challenge. The cardbase for this card is Smoky Slate and I added a layer of Midnight Muse cardstock that I had stamped with the On the Grid stamp set and Midnight Muse Classic Ink.  Next I took a piece of Silver Foil Paper and embossed it with the Big Shot and the Chevron Embossing Folder before wrapping a piece of Midnight Muse 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon around the foil piece.  I added a couple of Rose Red accent pieces that I cut out with the Big Shot and the Starburst Framelits in different sizes.  The silver elements that I layered over the starburst were cut out with various circle punches and some Brushed Silver Cardstock.

For the main stamped image I used the Starburst Sayings stamp set, stamped it with Rose Red ink and then cut it out with the Starburst framelits.  Some dimensionals were used to attach the greeting to the card so it pops and I added a small arrow that was cut out of Smoky Slate Cardstock, the Big Shot, and one of the accent pieces from the Label Card Thinlit Die.

 

I have to admit, I really like how the Rose Red elements really pop off this card, so fun.  I also love that this new bundle of Starbust Sayings stamp set and coordinating framelits, they're fun and you can even save money with the bundle, which always makes me happy.  It'll be interesting to see all the different ideas that are generated by using the same basic colors for inspiration.

Enjoy and have a wonderful day!

Diana

Quick and Easy Cards using My Digital Studio and the Do Your Best Printable Download

 

Good morning! I have to say, what do we need to do to help slow down time, I can't believe we're already half the way through January, I still see Christmas lights up around the neighborhood. This is always a touch time of year, getting back to the school and work routine and I wanted to do something to help encourage my son, Aidan, during these days when he would pretty much rather be anywhere other than school. I've decided to start sending little random notes in his lunchbox or backpack to remind him of activities, encourage him, or just let him know we love him but I'm short on time, but My Digital Studio (MDS) to the rescue. MDS has this great download, Do Your Best Printables (Item #134922) that has 5 pages of predesigned little notes, embellishments, stamps, and punches that are perfect for the occasion. All I did was open the download and then picked the images I wanted. For some I also recolored them (I have a boy so most of the pictures with pink were immediately changed), you can also resize these so you can make them bigger or smaller to fit what you want to do (I could see making cute little tags for treats to encourage the kids during SOL testing. When I was happy with the pages I sent them off to be printed with Stampin' Up's awesome professional print services (but if your in a time crunch you can also print them on your home computer). I used the heavy cardstock so some of the images I can just cut apart, right a little note and they're good to go.

Below I have four cards I made using some of the images from the download and then embellished them with a little paper, ribbon, buttons, glitter, etc. for a little added fun. Below each picture I've listed everything I used.

Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Pacific Point
Accessories: Cherry Cobbler Chevron Ribbon, Basic Black Button, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine, Chevron Embossing Folder, Big Shot

Cardstock: Basic Gray, Pumpkin Pie, Brushed Silver Cardstock
Accessories: Silver Shimmer Paper, 1/2" Circle Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch, Hexagon Embossing Folder, Labels Thinlit Die, Big Shot

Cardstock: Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry
Accessories: Silver Shimmer Paper, Envelope Punch Board (to make the matching envelope

Cardstock: Pacific Point, Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Whisper White

Accessories: 3/4" Circle Punch, 1" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Lattic Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Dimensionals

I hope you enjoyed today's cards and it's given you a little inspiration on what you can do using MDS in your everyday cardmaking to let those special people in your lives that you're thinking of them and think they are Fantastic.

Thanks,

Diana

Stylin' Stampin' Squad January 2014 Blog Hop: Occasions Catalog and Valentine's Day

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 5 on the Stylin’ Stampin’ Squad blog hop – Pamela W. of Stinky Tofu. 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.

The first project I have for you is a fun Valentine's card. The cardbase is Bermuda Bay and I added a Basic Black layer that was embossed with the Big Shot and the Arrows Textured Embossing Folder. I added a piece of Kaleidoscope Designer Series paper that was matted with Basic Gray cardstock. A piece of Whisper White 3/8" Taffeta and Bermuda Bay 1/8" Taffeta Ribbons make a fun accent. The greeting is from the Love You to the Moon stamp set and I used Stampin' Write Markers to color in the stamp before cutting it out with the Big Shot and Oval Collection Framelits. A piece of Silver Glimmer Paper cut with the same framelits make the perfect frame and the perfect touch of sparkle.

I've really been in the Valentine mood lately so I decided to make this cute decor piece to match my card, perfect for valentine's. I started with this wood carved love sign, sanded it down and painted it with White paint. I traced and cut out a template of this letters so I that I could cut it apart and use different papers for each of the letters. I used DSP from the Kaleidoscope DSP package for the "l" and "v", Silver Glimmer Paper for the "o", and some Strawberry Slush Core'dinations Cardstock that was embossed with the Big Shot and Hexagon Textured Embossing Folder. After gluing all the pieces of paper down I did go along and sand all the edges for a distressed look.

 

I decided to used to use lots of little elements help decorate my piece, including some Whisper White Baker's Twine (to attached the little heart piece), the "love you" flag using the Love You to the Moon stamp set, the Small Heart Punch punched out the cute little hearts of Strawberry Slush DSP and Silver Glimmer Paper. I stamped the little heart and arrow with the same stamp set and punched it out with the Hexagon Punch. I used My Digital Studio and the Be Mine Digital Download for the elements and after shrinking it down I printed it out and used the Ticket Duo Punch to punch out the elements. I also added a bow made with Basic Black 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon and the "xoxo" was cut out with the Big Shot and the Circle Card Thinlit die piece.

Close up of part of the Love sign

Here's another close up, love all the fun elements on this decor piece.

I really love how this piece turned out, and the great thing is that with the color palette in the Kaleidoscope DSP this piece isn't over the top girly, perfect for a house full of guys. These wood decor pieces are great accents for all sorts of places, such as your mantel, table, or even window transoms, love them!

 

I hope you've enjoyed today's projects and you have plenty of time to get your valentine projects done. Make sure to continue you on the hop, the next stop is Darla and Nancy, just click the "next" button below. You can get to any of the hop sites by clicking on any of the links in the list below.

 

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'

Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration Blog: Flippin' Awesome Halloween Card

Good morning friends!  So by now you know how much I enjoy Halloween and have been working on Halloween projects for the past couple of months so I was so excited when I saw that today's topic on the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration Blog today was Halloween.  I'm also loving the new Thinlet Card dies so I thought it would be perfect to combine the two for this fun Halloween card

I started with a piece of Pumpkin Pie cardstock and ran it through the Big Shot with the Label Thinlet Card die to create my cardbase.  For the back panel a took a piece of Witches Brew Designer Series paper and ran it through the Big Shot with the same die so the panel would match.  For the front I started by taking the stamp from the Halloween Bash stamp set and stamped the words in a row all down the front before adding a strip of DSP from the same Witches Brew package as well as a little sliver of Silver Glimmer paper.  I wanted a fun element to finish off the front panel so I stamped the bird image from the Toil and Trouble stamp set on Smoky Slate cardstock with Basic Black ink and cut it out with Paper Snips before attaching it to the card with dimensionals.

 

To create the front label element I took a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock and stamped part of the large text image from the Toil and Trouble stamp set before cutting it with the framelit piece that fits inside the twisting label.  I sponged around the edge with Crumb Cake ink and then used Two Way Glue to add some Black Glitter around the edge.

I had to make a decorative piece for the inside twisting frame element so I used the label framelit to cut out a coordinating piece of Witches Brew DSP and then added the greeting from the Tags 4 You stamp set and punched it out with the matching Bracket Label Punch.

This card has so many fun elements, it's sure to please.  I have to warn you about these thinlet dies, it provides lots of opportunity to decorate and you'll want to continue adding elements so you'll find that you want to keep adding more and more (so fun!)  You'll definitely want to check out the other great projects on the Blog for other Halloween ideas.

 

Enjoy,

 

Diana

Stylin' Stampin' Squad September Blog Hop: Favorite Tools

 Thank you so much for joining us for the September Stylin’ Stampin’ Squad Blog Hop! This month we are focusing on the tools of the stampin’ trade. Specifically, each of our favorite stamping tools. It’s amazing the kinds of tools that have been created to help us along in our paper-crafting addictions. This month’s blog hop will showcase many of the Stampin’ Up! tools that are now available to us in the 2013-2014 Stampin’ Up! Idea Book and Holiday Catalog and even a couple of products that are so new they aren’t in either catalog. We hope you enjoy seeing how we use the old and new tools and are inspired to come up with some great projects of your own.

You should have just left stop number 11 on the Stylin’ Stampin’ Squad blog hop – Bree R. of Craft-somnia.  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 favorite SU tool is by far the Big Shot and when they released the new Thinlet card dies earlier this summer I knew I was in heaven!  I instantly decided I was going to use these for our family Christmas card and I've already finished making 70 of them. Shortly after the dies were released Patty Bennett, a fellow demonstrator came up with a great way to use the die to make an extended card (see Patty's card and tutorial HERE).   There are two different Thinlet card dies, the circle and label cards.  In addition to the card cut out, each set as several other thinlet pieces, including sayings, arrows, banners, etc.

 

For my first card I used Patty's technique and the Circle Thinlet card die to make this cute birthday card.  The cardbase is Melon Mambo and I added a piece of designer series paper from the Quatrafancy Speciality DSP package to the right side, along with strips of Silver Glimmer paper on both panels.  I also added a stripe of Island Indigo cardstock that was embossed with the Stylish Stripes Embossing Folder.  The greeting is from the Make a Wish stamp set and was punched out with the 2 1/2" circle punch.  I also added a cute little cupcake using the Create a Cupcake stamp set and coordinating Cupcake punch.

When you open up the card there's a cute birthday cake from the Bring on the Cake stamp set and I used the Photopolymer stamp set to stamp the recipients name on the card.  The birthday greeting is also from the Bring on the Cake stamp set.  I have to say these cards are a lot of fun and it gets really addictive to keep adding little elements to is, love it!

The second card I have for you uses the Label Thinlet card die and is a really simple Christmas Card.  After cutting out the card with the die I embossed the right side with the Snowflake Embossing folder.  I added a strip of Winter Frost Specialty DSP to the left side.  The greeting is from the Joy to the World stamp set and the thinlet card die set includes the framelit to cut out the insert for the flip piece.

 I kept it really simple on the inside and just stamped a snowflake on the inside flip piece with the Festive Flurry stamp set and added a rhinestone to the center of the snowflake.  This shows how the second card looks but you can really keep them as simple or as detailed as you want.

I hope you enjoyed my projects for this months hop and you've fallen in love with the Thinlet card dies as much as I have.  They're so much fun, you'll want to use them for every card.

Make sure to continue on to the hop, Jennifer is next and you won't want to miss what she's created.

Enjoy!

Blog Hop Participants:

1. Shellie G. of Craft Smashup
2. Pam S. of Stampin' in the Sun!
3. Tonya B. of Stampin' with Tonya
4. Dawn S. of Dawn's Creative Chalet
5. Darcy J. of DJ's Stampin' Place
6. Pamela W. of Stinky Tofu
7. Kim R. of Stamping with Kim
8. Justin K. of JK Cards
9. Heidi B of Stuck on Stampin'
10. Jennifer B. of NW Stamper
11. Bree R. of Craft-somnia
12. Diana E. of Stampin' Fun with Diana
13. Jennifer C. of Happy 2 Scrap 4 Life
14. Jamie H. of Unique Ink
15. Kristina M. of Mama's Sanity
    
    
     

Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration: Scrapbook Sketch Challenge

Good evening friends!  I hope you had an enjoyable weekend, we've officially started our beach vacation and are so excited for a nice, restful getaway.  Don't worry, I'll be sharing several projects with you this week so you'll still have lots of inspiration.  Today I'm sharing the a scrapbook page I made for this month's scrapbook sketch challenge on the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration blog.  There are some great ideas on the blog so make sure to take the time to check out the other ideas.  I stayed pretty close to the sketch design for this one since it worked perfectly for a Christmas page from Aidan making his annual gingerbread house. 

 

The cardbase is Crumb Cake and I used the Six Sided Sampler stamp set to randomly stamp the hexagons all over the background. I also used the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set and Early Espresso ink to stamp the little splatter.  The designer series paper is the Season of Style DSP and has some wonderful non-holiday specific images.  I used the DSP for the flags in the top left corner along with the decorative strip cut from the Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die.  The pictures are matted on Old Olive and Cherry Cobbler cardstock and the journaling block is Whisper White.  I also added an Old Olive button with an Early Espresso Baker's Twine bow as an accent to the journaling block.

For the title I used the new Joy to the World stamp set and cut it out with the Apothecary Accents framelits, and trimmed along the top and bottom to make it a little shorter.  Cute little Neutrals candy dots accent the edges.  Isn't that little banner accent cute?  I used the new Label Thinlit die to cut it out and it's great since it includes the score lines so it makes it a breeze to cut and fold.  The final touch was to add three rhinestones in different sizes since everyone loves a little bling (Aidan loves to use rhinestones on his projects!)

This page turned out so fun, I love it.  I have to admit I don't scrapbook nearly enough and it's one of the things I've been working this year, I would love to get "caught up" if that's possible.  I hope you enjoyed this page and you could certainly use this sketch for a card or other project just as easily.

 

Happy stamping,

 

Diana

Create with Connie and Mary: Bring on the Cake Birthday Greetings

It's time to get up early to get my run in before heading to work.  I don't know if I've mentioned before but I'm currently training for my first half marathon which will be in exactly one month so I've been working hard to be ready and with all the heat and humidity of summer here in Northern VA it's amazing the difference it makes in getting up early (i.e. 4 AM to run before the heat and humidity get really bad).  So today I'm sharing a card I made for a little boys birthday we went to this past weekend and I used the Create with Connie and Mary sketch challenge as the starting point.  The cardbase is Crisp Cantaloupe and drew all the colors for this card from the Birthday Basics Designer Series Paper.  Next I took a piece of Bermuda Bay cardstock and ran it through the Big Shot with the Hexagon Embossing Folder (I absolutely love this folder and especially using the pattern in reverse so it's debossed).   

I used four different patterns of the Birthday Basics DSP for the design elements along the side.  The greeting is from the Bring on the Cake stamp set and I stamped it in Basic Gray ink before punching it out with the 2 1/2" circle punch.  I used the same punch to punch a piece of Gumball Green cardstock to accent the stamped image.  I used the Gumball Green Stampin' Write Marker to color in the 6 for the sixth birthday of our little friend.  I also sponged around the edge with Crisp Cantaloupe ink.  I added a little arrow accent in Summer Starfuit and I cut it out with the Big Shot and the new Label Thinlit Card die (not only are these new card thinlits perfect to make swing cards but they have lots of cute, fun little accents you'll love for all sorts of projects.

 

I love the fun, whimsical elements in this card and I'm sure our friend enjoyed it as well.  It's so fun to see kids enjoy helping their friends celebrate birthday, so sweet.

 

Enjoy and happy stamping,

 

Diana

Thinlit Card Dies have Arrived, I'm in Love!

 

One of the exciting announcements from our annual convention earlier this month was the upcoming release of new Thinlit Card Die Framelits.  I was so excited when I saw these as they allow you to make fabulous swing type cards nice and simply using the Big Shot and the Thinlit.  I'm so excited for these that I decided to change the plan for our family Christmas cards and will be using these dies for our family card.  I'm placing my order early so I can get my hands on these. 

 

Also, remember I'm offering a special, see details HERE, for orders placed by the end of this weekend using the special hostess code and you can take advantage of this special to purchase these thinlits, or any other items on your wish list.

There is a lot more information on these dies below, including several stamp sets that coordinate with these dies to make fun, beautiful projects.

THINLITS CARD DIES They've been called flip cards, flip flop cards, swing cards, and more-but they have always been a bit tricky to create. Not anymore! Our amazing new Thinlits Card Dies cut and score to create a card that flips in just one step. Item Description Price 133479 Label Card Thinlits Die $40.95 133480 Circle Card Thinlits Die $40.95 Available August 1, 2013 These new card dies come with extra die pieces that have versatile designs, so you can use them on other projects, not just flip cards. (The Circle Card Thinlits Die comes with 10 total pieces; the Label Card Thinlits Die comes with nine total pieces.) With the number of dies you're getting, plus the die that creates the card itself, the price is a great value-especially to create an interactive card! They would make great announcements, invitations, or Christmas cards. The main shape in the cards (circle and label) can work with a lot of our stamp images so you can create tons of different kinds of cards using many different stamp sets. Here are just a few suggestions to get you started: Label Card Thinlits Die (item 133479): Happy Day Stamp Set (item 130294 W item 130297 C) Circle Card Thinlits Die (item 133480): Worth the Wait Stamp (item 131094 W) Five-Way Flower Stamp (item 131088 W) Both card dies pair well with: Oh, Hello Stamp Set (item 131931 W item 130733 C) Yippee-Skippee! Stamp Set (item 131341 W item 131344 C) Really Good Greetings Stamp Set (item 130330 W item 130333 C) Regarding Dahlias Stamp Set (item 130324 W item 130327 C) These dies also work well with our new magnetic platform (item 130658) so you can place the dies exactly where you want them!