Friday, May 30, 2014

Sketch Frenzy Friday Sketch Challenge: Feel Goods

Good morning!  It's Friday which means it's time for another Sketch Frenzy Friday card sketch and we have another fun design for you to play along with us.  To help get you started the designers have come up with some great cards using the sketch as inspiration.  My card uses a bit of something retiring as well as some things sticking around for another year of fun. 

The cardbase is Marina Mist and I added a piece of Watercolor Wonder Designer Series Paper (love how the large floral images really make a statement) and matted it with Smoky Slate cardstock.  I did punch some chevron's along the bottom with the Chevron Punch and stamped on the Smoky Slate piece with the Gorgeous Grunge small splatter stamp for a little bit of texture behind the DSP. 





The greeting is from the Feel Goods stamp set and I just love these sayings, so true.  I used Stampin' Write Markers to color in the stamp and stamped on Whisper White cardstock before cutting it out with the Big Shot and the Deco Labels Collection Framelits (I also sponged around the edge of the greeting with Smoky Slate ink before attaching it to the cardfront with dimensionals).  A fun Antique Brad and a knot bow made with the Whisper White Organza Ribbon are the perfect finishing touches to really make this card soft and elegant.

Now check out the sketch, there are so many fun ways you can take this so come and play along. 

Just a reminder, Sunday, June 1 is the last day to order items from the Occasions catalog as well as retiring products so don't miss out (I've included easy ordering links below for the products used on this card).  Also when you order, don't forget to check out the weekly deals and clearance rack, there are some wonderful sales that you don't want to miss out on.

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Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Stylin' Stampin' INKspriation Farewell Stamps: Hearts a Flutter

Good morning!  Don't you just love these short weeks?  We're already half way through the week and having lots of fun.  Today over on the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration blog we're showcasing lots of great ideas using stamp sets that are retiring, in this case today it's the Hearts a Flutter set ( the clear version of this stamp set is currently on sale so you have no excuse not to add this to your stamp collection before it's gone).  I really like this stamp set and sad that it's retiring but at least the coordinating framelits are sticking around so we have lots of good times ahead.  Today I decided to show a card that doesn't have any hearts so it can be used for other types of greetings. 
 
The cardbase is Smoky Slate and I added a piece of Whisper White cardstock that's matted with Daffodil Delight cardstock.  The greeting is from the Sassy Salutations and was stamped in Tangerine Tango ink.  I added a strip of Watercolor Wonder Designer Series Paper along the bottom (that I cut with the Big Shot and Tasteful Trim Bigz XL Die (retiring and on sale right now) and wrapped a piece of Gumball Green 5/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon around the cardfront.
 
For the banner I stamped the different banners from the Hearts a Flutter stamp set in Tangerine Tango, Gumball Green, and Island Indigo ink and cut them out with the Hearts a Flutter Framelits.  I used Snail to attached the outside banners and then dimensionals for the center flag.  The final touch was to tie some really small little bows with the Island Indigo Baker's Twine and attached them to the card with Glue Dots.

I love how versatile the stamps are in this stamp set and can be used for lots of different things, depending on your mood or needs.  Lots of these items are retiring in less than a week and some are even on sale right now so make sure you take advantage of these sales to stock up using the easy ordering links below.
 
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Friday, May 23, 2014

Sketch Frenzy Friday Card Sketch Challenge: Creative Elements

Good morning.  I'm so excited that today is the start of the Memorial Day weekend (just a few more hours of work to go).  Of course I need to leave you a little creative inspiration to start the holiday weekend.  Today I'm sharing the card I made for the Sketch Frenzy Friday sketch challenge and Robin really gave us a fun sketch for inspiration.  I started with Smoky Slate Cardstock for the cardbase and added panels of designer series paper from the Eastern Elegance DSP package (retiring) that I matted with Coastal Cabana Cardstock.
 



For the main stamped image I used the Creative Elements stamp set (that's retiring and stamped the flower in Coastal Cabana ink on Whisper White cardstock before cutting it out with the Big Shot and the Squares Collection Framelits.  I made the mat with the same framelits and Smoky Slate cardstock.  The greeting is from the Express Yourself Hostess set (also retiring) and punched it out with the Modern Label Punch.  I used a sponge and Coastal Cabana ink to sponge around the edge and added pearls for a sparkly touch.  I did use dimensionals on both the flower panel and greeting so they pop up.

I love the soft colors on this card and I decided to make this a get well card but you could also make it for birthday, thank you, etc. just by changing out the greeting.  We would love for you to come play along with our sketch challenge, you have a little extra time this weekend so help you get some time to craft.

Below are easy ordering links for all the products used on this card:

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Thursday, May 22, 2014

Fab Friday Sketch Challenge: Making a Point

Oh Thursday, I'm so happy to see you (only one more day before we start the holiday weekend)!  I had a little extra time so I decided to play along with the Fab Friday sketch challenge, I really liked the options the sketch offers.  I've been focused on getting in all the last stamping with the retiring stamps and products before they go away on June 1 (I'm sad but also really excited for all the great new items coming).  For this card I used So Saffron Cardstock for the cardbase and added a piece of Soft Suede cardstock and embossed it with the Big Shot and Arrows Embossing Folder.  I used a piece of Retro Fresh Designer Series Paper as the color inspiration and matted it with some Coastal Cabana cardstock. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The greeting is from the Making a Point Hostess Stamp set and some super cute greetings and graphics.  I colored in the stamp with Stampin' Write Markers and cut the image out with the Big Shot and the Oval Collection Framelits (dimensionals were used to attach the graphic piece).  The final touch was to add the little gold arrow, I just used some Gold Foil Paper and the Big Shot and On Film Framelits and it was done in a breeze.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I have to admit I really like how this card turned out, so well that I used it as one of the cards in my class this week.  Remember, you only have until June 1 to get the items that are retiring or are from the Occasions catalog (including this awesome Designer Series Paper) so don't miss out, I've included easy ordering links below.
 
Happy stamping!
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Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Quick and Easy End of the Year Teacher and Student Gifts

Good morning!  I'm back today and am excited to share some projects that are near and dear to my mind and heart right now, end of the year gifts to teachers and students (it's been a crazy year and I think it's time to celebrate that we've made it and everyone's hard work and dedication).  We've officially reached the one month mark before the end of school and testing has already begun so I thought I would share some quick and easy gifts to close out the school year.  I have to admit our schedules are crazy in the spring with work, school, baseball, Tae Kwon Do, Scouts, softball, etc. so in order to get things done I like projects that are not really fussy and I can prep all the supplies (including stamping, cutting, etc.) so I can work on them on the field, while traveling, etc.
 
The first project I have is one of the cute mini coffee cups that have been floating around the internet, they are so cute and are perfect for all those coffee loving teachers.  I simply cut some designer series paper (in this case I used Gingham Garden) and wrapped it around the cup with Sticky Strip and then filled the cup with candy.  Of course I had to find a cute way to present the coffee cup so I made this cute little box using a 10" square piece of cardstock and the Envelope Punch Board (punch and score on each side at 2 1/4" inches and then flip the paper over and repeat on all four sides).  I used the Label Bracket Punch to cut out a window and used a window sheet to cover the opening.  Some DSP is on three sides of the box and then I wrapped a piece of Wild Wasabi 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon around and tied a bow (this ribbon is actually on sale between now and May 26 so stock up before it sells out!)
 
 
 
Here's a close up of the tag.  I used the Starbust Sayings stamp set, stamped in Melon Mambo ink and then cut it out with the coordinating Starburst Framelits.  I used the Label Bracket Punch to make a background piece of the greeting and then tied the tag to the bow with Island Indigo Baker's Twine.  One down only 11 more to go.
 
You can find these little coffee cups HERE.
My second project is for Aidan's class gift and the are super simple.  At last month's Catalog Premier there was a demonstration to make these cute little pouches and what's great about them is that they use a single piece of DSP from the Paper Stacks (so no cutting and no scraps - AWESOME!!!!)  In this case I used the Fresh Prints DSP Stack and I used the Simply Scored Board and scored along the long side at 1",  1 1/2", 2", 4", 4 1/2", and 5" and then flip it and score at 1/2".  Then you just fold and cut off the extra tails an your all set.  For the tag I used a piece of Crumb Cake cardstock and embossed it with the Big Shot and Chevron Embossing Folder.  The greeting is also from the Starburst Sayings stamp set and cut out with the framelits.  A little piece of Real Red 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon makes attaching the tag a breeze.
 



Here's a side view of the pouch -- all I did was add a couple of pieces of candy and I'm going to make bookmarks using My Digital Studio and the Book Buddies Designer Template (they're already designed, I just add some text congratulating the kids on a great year).  A sample of last year's bookmarks are HERE.
  I have an even easier project that is super fun.  I made these cute little candy treats for the kids to encourage them as they start their standardized testing.  I just used a 1x8 Cello bag and added a couple of Smartie Candies.  The ribbon I got off the clearance rack (but any ribbon will do.  The tag was created in My Digital Studio.  I just added a punch to a blank page and as long as you don't adjust the size of the punch when you print it your punch will work perfectly.  I just designed one tag and then copied it to fill a full page so I used less than two sheets of paper and only had to design once.





 
 
 
 
 
 
Here's a close up of the tag and ribbon attachment.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I wanted to share one last project you can make with supplies you have on hand.  I made these cute little gifts that are simply standard candy bars wrapped in paper, ribbon, and a cute tag.  On the Basic Gray cardstock I stamped with the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set and then added some DSP from the Polka Dot Parade Designer Series Paper package.  The ribbons are retired (sorry, I was in a rush and needed something quick and would work with all the different colors but any color ribbon would work based on the colors you choose).  For the tag I used Crumb Cake cardstock and stamped with the Chalk Talk stamp set and cut it out with the Chalk Talk Framelits.  I used the 1 3/4" circle punch to cut out the greeting and used some Silver Glimmer Paper and the Scallop Circle Punch to help dress it up.
 
I hope you enjoyed these projects and they've given you some ideas that you can still whip out before school ends.   I have to admit I love making cute little gifts and I'll miss when Aidan decides he's "too big" to do these so I'm enjoying it while I can.  If you're local to me and you need help (or want me to design gifts for you) please contact me and we can work something out.
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