SSINKspiration Anything Goes: Paper Pumpkin

Good morning!  We are truly enjoying and relaxing on this last week of 2015 (this is one of my favorite weeks of the year!!)  I thought I would share a little creative inspiration with you that isn't holiday related.  We made this card in this month's Just Cards class and I thought it was perfect for today's Anything Goes post over on the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration blog, and it's all about Paper Pumpkin stamps.  One of the great things about the Paper Pumpkin program (other than the great projects you get delivered to your door each month) are the exclusive stamps that only subscribers receive that you can use on lots of other projects.

This is a nice and simple masculine card that's great for guys of all ages.  I started with Tip Top Toupe cardstock and then I used a piece of Go Wild Designer Series Paper and matted it with Basic Black cardstock.

For the stamped image I started by cutting a circle out of Whisper White cardstock using the Big Shot and Circle Collection Framelits and then stamped all over it with the Happy Birthday stamp from the shaker card kit and matted that with a piece of Mossy Meadow cardstock that was cut out using the Deco Label Framelits.  The "Dude" stamp was from another Paper Pumpkin kit (one of the first ones released) and I stamped it using Basic Black ink on Tip Top Toupe cardstock and used Paper Snips to cut the edge tails.  I used dimensionals to attach both the "dude" layer and the overall all stamped piece to the cardfront.  The final touch was to add a couple of pearls that I colored with some markers to make it green.

Having a 10-year old I hear "dude" a lot so this card is really fitting and I know I'll be using this stamp for other cards in the near future.

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

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Enjoy,

Diana

SSINKspiration Mystery Challenge #SSINKMC28: Going Global

Good morning and Happy Monday!  I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas.  We had a great time and now get to enjoy the week full of fun and family.  Today over on the  Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration blog we have the last challenge of the year, a mystery challenge. These are a lot of fun since you can pick how many items from the list you choose to incorporate into your project, I decided to load my card up with lots of sneak peak goodies from the 2016 Occasions Catalog (you will love it!)

I started with Crumb Cake cardstock for the card base and then took a piece of Soft Sky Cardstock for the background.  I stamped it using a image from the Going Global stamp set using Crumb Cake ink.  Next I used the floral type image from the Timeless Textures stamp set (you will need this set, the images are great for addmg lots of texture) and I stamped it in Pink Piroutte ink and then sponged around the edge with Pink Piroutte ink.  The final touch was to take the new Gold Wink of Stella Brush and added gold accents to the stars in the background.

See this close up for the gold?  It shimmers in person and is so easy to use!

For the main stamped image I stamped the greeting, also from the Going Global set using Crumb Cake ink on Whisper White cardstock.  I used a Soft Sky Stampin' Write Marker to color in the banner and then punched it out with the 2" Circle Punch.  I created the mat for the greeting using the Big Shot and Deco Label Framelits and the Decorative Dots Embossing Folder and some Pink Piroutte cardstock.  I also added a couple pieces of ribbon, some Whisper White 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon and Natural 5/8" Chevron Ribbon as the final touches.

The design team is sharing some other great cards for inspiration on the challenge so go check them out and we would love for you to play along.

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

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Have a great day!


Diana

SSINKspiration Family Christmas Cards 2015

Good morning and Merry Christmas Eve (I love the sound of that)!  Today is my last day at work for the year and we’re having our company Christmas party which includes families so we’re really looking forward to a great time.  Today over on the SSINKspiration blog we’re sharing our family Christmas pictures and/or cards so since I believe most everyone should have received our card by now I thought I would share my card.  It’s always fun to pick out the picture for the card and this year we decided to use one from our trip to Universal this summer (Harry Potter world was awesome!!) and I enjoyed playing around with the picture before printing it adding the date and snowbursts up in the top (added a fun effect and didn’t take a lot of time).

 

I hope you enjoyed my card and that you and your family have a happy and safe Christmas!

Diana

Using Your Stash: Paper Pumpkin Meets Lots of Joy

Good morning!  I have to apologize for the absence, boy has this holiday season had me off my toes trying to keep up and while I’ve been spending lots of family time(which I love) I’ve been away from my computer a lot to be able to share all that I’ve been creating (I’m sure you know exactly how I feel).  I’m sure just like you I have a lot of people of our gift list and I try to come up with gifts for each person and fit it in our time and budget constraints which means I’ve been making a concerted effort this year to look to my gift and gift packaging stash first to see what I can use for these gifts that will not only save time and money but will reduce the size of my supply stash.  Today I’m sharing the gift we made for Aidan’s Tae Kwon Do instructors and staff (he had 8 people to give gifts to).  I was looking through my studio and found one of my Paper Pumpkin Kits from last year (October 2014, I believe) and noticed that the pie wedge treat boxes could easily be repurposed to look like trees so I decided to use them for a candy treat holiday (boy do these boxes hold a lot of candy!!).

 

To finish these boxes I started by using the Tree Punch to punch out the window and then covered it with a piece of clear Window Film (so the candy wouldn’t escape).  After assembling the box I did notice that my flap showed at the bottom of the tree to so I did use another punch to punch a little piece off the flap so that it didn’t show.  Next I used the star punch from the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack to punch a star out of glimmer paper (I used some retired Champagne glimmer paper but you could easily use the Gold Glimmer Paper).  I also used a piece of Real Red Satin and Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon (once again retired, remember, I’m using up my stash but any ribbon would work) to tie around the box with a nice big bow on top.

For the greeting I used the Lots of Joy stamp set and used Stampin’ Write Markers to color the rubber before stamping and then punched it out with either the XL Oval Punch or 1 ¼” Circle Punch and attached it to the box with a dimensional.

 

I love how easy these gifts came together, they were easy for Aidan to transport to class (always a plus) and I was able to use all supplies I already had on hand, other than the candy, score!!!  If you really like this idea just a hint, there are more of these past paper pumpkin kits (both the full kit and refills currently available on the Stampin’ Up! website so you can order your kit today (if you’re a Paper Pumpkin subscriber) and you’ll be one step closer to making lots of cute little tree gifts as well!!

I’ve been making lots of these types of projects this year and it’s really helping to get those gifts crossed off my list.  I have to admit I’m so motivated by how well this is going that I’m already working on the gift list for next year (based on our lessons learned this year) and am going to take a little bit of time to plan out gifts, using more items from my stash, to get a head start on 2016 (crazy, I know!!!)
 

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

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

 

Have a great day!

Diana

Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration Card Sketch SSINKCS28: Lovely as a Tree

 Good morning!  What an amazingly fun and crazy weekend!  There's only one more weekend before Christmas and this one was full of Christmas parties and fun, cookie baking, as well as my last stamp class of the year (loved spending time with the ladies yesterday afternoon).  It was all a lot of fun and I'm glad I was able to get some things crossed off that To To list.  Today over on the SSINKspiration blog it's time for the monthly card sketch and I decided change things up and show how to use something that was designed for Christmas in a non-Christmas use, in this case the designer series paper.

I started with Delightful Dijon cardstock and sponged around the edge with Cherry Cobbler ink.  Next I took some Season of Cheer Designer Series Paper (currently on sale as part of the Year end sale) and sponged all over with Soft Suede ink to antique it and then matted it with Night of Navy cardstock.

For the stamped image I went to the classic, Lovely as a Tree and stamped the tree in Mossy Meadow ink on Soft Sky cardstock and then used the Soft Suede Stampin' Write marker to color in the trunk of the tree before cutting it out with the Big Shot and Deco Label Framelits.  I also used the soft Suede ink to sponge around of the label piece before attaching it to the cardfront with dimensionals.

For the greeting I used the Remembering Your Birthday stamp set and used my Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Write marker so I could just ink part of the greeting and stamped it on Very Vanilla cardstock, sponged around the edge with Night of Navy ink and used dimensionals to attach the greeting.  For a little extra texture I took a piece of Natural 5/8" Chevron Ribbon and used my ribbon scissors to trim the edges and then frayed it before folding it over for a stack ruffled effect.

It was fun to use this "Christmas" paper for a non-Christmas card, and a masculine one at that, go figure.  The other designers are sharing some great cards for inspiration so please, go check them out and then come play along and share what you come up with!

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

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Enjoy,

Diana

SSINKspiration Blog Hop: Merry Christmas!

Good morning!  December has arrived and with it holiday festivities are in full swing.  We’re having lots of fun and really trying to enjoy every minute together (even when Aidan was sick). For this months blog hop it’s all about Christmas and the designers are sharing some great ideas for this time of year.  I really love to make beautiful packaging to help make a gift truly unique so I’m sharing a gift packaging idea that is so pretty no one will want to open!

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 #2 on the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration Blog Hop - Darcy at Dj's Stampin Place. 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.

I started with one of our Take Out Boxes (there are lots of great packaging staples Stampin’ Up! offers that really makes it easy for gift packaging).  Next I wrapped a piece of Home for Christmas Designer Series Paper (this whole package is beautiful, especially the poinsettia pattern).  Then I wrapped a piece of Mossy Meadow Stitched Cotton Ribbon around the box.  For the tag I used the Cozy Christmas stamp set and used Stampin’ Write Markers to ink the stamp before stamping it on Very Vanilla cardstock and then cut it out with the Big Shot and Deco Labels Framelits.  I wanted to make a mat for the greeting but I didn’t want it to be too large so I took some Gold Glimmer Paper and traced around the “outside” of the framelit I used to cut the greeting and then cut it out using Paper Snips.  I punched a whole in the top of the tag and then tied it onto the package using Cherry Cobbler Thick Baker’s Twine.

This package was really pretty easy to put together but by using the beautiful paper, ribbon, glitter, etc. it will really WOW anyone you decide to give it to (and you could easily turn the elements from this package into a matching card perfectly!)

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

 

Make sure to check out the rest of the blog hop for lots of other great ideas.  If you click the “Next” button, you’ll go to Bree’s site but you can also access any of the hopper’s site from the full blog list below.

 

 

Blog Hop Participant List:

1. Jennifer at Jenny G Paper Crafts
2. Darcy at Dj's Stampin Place
3. Diana at Stampin Fun with Diana
4. Bree at Craft-Somnia Momma
5. Leanne at Literally My Joy
6. Laura at Crafty Chicks Creating
7. Melissa at The Stamp Doc
8. Kim at Stamping with Kim
9. Heidi at Stuck on Stampin'

Enjoy,

Diana

Cozy Christmas Holiday Wishes

Good morning!  Aidan is starting to feel better (yeah) and we’re on the go as usual with work, school, and getting ready for Christmas.  I spent a lot of time this weekend working on Christmas gifts and packaging that I’m really happy with, as well as starting to conquer the looming Christmas card list.  Today I wanted to share a card I designed for the Mega Christmas card class and last month I shared the gratitude version of the card but thought it would be fun to share the original since it was one of my favorites.

I started with Early Espresso cardstock for the cardbase and embossed the front with the Big Shot and Stylish Stripes Embossing Folder.  Next I added a piece of DSP from the Merry Moments Designer Series Paper Stack and tucked a Silver Foil Doily behind the DSP.  The greeting is from the Cozy Christmas stamp set and I used Stampin’ Write Markers to ink the stamp before stamping on Whisper White cardstock, then I punched it out with the 2” Circle Punch.  The final touch was to tie a bow using Cherry Cobbler Baker’s Twine and attached it to the cardfront with a glue dot.

I love these classic holiday colors and how the foil accent adds some sparkle and it’s super quick and easy by letting the embellishments really dress things up.

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

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

                                                              

Have a great day, enjoy!

Diana

Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration Color Challenge SSINKCC27: Versatile Christmas

Good morning!  This weekend I was able to be very productive, due in part to the fact that Aidan was sick so we had to cancel some our weekend plans and just stay home and relax.  Hoping Aidan is feeling better soon (he was doing better yesterday and then said he wasn't feeling well last night so I'm hoping lots of good sleep will be just what he needs for a good day.  It's time for the color challenge on the SSINKspiration blog, the last one for this year and I really like this color combo, perfect for this time of year so I was looking forward to creating this card.  I also used lots of goodies from the Holiday catalog that will be retiring in a few short weeks so you'll want to make sure you have these soon before they are no longer available.

I started with Tip Top Toupe cardstock for the cardbase and then added a piece of vellum from the   Winter Wonderland Designer Vellum along the top and a piece of Early Espresso designer series paper from the Neutrals Designer Series Paper Stack along the bottom.   A piece of Real Red 1/8" Stitched Striped Ribbon is perfect to run along the center.  I also added a piece of Gold Sequin Trim and a Bow tied with the same ribbon for the perfect accent.  The greeting is from the Versatile Christmas stamp set and was stamped in Early Espresso Ink on Whisper White cardstock before punching it out with the Washi Label Punch and then I sponged around the edge with Tip Top Toupe ink.  I created a mat for the greeting using Real Red cardstock, the Big Shot, and the Project Life Labels and Cards Framelits.  I used dimensionals to attach the greeting to the cardfront.

I made this card nice and easy using some beautiful accessories that make the card easy with lots of details that will impress.  The other designers are sharing some great cards as well so make sure to check them out and then we would love for you to play along.

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

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Have a great day!

Diana

SSINKspiration Red and Green: Oh, What Fun!

Happy Friday!  I know its December but is it possible for this month to slow down, just a little please?  It’s been a great week and we’re looking forward to the tree lighting tonight to really help kick off the holiday fun.  Today over on the SSINKspiration blog it’s all about red and green and the designers are sharing some great cards using these two colors as a focus (perfect for the holidays).  One of the products in this years Holiday Catalog, that I haven’t given much love to is the Holidays Fancy Foil Designer Vellum, this paper is so beautiful and shiny I knew it would be perfect for the focus of today’s card.

I started with Whisper White Thick cardstock for the cardbase (the thick cardstock is perfect for cardbases) and then added a piece of the green Fancy Foil Vellum.  Next I cut a smaller piece of the vellum in the Real Red pattern backed it with Whisper White cardstock and then used some Silver Glimmer Paper as a mat (yeah I know really can’t have too much bling and shine this time of year!!)  I wanted to make this piece look like a holiday package so I used some of the Garden Green 1/8” Stitched Ribbon for the package bow and then attached the whole thing using dimensionals.

The greeting is from the Oh, What Fun stamp set (I was pleasantly surprised to see that this stamp set is carrying over, it has some great sayings for lots of holiday projects!!).  I stamped it in Real Red ink on Whisper White cardstock and then punched it out with the Washi Label Punch, sponged around the edge with green and attached it to the cardfront with dimensionals.  Since I love my bling I decided to add two small rhinestones on the greeting piece for more sparkle.

This picture really doesn't do this card justice, it's so beautiful in person and is great, it uses lots of special (sparkly touches) to really bring up the wow factor and you can make it really fast, the only stamping I did was for the greeting.  I’ll definitely be using this foil vellum more and it will definitely be part of this months Just Cards Class projects next week so don’t miss out!

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

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

                                                             
Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

Diana