Baltimore Regional 2013 Swap #1

 Happy Saturday!  I'm so excited today is Stampin' Up!'s regional conference in Baltimore and I'm currently on the road heading up to the event with some friends.  A big part of any Stampin' Up! event is card swapping where you make several of the same card and then swap them with other people so you get lots of new ideas and techniques, it's so fun to see how people can take the same items and create things so uniquely different.  I've scheduled a two posts today to share with you two of the cards I'll be sharing today.  This first card is for a flower themed swap and uses the Betsy's Blossoms and Wacky Wishes stamp set.  This card is pretty straight forward.  I used the Floral District designer series paper and actually stamped the small blossoms in Calypso Coral ink directly on the DSP to add some additional detail.

 

For the flower I used the circle stamp image and then used the flower petal punch and punched it out twice and offset to add dimension to the flower.  I also used a 7/8" scallop circle punch to punch the inner layer and then added an In Color designer printed brad for the center.  A piece of Island Indigo Ruffled Ribbon adds some additional texture to the card.

 

Enjoy and don't forget to come back later this afternoon for the second card.

 

Diana

Wacky Easter Wishes

We've arrived at the end of the week, whoo hoo!  This is a big weekend coming up, not only is it Easter on Sunday, but it's my birthday tomorrow and I'm one of those people who love to celebrate their birthday who believe it should be celebrated for the whole month, Chris just laughs but humors me, love him!  The weather's also supposed to be warming up this weekend, which is perfect as I've ready to defrost and enjoy some time outside.  Today I'm sharing one of the Easter cards I made for our family (yes I am one of those people who celebrates every holiday and believes in sending cards to loved ones so they know we're thinking of them).

 

This card is pretty easy and Uses the Hexagon Embossing folder (I flipped the paper to get the debossed side for a different effect.  I also used the Decorative Frames embossing folders for the greeting frame and cut it out with my Paper Snips.  The greeting is from the Wacky Wishes stamp set and I used Stampin' Write markers to create the rainbow effect with the letters.  The bunny is from the Ears to You single stamp and I stamped them in Early Espresso ink and cut out with Paper Snips, dimensionals help make him pop. 

 

The designer series paper is from the Sunshine and Sprinkles DSP package and I used the totally fabulous Melon Mambo 3/8" Striped Organdy Ribbon, you have to try this ribbon out, it comes in three colors and it's AWESOME!  This card is so cute and super quick to make, which is great for multiples.

 

I hope you enjoy, have a wonderful weekend and a Happy Easter!

 

Diana

Orlando here I come, whoo hoo!

I've been looking forward to this day for several weeks.  Today I'm heading to Orlando to join Stampin' Up demonstrators from the U.S. and Canada for our annual Leadership Conference.  This is a great event to see some fabulous ladies and get recharged for the new year with lots of new creative and business ideas.  Part of any SU event is swapping so I thought I would share some of the cards I made to share.  This swap card is so simple, fun, and shows off the fabulous new valentine designer paper, More Amore.  I used this exact same layout for a Christmas card last month, just change the colors, DSP, and greeting and it fits any occasion.  I greeting is from the Wacky Wishes stamp set and also uses the Pool Party ruffled ribbon.  I'm loving the trend of using flags and banners on cards and seem to use them all the time lately, it's also great to show off different papers and how they coordinate.

 

This card is lots of fun and would be great for making multiples.  I'm planning on trying to post updates from the conference if technology permits so stay tuned.

 

Have a great day!

 

Diana

30-Day Gratitude Card Challenge: Day 11

Happy Veteran's Day, and it's a beautiful Sunday!  We're heading off to a wedding today so I wanted to drop in to share today's gratitude card.  This card definately has a fall feeling.  It uses the Wacky Wishes stamp set.  The cardbase is Lucky Limeaid and then I added a piece of Very Vanilla.  The patterned paper is from the Orchard Harvest DSP and I added a little bling with the Champagne shimmer paper and Early Espresso cardstock that I punched with the Scallop Trim border punch.  Next I cut some leaves from the Autumn Accents Bigz die and then embossed the leaves with different embossing folders.  The final touch is a Brushed Bronze designer button and bow tied with linen thread.

 

I hope you enjoy and have a great rest of your weekend!

 

Diana

30-Day Gratitude Card Challenge: Day 6

I'm back this morning to share a very bright and cheery gratitude card.  The card starts with a cardbase in Lucky Limeaid.  Next I added a piece of Whisper White card stock and used the Betsy's Blossom wheel to wheel the flowers along the bottom with Island Indigo ink.  Next I stamped the greeting from the Wacky Wishes stamp set and used Stampin' Write markers in various colors to creat a rainbow effect.  The designer paper is from the Floral District DSP pack and is matted with a piece of Daffodil Delight cardstock. 

 

The flower was really fun to make.  I stamped the large floral image from the Betsy's Blossoms stamp set in Calypso Coral and then punched it out with the Blossom punch.  I also punched the leaves with the same Blossom punch using Lucky Limeaid cardstock.  I used my bone folder to curl the edges of the flower so it really stands out.  The center is a piece of daffodil delight cardstock that was punched with the 3/4" circle punch and then an In Color Printed brad (love them!)

 

I have to say, I love all the bright, cheery colors that we have this year and the designer series paper we have this year really showcase these bright colors, which are fabulous.

 

Have a great day!

 

Diana

 

 

30-Day Gratitude Card Challenge: Day One

Good morning!  So a couple of months ago a fellow demonstrator issued a challenge to make a thank you card each day for a month.  I was taught from a young age the importance of showing gratitude and thanking people for the gifts you receive.  This included hand-writing thank you notes, a practice I still use and am teach Aidan the importance.  So when I saw this challenge I was moved but I wanted to do this during the month of November when your thoughts naturally turn to thinking of our blessings.  So starting today, through the rest of the month I'm going to work to create and share a card a day that expresses these thoughts.  Now these cards will cover all sorts of themes and occasions to give you lots of ideas you can use and they won't all be crazy over the top, but practical and useful.  I challenge you to join me and feel free to share your creations.

 

So, my first card uses the Wacky Wishes stamp set for the greeting and Gently Falling to stamp the leaves on the background.  I used two different prints from the Orchard Harvest designer series paper (the ric rack piece was cut using the Big Shot and Tasteful Trim EX Bigz die).  The final touch was to add some pearls to the top corner.

 

Hope you have a great day and enjoy your first day of November.

Wacky Christmas Tidings

Happy Friday!  To close out my focus on the Wacky Wishes stamp set I wanted to share a Christmas card.  One of the classes I took at Convention this summer was about pattern mixing so I decided to try some things out on this card.  For this card I decided to let the designer paper be the star.  I used the Snow Festival DSP and used the pattern that looks like a knit sweater for the main panel and matted that on Baja Breeze cardstock and layered it on a Cherry Cobbler cardbase.  The greeting is stamped on Whisper White cardstock and ink was applied to the stamp with Stampin' Write markers so it could be multi-colored.  This piece was then sponged with Baja Breeze ink and matted on a piece of Soft Suede cardstock. 

 

To add a little bit of interest on the card I added a flag from another pattern from the Snow Festival DSP and then added an Early Espresso button from the Neutrals button pack and tied a bow with Cherry Cobbler baker's twine.

 

I hope these projects have shown you some of ways to use the Wacky Wishes stamp set as well as some of our fabulous DSP.  Just think with just a few changes of papers and embellishments you could make a perfect card for any occasion.

 

Have a great weekend,

Diana

Wacky Fall Thanks!

I'm back!!!  I'm so thankful we're half way through the week, given that this is a the last week of the Government fiscal year things are even crazier than usual.  Today's card  was really simple to pull together but has lots of fun elements.  I started with a cardbase of Cajun Craze and added a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock and a piece of Orchard Harvest DSP.  Once again I rounded the corners with the corner rounder punch.  I wrapped a piece of Chocolate Chip scalloped polka dot ribbon (back side showing) around the middle.  The greeting is once again from the Wacky Wishes stamp set and was stamped in More Mustard ink. 

I had a lot of fun playing with the leaves.  I used the Autumn Accents Bigz die and cut different leaves out of More Mustard, Cajun Craze, and Gumball Green Coordinations cardstock.  I embossed the Gumball Green leaves with the Woodgrain embossing folder and then sanded it to bring out the texture on the leaves.  Then I used the houndstooth embossing folder for the large leaf.  I took both the remaining leaves and crumbled them up and then sponged them with Cajun Craze ink.  The leaves are all layered and some popped up with dimensionals for some fun.  The final touch was to add three half pearls along the ribbon.

This card is so fabulous and has lots of texture.

Enjoy!

Diana

Wacky Halloween Wishes

Good morning friends!  What a beautiful weekend to kickoff fall.  We had a great time with friends on Saturday and I got to putter around the studio working on little projects that I'm trying to get done.  For this weeks shares I decided to focus on one stamp set, Wacky Wishes, and show different ways how you can make simple cards for all sorts of occasions.  This first card is for Halloween and starts with a Tangerine Tango cardbase.  I added a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock (I sponged around the edge with More Mustard ink) and Houndstooth and Harringbone DSP.  The corners of the cardstock and DSP were rounded with the corner rounder punch.  I wrapped a piece of Basic Gray/Black striped satin ribbon around the middle. 

 

I also added three flags with the same DSP in different patterns.  The greeting is stamped in Tangerine Tango ink.  The final touch was to add a spider web, from the Wicked Cool stamp set, to the top corner of the card stock (I used Basic Gray ink and stamped off once before stamping so it was faded) and added a small rhinestone to the center.

I hope you enjoy and check back the rest of the week for other  ideas for this fun stamp set.

Enjoy,

Diana

Wacky Wishes: Sketch Challenge

Good evening friends!  After traveling for several weeks we enjoyed spending some quality time together as a family this weekend and I have to say I'm LOVING the start of the Olympics and watching all the amazing athletes, it was a great accompaniment in the stamp studio.  For this weeks Stamping 411 challenge I decided to nice and bright.  I used the Summer Smootches DSP as the foundation of the card (this paper is definately one of my favorites this year).  The card base is Island Indigo and is a 4 1/2" square card.  Alternating with the DSP is a square of Old Olive that I embossed with the Lattice embossing folder and the main image which was stamped with the Wacky Wishes stamp set (colored directly on the rubber with different Stampin' Write markers to make the rainbow) and then embossed with the Perfect Polka Dot embossing folder.  The finishing touch was adding a bow with Rich Razzleberry stiched 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, perfect.

This was a fun challenge and something that could definately be used for different occasions and stamp sets.  I have to tell you something funny, part of my projects this weekend was to make all the birthday and thank you cards we were going to need for August.  So after making this card I was looking through my supplies since I needed to make a birthday card for one of Aidan's classmates.  All the sudden a light came on, why don't I just use the sketch card I made, which I knew would be perfect for a little 7 year old princess, it's great when unexpected things just work out.

Hope you enjoy and have a great week!

Diana

Reason to Smile, Birthday Wishes

TGIF!  We've had a fabulous week and hope you have as well.  I'm back again to share another card made with the Reason to Smile stamp set.  You are not going to want to miss out on this stamp set, you'll only be able to get in July and when you place an order of $50 or more you can purchase the stamp set for only $5 (that's awesome!).  This card uses Marina Mist, Rose Red, and Pretty in Pink colors.  Since this is a two step stamp it's a cinc to color in the followers with coordinating colors.  The ribbon is Marina Mist Polka Dot Scallop Ribbon.  The greeting uses two of the new framelits from the apothecary accents framelit set which are so fun.   The greeting is from one of the fun new hostess sets, Wacky Wishes, which has lots of fun greetings perfect for any any occasions.  We sponged the edge with Pretty in Pink ink after stamping and punching it out. 

I know that one of the samples I've shared will make you need to have this stamp set so please contact me and I can help you get your set before they are gone.

Happy stamping,

Diana