Let the Festivities Begin

Today convention activities begin, including check-in, Momento Mall (who wouldn’t love shopping for Stampin’ Up exclusive items!) and the welcome party. We’re also going to head out to the home office for a tour of the offices and distribution center (Aidan and mom are going to come also).

Today I'm sharing a card a created with the Day of Gratitude stamp set. The card is pretty straight forward and uses the lattice embossing folder that only embosses part way down the cardstock. The colors are Sahara Sand, Cajun Craze, and Chocolate Chip. The ribbon is one of the new polka dot scallop ribbon that I turned over so the solid side is showing.

So did you check out that button??? It’s actually a faux button that I made my layering cardstock and punching center holes before covering with Crystal Effects (definitely need to let the buttons dry overnight to make sure it’s set. The final touch was tie some twine in the button.
This was so fun and I love how this card turned out, perfect for the fall.


Have a great day!

Diana

We've Arrived

After arriving in SLC and getting all checked into the hotel we’ve decided to go to the Lagoon amusement and waterpark and tour the Sweet Candy Company factory (yum, salt water taffy).

Today I’m sharing two additional swaps. The first is a card using the new Delicate Doilles stamp set and Thank you Kindly. This new stamp set coordinates perfectly with the new Flirtatious DSP (you have to check this out, it includes 2 sheets of laser cut doilies). I also used the new Lace Ribbon border punch (love it) and one of our new in colors, Wisteria Wonder.

The second item is a little shopping bag made with the Bitty Box & Envelope Bigz XL die. This is so easy to make, just run a half sheet of cardstock (in this case either Pacific Point or Tangerine Tango) through the Big Shot and cut off a couple of tabs. The DSP is Beyond the Garden and then I wrapped a piece of ribbon (for these samples I used Whisper White 3/8” Taffeta and Daffodil Delight ¼” Grosgrain ribbon. The handles are made with the White bakers twine. Inside I included tissue paper and a Ghirardelli chocolate.

Isn’t this cute? The idea for this project was from Connie Babbert and you can check out her project HERE.

Enjoy!
Diana

Let the Adventure begin...

I’m so excited, and I just can’t hide it (yes, I am channeling the Pointer Sisters)! Aidan and I got up very early this morning and left for the airport for our trip to Salt Lake City. As you read this we should be boarding our plane. We’re going out ahead of my annual Stampin’ Up convention and my mom is coming to meet us in SLC and Aidan and Gramma are going to explore the city while I’m at convention (it’s great how many great family oriented things there are to do in the city (and most within a couple of miles of the hotel).

Like last year I’m going to be sharing each day this week some of the swaps that I am taking to share. Today’s share is my card I created for a kid’s card swap. This means that everyone in the swap is creating a card geared for kids (who great is that!). I made a baseball themed birthday card using the Home Run and It’s Your Birthday Stamp sets. This card has lots of texture with the Lattice embossing on the background, popped up baseball that was cut out with circle punches as well as the greeting.  Here's a close-up of the baseball.

This card is so fun and I can’t wait to see what everyone else creates since I seem to be making kids cards regularly.

Enjoy and stay tuned for tomorrow…

Diana

July Stamp-a-Stack

Good morning!

It's been awhile since my last post, I've been frantically getting everything great to leave for Stampin' Up convention (we leave on Monday and I can't wait).  Let me just tell you the amount of paper that has been flying in studio is mindblowing, I definately have to do some cleaning before we leave.  I'll be posted pictures of all the swaps I made from convention each day next week so make sure to check back soon.  Anyway, I wanted to drop a quick note to show you the projects we'll be making at this months Stamp-a-stack, which is this Sunday.  We'll be using tons of items from the summer mini and new catalog, you're sure to love it.

Aren't these awesome!  We're going to be traveling on Saturday so please let me know TODAY if you'll be coming so everything is prepared.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Diana

Sketch Challenge - Strength & Hope

Good evening!  Tonight I want to share with you the card I made for this weeks Stamping 411 sketch challenge.   I decided to use the Strength & Hope stamp set and make a one color card, in this case Blushing Bride.  To help make the card have dimension every piece of paper on this card is sponged with Blushing Bride Ink.  I also used the In Color DSP Level One Hostess item (this paper is only available through Thursday).  The panel on the right side is the word stamp set stamped repeatedly down the paper.  The ribbon is Whisper White organza ribbon.

I stamped the "H" and hope and punched it out with the 1 3/8" circle punch and then matted it with a scallop circle punch.  This card looks so pretty in person, very soothing.

The best thing about this stamp set (other than how pretty the images are) is that Stampin' Up is donating $2 from the sale of each stamp set through August 31 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, what a great way to give to a fabulous cause.  Make sure to pick up your set!

Have a great week!

Diana

A Father's Day Card - Just in the Nick of Time!

Happy Monday!


We had a great weekend this weekend with friends. We hosted our annual neighborhood BBQ this Saturday and had a blast with our friends and neighbors which was a great way to kickoff summer (complete with a fire and smores in the evening!) The only downside to this full day is that I was a little behind in making Chris’ card for father’s day so I had to whip one up Sunday morning. Robin Merriman had made a great card last week that I really liked so I decided to CASE it, check Robin’s card out HERE.

This card highlights the Word Play and The Open Sea stamp set. I stamped the globe with Basic Grey ink that was stamped off for a lighter image. Then I stamped the words from Word Play with Not Quite Navy ink directly on top of the globe. I used Cherry Cobbler ink to stamp the words a on a scrap piece of paper so I could punch out the little globe with the ¾” circle punch which was then popped up with a dimensional. This piece was matted with a piece of Not Quite Navy cardstock. Next I matted a piece of Nautical Expedition DSP on Not Quite Navy (this corner piece was perfect with the palm trees. I wrapped a piece of Whisper White/Cherry Cobbler Baker’s Twine around the DSP and then tied a bow.

The final touch was to stamp a father’s day greeting from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set in Cherry Cobbler, punched it out with the Modern Label Punch, and sponged the edges with Not Quite Navy ink before attaching it with dimensionals.
The card turned out great and Chris loved it, even if the ink was barely dry when I gave it to him!  Hope you all had a special father's day with your loved one's as well.

Heartfelt Thanks - Sketch Challenge

Good morning!  Today I wanted to share with you a quick and easy card I made for this weeks Stamping 411 challenge.  For this weeks card I wanted to showcase several items that are retiring, including the Hodgepodge Happiness stamp set, Greenhouse Gala DSP, Early Espresso 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, Designer Label Punch, and Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware. 

I used Early Espresso and Marinia Mist stampin' write markers to color directly on the rubber before stamping on Whisper White Cardstock which was then punched out iwth the Designer Label Punch.  After matting the DSP to the Early Espresso Cardstock and then the Marina Mist card base I ruffled the Early Espresso 5/8" Grosgrain ribbon (used Sticky Strip, and Snail) I attached the greeting to the card with the designer label piece and brads from the Styled Silver Hodgepodge hardware it (these are such fun metal pieces and I rarely use them). 

I love how this turned out, full of texture and dimension.  Don't forget you only have until the end of the month get these retiring items before they are gone forever.

Happy stamping!

Diana

June Stamp-a-Stack

Good morning! 

Just wanted to drop in to show this months Stamp-a-stack projects.  This month we're focusing on sets that are retired (time to use them one more time before they're gone) and the summer mini catalog, there's lots of different styles, perfect for any occasion.  Also, I have a special offer on the retired sets for those who attend upcoming events, you won't want to miss this!

Class is this Sunday and there's still time RSVP, just let me know!

Have a great day and happy stamping!

Diana

Sketch Challenge: Land of the Free

What a fantabulous weekend!  We had a great time this weekend with family activities and just spending time together, love it!  I did take time to create a card for this weeks Stamping 411 challenge and knew exactly what I wanted to do once I saw the sketch design.  I started with the Land of the Free single stamp (love how it has the song lyrics to make the stripes on the flag) and inked it with Real Red and Night of Navy classic markers.

For the back ground I cut various size stars with the Star punch (can't believe that one's retiring) and the Big Shot star die) in Whisper White and attached them to the Night of Navy cardstock before running them through the Big Shot with the Lattice Textured Embossing Folder so the stars became embedded into the design of the paper.  For the strip a used a piece of Real Red DSP from the Brights paper stack and layered it with a piece of Whisper White cardstock that was punched along one edge with the scallop border punch. 

 The final touch was to make a bow with Whisper White 3/8" taffeta ribbon and a star brad (the brad is retired but I thought it was perfect for this card).  Now check out the sketch we had to work with.

This card is fabuous!  I love how clean and bright it is. 

Just a reminder, there is still time to RSVP for this month's stamp-a-stack class which will be next sunday, the 12th at 2:00 PM, just email to let me know.

Hope you have  a great week and happy stamping!

Diana

It's Time to Say Farewell....

Today is June 1st and you know what that means...the day Stampin’ Up announces which stamp sets and accessories are being discontinued from the Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog to make room for all the new products in the new catalog coming out on July 1st! You can bet I was up at 5:20 AM this morning to check it out first thing.

Discontinued Stamp Sets can be found HERE.


Discontinued Accessories can be found HERE and updated daily.


Discontinued Definitely Decorative products can be found HERE.


Discontinued stamp sets, Stampin' Up! will manufacture to fill demand. However, the accessories are first come first served, so don't delay in ordering! You can place your order with me - online HERE.

As an added bonus, for every $50 order (before tax and shipping) placed in my online store during the month of June your name will be entered into a drawing for a FREE* stamp set of your choice from the new catalog that comes out on July 1. (* up to $19.95 in value).

Cheers to You!

Today I wanted to share a special card I made for my husband for our anniversay.  This card has lots of shimmer and shine (which Aidan loved).  I used Vintage Wallpaper Embossing folder and the Big Shot to add texture to the Basic Black card stock.  I used the champagne glasses from the Cheers to You stamp set and stamped it on shimmer paper.  I colored the drinks in with a So Saffron Stampin' Write marker before adding Crystal Effects to make the drink look wet and shinny.  Then I added dazzling diamonds at the top of the glasses.  This piece was matted on a piece of Gold cardstock and then I wrapped a piece of Whisper White Organza ribbon around the paper and knotted it.

Next I used the Oval punch to cut a window out of the cardfront and adhered a piece of Whisper White cardstock on the inside before stamping the greeting (from Teeny Tiny Wishes, as you know one of my favorite greeting sets) so you can see it through the window.

This card is awesome!!!  I hope you enjoyed this card as much as I enjoyed making it.

Have a great day and happy stamping,

Diana

Sketch Challenge - The Open Sea

 Good evening!  So I must admit while I'm enjoying the break in the thunderstorms we've been having I'm not ready for the humidity this early in the season (at 6:00 AM this morning when I was walking there was 96% humidity, ugh!) but considering the weather in other parts of the country I'll deal with the rain and humidity.  For this weeks Stamping 411 challenge, I wanted to make a masculine card, perfect for father's day.  

This card uses The Open Sea stamp set and  

the Nautical Expedition DSP.  This card is pretty straight forward but has lots of layers and textures, love it!  Now check out the sketch we were provided.

Hope you enjoy and have a great week!

Happy Stamping,

Diana

Happy Golfer!

Good morning!  Today I wanted to share one of the projects we made in class yesterday.  This card uses the On the Green stamp set and is lots of fun. 
I used the stamp-a-maj to stamp this image three times side by side (for the middle image I inked the stamp with Stampin' Write Markers so I could make the golfer black while the rest of the words were Always Artichoke).  Then there are lots of layers of Always Artichoke and Basic Black with Black Satin ribbon tied in a knot.

To make the golf balls I used a 1 1/4" circle punch and punched out three pieces and then ran them through the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dot Embossing Folder.  I flipped the circles over so the polka dots were indented instead of raised to mimic a golf ball (the top golf ball is popped up with a dimensional (check it out!)

The final step to stamp the father's day greeting with the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set.

I love how great this card turned out, very masculine.

Have a great day!

Diana

May Stamp-a-Stack

Good evening!  Just a quick note to show you some of the fun projects for this months stamp-a-stack.  Definately a card for every occasion.  Class is this Sunday and there's still space so please let me know by noon tomorrow if you're interested.

Hope you have a great weekend and enjoy the beautiful weather we're supposed to have tomorrow!

Happy stamping,

Diana

Sketch Challenge - Elegant Thanks

Good evening. I hope you all enjoyed your mother's day, I had a nice relaxing day with my boys. For this weeks Stamping 411 challenge I some muted spring colors as inspiration.  I started with the Elegant Lines Embossing folder and inked the folder with Crumb Cake classic ink.  Then I added a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock and ran it through the Big Shot.  The result was adding the ink to the unembossed parts of the design and the embossed image stayed vanilla.  The embossed image is matted with a piece of Basic Grey on top of the Baja Breeze card based. 

Next I added a piece of Elegant Soiree DSP and then a piece of 1/8" Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon.  The stamped greeting is from the Afterthoughts hostess set (I love things you get for free!) and is punched out with the large oval punch, sponged with crumb cake ink and then matted on a piece of Soft Suede cardstock punched out with the Decorative Label punch.  This piece was adhered to the card with dimensionals.  The final touch was adding some butterflies that were cut out with the Beautiful Butterflies Embosslit.

I love how this card turned out, very nice and I love all the textures.  Now check out the sketch we were provided as inspiration.  Hope you enjoy and have a great week!

Happy stamping,

Diana

Love to Mom's

Good evening!  What a great weekend.  I had the opportunity to attend my first crop weekend with a great group of ladies and had a blast.  While we got a lot done and had fun I have to admit that I'm still recovering from the lack of sleep.  While I was unpacking I decided to whip up a quick card for this weeks Stampin 411 challenge and new it would be perfect for Mother's day.

I started by running my Marina Mist card base through the Big Shot with the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing folder.  Then I used of DSP from the Greenhouse Gala DSP and matted on Early Espresso cardstock. I used the "mom" stamp from the Messages for Mom stamp set and stamped it with Early Espresso ink on Pear Pizzaz cardstock before matting it with Early Espresso cardstock.  I used dimensionals to pop up the Mom layer to add some dimension.

Next I added three Rhinestones and a bow tied with the Pear Pizzaz Seam Binding ribbon (so glad this color is carrying over from the last mini catalog).  Lots of sparkle and ribbon that mom is sure to love.  Finally "happy mother's day" is stamped at the bottom (I actually stamped it before running it through the Big Shot since I find it's easier.

Easy peasy and sure to please.  Now check out the sketch we were provided.  I love how versatile this layout is, I'll definately have to use it again.

Have a great week and for all you mom's Happy Mother's Day!

Happy stamping,

Diana

It's all about the Peeps!

Good morning! Today, as promised I have a picture of the Peeps wreath that Aidan and I made this weekend.  We got the idea from Erika Martin (check hers out HERE).  We pretty much kept the construction the same but used blue and green bunny peeps, in addition to the pink and yellow bunnies.  Aidan really loved making sure we kept the correct order of the colors. 

This was so much fun to make and it adds a fun touch to our holiday decorations. 

Enjoy and have a great day!

Diana

Birthday Cupcakes

Happy Monday friends! Today I have a cute card to share with you for this weeks Stamping 411 challenge. For this weeks card I decided to use the Love Impressions DSP and show how it could be used for occasions other than valentines day. I decided to use Real Red, Blushing Bride, and Going Grey all from the DSP (love how it makes color coordination a breeze!).

The stamp set for this weeks card is Crazy for Cupcakes. The card is pretty straight forward so I'll just point out that after coloring in the cupcakes I used Crystal Effects on the cherries to make them shine along with the fabulous Red Glimmer paper (so fun!) and Real Red Taffeta Ribbon.

So sweet, I could just eat them!

Hope you enjoy and happy stamping,

Diana

Kindergarden Easter Class Gift

Good afternoon!

I have a quick Easter project post for you. So while I’ve been thinking that Easter is so late this year and I have all this time I completely forgot that Aidan’s school is on spring break next week so they are celebrating Easter today. Now I realized this yesterday (and hadn’t even thought about what we were going to make). I ordered the new Petal Cone Die last month but had yet to use it but I liked all the different “out of the box” ideas people were coming up with for this die. Well I decided to CASE this really cute pouch made with the die that looks like a carrot (Becky Roberts was my inspiration, check out the original HERE).

After cutting out the cone with the Big Shot I ran it through again with the Lattice embossing folder. Then I used the Perfect Polka Dot embossing folder for the green scalloped pieces. Tombow Mono adhesive was perfect to hold all these textured pieces together and keep them from separating. The cute bunny is from the Forest Friends stamp set and was punched out with a 1 ¼” circle punch and matted with a 1 3/8” circle and scallop circle piece. The greeting is from the Something to Celebrate hostess set and the flag was another piece cut from the same Petal Cone Die. The final touch was adhering a piece of retired Chocolate Chip 5/8” grosgrain ribbon that was tied in a not.

So cute and so easy, I was able to completely make all the gifts for Aidan’s class in a little over an hour, and Aidan loves them!

I can’t wait for the weekend to start this evening since its jammed pack. Not only do we have opening day of TBall and the neighborhood easter egg hunt (both on Saturday morning, weather permitting) but Aidan and I are making a special easter decoration involving Peep bunnies. We’ll definitely post pictures when we’re done, so look for it soon.

Hope you enjoy and have a great weekend!

Diana

Sketch Challenge - Thanks for Caring

Good evening friends!  What a great weekend.  We enjoyed getting Aidan's "big boy" room all set up which he loves and then we had beautiful weather on Sunday and a lot of fun stamping with the ladies.  My mom has made a request for some sympathy cards to add to her card stash so I thought this weeks Stamping 411 challenge design would be perfect. 

I started with a cardbase of  Baja Breeze and added a layer of Not Quite Navy that I ran through the Tulip Border Embossing folder.  A piece of the Vintage Spring DSP is along the left side.  The main image is from the Thanks for Caring stamp set and (one of my favorites from the Occasions Mini catalog) and was just inked with Stampin' Write markers directly on the rubber to provide the multi-colored image.    Along the right side of the greeting is a piece of Baja Breeze Seam Binding Ribbon and then a double bow I created with the same ribbon.   A Very Vanilla Vintage Adornment was added to the center of the bow.  The final touch was some paper piercing in the corners on the left side of the greeting.

Now check out the sketch we were provided.  This card turned out perfect and is very calm and peaceful.

Hope you have a great week and happy stamping!

Diana