Aidan's Valentines for Vets

Good morning!
So some of you may know that Aidan's at a traditional school, which he loves, and one of the things that they focus on is community service.  Right now one of the projects is Valentine's for Vets and as soon as I heard about this I loved it.  So I cut all the paper and we had fun punching out tons of hearts and had a great time.  Aidan did so well I thought I would share with you a couple of his cards.  The great thing about a lot of the Stampin' Up! products is that they are easy enough for kids to use and still make really nice looking cards.  We had a ton of fun and Aidan enjoyed writing special messages in each of the cards.

Sketch Challenge - Gnome Sweet Gnome

Good evening friends!  We had another fun weekend and I was able to spend several hours each day in studio and was a valentine making fool (the hearts and glitter were flying!)  I managed to take a break from valentines to make this weeks Stamping 411 sketch card and since it was Sunday and we were getting ready to head over to friends to watch the SuperBowl I decided that the perfect stamp was the Gnome Sweet Gnome stamp set  since I was "hangin' with my gnomies!"

The color combination is from the Everyday Enchantment DSP that you can get for FREE during Sale-a-bration (love it!)  The card base is Pool Party and I used Calypso Coral behind the strip of DSP that I punched out with the Scallop Border punch.  The ribbon is Pool Party ruffled ribbon, which is so fun and flirty.  The lucky limeade cardstock behind the image was run through the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dot embossing folder and then the edges were distressed with the distressing tool.

The main stamped image was stamped in Basic black and colored in with Stampin' Write markers.  The grass was stamped with Lucky Limeade ink and the rock in Basic Gray.  The greeting is from the Gnomenclature stamp set and was punched out with the word window punch and matted with the modern label punch (it's also popped up with dimensionals).

This card  turned out soo cute and Aidan thought it was really funny so I definately count this as a success.

Hope you enjoyed!

Diana

Candy Heart Greetings

Good evening friends.  I had some technical difficulties blogging while I was in San Antonio so I still have a couple of projects to share.  This is a cute card that uses the Candy Conversation single stamp from the Occasions Mini catalog.  I took the color combination:  Pear Pizzaz, Blushing Bride, Marina Mist, Going Gray, and Perfect Plum from the Nursery Nest DSP.  I colored the different candy hearts directly on the rubber so each one was different but only had to stamp it once.  I also used the Silver glimmer paper (love that it is still available) and was punched with the scallop border punch.  The final touch was using the paper piercer and mat pack to punch the holes in the corners.

It's funny what catches someone's eye, while I liked this card there were definately other swaps I made that I thought were WOW'd but this was the first card that I ran out of and the ladies loved it, go figure.

I've been having so much fun making tons of valentine's projects for gift giving so say tuned for more ideas and if you haven't started making your cards and gifts contact me to order all your Stampin' Up! supplies.

Enjoy!

Sale-a-Bration Has Arrived! Elementary Elegance

Good morning and happy Tuesday!  I'm very excited because today is the first day of Sale-a-bration, Stampin' Up!s biggest sale of the year!  I love this sale and all the great products we can earn for FREE.  This card uses three of the exclusive items available during this promotion.  The stamp set is Elementary Elegance and I love it.  The scroll pattern in stamped on Crumb Cake cardstock with Soft Suede Ink.  Then I stamped the coordinating greeting on Very Vanilla with Calypso Coral ink, punched out with the Curly Label Punch, and sponged with Soft Sky.  I used Poppy Parade cardstock for the cardbase and used the new Adorning Accents embossing folder to emboss the scroll along the bottom.  Next a took a piece of Everyday Enchantment DSP and used the coordinating Adorning Accents Edglet die to cut the DSP with the same scroll.  The final touch was to punch a strip of Soft Sky cardstock with the Lace Ribbon Border Punch.  I threaded a piece of 1/8" Lucky Limeade organza ribbon through the punched paper from the Everyday Enchantment ribbon bundle.

I love this card, it definately has a vintage feel that's simple yet elegant, all at the same time.  I'm definately going to have fun using these great new items, so make sure you don't miss out. 

Enjoy!

Birthday Candy Treat

What an amazing week!  I've had a great time and feel so energized and can't wait to get back home and share all the great ideas I gained, you won't want to miss out.  Today's swap is a 3D candy box designed for birthday treats but can easily be adapted to any occasion.  I used the Petite Pocket XL die, added a few score lines and in no time you have this perfect box.  I decorated it with Big Top Birthday DSP and a cupcake from the Create-a-cupcake stamp set and matching cupcake punch.  A glittery cherry on top is the perfect finish!

As you can see when you open the flap you see the chocolates that a wrapped in the mathing DSP, love it!  These were so easy and fun to make, I definately see more of these in my future.  Enjoy!

Valentine's Greeting

Good morning!  As you read this I'm on my way to the airport heading to San Antonio and Stampin' Up!s Leadership Conference, and I have to tell you I'm so excited.  Not only will I enjoy a few days with some fabulous ladies but the beautiful weather is definately something to be happy for.  Just like convention I thought I would share with you each day some of the swaps I made and will be sharing with my fellow demonstrators.  Today's card is another valentine (yeah I know!) and features the new P.S. I Love You stamp set from the Occasions Mini catalog as well as the new Hearts Collection cutters and edge embossing folders. 

This card has lots of texture, after cutting out the large black heart I embossed it with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder and then sprayed it with shimmer mist. The smaller hear is Very Vanilla and was first stamped with the En Francis stamp set in Crumb Cake, then the edges were sponged with Crumb Cake, and then the cubid was embossed with Cherry Cobbler embossing powder.

The designer paper is Timeless Portrait and was cut with the Scallop Trim border punch. The ribbon is Cherry Cobbler Polka Dot scallop ribbon and I flipped over so it was a solid color.

I created this card for an organized swap I'm in and I can't wait to see what everyone thinks of it because I love it!

Enjoy and have a great day,

Diana

Lovely Letterpress Plates

Happy Tuesday!  Today I have another Valentine to share with you from a team swap I participated in in November and forgot to share.  The key to this card is the letterpress plates and the Big Shot, where the letterpress plate debosses the image and pushes the ink into the cardstock.  Also, with all the guys in our house I really wanted to make a card that didn't have lots of pink, girly stuff.  This card uses the Lots of Love letterpress plate, Versamark ink, and Marina Mist cardstock.    The stamped image uses the I {Heart} Hearts stamp set and Petite Pairs (for the greeting).

Then I added a couple of tags with the Real Red 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, and 3 hearts punched with the Small Heart Punch and Red and Silver Glimmer Paper (I was so happy the Silver Glimmer paper was on the carryover list from the holiday mini catalog).  This card is pretty simple but has lots of textures that are fun.

Hope you enjoy and have a great day,

Diana

P.S. I Love You - Sketch Challenge

Good evening! What a start to the new year. We've enjoyed having the unusually mild weather this weekend and catching up with friends.  I've also been frantically working on swap cards for Stampin' Up!s upcoming Leadership Conference and still have a ways to go.  I also decided to get back into the routine with the Stamping 411 sketch challenges and loved the possibilities with this weeks sketch and decided it would be perfect to highlight the new P.S. I Love You stamp set from the Occasions Mini Catalog.  I embossed a piece of Basic Gray cardstock with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder before adhering it to the Cherry Cobbler cardbase.  Then I took a piece of Twitterpated designer paper and matted it with Basic Black cardstock that was punched with the Scallop Trim border punch on both sides and  cut the "v" notch out of the bottom.

The main stamped image uses Basic Gray, Cherry Cobbler, and Blushing Bride ink to stamp the various images from the P.S. I Love You stamp set.  The strawberry image was colored directly on the rubber stamp with Pear Pizzaz, Cherry Cobbler, and Chocolate Chip ink before stamping.  Then I decided to add Crystal Effects to the chocolate parts of the strawberries to make them look wet and glossy, and the new Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details to the tops of the strawberries for they sparkle (check it out in this close up image). 

Now check out the sketch challenge we were provided.  I love this card and it's so beautiful in person, the texture and sparkle is fabulous.  I've officially embraced Valentine's day, our decorations are up (yes, we even have red lights in Aidan's room and on the fireplace mantle), and I'm working on several valentine's projects right now. 

Hope you enjoy and have a great week!

Diana

12 Days of Christmas Stockings - Day 12

Merry Christmas!  What a fabulous day, we've spent the day at home spending time together and playing with all our new toys, Aidan has been going none stop.  I hope you've had a great day as well.  So I'm a little late in posting the last stocking of the series since I haven't been on the computer what I wanted to pop on to share this stocking with you since it turned out so well.  The stocking was cut from the Frostwood Lodge designer paper and the cuff, heel, and toe are Early Espresso and was embossed with the houndstooth embossing folder.  Then I added strings of pearls around the edges to make it really shine.  The tree  is Wild Wasabi and was cut with the Stocking accent die and then I used Dazzling Details to highlight the edge of the tree.  The greeting is from the Christmas Lodge stamp set and was stamped with Cherry Cobbler ink and the edges were sponged with Early Espresso ink.  I had a scrap piece of another pattern of DSP that was 1/2" wide and had already been scored with the Simply Scored every 1/4" inch (from another project) so I cut it down to 6" long and created a tiny lolly to add behind a Wild Wasabi button.  I used Early Espresso baker's twine to tie a bow on the front of the button.  This stocking is definately one of my favorite but I couldn't stop adding things to it.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your Christmas, I think I'm going to have an early night tonight since I need to go shopping tomorrow morning (can't believe I've depleted by stash of wrapping paper, etc) before our family arrives tomorrow, definately another fun day ahead.

Take care,

Diana

12 Days of Christmas Stockings - Day 11

Happy Christmas Eve!  I hope you are enjoying time with you're family, we're just relaxing today and finishing up last minute details for tomorrow.  Today's stocking is a fun one, I thought it would be clever to decorate a stocking with a stocking, haha!  The stocking was cut with the Silver Glimmer Paper and the cuff, heel, and toe are Cherry Cobbler cardstock that was embossed with the Snowburst Embossing folder.   The letters are cut with the Timeless Type Junior Alphabet die and Silver Glimmer paper.  The stocking accent was a breeze with the Stocking Builder punch and Early Espresso cardstock.  The cuff, heel, and toe were cut with the same punch and the Frostwood Forest designer paper.  This stocking is so cute and easy to make, Aidan had a blast using this punch.  The sad news is that Stampin' Up! announced this week that they will NOT be carrying over this punch to the next catalog so the punch is only available while supplies last so make sure to get yours now, before you miss out.  I know this punch will definately be staying in the studio, I love it!

Enjoy the rest of your day and have a Merry Christmas!

Diana

12 Days of Christmas Stockings - Day 10

Friday has finally arrived, which means it's my last day of work for the year, yeah!!!  My company has it's Christmas lunch today and Chris and Aidan will be coming in and joining me.  Aidan has been looking forward to the party for weeks, he loves looking at the planes in the hanger and kites in the atrium.  Today's stocking is another fun one, it's started with Early Espresso cardstock that was embossed with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder and the cuff, heel, and toe are from the Holly Berry Bouquet Speciality Designer paper.  I added a trim of scallops along the cuff with Red Glimmer paper.  Next I used the Stocking accent die to cut out the candy cane and cut out two pieces, one in Whisper White, and another in Red Glimmer Paper.  There are perforated lines on the candy cane so I cut the strips from the Red Glimmer paper piece and glued them to the white candy cane to create the stripes.  The final touch is a bow made from Old Olive 1/8" taffeta ribbon.    Another fun one, I can't seem to stop making these, only two more days to go.  See you tomorrow!

12 Days of Christmas Stockings - Day 9

Happy Thursday!  Today is the last day of school for Aidan and he's so excited.  I'm just popping in for a quick post to share todays stocking which is nice and simple.  I used Real Red cardstock for the stocking and embossed it with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder (yes, I am addicted to embossing, love it!).  The cuff, heel, and toe were cut out of the Holly Berry Bouquet Speciality Designer paper and I love this print since the polka dots are glittered.  The ribbon bow is made with the fabulous Very Vanilla velvet ribbon and I used the Northern Frost decorative strip to cut out a Marina Mist snowflake.  A nice, simple rhinestone was added to the center of the snowflake for a little sparkle.  Enjoy!

12 Days of Christmas Stockings - Day 8

Cheerful good morning greetings!  Only 4 more days to Christmas, I can't wait for some quality family time.  Today's stocking definitely reminds me of pictures I remember seeing as a kid and has lots of layers and texture.  The main stocking is Very Vanilla and embossed with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder and the cuff, heel, and toe are cut out of Red Glimmer paper (it's no secret how much I love glitter!).  For the decoration I started with a piece of Basic Black cardstock that I ran through the Big Shot with the Decorative Frames oval embossing folder and then cut around the oval with Paper Snips.  The next layer is a piece of Crumb Cake designer paper that was punched out with the decorative label punch.  Then I used the large oval punch to punch out another piece of Red Glimmer paper.  The little boy image was cut out of the Timeless Portrait designer paper and then sponged around the edges with Crumb Cake ink.

The snowflake was cut out with the Northern Frost decorative strip die and sponged with Crumb Cake ink before adding a small Black circle to the center and one of the new extra large halfback pearls (that will be available in January).  I got the idea for this stocking from a gift tag I received from Rufina Ebersol at a retreat I went to in October, I loved it so much check it out here.  Hope you enjoy and see you tomorrow!

12 Days of Christmas Stockings - Day 7

Good evening!  I'm a little late posting today but it's been nonstop all day.  Today's stocking is full of bling and glitz which I love.  I cut the stocking out of Early Espresso Cardstock and the cuff, toe, and heel out of Garden Green Cardstock that was embossed with the Snow Burst embossing folder.   My go-to die for letters, the Timeless Type Junior Alphabet die was used cut the word "Cheer" out of Red Glimmer paper.  The final touch was to add rhinestones to the edges of the cuff, toe, and heel, bling is always a good thing.  Enjoy!

12 Days of Christmas Stockings - Day 6

Happy Monday!  It's the last work week of the year (I love that my company shuts down the week between Christmas and New Years so we have some fun family time planned).  Today's stocking was a lot of fun to make.  I cut the stocking out of Very Vanilla Cardstock.  Then I used my brayer to apply Cherry Cobbler ink to the inside of my Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, that way, when I ran it through the Big Shot the raised image stayed Vanilla while the rest of cardstock was antiqued with the ink.  The cuff, heel, and toe are Early Espresso and embossed with the Snow Burst embossing folder.   Just like the stocking on Day 1 I cut out the NOEL letters with the Timeless Type Junior Alphabet die, this time using Cherry Cobbler cardstock.  This stocking is so elegant and also is one of my favorite color combinations, especially this time of year.  This is a great technique that can be used on cards, scrapbook papers, 3D items, etc.  Enjoy!

12 Days of Christmas Stockings - Day 5

I'm back today with another simple stocking.  This one uses the same Frostwood Lodge designer series paper as yesterday, just another pattern.  This time I used the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing folder with Garden Green cardstock.  The ribbon is Cherry Cobbler 3/8" quilted satin ribbon (I love the feel of this ribbon and will feel sad when it goes away when the Holiday mini catalog ends, I may have to stock up.  I'm really looking forward to hanging out with the boys today and just relaxing and can't believe Christmas is one week from day.  Hope you enjoy your day as well!

12 Days of Christmas Stockings - Day 4

Welcome back and I hope you're enjoying the start to your weekend.  I'm so proud of Aidan after his belt test last night, it's always amazing that I seem to more stressed out than he is when he tests.  We're back with another stocking today and this time I used Real Red cardstock for the main part of the stocking that I embossed with the Snow Burst Embossing folder.  The cuff, toe, and heel are made with the Frostwood Lodge designer paper.  The "Joy" letters are cut with Red Glimmer paper (can't get enough of this stuff) with the Timeless Type Junior Alphabet die.  Nice and simple today.  See you again tomorrow!

12 Days of Christmas Stockings - Day 3

Happy Friday!  I don't know about you but I'm definately glad the work week is almost over.  I'm looking forward to a fun family weekend we have Aidan's belt test tonight, a couple of Christmas parties, and holiday baking which is sure to be fun.  Today's stocking is a classic, it uses the Holly Berry Bouquet Speciality Designer paper and the great thing about this paper is that two prints, including the polka dots is that it's glittery and so pretty in person.  I used the Houndstooth embossing folder on the cuff, toe, and heal.  The holly pieces were cut with the coordinating Stocking Accents Originals Die with Garden Green and Real Red cardstock.  The bow is made with the fabulous Early Espresso 3/8" quilted satin ribbon and a clear rhinestone brad.

I love how this stocking turned out it has lots of layers of texture which really makes it pop.  What will be in store tomorrow....you'll have to come back to see.

Enjoy!

12 Days of Christmas Stockings - Day 2

Welcome back!  What a great day yesterday, Aidan's class had a last minute field trip to ICE!  at the Gaylord National.  He was so excited and couldn't stop talking about all the great ice sculptures to Merry Madagascar.  This field trip was great because he had decided not to go this year and I felt bad since I knew how much fun Aidan had so it was great he got to experience it this year with his friends.  Today's stocking uses the Frostwood Lodge designer paper and Real Red cardstock. The Real Red cuff, heel, and toe were embossed with the Snow Burst embossing folder. I love the embellishments on this stocking, first there are lots of Rhinestones on the edges (who doesn't love a little bling!)  The Wild Wasabi button is from the Holly Bouquet designer buttons and Whisper White baker's twine is threaded through the button holes and tied in a bow.  On each of the bow tails I tied mini jingle bells which are soo cute!

This stocking is so classic but dressed up a notch.  Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you tomorrow.

12 Days of Christmas Stockings - Day 1

Good morning!  When I first saw the holiday mini catalog at convention this summer one of the first things that I saw and knew I had to have was the stocking die for the Big Shot.  I knew I wanted to make lots of stockings to decorate the studio show off how easy these were.  I cut lots of these stockings before we headed to the beach on vacation with every intention of assembling and decorating the stockings at the beach, that was before the hurricane and our evacuation.  I didn't get all the stockings made and am still working on them.    I decided to hold a 12 Days of Christmas stocking event starting today so you'll get to see a new stocking every day.

Today's stocking uses the Holly Bouquet Speciality designer paper, Wild Wasabi cardstock, and Red Glimmer paper.  The Wild Wasabi cuff, heel, and toe were embossed with the Snow Burst embossing folder and the Red Glimmer paper was punched with the Scallop Edge punch.  The letters were cut out of Early Espresso cardstock with the Timeless Type Junior Alphabet die.

I love how easy these stockings come together, there wasn't even stamping.  An added bonus that when I glue a second stocking to the back it creates pocket, perfect for gift cards and small treats.  I hope you enjoyed today's stocking and check back each day for a new stocking.