A Huge Thank You! and Viola! Birthday!

A Huge THANKS to all who visited my blog yesterday on the SU Occasions Mini Blog Tour and especially if you posted a comment! That encourages me so much and I really appreciate it! We had an amazing turn-out! I enjoyed the opportunity to surf all the blogs on this tour and also the two others; we had around 55 blogs total participating! I hope you got to see a great many of them also!

The winner of my blog candy is Charla Crawford! Thanks to all of you who left me a comment to register! I'll get it in the mail to Charla tomorrow.

ANNOUNCEMENT: We have another Blog Tour scheduled for May 15 so mark that date down on your calendar and come back here to begin! Woohoo!!

I'll be back later today to post but wanted to get these announcements up now!

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This is one of the cards from my recent Stamp-A-Stack using the Viola! set (#115102, $25.95, p. 45). Isn't this chef just great fun?!

He was stamped with Staz-On then colored with Blender Pens and reinkers using Blush Blossom (skin) and Riding Hood Red (scarf and cuffs). The cake was colored with the Pink marker and Red reinker and Blender Pen. Just the pants part of the stamp was stamped on the check paper, then the pants cut out and adhered to the matching part of the stamped chef to give him those great checked pants. Watch out, Mario!! (Do you watch the Food Network?!)

The cake was stamped on a scrap, colored, cut out then applied to the platter with Dimensionals. The candle flame was highlighted with glitter for some "fire"! : ) The greeting from the set was stamped on Kiwi Kiss then punched out with the Curly Label Punch and layered on another black punch for depth and emphasis, then attached with Dimensionals.

This set comes with three accessories to sit on the platter as well as two greetings. Viola To Go is an accessories set of six made specifically for the platter and could also be used in other ways too. A very fun and useful set! And great for a man-card also!

Stamps: Viola!
Inks: Staz-On Black, Basic Black, Bashful Blue, Blush Blossom, Riding Hood Red Classic Inks; Pretty in Pink Marker
Paper: Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, Basic Black card stocks; Bella Rose Designer Paper (check), Candy Lane Designer Paper (dots)
Accessories: Photo Corner Punch, Curly Label Punch, Paper Snips, Blender Pens, Dimensionals, 2-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter.

Thanks for visiting again today! Come back soon!

Margaret

Forest Friends and TSSC #67!

The set I'm featuring today is Forest Friends. The first time I saw them, I thought they were just so cute...they looked like Bambi and Thumper and friends! My first card is for Technostamper's Monday Sketch Challenge #67. Here is the sketch for today:

I used the Forest Friends set as well as the Glad Friends single sentiment stamp. On page 208 of the catalog are all the other single stamps that are available free as part of the current "Get Connected" promotion this month . It can also be received free when you purchase $40. or more in merchandise from the Occasions Mini Catalog on or before April 30 or host a workshop with sales of $150. or more.

The Kiwi Kiss paper in the background is the Walk in the Park Designer Series Paper, also from the mini. This was layered on Baja Breeze then a Chocolate Chip 4 x 4" card. Baja Breeze grosgrain ribbon was added around the card and embellished with a punched out flower and a chocolate Flower Brad. The flowers on top of the sentiment were punched out with the Trio Flower Punch . This was all layered on a chocolate Scallop punch.

Be sure to go to Technostamper's blog from the link at the end of today's post to see her card for this challenge as well as a list of all the other players for this week.

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The second card is a bit more rustic with the Chocolate Chip and Creamy Caramel card and handstitching with natural Linen Thread. Using my Chocolate Chip inkpad, I gave the Caramel cardstock a faux woodgrain then ran it through the Big Shot machine with the Distressed Texturz Plate to really give it texture.

The Sage Shadow layer was also given the woodgrain treatment, stamped lightly with Baja Breeze then handstiched to the chocolate layer. The owl and deer were stamped then cut out and adhered. Chocolate 5/16" brads were added at the two right corners. This would be a good card for a male, and sometimes I really run low on those!

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Third is a shadowbox card in a Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze and Chocolate Chip color scheme. The owl and deer were again stamped, cut out and laid aside. A circle was cut in the first layer (Urban Garden Designer Paper); the second layer (Sahara Sand cardstock) was stamped first with the tree in the set then partially cut out. The last layer is Baja Breeze which you can see in the center. The owl and deer were then adhered to their respective layer.

The sentiment is from the fun Really Retro sayings, set of seven. It was punched out with the Word Window Punch, as were the two Chocolate Chip pieces on which it is layered. Vanilla 5/16" brads are not only decorative but hold all three layers together.

Don't forget the "Get Connected" Special this month for the free individual stamp. No Limit!

You may go to Technostamper's blog here.

Thanks for dropping by! Hope you will come back soon!

Margaret

Occasions Mini Blog Tour MONDAY, April 27!

REMEMBER! Come back tomorrow for AN EXCITING

BLOG TOUR -- MONDAY, APRIL 27

Featuring the OCCASIONS MINI CATALOG!

I'll be featuring samples of the "FOREST FRIENDS" stamp set here!

Rise and Shine and get your morning caffeine of choice! :) Drop in when you can! It will be fun, inspirational and exciting!

The tour will be available all day until midnight, but after that, it's gone and you will have missed it, so remember to come here tomorrow as soon as you can get here!!

Next stop after this? "AND MANY MOWER" samples by a very talented stamp artist, Mary Jo Price-Williams! You'll find the link to her blog here!

And "Get Connected" with family and friends through Stampin' Up!'s current promotion. Purchase $40 from the Occasions Mini and get a FREE stamp from our "under $10" page 208 in the Idea Book and Catalog! (I love FREE!!) You'll then have great supplies to make cards for "your circle" to stay connected and keep those relationships flourishing!

See you TOMORROW!

Margaret

Friends 24/7 in Blue and Chocolate

Here is another card from my recent Stamp-A-Stack using a very popular set, Friends 24/7. And what a beautiful set it is! It includes this bird as well as a lovely damask stamp and others, six stamps in all.

I stamped the bird in Close to Cocoa on Whisper White cardstock then stamped the damask image in Sahara Sand around the bird like a background stamp. I added some color with the Stampin' Pastels and a cotton-tip swab, punched the corners with the Ticket Corner Punch and layered this onto Chocolate Chip with the corners also punched.

The card base is Sahara Sand. On a piece of Bordering Blue, I rolled the Friendly Words Jumbo Wheel in Sahara Sand for a very suble effect and adhered it to the card. A piece of chocolate dotted DSP was added to the base and Chocolate grosgrain ribbon was added to cover the seam between the two papers.

"Here for You" was stamped in Chocolate Chip on a small piece of Bordering Blue then punched out with the 1 1/4" circle punch and layered onto a 1 3/8" circle of white. This was layered on a Chocolate Chip punched scallop circle and dotted with the White Signo Gel Pen.

The bird piece was adhered to the upper blue portion of the card and the scallop circle adhered with Dimensionals.

Stamps: Friends 24/7 (#114218, $25.95), Friendly Words Wheel (#114696, $8.50)
Inks: Sahara Sand, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa
Paper: Bella Rose Designer Series Paper; Bordering Blue, Chocolate Chiip, Sahara Sand, Whisper White
Accessories: Ticket Corner Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8 and 1 1/4" Circle Punches, 5/8" Chocolate Grosgrain Ribbon, Signo White Gel Pen, Stampin' Up! Chalk Pastels, Dimensionals.

REMEMBER to visit my blog on Monday between 5 a.m. CDT and midnight to start your tour on the Late Night Stampers BLOG TOUR!! Travel at your own speed, on your own timetable, and even in divided segments but the tour is MONDAY only! It consists of 19 blogs which will each have samples of different stamp sets and products from the Occasions Mini Catalog offering ideas and inspiration! Start here on my blog then you will find the link to the next blog and so on through 19 blogs, then end up here again. Come as you are but don't miss the bus! It will be fun, exciting and rewarding! (wink!)

Thanks for visiting!

Margaret

Altered Calendar Book, BC #96

Wow, it's Friday and time for Blogger's Challenge #96! This week the challenge was "Alter It!". Perfect!! I had been wanting to dress up my 2009 calendar book that had my realtor's name on the front into something more personal and this was the exact challenge to make me do it! lol! What? It's April already, almost May? Well, I'll still have plenty of time to enjoy it, book workshops and classes, etc. lol!


The book is 7 1/4" x 10"; I covered the upper five-eights in the pear print from Good Morning Sunshing Designer Series Paper (love that paper!) and the lower three-eights in Kiwi Kiss cardstock that had been stamped in Kiwi Kiss ink with the circle stamp from the Trendy Trees set. (Both this Good Morning Sunshine DSP and the Trendy Trees set are from the "Retro Fresh" Style Watch so they coordinate easily!)

Chocolate Chip cardstock that was textured with the Distressed Texturz Plate in the Big Shot was used to texture the binding strip; it was also used for the large circle background. I cut the Saffron print GMS DSP with the Scallop Circle die and layered it on the chocolate circle. I placed a strip of chocolate dotted DSP (from the Bella Rose DSP package) across the seam then layered the circle on that. I put SU's Sticky Strip Adhesive down both sides of the binding piece and adhered that.

I cut a Kiwi Kiss and Chocolate Chip initial using the Serif Essentials Alphabet die set and layered them on the Saffron scallop . The large punch of the Photo Corners Punch was used to punch the same chocolate dotted DSP. When everything was put together, I added some enhancements with the Signo White Gel Pen. The back is just the same, except there's no circle with initial.

Stamps: Trendy Trees
Ink: Kiwi KissPaper: Good Morning Sunshine and Bella Rose DSP; Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip cardstock
Accessories: Big Shot Diecut Machine, Distressed Texturz Plate, Scallop Die, Sizzix Circle Die, Serif Essentials Alphabet Die Set, White Signo Gel Pen, Photo Corner Punch, Xyron, Sticky Strip adhesive

This was a fun challenge; I enjoy altering things but just haven't done much of it recently! I'm going to enjoy using my date book too!


ANOTHER ALTERED PROJECT is these altered paint cans:

These clean new gallon paint cans were altered using 12 x 12" cardstock, stamps and ribbon. The beautiful Blossoms Abound set (now retired) was used to stamp the flowers in Rose Red and Regal Rose. The first initial of each bridesmaid is featured in a stamped frame on the front of the can which held the bridemaid's gifts presented at the bridesmaid's luncheon. They were a big hit!

Thanks for visiting! Come back soon, and don't forget the Late Night Stampers Occasions Mini Blog Tour on this coming Monday ONLY! You may start here on my blog for a fun "trip"!

Margaret

Flight of the Butterfly

It's spring and time for fresh colors and butterflies! This is one of the cards I made for my Stamp-A-Stack last week; it uses a lovely and versatile set titled Flight of the Butterfly. What a fun set too! It is a "Two-Step Stamping" set where you stamp once then stamp a different stamp on top of that which is designed to add more dimension, color or detail to the first stamping. For example, I stamped the large solid butterfly in Pale Plum then stamped the flower stamp, which is the same shape and size, on top of that in a deeper color, Perfect Plum. This can easily be done with the Stamp-a-ma-jig for perfect placement of your layers!

The Designer Paper is from the Delicate Dots package which was a Sale-A-Bration premium product. I just love the soft and spring-y colors in it and this is one of my favorite patterns in the whole package! The Eyelet Border Punch used on white cardstock to make the eye-catching border is a great finishing touch! The butterfly "trail" is one of four sentiments in the set and is stamped in Old Olive ink.

Stamps: Flight of the Butterfly (#111564, set of 10, $31.95)
Inks: Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Certainly Celery, Old Olive Classic inks (pgs. 154-5)
Paper: Delicate Dots DSP (Sale-A-Bration, retired); Whisper White, Pale Plum, Perfect Plum
Accessories: 1/4" White Grosgrain ribbon (#109025, 15 yds., $4.95); Stamp-a-ma-jig (#101049, $11.95), 3/16" Corner Rounder Punch #109047, $6.95), Eyelet Border Punch (#113692, $15.95)

Thanks for coming by for a visit! Please come back soon, and REMEMBER to come back Monday for sure for the new and innovative LateNightStampers BLOG TOUR!! You will begin here on my blog, travel via links to other blogs and end up back here when you finish! It will be so interesting and fun, and you can even travel in your jammies and no worries about packing, make-up and the rest! lol!! Monday 7 a.m. CDT until midnight only! Catch the bus here for a whirlwind tour of eye candy! When you do stop by, I hope you'll leave a comment so I'll know you've been here!

Margaret

Classic Sketches BC95

The challenge last Friday for the Blogger's Challenge was a color challenge: use Always Artichoke, Chocolate Chip, Sage Green and Sahara Sand to make your card. I was a little "iffy" the Sage with the Artichoke but I'm happy now with the way these went together.

For this card I used my new Classic Sketches set from the Spring-Summer Catalog. As I mentioned yesterday, I really like the Classic and Vintage styles so this was one of the first sets I ordered.

I paired the largest image from the set with a saying from the Sense of Time set I used yesterday. The image was stamped in Artichoke Craft Ink and embossed with Clear Embossing Powder, as was the sentiment. The card base is Chocolate Chip card stock. Overlaying that is a piece of Sage Shadow which has been rolled with the Baroque Border wheel and stamped with another stamp from the set, both in Sahara Sand ink.

The Ticket Corner Punch was used on many of the corners to give them a more ornate appearance. Chocolate Chip 5/8" grosgrain ribbon and Vintage Brads finish off the card.

Sets: Classic Sketches, #113206; Sense of Time, #113804; Baroque Border Wheel, #109675
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, Sage Shadow, Sahara Sand
Inks: Chocolate Chip Craft and Classic; Always Artichoke Craft; Sahara Sand
Accessories: Standard Wheel Handle, Chocolate Chip 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon; Vintage Brads, Ticket Corner Punch, Clear Embossing Powder

Click HERE or on the Bloggers Challenge logo in the left sidebar to see the list of Challengers, then visit some of them to see what they did with this challenge!

Hope you enjoy! Thanks for dropping by. Have fun stampin'!

Margaret

New Concept Coming Next Monday!

Do you like to travel? Blog Hop? Well, here's a great opportunity to take a tour... a BLOG TOUR! A group of us in Late Night Stampers online group have gotten together and organized a tour of twenty blogs; on each blog will be featured a different set or product from the current and fabulous Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini Catalog! See samples, get ideas, enjoying inspiring artwork! When you've completed the trip, you'll be bursting with ideas!

Remember, start here next Monday, April 27 after 7 a.m. (CDT) to midnight to begin your trip! Set your reminder, pack your bag and bring your cuppa' java, tea or cocoa! (but you can wear your jammies and bunny slippers! lol!) We're working hard to make this a great experience, and the first of it's kind!!

Oh, I forgot to mention, it is for this ONE DAY ONLY, so if you come after Monday, you will have missed the bus! : ( You'll not want to miss this unique opportunity!

Margaret

Sense of Time TSSC66

I had a good time using my new Sense of Time set from the Occasions Mini Catalog last night! I am usually drawn to vintage style stamps and this one did quickly catch my eye. It also has two very nice sayings in the set... and can we ever have too many sayings? Noooooooo! : )

I made my card for Technostamper's Monday Sketch Challenge and you see the sketch for the week on the right. It is a good yet simple sketch which will be useful again and again!

The card base is my much neglected More Mustard card stock; then I added the Artichoke striped DSP on which I softly stamped the gears stamp in Close to Cocoa (I wanted it to be subtle). Ruby Red and More Mustard layers next then a layer of Chocolate Chip which has been run through the Big Shot with the Distressed Texturz Plate to give it wonderful visual and tactile interest. They are great!

I stamped the large clock face and gears on Sahara Sand cardstock in Chocolate Chip Craft ink then heat embossed with Clear Embossing Powder, then lightly sponged the various inks onto them and cut them out. The sentiment was stamped and cut out; the ends of the cardstock were each placed into the Rounded Tab Punch to give them that little rounded look, then it was sponged with inks also and Vintage Brads added. All the pieces were layered onto the chocolate piece with Dimensionals and Snail Adhesive. For the three "dots" design element, I used Ruby Red brads from the Earth Elements Brads assortment.

You know, we are always needing cards for the men and I think this one would fit the bill just great!

Stamps: Sense of Time #113804, set of 4
Inks: Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Always Artichoke, More Mustard, Close to Cocoa Classic; Chocolate Chip Craft
Paper: More Mustard, Ruby Red, Always Artichoke, Chocolate Chip, Sahara Sand cardstock; Artichoke Designer Paper from Patterns Pack Level I Hostess (Fa 08)
Accessories: Clear Embossing Powder, Ruby Red brads from Earth Elements Asst., Vintage Brads, Stampin' Sponges, Rounded Tab Punch, Big Shot Machine, Sizzix Texturz Plates, Dimensionals, Snail Adhesive.

You can see Technostamper's card here and a listing of the other players this week. Take the challenge yourself and see what you come up with.

Thanks for visiting! You are always welcome here! Click on "Comments", leave me a note and say Hello!

Hope you get to have some fun stampin'!

Margaret

Cheep Talk Bluebird

This is such a fun and whimsical set! It has two birds (the other one is a little larger than the one shown), three sentiments, a pear, a large and small flower, etc. for a total of eleven stamps! Great set!

This is one of thecards from my Stamp-A-Stack Monday and Tuesday. We had a lot of fun stamping and visiting!

Birds are such a hot trend in stamping and scrapbooking right now and this set just fills the bill! I colored the branch and leaves with markers then stamped. The other items were stamped using the Classic Inks and the Stamp-a-ma-Jig allowed us to place things where we wanted them! Gotta love that!

Stamps: Cheep Talk (I grin everytime I say that, lol)
Inks: Pacific Point (blue) and Summer Sun ink pads; Close to Cocoa and Old Olive Markers.
Paper: Good Morning Sunshine DSP; Summer Sun, Old Olive and Whisper White card stock
Accessories: Flower Brads (center colored with brown Sharpie), Pacific Point Striped Grosgrain ribbon, Stamp-a-ma-Jig.

Hope you enjoy! Thanks for visiting; have a great day!

Margaret

Blogger's Challenge #94

It's Friday and time for the next Blogger's Challenge, today #94. Today's challenge is to use a technique of your choice. I opted to use one I saw not too long ago and have been wanting to try. Now I have an excuse to make me do it! lol! It is the ruffled scallop edge and I first saw it on the blog of it's creator, Jan Tinklenberg, a very talented paper artist.

For my focal image I used the birthday cake from Eight Great Greetings, a versatile set of eight from the wonderful new Occasions Mini Catalog. This was punched out then layered on a Regal Rose punched circle. The ruffle was attached to that . The Designer Paper used on this card is all from the Sweet Always package and it is very sweet indeed, composed of Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette, Pumpkin Pie and Whisper White. On the polka dot paper, I stamped a dotted flower image from the coordinating Always stamp set in Chocolate Chip to give it more interest and balance the design.

Stamps: Eight Great Greetings, Always
Inks: Basic Black, Chocolate Chip Classic; Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Pumpkin Pie Markers
Paper: Sweet Always Designer Paper; Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Accessories: Scallop Border Punch, Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, Regal Rose Grosgrain Ribbon, 1 1/2" and 1 3/4" Circle Punches

Be sure to visit the other Blogger's Challenge Players on this list to see what technique they did. I can't wait to do so myself!

Thanks for dropping by today. Hope you enjoy the card. Have a good Friday and a wonderful Easter weekend!

Margaret

Trendy Trees and Funky Forest

One of the cute new sets in the Spring/Summer Catalog is this one, Trendy Trees. It's part of the Retro Fresh Style Watch collection (p. 10-11) which "updates a retro style with a fresh twist. Bright vivid colors and bold patterns bring a playful look to your handcrafted creations". There are five stamp sets and numerous accessories included, all for a fresh and fun clean look.

The Stamp-A-Ma-Jig is invaluable for placing the tree trunk in just the right place after first stamping the tree tops. Everything went together pretty quick for this colorful card. I think these stylized trees are so attractive and, depending on the color choices, can be used for both men's and women's cards, as well as children's. Very versatile!

Stamps: Trendy Trees, Funky Forest standard wheel
Inks: Tangerine Tango, Old Olive, Perfect Plum, Close to Cocoa
Paper: Tangerine Tango, Old Olive, Perfect Plum, Whisper White card stock
Accessories: Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, Flower Fusion (felt flowers), Tangerine Tango Striped Grosgrain ribbon, 5/16" Jumbo Brads, Trio Flower Punch, Standard Wheel Handle, Old Olive cartridge

Thanks for visiting! Hope you get time for some stamping R & R today!

Margaret

Dreams Du Jour a la Bella Rose

I had this "Dreams" image from a previous project in my extras box and thought it would work perfectly for the Blogger's Challenge sketch I used for last Friday's sketch. The red and pink check from the Bella Rose Designer Series Paper seemed a good choice to go with it. Red Riding Hood card stock was used for the card base. I stamped the DSP with the pretty butterfly in the set then the corners were treated with the Ticket Corner Punch. This was layered on the base and a large dot was added at each corner with the white gel pen.

I layered the "Dreams" image on a red scallop circle die cut with the Big Shot and the Pennant Die, then layered that on two more black scallop circles punched with the same die. A strip of white card stock punched on each long edge with the Eyelet Border Punch was layered on the check DSP and Riding Hood Red Striped Grosgrain Ribbon was placed down the center. Another piece of ribbon with the ends looped was adhered and then the image was added to the center of that with Dimensionals.

For the finishing touches, "Congratulations" was stamped with VersaMark then embossed with Black Embossing Powder. I added Crystal Effects to the flowers on the main image and lightly sprinkled some Dazzling Diamonds over it and laid it aside to let it dry. I think you can see a touch of the glimmer in the larger photo. I like the way this turned out; this pretty image has ended up on a card that has a rather "country" feel to it!

Stamps: Dreams Du Jour, Hugs and Wishes (sentiment)
Inks: Basic Black, VersaMark, Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss
Paper: Bella Rose DSP, Riding Hood Red, Basic Black, Whisper White
Accessories: Eyelet Border Punch, Big Shot, Pennant Die, Ticket Corner Punch, Blender Pen, Paper Snips, Riding Hood Red Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Signo White Gel Pen, Black Detail Embossing Powder, Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Embossing Buddy.

Thanks for coming by! Have fun stampin'!

Margaret

Blogger's Challenge #93: Sketch

I've joined a group of stampers who participate weekly in a "Bloggers Challenge". It can take many forms; this week it is a sketch challenge, and I really like those. Here is the sketch:

For my card, I use a 6" x 6" piece of Rose Red card stock folded in half to make a 3" x 6" card, a great size. I chose the yummy Raspberry Tart Designer Paper to layer on that, then the wide Rose Red Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, which coordinates beautifully.

For the focal point I die cut four flowers with the medium flower on the Sizzix Daisies #2 die, three in Pretty in Pink and one in Cameo Coral, colors found in the DSP. I die cut one small daisy in Pretty in Pink for the top layer. I used a pewter Build-A-Brad for the flower center with a 1/2" punch of the same DSP used on the card.

The sentiment is from the Chit-Chat Rub-Ons package which has probably a couple of hundred sayings ready to be applied to your project! I'm really using and liking those!

For the three small embellishments I made small circles with my Signo White Gel Pen then spooned Dazzling Diamonds glitter onto them. I discovered that the glitter sticks to the gel and when it dries, it's permanent!

I am honored to get to participate in the Blogger's Challenge. You can click here to go to other player's blogs and see what they've made for today's challenge.

Thanks for visiting! Have a good day and some fun stampin'!

Margaret

More Easter Bunny Cards with Eight Great Greetings

For my workshop this past weekend we did a little 4" x 4" card with the cute little bunny from the brand-new set Eight Great Greetings from the Occasions Mini Catalog (April 1-June June 30, 2009). This is a good size card to use for smaller size images and also when you want to tuck a small card into a gift, basket or even use as a gift tag.

The bunny was stamped on Whisper White in Basic Black, colored with Stampin' Write Markers and Blender Pens then punched out with the 1 3/4" Circle Punch. It was then layered on the Scallop Circle from the Sizzix Pennant Die (these are larger circles than the Scallop Circle Punch). A piece of Designer Paper was added to the lower half of the card, the sentiment stamped and a ribbon tie added. A strip of colored cardstock was scalloped with the Scallop Border Punch and added to the inside bottom of the card to add some color there too. Viola! Done! Very quick and easy! A perfect little note to tuck into an Easter basket!

The Almost Amethyst Scallop card uses the delicate stripe from the Afternoon Tea DSP and the sublime Certainly Celery polytwill ribbon that was a free Sale-A-Bration selection with purchase. I hope you got some of it because it has the most amazing feel and is very easy to work with. Can you tell I love it? lol!

The Saffron Scallop bunny card uses the Saffron print Designer Paper from the Delicate Dots Sale-A-Bration DSP and the the Saffron Striped 5/8" grosgrain ribbon from the Spring/Summer Catalog. A card I saw made by Angie Juda gave me the inspiration for these cards.

This versatile set, Eight Great Greetings (#113822, set of 8, $27.95), has eight stamps with sentiment included that would be perfect not only for standard cards but especially for the smaller size cards, whether square or rectangle. The greetings cover birthday, Easter, thanks, Dad, wedding, congrats, shower and a humorous one that could also be used for Mother's Day. That's a lot of occasions!

Thanks for dropping in to visit! Hope you have a great day and you get some time to have fun stampin'!

Margaret

TSSC #63 Bella's Bloom

I've finally had some time to do Technostamper's Monday Sketch Challenge, so even though I know it's Wednesday, I'm posting it! :) Here is the sketch, a nice assymetrical arrangement of two rectangles with three round embellishments.

In looking through my stamps, I came across this wonderful little set, Bella's Bloom, which I had been wanting to get out and use soon anyway. I paired it with this beautiful sentiment from All Holidays set of 12 to make the horizontal rectangle. For the background rectangle I used a Kiwi Kiss damask print from the Bella Rose Designer Series Paper. For the background design on the Chocolate Chip card stock base, I wheeled the Bella's Border in Chocolate Chip Classic Ink. Do you see a pattern developing here? lol! Yes, I like all those Bella Style Watch products...so gorgeous. In fact, "bella" means beautiful in Latin (I DO remember something from my high school Latin!) and these products truly are just that...beautiful!

Stamps: Bella's Bloom, All Holidays, flourish behind flower from Friends 24-7
Inks: Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip; Old Olive marker
Paper: Bella Rose DSP; Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette card stock
Accessories: 1/4" olive grosgrain ribbon, half-back pearls from Pretties Kit, Mini Glue Dots, Dimensionals.
All products are Stampin' Up!

Thanks for visiting today! Visit Mary Jo's blog here and see her card and the list of all the other participants in this challenge. Try it yourself too!

Have fun stampin' and come back for a visit soon!!

Margaret