Big Top Birthday!

I needed to make a birthday card for a little boy turning four years old.  What could be more perfect than the bright pure colors of the Big Top Birthday Designer Series Paper!?!  Kids love bright colors and this DSP is just the thing!

How about some stars and stripes to celebrate a birthday!  Love this eye-popping color scheme of Real Red, Tempting Turquoise and pure Whisper White!  I ran the stripes horizontally because that worked better with the "happy" greeting and the die cut number.  The "4" was cut from both Real Red and Whisper White with the Alphabet Simple Numbers (115968).  The "happy" is from the retired set Happy Everything.

To cover the seam where the two patterned papers meet, I punched a zig-zag edging of Whisper White using the Pinking Hearts Border Punch #117649 (don't let the name fool you, it can work well on a masculine card too!)  I punched three stars out of the sparkly Silver Glitter Paper and it really does pop in person!

This was a pretty quick card and fun to make;  I didn't figure a four year old little boy would spend much time with it but would go right for the gift, lol!  It's a bright and fun card and I'm happy with the results!

Thanks for visiting today!  Hope to see you back here soon!

Margaret

Apothecary Art & Loving Thoughts II

The new Framelits Die sets from Stampin' Up!'s new Occasions Mini Catalog are a huge hit!! They are fun and easy to use, and the results are fabulous! One of the great things about the Framelits is that you can see your exactly where and what you are cutting out, as you cut with the image face up and the die blade down around it!

 A Blushing Bride card is the base here; this is overlaid with a piece of Cherry Cobbler cardstock and a strip of 1 1/4" wide Cherry Cobbler Striped Ribbon both of which have been trimmed to "fish tail" points.

Over the striped ribbon is the lovely floral label from the Apothecary Art stamp set which has been watercolored with inks, blender pens and markers in pinks and green then cut with the Label Framelit die.  The cut is perfect... and far far better than I could do by hand (and much faster, too!!).  Over the center is a banner of Blushing Bride cardstock stamped with the "Wonderful You" sentiment from the Loving Thoughts set... what a wonderful set of eleven expressions in this same beautiful style (all the sayings work perfectly with the Labels Framelits!).  The banner is anchored on the left with one of our new large self-adhesive Pearls then the right end is also "fish-tailed".

I don't think you can tell from the picture, but the new Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details has been applied to the center of each flower on the label, giving it a lovely sparkle!  (A girl's gotta' have some bling, right?!)

The card is clean, simple, striking and yet easy to make!  Just change the sentiment for the occasion you need!  The ladies at my workshop really liked it and that is the best gauge for me!  : ) 

All these products can be purchased online through my official Stampin' Up! website store HERE.  Remember that every purchase of $50 or more qualifies you for a free product from the Sale-A-Bration catalog seen HERE!!

I appreciate you visiting today!!  Have a wonderful weekend and come again soon for more Occasions Mini Catalogs and Sale-a-Bration product projects!!

Margaret

A Fashionable Hearts Valentine

Have I mentioned that I love the new products in the Occasions Mini!  Oh, okay, the answer is yes.  {smile}  Today's card uses another one that is quick, easy and very eye-catching!  The Fashionable Hearts Embosslit Die(#125596, $11.95) both embosses and cuts your cardstock at the same time; how easy is that?!  Plus you get five different sizes of hearts each time and every one is embossed differently.  Cool, huh?!

I used an array of pink and red cardstocks for the hearts and arranged them above the lower front edge of the card that had been cut and treated with the Adorning Accents Edgelit Die and Embossing Folder.  These are also new products in the catalog; there are two Edgelits that cut different beautiful edges (the other one is a fancy scallop)(#125595, set of 2, $9.95) and and three Embossing Folders in the set (#125601, Adorning Accents Embossing Folders set of 3, $8.95) that add coordinating embossing!  Genius!!

The greeting is from the Grateful Greetings set (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentine greetings, #116511, set of 12, $36.95 wood) which I have used a lot!   The oval frame from the Designer Frames Embossing Folders set was embossed on Whisper White then stamped with the greeting in Cherry Cobbler, cut out and adhered in the center front.

Don't you just love all the different textures on the embossed hearts?  I used Blushing Bride, Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo, Real Red, Poppy Parade and Cherry Cobbler cardstock colors for the hearts.  You could use tones of green, blue, naturals, or whatever to do a design for other occasions and/or times of the year!  How fun would that be?! This makes a pretty clean and simple yet effective card!

Thanks for visiting today.  Remember it's Sale-A-Bration and you receive a free product from the Sale-A-Bration catalog for any $50. order either online here or by contacting me!  We love free stamping stuff!!

Margaret

Everyday Enchantment DSP, Blossom Punch and more!

  REMEMBER SALE-A-BRATION BEGINS TUESDAY, JAN. 24TH! 

I'm loving all the new products from the fabulous Occasions Mini Catalog as well as the Sale-A-Bration products!  On my card today, I have used several of them to make a pretty quick and easy yet attractive card (I love how it turned out! ) {smile}

I started this card late yesterday evening and it came together so quickly that I was shocked!  Sometimes it takes me what seems like "forever" to make a card, but not this one!  Using some of the fabulous new stamping and cutting tools and products from the Occasions Mini made short work of this card.  I didn't add a sentiment; I'll wait until I use it to send greetings to someone and add the appropriate words.  Do you do that?

Some of the new products I used here are: 

1. The Adorning Accents Edgelit Die to cut the bottom front edge of the card into this graceful shape (I also cut the Designer Print that is attached to the inside bottom of the card with it for a pretty card inside); 
2. The Adorning Accent Embossing Folder that mirrors the shape of the Edgelit die, and gives an embossed border right above the cut;
3. Another Adorning Accent Embossing Folder with rows of tiny hearts beneath the flower;  
4. The flower itself is cut with a beautiful new six petal Blossom Punch (cuts like but-tah!  love it!); 
5. A flower-center stamp from the coordinating -to-the- punch new Mixed Bunch stamp set for the center of the flower;  
6. The brad in the center of the flower is from the Everyday Enchantment Ribbon & Brad Pack in the Sale-A-Bration brochure and is a free bonus product during Sale-a-Bration, and it also coordinates with the
7. Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper, pkg. of 12, double-sided, which is used on this card both for the punched blossom as well as the lower portion of the card below the curved cut!  

In this close-up, you can see the design on the flower center as well as the brad.  It's so cool that they all coordinate in color and theme!  You can also see the sweet tiny embossed hearts; I added a light brush of Pool Party ink to them with a Sponge Dauber.

I couldn't decide if I preferred the addition of the ribbon underneath the flower or not, so I may add a picture without it to see what you think.  I do love that Ruffled Ribbon though and the Pool Party color is yummy!!

Thank you for visiting today!  I love to hear from you!  It's cold here so I'm making a pot of soup and will be staying inside stamping for the day!  Have a wonderful weekend!

Margaret

Flirtatious Flower Fusion Valentine

Wow, that's a mouthful!  LOL!!  But, yes, it does describe my post today:  a card made with Stampin' Up!'s Flirtatious Specialty Paper, the Flower Fusion Sizzlet and it's also a Valentine (although you could easily change the message to make it for another occasion).  I made this card for a challenge in an online group of which I'm a member.

The color scheme of Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink and Whisper White is from this beautiful print from the Flirtatious paper package.  The Flower Fusion Sizzlet was used to cut the flowers except for the leaves and tiny center flower.   The leaves are actually punched from Luscious Limeade cardstock using the Doily Triple Layer Punch and then I trimmed a little scallop off from between each "leaf".   The tiny So Saffron center flower is punched with one of the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack punches that happens to match the Flower Fusion Sizzlet. 

I cut one Whisper White heart with the Scalloped Heart of Hearts Sizzlet (#117332) then arranged the flowers around it.  The sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes was stamped then punched with the Word Window Punch then layered on a Pretty in Pink Modern Label punchout that has been sponged with  ink.  Tiny Pearls were added to the center of each flower and also to each end of the Modern Label Punch, although those were added after I took these pictures : (. 

Thank you for visiting today!  I hope you will come back soon, and in the meantime, here is a link to the amazing 2012 Occasions Mini Catalog  so you can see all the wonderful and new products available to us!  Enjoy!

Margaret

Fresh Vintage Doily

Umm, how much fun is it legal to have playing with the new products from the new Occasions Mini and Sale-A-Bration catalogs??!  Lots I hope, because I am!!  Otherwise, I'm in trouble (well, I am anyway!  LOL!)  This just HAS to be the BEST mini catalog Stampin' Up! has released yet!!

 

I was looking through some cards I'd done awhile back and found one done with this color scheme of Basic Black, Whisper White and River Rock.  This combination turned out quite elegant so thought this would be a great time to use it again!  The doily is offset to the left then a Black Satin Ribbon knot, black dry embossed small butterfly and tiny tag are offset to the right to balance the design.  The tag is stamped with "love" from the Tiny Tags set and is adorned with Pearls as is the butterfly cut with the Beautiful Wings Sizzlit (cuts and embosses in one step!)

I love Stampin' Up!'s new large Paper Doily Sizzlit Die!  (#125592)  Now we can make our own paper doilies any color we wish, or even out of Designer Paper!  Fabulous!  I cut mine from Whisper White cardstock and centered it with a River Rock circle that had been heat embossed with an image from Fresh Vintage, a set available only during Sale-A-Bration (it is FREE with a $50. purchase!)  It's a beautiful set and is perfect for vintage, shabby chic projects, yet it can also work with the "clean" look too!

Here's a close-up of the center and you can see the tiny self-adhesive Basic Pearls used to adorn it.  These just have to be one of the very BEST and definitely easiest embellishments to use!

Here's our small butterfly... doesn't the dry embossing from the Sizzlit add a lot of pizazz?

I know you'll love the products from this mini as well as the Sale-A-Bration mini!  Be sure you make it to a Stampin' Up! party soon so you can see many of these products and projects in person!!  If you are in my area, contact me and we can arrange that!!  Otherwise, contact your local Stampin' Up! demonstrator which can be found on the www.stampinup.com website and look for "demonstrator locator".  (My friends and customers please don't do that, lol!)

All Stampin' Up! products can also be ordered from me or online at my official and secure Stampin' Up! website HERE!

Thanks for visiting today!  Would love to hear from you (leave a comment) and hope you'll come back soon to visit!  I'll be posting some more projects using Occasions Mini and Sale-A-Bration products soon!

Margaret

Apothecary Art and Loving Thoughts

Today's card is made using some new products from the fabulous 2012 Occasions Mini Catalog!  Oh, what fun it is to stamp using these great new products (and some that are not brand-new but still current favorites!)

I am just lovin' these new Framelit dies!!  They are so lightweight yet strong, they come in a nested set of six dies so you can cut frames and layers quickly (no handcutting needed!), and they even have their own plastic storage case which fits in a "thin" space!  It is also more economical as you do get six different sizes in one set!

My card layout is Splitcoast Sketch Challenge #367 and I used a color scheme of Blushing Bride, Basic Gray and Whisper White.  The gray print Designer Series Paper (DSP) in the background is from the new "Twitterpated" DSP fresh from the 2012 Occasions Mini, as is the stamp set (set of 6) Apothecary Art and the greeting set Loving Thoughts (set of 11 beautifully scripted sentiments!).  The four different-sized labels in the Apothecary Art set coordinate with the Labels Framelits to form a dynamic duo for papercrafting pizzazz!

Isn't this label a gorgeous shape!  Love it!  The sentiment was stamped on a 1/2" wide strip of Whisper White cardstock and attached with a Neutral Glimmer Brad.  These brads lend a sophisticated shimmer to the card.  The white lace under the gray layer is made with the wide Scallop Lace Punch.  I added a touch of white to the top and bottom of my Blushing Bride Label by cutting some white cardstock strips and adhering them to the back of the label.

The card base is Basic Gray cardstock then a layer of Blushing Bride was treated to the Polka Dots Embossing Folder in the Big Shot to give subtle texture that adds to the entire look of the card.

I hope you enjoyed the card today!  I'm working on making some more samples for my upcoming workshop!

Thanks for visiting!

Margaret

Sale-A-Bration Sneak Peek!!

Sale-A-Bration is just a little over two weeks away!!  YAY!!  It's the time of year when we get free quality Stampin' Up! products with a minimum purchase of $50. or more in Stampin' Up! products!  This can be an order online, at a stampin' party, class or individual order through your demonstrator!!

My card today is made with the beautiful Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper (12 sheets, 2 ea. of 6 double-sided designs; 12"x12", an S-A-B bonus product ) and a couple of stamps from the S-A-B Fresh Viintage stamp set, (set of 5, wood or clear mount) another bonus product available only during Sale-A-Bration!

Isn't this paper just gorgeous!!  It's the same weight and quality as the Designer Papers in the Stampin' Up! Catalog too; no cutting corners here!  I love how you can combine several different patterns of paper in a project and they work together so well!  These colors are just yummy!  Note the large label cut from the Designer Paper with the new Framelit Die from the Occasions Mini Catalog!  I love this shape and a big PLUS is the coordinating stamp set Apothecary Art (not shown).  Just beautiful!

The large butterfly is die cut with the Big Shot and the Beautiful Butterflies die (#114507) from the same DSP and has a small flower from the Fresh Vintage (SAB set) placed in its center and topped with a Basic  Pearl colored with Sharpie pens.

The "banner" is stamped with a trim or border stamp, again from the Fresh Vintage set, then topped with a sentiment from the Bring on the Cake set stamped and punched out with the Word Window Punch.  More tiny Basic Pearls adorn the banner.

Here's a little peek at the inside.  I stamped the border vertically on the inside edge of the card then added several small flowers punched out with the smallest flower on the BoHo Flower Punch to bring the colors to the inside.

I hope you've enjoyed this card today!  There are a multitude of terrific new products in the Occasions Mini and some great Sale-A-Bration bonus products!  Have you considered hostessing a workshop to earn some of these product for FREE?  You should, you really should!  : )

Thanks for visiting!  Hope to see you again soon,

Margaret

Mixed Bunch Black & White CCMC182

Today's card uses a new set and punch from the fabulous new Occasions Mini Catalog:  Mixed Bunch and the coordinating Blossom Punch.  No hand cutting on this baby!  I love that... the easier, the better!!

The sketch is from Create with Connie and Mary CCMC182; isn't it a great one?! 

I used several of my favorite products on this card!  First, the background vine stamp from the Creative Elements set which I just recently purchased but have wanted it since I first saw it in the catalog.  Secondly the Elegant Lines Embossing Folder (actually I love them all!!) that seems to repeat the swirling lines in the white background above.  Thirdly the Mocha Morning Specialty Paper (some sheets in the package have flocking and some have a metallic sheen!); the two-tone black at the bottom of the design is a sumptuous flocked design!  Fourth, the Tasteful Trim Die that makes fabulous edgings; I used it for the large scallops down the left side.

Now I've added this Mixed Bunch stamp set and the Blossom Punch (that so perfectly cuts out the three large flowers in the set in one move) to my growing list of favorites!  And you will too, once you see and use them!!

The famcy flower or medallion was stamped on Whisper White with VersaMark then heat embossed with SU's Black Embossing Powder.  The resulting raised embossing with a shine really draws attention to this focal point of the design.

The color scheme is black and white with a dramatic touch of Lucky Limeade.  I added a Rhinestone to the center of the flower that I colored with a green and a yellow Sharpie marker!  I love how you can customize Stampin' Up!s Basic Rhinestones and Pearls with the alcohol markers to enhance your design!!

What is your favorite new product from the new Occasions Mini Catalog?  I know, I know, it's impossible to choose from all the fab new items, but leave me a comment and mention one or two!!

Thanks for visiting today!  Hope to see you again soon! 

Margaret