Monday, May 28, 2012

Memorial Day, USA

Today is Memorial Day in the United States, when we honor those who have served and currently serve in our military.  I have a card I made for the occasion plus some pictures of a memorial to follow.
For my card I used the Stars #2 Original Die which sadly has been retired this year and is now sold out.  I ran Night of Navy cardstock through the Big Shot with the Stars die and added Stampin' Dimensionals to the back.  The card is Real Red overlaid with a 4" x 5-1/4" piece of red and white stripe from the also retiring Big Top Birthday Designer Series Paper (#122348, $10.95).  

 The Navy stars layer was adhered to the stripe and the word "Remember" from the Word Play set (I omitted the "when" from the stamp by inking only the "Remember" with my Night of Navy Stampin' Write Marker) was stamped and cut out with my trusty sharp Paper Snips.  The finishing touch was a star punched from Red Glitter Paper.
+ + + + +
To honor our service men and women today, I want to share some pictures I took about a year and a half ago when we visited Hawaii for the first time.  Just before landing in Honolulu, I could see Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial from the airplane window; the sight gave me goosebumps.  The USS Arizona battleship was one of the many ships sunk in Pearl Harbor in a surprise attack on December 7, 1941.  Here is our visit to the Memorial in pictures:

View of the USS Arizona from the opposite shore.

As we approached on the Navy shuttle boat, the people on the boat grew quiet; this is a hallowed place.
 Over the entrance to the memorial
 
Inside the memorial from the back, looking toward the entrance; the atmosphere was somber and reverent.  Above you can see the openings to the sky.  You can also see the opening to the water with the ship below.  The memorial straddles the ship but does not touch it.
Dedication Plaque on the Memorial.  Click on the picture to see a larger version and read the inscription.  (You may click on any of the pictures to see a larger version)
At the far end of the Memorial is a room where all the names are listed of those who lost their lives on the USS Arizona that day, Dec. 7, 1941, US Navy and US Marines.
From inside the Memorial, as one looks upward, waves Old Glory.
"Oh say, does that Star Spangled banner yet wave,
o'er the land of the free
and the home of the brave."

Thank you to all those who have served and sacrificed that we may enjoy the freedoms we have today.  God bless you and
God bless America.

And you and your country also, if you are not from the United States.

May we live in Peace,

Margaret

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Totally Tool

So many wonderful sets are retiring to make room for the new Catalog ... and one of them is Totally Tool!  It's great for masculine cards with the tool images plus it includes a clever saying with each tool.   Totally Tool* (#113256, $25.95 w) is also great used for projects other than cards like 3-D projects, scrapbooking, tags, and gift wrappings.
I used a color scheme based on the strip of Well Worn Designer Paper* (#122359. $10.95), one of my favorites from this past year's catalog.  Great colors are Soft Suede, Not Quite Navy, Cajun Craze and Crumb Cake.  The layer of Not Quite Navy was treated to a pass through the Big Shot with the Perfect Details Texturz Plate* (#115962, $3.95) giving it the diamond-pattern embossing; this was adhered to the Soft Suede card.  A 5/16" brad from the Naturals Assortment* (#112534, $4.17, 40% off!) catches a strip of the Artichoke Jeans Ribbon* (#125054, $4.17, 40% off) which adorns the Designer Paper.  I used the Distressing Tool that is part of the Cutter Kit* (#106958, $16.95) to roughen the edges of the Designer Paper; it's such a great multi-purpose tool and I'm sorry to see it retire!
For the focal image I used the screwdriver stamp with accompanying saying stamped on Crumb Cake cardstock.  The corners were treated with the Ticket Corner Punch* (#119867, $6.95) then sponged with Soft Suede ink.  I used the three piece Mat Pack* (#105826, $9.95) and Paper Piercing Tool* (#116631, $3.50) to punch the upper and lower edges of the image for added interest then adhered it to the card with Dimensionals.
 
Everything on this card with the exception of the cardstock, inks and Dimensionals is retiring!  I hate to see this set go and have enjoyed using it, particularly for "guy" cards!  If you want it, better get it now as it won't be available any more after May 31!  Actually, these stamps can also be used for "gal" cards, think stampers....?  : )

If  you wish to purchase any of these or other Stampin' Up! products, just click HERE to go to my official online Stampin' Up! shopping website!  If you wish, you may also contact me through that website.

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

Margaret

*Retiring products, available only until May 31, or as long as supplies last.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Tea Shoppe

You may have noticed the recent lack of my posting; we were gone for nine days on a wonderful trip for a milestone anniversary!  Unfortunately I returned home coming down with something and I'm still trying to get over it, so not getting any stamping done (or anything else either!).

However, I do have a card for you today that I made before I left.  I really like the lovely Tea Shoppe stamp set that appeared in the Occasions Mini Catalog, and to my delight it appears on Stampin' Up!'s Carryover List for May! so it is still available for purchase!
 
 
 The card base is Whisper White with the front dry embossed with the Framed Tulips Embossing Folder and the Big Shot; this makes a lovely frame for the rest of the card elements.  The teacup was stamped with Riding Hood Red ink onto Whisper White then cut out with my sharp little Paper Snips. Those scissors are great for fine cutting and control!  On the handle is a knot of Island Indigo 3/8" Ruffled Ribbon.

Beneath the cup is a piece of Twitterpated Designer Series Paper, which is also on the carryover list this month!  The combination of Blushing Bride, Pear Pizazz (I'm going to miss these colors so much!), Island Indigo and Riding Hood Red is the basis for the card's color scheme.  The paper was  treated with the Scallop Edge Punch before adding to the card, and a narrow strip of the reverse print was adhered to it's top edge for contrast.  At the bottom is the "tea for two" image stamped in Island Indigo and punched out with the Wide Oval Punch.  Tiny Pearls were added to this piece and also several added to the flower centers on the cup itself.


I kept the inside simple with the greeting plus two posies stamped with the set, leaving plenty of room for a personal message.

This was a pretty simple card but the predominance of white with the embossing and red cup gave it panache!

Thanks for visiting today!  I appreciate your visit!  Remember this Tea Shoppe set and the Twitterpated Designer Paper is still available for purchase in May, along with a number of other items!

Happy Stampin'!

Margaret

Occasions Mini Products Carried over to May!

On April 30, Stampin' Up! announced a number of  products from the Occasions Mini Catalog 2012 would be available for one more month during the new catalog transition!!

Click on the link below to see the list of wonderful and popular products from the Occasions Mini that you may still purchase in the month of May!!



Happy Stampin'!

Margaret



Occasions Mini Stamp Sets Still Available

Occasions Mini Stamp Sets Still Available

May, 2012 
 
If you love the sets in the Occasions Mini Catalog, you are in luck! Because of the short time period between the end of the Occasions Mini Catalog and the launch of the 2012-2013 annual catalog, Stampin' Up! has decided to make the carryover stamp sets available early--starting today!

The following stamp sets are available for purchase. We hope you will enjoy this extra little sneak peak to the annual catalog.

 Stamp Set Name
 Item Number
 Wood-Mount
 Clear-Mount
 Baby Prints    
     125470    
 125472
 Love & Laughter
 125475
 125477
 Bordering on Romance
 125480
 125482
 Apothecary Art
 125525
 125527
 Mixed Bunch
 125535
 125537
 Tea Shoppe
 125545
 125547
 Mouthwatering
 125675
 125677
 Loving Thoughts    
 125843
 125845
 Salon de thé
 125934
 125936
 Etiquetas florales
 --
         125941        
 Art floral
 125964
 125966

Happy Stampin'!

Margaret



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