It's a Stampin' Up! Color Refresh! Colors Discontinued, Old Favorites Out of Retirement!

It's that time again...  Stampin' Up! has reintroduced old favorites, such as Soft Sky and Blushing Bride, while retiring colors like Pretty in Pink, Baja Breeze and More Mustard.  See the chart below for the new colors in the 2013 Color Refresh:

Just in the Color Renovation a few years ago, the Discontinue Colors (at the bottom of the above chart) will only be available as supplies last...  This applies to card stock, ribbon, reinkers, ink pads, etc.

Here's a {video} from the lovely Carrie Cudney telling us all about it...  Hooray!

{12 Weeks of Christmas} Week 3 -- Embrace the Negative!

What?!  No, no, this is a *positive* post about Christmas...

The fact is, when we use our Bigz dies, Framelits or punches, we're often left with the negative from which we cut our shape.  How about using the "negative" as the focal point, or key feature, of our project?

Here's what I mean.  A simple punch with the Decorative Label Punch leaves us with this delicious negative in which to showcase the Festive Designer Series Paper Stack (page 20, from the 2012 Holiday Catalog).  I am IN. LOVE. with this new DSP and will be using it in our family Christmas cards this year.  I love the color palette, the designs provided and since they're double-sided, there's a lot of variety.

This card features a color combination suggested by my Color Coach:  Island Indigo, Baja Breeze and Rich Razzleberry.  I used the Decorative Label Punch on my Rich Razzleberry (which I ran through my Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots EF).

**Studio Suggestion**:  Stampin' Dimensionals add the lift necessary to make the punched negative really stand out.

Since I have used a couple of layers of card stock, I'm able to use smaller pieces of my DSP and really stretch my supply.  This is a great and cost-effective way to make note cards for gifts (they'll be among my gifts this year!).

The sentiment, "My friend," is inked with my Island Indigo and Baja Breeze Stampin' Write markers and punched with the Curly Label punch.

A rhinestone and knot of Baja Breeze seam binding add a little {flair} to the project.

Here's another example:

Using the Lacy Brocade EF from the Holiday Catalog (page 6), I added a classic texture to the Not Quite Navy piece.

Very Vanilla seam binding has a bit of sheen which adds another nice classic touch.

The stamp from Tags til Christmas is created to fit the Decorative Label punch, but by using my Stampin' Dimensionals, the Very Vanilla card stock along the edge of the stamped image lends a bit of contrast.

I used my Jewelry Tag punch and the Tiny Tags stamp finish off the look.

Once again, the Color Coach guided me to choose the palette:  Not Quite Navy, Regal Rose and Very Vanilla.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Project #1:

Stamps:  Perfect Punches (W117022, C120516)

Papers:  Festival of Prints DSP Stack (Holiday Catalog, 126904), Rich Razzleberry (115316), Baja Breeze (111352) and Whisper White (100730) Card Stocks

Inks:  Island Indigo and Baja Breeze Stampin' Write Markers (Can be purchased in color family collections)

Accessories:  Big Shot (113439), Perfect Polka Dots EF (117335), Baja Breeze Seam Binding Ribbon (122331), Decorative Label (120907), 3/16-inch Corner (119871) and Curly Label (119851) punches, Rhinestone Basic Jewels (119246) and Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

Project #2:


Stamps:  Tags til Christmas (W120847, C121169), Tiny Tags (W118091, C118592)

Papers:  Not Quite Navy (101722), Regal Rose (105130) and Very Vanilla (101650) Card Stocks

Inks: Not Quite Navy (126971) and Regal Rose (126947) Classics

ccessories:  Big Shot (113439), Lacy Brocade EF (127819), Very Vanilla Seam Binding Ribbon (120999), Decorative Label (120907), 3/16-inch Corner (119871) and Jewelry Tag (117190) punches, Linen Thread (104199) and Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

Cheers to You! Water Bottle Tag

Welcome to the Studio!  This project was created for a friend who is undergoing medical treatment that requires her to increase her consumption of water.  It's a reusable water bottle and I've included some drink mixes.  I hope this makes the treatment easier for her -- she's a gem and I'm sad that she's burdened with this...

The body of the card was made with Pink Pirouette.  The other color is Baja Breeze.  These are the colors featured this week in the Dynamic Duos Challenge #11.  This card is also based upon the sketch for the 365 Cards Super Sketchy Sunday challenge.

I stamped the glass and straw in Baja Breeze and then stamped the contents of the glass a second time on another piece of Whisper White (this time in Pink Pirouette), used my Paper Snips to cut it out and mounted it with Stampin' Dimensionals to make it pop.  The flagged ends of the Baja Breeze piece were achieved with a square punch (click *here* for a post including a quick video tutorial).

I also punched a circle of Baja Breeze with my 2 3/8-inch Scallop Circle punch to jazz up the spot where the neck of the water bottle is...  I punched a 1 3/4-inch Circle through the Pink Pirouette piece, placed the scalloped circle over it and punched again from behind (wasn't sure I'd have the hand-strength to punch two layers of card stock).

The drink pouches were placed in a "pocket" made from a Decorative Label punch, popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps:  Happy Hour (W126640, C126642)

Papers:  Baja Breeze (111352), Pink Pirouette (111351), and Whisper White (100730) card stocks

Inks:  Baja Breeze (126960) and Pink Pirouette (126956) Classics

Accessories:  Baja Breeze Seam Binding Ribbon (122331), Decorative Label (120907), 1-1/4" Square (119865), 2-3/8" Scallop Circle (118874) and 1-3/4" Circle ( 119850) Punches, Paper Snips (103579), and Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)  

A Whole Lotta Punches "For the Birds" Cute Card Thursday

One of my new goodies from the 2012-2013 Annual Catalog is the set, For the Birds.  I love this sweet set and its simple line illustrations (I'm a sucker for feathered friends).

I used my Owl Builder punch to punch out this little heart in Summer Starfruit (a heart is part of the "thought bubble").  My Blender Pen and a bit of Summer Starfruit Classic ink fill in the bird with a bit of color...  The sweet heart DSP is from the Patio Party Designer Series Paper, whose color scheme is seen throughout this card.

My sentiment is inked with a Midnight Muse Stampin' Write Marker and then punched from the Whisper White using the Word Window punch.  I've mounted it on Primrose Petals cut with the Modern Label punch (one of my *FAVE* sentiment combos) and added a couple of Boho Blossoms in Summer Starfruit with a Midnight Muse center (from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack).  Whew!  Stampin' Dimensionals pop it up a bit.

I entered this sweet card in last week's 365 Cards Color Scheme Challenge and the Cute Card Thursday Challenge (following 

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps:  For the Birds (W126405, C 126407)

Papers:  Patio Party Designer Series Paper (126916), and Baja Breeze (111352), Midnight Muse (126843), Summer Starfruit (126839), Primrose Petals (126841) and Whisper White (100730) Card Stocks

Inks:  Midnight Muse Stampin' Write Marker (Set of 2012 In Colors:  126856), Midnight Muse (126860) and Summer Starfruit (126991) Classics

Accessories:  Modern Label (119849), Word Window (119857), 2-3/8" Scallop Circle (118874) and 1-3/4" Scallop Circle (119854) and 1-3/4" Circle (119850), Boho Blossoms (119858),Itty Bitty Shapes (118309) and Owl Builder (118074) Punches, Blender Pen (102845) and Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

Here Comes Summer!

This is one of my favorite cards!  I'll be recreating this in a variety of colors, to be sure...

I inked the images using the Mixed Bunch set, then easily punched them out using the Blossom punch.  To make things more interesting, I also punched images out using my circle punches (1-inch, 1-1-1/4 inch and Itty Bitty Shapes Pack).

For added texture, I ran my piece of Island Indigo through my Big Shot, using the Elegant Lines Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.

Finally, to class it up, I added Rhinestone Basic Jewels to the flowers and embossed background.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps:  Mixed Bunch (W125535, C125537)

Papers:  Baja Breeze (111352), Rich Razzleberry (115316), Island Indigo (122923), Whisper White (100730)

Inks:  Rich Razzleberry (126950) and Island Indigo (126986) Classics

Accessories:  Big Shot (113439), Elegant Lines Folder (119277), Blossom punch (125603), 1-inch Circle (119868), 1-1/4 inch (119861), Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack (118309), Rhinestone Basic Jewels (119246), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

I was busy in the Studio this weekend, so stay tuned for more details on my latest projects!

Here Comes Summer! {Mixed Bunch}

As I write this, summer seems to have finally arrived...  The sun is out, the birds are singing and the sky is blue!  This card was created for the Cute Card Thursday Challenge, in which we were to use "Here Comes Summer" to inspire our projects.   

I started with Mixed Bunch and inked it in Island Indigo and Rich Razzleberry.  The flowers were punched using the Blossom punch and the centers were punched using the one-inch and 1-1/4-inch Circle punches. 

Next, I fed a piece of Island Indigo through my Big Shot, using the Elegant Lines Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.

Finally, Basic Rhinestones were added to give the project a dash of bling...

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps:  Mixed Bunch (W125535, C125537)

Papers:  Island Indigo (122923), Rich Razzleberry (115316), Baja Breeze (111352) and Whisper White card stocks (100730)

Inks:  Island Indigo (126986), Rich Razzleberry (126950), Baja Breeze (126960)

Accessories:  Big Shot (113439), Elegant Lines Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (119277), Blossom punch (125603), 1" Circle punch (119868), 1-1/4" Circle punch (119861), Rhinestone Basic Jewels (119246), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

Happy Birthday, Dear Sister! Inspired by {Stevie Nicks' Rhiannon}

"She takes to the sky like a bird in flight, 

and who will be her lover?"

Happy Birthday today to my dear "baby" sister...  Our soundtrack growing up was filled with Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks, so when a challenge came up recently from 365 Cards to create a card inspired by music, I knew who would be the inspiration (musically) and who would be the recipient (an inspiration herself).

The card base is Stampin' Up!'s new In Color, Summer Starfruit and it's combined with Elegant Eggplant and Baja Breeze.  The lovely bird and the background stamp I used are retired, but I had to share anyway...  The flowers are made with the Bojo Blossoms punch and the shapes are cut out using the Labels Collection Framelits.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:


Stamps:  Fabulous Phrases (W117002, C120501), Vintage Vogue and Notably Ornate (retired)

Papers:  Summer Starfruit (126839), Elegant Eggplant (105126), Baja Breeze (111352), and Whisper White (100730)

Inks:  Elegant Eggplant (126969), Basic Black (126980)

Accessories:  Labels Collection Framelits (125598), Big Shot (113439), Boho Blossoms (119858) and Modern Label (119849) punches, Rhinestone Basic Jewels (119246)

Need the new 2012-2013 Annual Catalog?  Click here to learn how to get it for $5, shipping included (no additional
purchase necessary).

A {Peek} at My Weekend's Projects...

Our weekend was a busy one, but here's what I was able to create during the wee early morning hours (insomnia has its bennies!):

A flower for a fabric-inspired project, using the soon-to-be retired 5-Petal Flower.  I paired Very Vanilla (I love the cleanliness of muslin slipcovers, etc) with Baja Breeze.

Charming, another set that retires on May 31, includes a lovely stamp of script, including the words "inspire," "create," and "share."  I'll be sad to retire that set...

This sentiment, stamped on Tangerine Tango card stock, is from Crazy for Cupcakes, which retires on May 31. 

Of all the projects I completed this weekend, this is among my favorites.  It's a versatile design, which you'll see later this week.  It was for a Color Scheme challenge, for which I used Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Regal Rose and Crumb Cake.

Our niece celebrates her first birthday on Saturday, so I used the set, Look Who's Turning, to create a first birthday card for her.  This set and the Big Shot Texturz Plates Backgrounds 1, (which gave me the embossing on the card body) retire this month, too!

The "hello" from Tiny Teacup (another retiree) was used for the sentiment of this card...

This card was created for a challenge in which I was to use multiple sentiments...  The large one in the background is from the retiring set (one of my go-to sets), Sincere Salutations.  One can never have too many notes to say "Thank you!"

My Color Coach was my constant companion this weekend, as I tried out new color combinations.  Admittedly, some are different and some are ones I'll only use once.  I did find a few new favorites, though, and I am grateful to have it to lean on.

I appreciate your visit and I invite you back this week as I write about each of these in turn...

A Spot of Tea for a Friend's Birthday

Hello, Studio Sara Visitor!  Welcome back...  For today's project, I started with a card for a good friend for her birthday (she is my BFF I made through stamping).   

Once the 365 Cards challenges were published last week, I realized that with a little tweaking, I could enter my friend's birthday card.  The challenge was "The 3 Cs" and we were asked to make it colorful, classy and add coffee.  

My friend once told me how much she liked how (on my Christmas card) I had threaded the Cherry Cobbler seam binding through the circle (cut with my Perfect Pennants Bigz L die).  I wanted to replicate that for her here.  

The teacup is from the A la Carte stamp, Tiny Teacup, which retires at the end of May.  It includes "hello" underneath, but I just inked the teacup.  

Since I was going to use my Cherry Cobbler again, I needed to find colors that would coordinate, but still *POP*.  I used my Color Coach and came up with the palette of Cherry Cobbler, Baja Breeze, Soft Suede and Chocolate Chip.  Colorful without being glaring...

Finally, I used the Scallop Edge Border punch and a sliver of card stock to make the border along the opening of the card.  Simple, but I think it finishes the card while drawing your eye back to the main elements.  

That sweet sentiment?  From the retiring hostess set, Happiest Birthday Wishes.  Place a merchandise order of $150 and you can choose this set with your shopping spree $$!  It'll also earn you the new Stampin' Up! 2012-2013 Annual Catalog!

Stampin' Up! Supplies:


Stamps:  Happiest Birthday Wishes (W122615, C122617), Tiny Teacup (W118086)

Papers:  Baja Breeze (111352), Chocolate Chip (102128), Soft Suede (115318) and Whisper White (100730) card stocks

Inks:  Baja Breeze (111833) and Cherry Cobbler (119669) Classics

Accessories:  Big Shot (113439), Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (117335), Perfect Pennants Bigz L die (123126), Scallop Edge Border (119882), 1-3/8" Circle (119860) and Modern Label (119849) punches, and Cherry Cobbler 1/2-inch Seam Binding Ribbon (120992)

{Sale-A-Bration Countdown}: Call Me!

Oh, delicious Designer Series Paper!  I'm heartsick that our time together is limited (Sale-A-Bration ends on March 31!)...  The Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper, a Sale-A-Bration freebie with any $50 merchandise purchase, has a bevy of lovely patterns and colors.  I'm a sucker for vintage and I'm in love with this paper.

This card was created for a challenge in which I was to include the image of a phone or the phrase, "Call me."  I love this old-fashioned phone from the set, Taking Care of Business, which is great for demonstrators (and other business-minded folks!).  I inked just a bit of it so as to just get the telephone (it has a sentiment about placing an order). 

What excites me most about this card is the punch treatments.  I layered a circle upon the retired Designer Label Punch (this one keeps sneaking its way back into my "current" stash).  One could easily do something similar with the Decorative Label Punch.  The So Saffron 3/8-inch Taffeta Ribbon makes as tidy bow across the two.

The second punch treatment is at the bottom of the card.  I just snipped a bit of the Decorative Label Punch to fit the column of Whisper White card stock.  I finished it off with a  swipe across my Poppy Parade Classic ink pad.  Finally, I used the Scallop Trim Border Punch on the column of Whisper White card stock to finish the look.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps:  Taking Care of Business, Pendant Park (W115456, C120012)

Papers:  Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper, *a Sale-A-Bration freebie!* (126154), Baja Breeze (111352), Poppy Parade (119793), So Saffron (105118) and Whisper White (100730) card stocks

Inks:  Early Espresso (119670), Baja Breeze (111833), and Poppy Parade (119782) Classic inks

Accessories: So Saffron 3/8-inch Taffeta (122982), Decorative Label Punch (120907), Scallop Trim Border Punch (118402), Retired Designer Label Punch, 3/4-inch Circle Punch (119873)

Looking for more Sale-A-Bration inspiration?  Check these posts:

Will go *LIVE* on Saturday: {KISS: Keep It Simple Saturday and Sale-A-Bration Countdown}: Kindness Matters in a Simple Sketch

{Sale-A-Bration Countdown}: Fresh Vintage

Happy March!

Sale-A-Bration! Why am I sale-a-brating?!

Oh, {Pennant}, how do I love thee!