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 2 -- Diverting from the Traditional Color Palette

This card was created for a Color Scheme Challenge a while ago at 365 Cards: 

While I'm a big fan of the traditional color palette for Christmas, I like how fun and fresh this note is.  The colors we were to use were Old Olive, Bashful Blue, More Mustard and Crumb Cake (or something thereabout -- I assign Stampin' Up! colors to those challenges).

This is also a simple and versatile layout.  By crumpling the scraps of More Mustard and adding a dry embossed layer (and rhinestones!), texture abounds in this project...  The Labels Collection Framelits make the basis of the focal point easy to create.

In a second project, I was going for a bright and cheery look without the traditional colors.  Using Tags til Christmas and my ornament punch, I created the Melon Mambo ornament, tied off with a bit of white floss.

The texture in this card was created using the Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder ("TIEF"), and turning the card base to show the opposite relief from the Elegant Eggplant layer.

This color scheme was brought to you by the Color Coach...

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps:  Snow Swirled (W111690, C127799), Tags til Christmas (W120847, C121169)

Papers:  Crumb Cake (120953), Whisper White (100730), More Mustard (100946), Bashful Blue (105120), Old Olive (100702), and Elegant Eggplant (105126)

Inks:  Bashful Blue (126961), More Mustard (126964), and Melon Mambo (126948) Classics

Accessories:  Big Shot (113439), Labels Colleciton Framelits (125598), Petals-A-Plenty TIEF (116824), Vintage Wallpaper TIEF (120175), Rhinestone Basic Jewels (119246), 1/2-inch Circle Punch (119869), Ornament Punch (119847), Color Coach (120148), and Stampin' Dimensionals (104430).

A Little Mojo and Some Birdsong

Today's project was an entry for the Mojo Monday MOJO246, 365 Cards "Word of the Week:  Music" (think birdsong), and Dynamic Duos (Always Artichoke and River Rock) Challenges.

I used my Language of Friendship set, because I love the little songbird (punched out with the Bird Builder punch) and I thought the three elements in the Mojo sketch would be fun with the blooms from that set, as well.  Notice that I stamped one of the flowers and punched it, using the Boho Blossoms punch, popping it up with a Stampin' Dimensional.

The Dynamic Duo challenge allows us to use a neutral in our project, so I chose Crumb Cake (aka "Kraft").  I also ran my piece of Always Artichoke through my Big Shot for some added texture. 

Stampin' Up! Supplies:


Stamps:  Language of Friendship (W122750, C122752)

Papers:  Always Artichoke (105119), River Rock (108640), Crumb Cake (120953) and Bashful Blue (105120) card stocks (*as I went to link this entry to the Dynamic Duos blog, I see that I was to only use the two colors highlighted -- I'll follow the directions better in the next challenge!)

Inks:  Always Artichoke (126972) and River Rock (126977) Classics


Accessories:  Boho Blossoms punch (119858), Bird Builder punch (117191), Big Shot (113439), Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (117335), Very Vanilla 1/8-inch Taffeta Ribbon (119960), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

Father's Day Card: {Forever Young}

There's something very poetic about this stamp set's name and Father's Day...  I love the tree and thought it made a nice focal point for this masculine card.  

I entered this card in the 365 Cards Heavy Metal Challenge last week and also in the CardPatterns Sketch 169 challenge for this week.  The antique brad at the top adds heavy metal, but with a touch of panache.

The sentiment is crafted from a Decorative Label punch (which I had fun trimming) and the stamped image from Teeny Tiny Wishes, punched out with the Word Window punch.

The card stock colors are courtesy of my Color Coach:  Cajun Craze, Crumb Cake, Marina Mist and Bashful Blue.  I wanted to use the Marina Mist striped Designer Series Paper (from the Subtles Patterns Stack), and that drove the rest of the color choices. 

The Crumb Cake piece with the tree stamped upon it was fed through my Big Shot with the Labels Collection Framelit and the Crumb Cake piece beneath it was sueded.

The flagged end of the Marina Mist Designer Series Paper was achieved using my 1-1/4" Square punch.

Happy Father's Day to the men in my life!  We love you!

Stampin' Up! Supplies:


Stamps:  Forever Young (W122570, C122572), Teeny Tiny Wishes (W115370, C127802)

Paper:  Cajun Craze (119684), Crumb Cake (120953), Marina Mist (119682) and Bashful Blue (105120) Card Stocks and Subtles Collection Designer Series Paper Stack (117152)

Inks:  Cajun Craze  Classic (126965)

Accessories:  Big Shot (113439), Labels Collection Framelits (125598), Decorative Label Punch (120907), Word Window Punch (119857), 1-1/4 inch Square Punch (119865), Antique Brads (117273), Linen Thread (104199), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

Stampin' Up! Supplies Basket for Preschool Donation

Tonight's the Spring Sing at my child's preschool and for the silent auction that accompanies this performance, I prepared a basket of card-making supplies.  I've cut, punched, stamped and prepared items that one could use to create a dozen cards.  I've also used My Digital Studio to create some sketches of ideas for possible layouts.

Here's a variety of punched shapes to use as embellishments.  I've also stamped a few sentiments and punched them out...

Finally, here are three "spools" of ribbon, wrapped and ready for use as well as the card bases, envelopes and pieces of cut Designer Series Paper from the Subtles Patterns Stack.

Since I used the Subtles Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack, I wanted to use colors that one could find in those papers.  I've included Marina Mist, Certainly Celery, Old Olive, So Saffron, Bashful Blue, and Pretty in Pink.  For added interest, I've included Early Espresso (it's not visible -- I ran pieces of that through my Big Shot, using the Vintage Wallpaper and Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folders).

I hope someone has a lot of fun with this!

Stay tuned -- last weekend was my son's First Communion and I've got the invitation and Thank You notes to share with you... 

Stampin' Up! Nature Walk for Easter...

Easter is upon us!  Here's an Easter Card I made for the "Super Sketchy Sunday" challenge at 365 Cards.I am so inspired by the sketches there!

I love the earthy feel of the eggs from the Nature Walk set...

I used my Scallop Edge Border punch to create the border along the Marina Mist and that always produces a slim scrap.  You can see I added it behind the Round Tab punch with "Happy Easter."

The Scallop Trim Border punch adds further interest...

I've been busy enjoying my kids' Spring Break and sewing the girls' Easter dresses.  I'll be posting the rest of the week's projects soon!

Stampin' Up! Supplies:


Stamps:  Nature Walk (W121925, C121997), Teeny TIny Wishes (W115370)

Papers:  Crumb Cake (120953), Marina Mist (119682), Bashful Blue (105120) and Very Vanilla (101650) card stocks

Inks:  Marina Mist (119668), Bashful Blue (105209), and Crumb Cake (121030) Classics

Accessories:  Round Tab (119864), Scallop Trim Border (118402), Scallop Edge Border (119882) and Scallop Circle (119854) punches, and Paper Snips (103579)

{Stamp Set Spotlight} Big on Christmas

Merry Christmas! I hope this finds you well! We'll be busy baking at my house today, which is one of my favorite ways to celebrate the season... Thought I'd share two of my favorite quick and easy cards using Big on Christmas... Enjoy!

In both designs, I used my Blender Pen to pick up a bit of color to fill in the image with a bit of watercolor. In the Noel card, I used my Real Red Stampin' Write Marker to fill in the letters...
The scalloped edge is easily achieved using my Scallop Edge Border Punch... I used the scoring blade on my paper trimmer to make the scores on the Noel card and textured Real Red card stock gives it an added flair.

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Big on Christmas

Papers: Woodland Walk Designer Series Paper, Garden Green, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Bashful Blue and Whisper White smooth card stocks, Real Red textured card stock

Inks: Staz-On Jet Black, Real Red, Bashful Blue, Garden Green, and Early Espresso Classics and Real Red Stampin' Write Marker

Accessories: Scallop Edge Border Punch, Scoring Blade, Paper Trimmer, Whisper White narrow grosgrain ribbon, paper snips

I wish you the very best this Christmas and for many blessings in 2011. Thank you for your visit today!

{Stamp Set Spotlight} Snow Swirled: Day 3

What drew me first to this set was the snowflakes... I love the detail!

This quick and simple card allowed me to haul out some punches, use my Big Shot and use up some scraps. First, let's talk punches. I see five punches that were used; the Scallop Edge Border, 1-3/4" Circle, 1-1/4" Circle, Boho Blossoms, and Scallop Oval Punches.

For my color palette, I consulted my Color Coach and used Marina Mist, Old Olive, Real Red and Bashful Blue.

I also used the Top Note Bigz Die and the Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder for the Bashful Blue piece at the top. Finally, a knot tied in Marina Mist grosgrain (adhered with a Mini Glue Dot) finishes it off!

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Snow Swirled !

Inks: Real Red and Old Olive Classics

Papers: Marina Mist, Bashful Blue, Real Red, Old Olive, and Whisper White card stocks

Accessories: Big Shot, Top Note Bigz Die, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Marina Mist grosgrain, Mini Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals, Scallop Edge Border, 1-3/4" Circle, 1-1/4" Circle, Boho Blossoms, and Scallop Oval Punches

Thanks for your visit! Hope your day's a great one!

{Challenge! "Taggies"}: A Little Birdie Told Me...

Hello and welcome to the Studio! Before I go any farther, I would like to wish my dear mom "Happy Birthday!". I love you, Mom, and I hope your day is great!

Today's card is one I submitted for a challenge last week at 365 Cards. The challenge was inspired by those baby toys that have the ribbon tags along the edge.

I have been really enjoying using my Extra Large Two-Step Bird Punch. I am *LOVING* the new punch design! I can't get over how easy they are to store...

Anyhoo, I simply punched my bird's wing on the flipside of the floral of the Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper so that I'd get the houndstooth design. The houndstooth design is opposite the floral, but one has to punch the bird's wing on the side you want, or else the wing points up when it's flipped over to show the other pattern.

Next, I punched the branch using the Old Olive piece (it's the flipside of the striped piece I used in last week's Technique Video). Then I punched it again in the Sahara Sand part of that same piece to get the leaves. I used a little Two Way Glue and the tweezers from my Crafters Tool Kit to put it all together (it did feel like a little neurosurgery, I gotta say, but it's worth it).

The ribbons are (in order of appearance) Rose Red 1" Double-Stitched Grosgrain, Bashful Blue 1/4-inch Grosgrain, Chocolate Chip 5/8-inch Grosgrain and Whisper White 1/4-inch Grosgrain.

I also used my Scallop Edge Punch to make the little borders at the bottom.

This was a very easy card to make, aside from the gluing and will be a versatile design I'll replicate for lots of purposes. We've only got a couple of weeks left for the Occasions Mini Catalog, which brought us a lot of these materials. I'm lovin' the Sweet Pea Paper and since it contains Taken with Teal (one of the Retiring Colors), I'm not expecting it to appear in the new 2010-11 Idea Book and Catalog in July. I'll be purchasing more before the Occasions Mini ordering deadline, which is April 30. Refer to my earlier post about the Color Renovation for more info on the exciting new changes with the colors...

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: None this time!

Papers: Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper (Occasions Mini Catalog, available until April 30), and So Saffron and Chocolate Chip Card Stocks

Inks: None this time!

Accessories: Extra Large Two-Step Bird Punch, Scallop Edge Punch, Rose Red 1-inch Double-Stitched, 5/8-inch Chocolate Chip and 1/4-inch Whisper White and Bashful Blue Grosgrain Ribbons, Paper Snips, Two-Way Glue

Coloring Page!

The challenge at 365 Cards for which I created this little guy was to color in a line image, using colored pencils or pastels. I used my Blender Pen to color with my Stampin' Pastels...

I had more fun adding little touches to this card. The stamps are from Snow Buddies, which is a Level 2 Hostess Set from the Holiday Mini Catalog. The flourish at the bottom of the card (and on the Bashful Blue oval) is supposed to be wind. I thought it would make fun ice skating tracks! I used my Stamp-a-Ma-Jig to help me place that on both the Crushed Curry and Bashful Blue pieces. I used VersaMark ink on both for a subtle touch.

The snowflake hanging from the "Merry Christmas" is from the Snow Buddies set and I was tickled to discover that it fit the Boho Blossoms Punch perfectly! I added a punch of Bashful Blue to make it pop and adhered the silver elastic cord to each side of the card stock with a Stampin' Dimensional.

I used a Stampin' Up! resource to choose my colors. When the New In Color choices come out each year, Stampin' Up! provides us with a variety of options for other colors to use with them, be they In Color or from the basic Color Families. I use this resource a lot. Contact me if you'd like a copy!

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Snow Buddies and Many Merry Messages sets

Papers: Crushed Curry, Melon Mambo, Soft Suede (see his hat), Bashful Blue, Old Olive, Whisper White

Inks: Basic Black, Bashful Blue, and Old Olive Classics and VersaMark

Accessories: Blender Pen, Stampin' Pastels, Silver Elastic Cord, Boho Blossoms, Ticket Corner and Small Oval punches, Circle Scissor Plus, Hobby Blade, Glass Mat, Paper Snips, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stamp-a-Ma-Jig

I really appreciate the visit! Drop me a line; let me know you were here!

My Hat's off to You!

This sweet snowman is courtesy of a Hostess set I earned for an order I put together early last month. The name of the set is "Snow Buddies" and it can be found in the Holiday Mini Catalog. The challenge from the 365 Cards folks is to include a hat... Here's my take:

Studio Suggestion: I used the Round Tab Punch to punch the Basic Black card stock and snipped it in half to create the bowler hat for my snowman. The cute hat band is the Merry Moments Designer Series Paper.

Studio Suggestion #2: To make the snow effect on the ground, I tore a piece of Vellum and then dusted it with my Stampin' Pastels (blue).

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamps: Snow Buddies, Fun & Fast Notes

Papers: Bashful Blue, Basic Black, Old Olive and Whisper White card stocks and Merry Moments Designer Series Paper

Inks: Basic Black Classic Ink and VersaMark

Accessories: Round Tab and Word Window Punches, Stampin' Pastels, Blender Pen, Paper Snips

Thanks so much for your visit!

Formal (First Communion) Projects

One of the reasons April was such an insanely busy month for us was that Jordan received her First Communion. What follows is the invitation, favor, and "Thank You" note.

Invitation:

Jordan was anxious to choose her color scheme; I got to design the rest...

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamp Sets: Special Blessing, Simple Salutations

Inks: Whisper White Craft; VersaMark

Papers: Brocade Blue, Rose Red and Whisper White Card Stock

Accessories: Pretties Kit; Sizzix Big Shot; Stampin' Up! Backgrounds I Texturz Plate; Round Tab punch

Favor Box:

Supplies:

Papers: Bashful Blue, Barely Banana and Whisper White Card Stock

Accessories: Sizzix Big Shot; Stampin' Up! Backgrounds I Texturz Plate

*I word-processed the text and adhered the Whisper White to a tag cut out with my Cricut (Christmas Cheer cartridge). Then I ran the tags through with the Texturz Plate mentioned above.

"Thank You" note

Stampin' Up! Supplies:

Stamp Set: Sincere Salutations and Elegant Thank You

Ink: VersaMark

Paper: Whisper White Card Stock

Accessories: Pretties Kit; 5/8-inch Whisper White satin ribbon; Sizzix Big Shot; Stampin' Up! Backgrounds I Texturz Plate; Sizzlits 4-pack die: Stampin' Up! Birds and Blooms; Stampin' Dimensionals; Clear Detail Embossing Powder; Heat Tool; Designer Label punch

**This card was inspired by a white-only challenge posted on Splitcoast. I'll find the thread and give credit to the challenge creator (JuliaS?).

Thank you for looking!